Sheltering-in-place on SeaSparrow

The last blog post, Cruising in a Time of Uncertainty we informed everyone of our situation during the Coronavirus outbreak, which essentially was that we were healthy and happy and located in the USVIs. As the Caribbean Islands borders were closing down around us, we determined that the USVIs were a good place to be, so that is where we remained and that is pretty much still our situation today.

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Just days after the last blog post was published the Governor of the USVIs stated an intent to close down all essential businesses. To further deter tourists from entering the territory, they closed down all hotels, bars, and restaurants. This created a sense of urgency for us as there were services, such as fuel, water, and propane, that we needed a top up on. So, a little nervous, we decided it was best for us to leave the beautiful Hansen Bay and our friends, who we had recently reunited with after months apart, to get the items we needed to ensure we could continue living comfortably on SeaSparrow.

After we stocked up, we decided to make the best of things and started out by revisiting some of our favorite spots on St-Thomas, then we sailed over to St-Croix, for a change of scenery. By the time we made it to St-Croix, most tourists had gone and the town of Christiansted was becoming a ghost town. We enjoyed many nights anchored just off a little beach, with access to a park and outdoor exercise facility, so we could stretch our legs and get a little exercise in. We had small and quaint birthday parties for Hugh, Eryk, and Owen, where they enjoyed a day-off school or boat work, and Tia baked them their favorite dessert. At this time, however, it became clear the stay-at-home order meant that cruisers were expected to shelter-in-place. By early April the USVI government asked cruisers to pick an anchorage for the remainder of the month of April and remain there. Since we were in St-Croix that is where we stayed. By mid-April, things continued to tighten up, beaches were closed and the national guard was brought in to help reinforce the stay-at-home orders. We watched many people denied access as they tried to enjoy a day at the beach.

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The stay-at-home order during the month of April ensured the virus outbreak didn’t overwhelm the healthcare facilities on the islands. There were cases identified throughout the month but never an overwhelming number at any one time. There were about 4 deaths of elderly patients in the month of April, which saddens us, but at the same time, it would seem that the virus never amounted to a serious threat here. The time during the stay-at-home order also gave the USVI government time to put the precautions in place should the virus outbreak worsen, they purchased medical supplies and set up facilities for additional hospital beds. So by May the government decided to start opening the islands up, the beaches were opened in late April and May 4th started the safer-at-home phase of the re-opening plan. Stores were allowed to open as long as everyone wore a face mask and many rules were put in place, such as no contact sports, and no groups larger than 10 at any one time. This has allowed us to move around, see friends, and enjoy time at the beaches again. There are a few more phases to the plan before we get to what the government calls the “new normal” (which I am not really sure what that truly means), but we feel good as we can exercise and socialize all within reason.

Now our focus has turned to the next threat for us, which is hurricane season. I wish I could say we had a clear plan, but the truth is we are still weighing options as things continue to change in the islands. As recent as last Sunday the Prime Minister in Grenada gave an indication that he was considering allowing boats to enter Grenada and take shelter for hurricane season, which he officially approved only yesterday. This means our original two options are available, either go north to the US, which is about a 1000 nautical mile sail where we would be allowed one stop in the Bahamas or head south to Grenada which would be about a 400 nautical mile sail with no stops. We have also introduced a third option, which is to haul out the boat in Puerto Rico and go back to Canada for the hurricane season, returning to our boat when it makes sense to do so. There is a lot to consider when making this decision and since these are untested times, and we are continually identifying new things to consider. As we make this decision we are always keeping in mind what is best for SeaSparrow and her crew.