Pressing the Pause Button for COVID

It’s been three months this Friday when we embarked on an adventure to live on a 40-foot catamaran and sail down the Caribbean chain from the British Virgin Islands.

We were challenged by an excellent sailing instructor, a few mechanical issues, and strong winds. We learned how to navigate new places quickly, to fix things that weren’t working and to “MacGyver” a few others. We have coined the phrase “noodles are the new duct tape” by using noodles to pad anything that moves when out on the high seas. Best of all, we found that we work very well together when things get tough.

We’ve hung out in amazing bays from St. John to St. Barth’s, and docked at interesting marinas from British Virgin Islands to Simpson Bay on Sint Maarten.

We’ve gotten used to living in a tiny space, and can do without a a microwave, little to no WiFi, a couple of dishes, limited water and power, one skillet, washing our clothes in a bucket, limited cell data, and no Starbucks.

We’ve been in St. Martin since Thanksgiving enjoying fresh baguettes, crepes, fried goat cheese salads and croissants. We know every aisle of the two huge marine stores, Budget Marine and Island Waterworld. We’ve had amazing service from Eddie and Radi at Electec who helped with our water maker and batteries. And we can’t tell you our favorite restaurant because they all were good, but we’ve visited Creperie du Lagon in Port Royale more than any other restaurant.

It’s now time to move on from here, but as we investigated the island countries south of here, COVID became an issue. Even though Omicron has gone through the U.S. fairly swiftly, it’s starting to impact the Caribbean more than before and will most be on “island time,” moving slowly. We don’t know from one week to the next what the COVID rules are and some of the restrictions are quite cumbersome. So we’ve decided to take a short break from our adventure. It’s a tough decision, but we want to visit most of the islands down here and conversely, we don’t want to get stuck here in paradise and not be able to get back to the U.S.

We’ll resume this incredible lifestyle and our blog when things are more certain. Until then, we’ll get a few runs in on the slopes and enjoy time with family and friends.