How quickly situations change. The previous post was whining about time slowing to a crawl while waiting in Puerto Escondido Marina for a weather window. It’s been a month since that post. Much the same has transpired: stargazing; turtle-spotting; stingrays flying. New anchorages, good food; lots of reading. Until things changed.
After hearing bits of news about a virus in China, and it spreading, we weren’t terribly concerned prior to arriving at Marina de La Paz on Monday, March 15. In fact, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were spent furiously filling shopping lists which is seriously time-consuming when the language is unfamiliar, the measurements are metric, or the product isn’t available. Instructions were to stock 2 months of provisions for 4 people. Not knowing how the virus situation would unfold across the Pacific, we wanted to be prepared. Ubers, shopping, transporting, stowing, inventorying, on limited time.
Upon “good morning” to the Skipper on Thursday, he says he’d like a crew meeting. Shortly thereafter we learn: with the little information we have, the uncertainty of how the spread of this virus will effect us in French Polynesia and beyond, with Ports closing, he’s decided to postpone the Pacific Semi-Circumnavigation for a year. About Face on Thursday: Where will Quijote live in the meantime? Will we fly home? Drive? Sail Quijote to San Diego, then hop home? Rod is thoughtful and decisive. He found dry storage in La Paz for Quijote. In the meantime, he and I were asked if we’d like to crew on svRover to San Diego. We moved Quijote and prepared her for a long rest. Nothing to do for the potential bug infestation with all the food stuffs. Hopeful all will be well upon our return
We departed on Rover on Sunday, March 22nd, enroute to San Diego. Today, we are thankful to be able to top off fuel tanks in San Jose del Cabo. We’ll anchor off Cabo San Lucas, waiting for a good weather window, and commence the northbound journey off the Pacific Coast of Baja. We are not in a hurry. With an abundance of food stuffs, a water-maker, communication capacity and redundancy, along everyone feeling healthy, we are grateful. And, we play cribbage! And, we’re getting a lot of time with sails up!!
Emails from you are much appreciated. How have your daily lives been effected? This is a screeching turn of lifestyle for virtually every individual to avoid collision with this virus. Be safe, stay healthy.