Return to the North

After weeks going on months of debating what to do for hurricane season, we finally decided the best option for us was the leave SeaSparrow in storage and return to Canada. We had options as Grenada had decided to let cruisers into the country for hurricane season after a two-week quarantine and a negative COVID test for the entire family, or we could have sailed north into the states and head as far north as Maine. The issue we had was that whichever way we looked at it there were always unknowns and underlying concerns. So with hurricanes already popping up around Bahamas and in the gulf, our favorite option started to take shape and that was to leave our boat in Puerto Rico and return home to Canada.

The thinking behind leaving the boat in Puerto Rico was that flights were relatively easy to get and inexpensive and the boat will essentially remain where we left off and that means we can start the season by exploring Puerto Rico which we have been dying to do. Puerto Rico is also an easy hop to some other islands like the Dominican Republic and Turks and Caicos, then we can spend as much time as we want exploring the Bahamas before we have to sell the boat. This really became my favorite option because after spending a year and a half living on the sailboat I have come to realize my favorite part of this adventure is exploring new places, sailing for me is just the cool means for us to get there. This plan meant there were no long passages to get to where we wanted to be. It also held the bonus of getting to enjoy the Canadian summer and spending time with friends and family, even if social distancing has to be involved.

The hardest part though is always saying goodbye to friends. Earlier in May we saw Abeona, Serendipity, and Sargo off as they headed north to Maine, this time we were parting from Luna, Grey Matter, Fearless and Busy Bee, one was going to head north, others were going to Grenada and one as selling their boat and leaving it in the USVIs. The only part that makes these frequent good-byes easier, is the hope that we will get to see them all again one day, either next cruising season or somewhere on land further down the road. Friendships made in cruising life are special and like no other, we have experienced. We make such a great connection in a very short period of time. My theory is that perhaps cruising helps us live in the moment since there is always the knowledge in the back of everyone’s mind that the time together may be very short, therefore everyone tries to make the best of it. One bonus of our plan to return after the hurricane season is there is always the hope of reconnecting with cruising families next season.

It was no small undertaking though once we left the US Virgin Islands. Puerto Rico had some very tight restrictions during the height of the COVID pandemic, so even though they were initiating a re-opening plan, they still had a lot of restrictions. First, we were only allowed to enter Puerto Rico at all because we had a contract to haul out our boat. At the time of our entry, we weren’t allowed on shore until we either quarantined for two weeks or had a negative COVID test. We opted for the COVID test. We were able to get the test done right at the fuel dock at the Puerto del Rey Marina, the nurse came on board to draw our blood then brought it back to the lab for testing, within a few hours we were officially COVID negative and were allowed onshore. We then stayed at the marina for several days while we prepared for haul out. Puerto del Rey Marina is massive with over 1000 berths, it was a hike just to get to the front office, but it was still a nice and well-managed marina, just missing the quaint feeling we got in other locations in the Caribbean.

When we hauled out on June 17th, we also moved into a nearby Airbnb apartment. It as a nice three-bedroom apartment within about a 20-minute walk to the boatyard. This apartment had more living space than we had seen in a very long time, and it meant we got to enjoy WIFI, hot free-flowing showers, A/C, and a King Size bed every night after a hot day working in the boatyard. Closing up SeaSparrow was no small task, the days were extremely hot (away from the water) and it is no exaggeration to say the sweat poured off of us as we worked.

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Once SeaSparrow was tied down and sealed up for hurricane season we were ready to start our voyage home. It was a pleasant surprise how easy our travel home was, with airports almost empty probably one of the smoothest trips we have ever had. Of course, there were precautions in place due to COVID, which meant lots of social distancing, we had to wear masks at all times, and the onboard snacks were handed to us in loot bags as we entered the plane. The eeriest part about the trip was when we landed in Montreal airport in the middle of the day and you would have thought we were the last plane in the middle of the night. There as literally no one else in the airport other than the CBSA agents, and a few airport employees. From there we rented a car, drove back to Ottawa to pick up my mom’s car, and head up to the cottage.

Once back in Ottawa, my mom had arranged a small homecoming welcome, it was quaint and memorable. Perhaps the most memorable part will be the fact that we were restricted to talk from a distance across the driveway, no one was allowed to hug let alone kiss hello. None the less we were very heartened by the fact that our family took time out of their day to come and welcome us back if only from a distance. We are looking forward to the day that we can hug each one of them again.

Now we are nearly complete our two quarantine, and we are very fortunate that we could spend the time at the family cottage. The cottage is a special place for us and even if we can’t be on the water on SeaSparrow, there is no place better than here. My dad built the cottage when I was only a toddler, and I now feel like it is his legacy he left to the family so we can continue to enjoy it even after he has gone. That all being said, our arrival was pretty chilly, the temperature is now warming up again, but when we first got here we had to find our long pants and sweaters and drank hot beverages by the fire to keep the chill-out.

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Next, we will be looking forward to reconnecting with everyone in Ottawa, while we are here, we are already making plans for backyard bar-b-ques and other social activities. For the time we are here we will continue homeschooling the kids, as we feel it will give them the most consistent approach to schooling. We will be making the most out of our time here, and our plans remain flexible through these uncertain times, we will return to SeaSparrow and our cruiser lifestyle when we can, provided hurricane season is wrapped up and COVID is no longer slowing our exploration of the islands.