Update: Cruising in the COVID-19 pandemic

The Bahamian government has put in place a 24-hr curfew through March 31st. Folks can go out for essential needs (food, fuel, doctor, essential work, etc.), but otherwise are to remain at home. Public beaches are closed. There is also a restriction on inter-island travel.

There is much debate in the cruiser community about these rules and how they affect us. Our take--if we don't absolutely have to shore for food or fuel, we won't. While we have been cruising the island of Eleuthera since late February, we will not move the boat if we don't have to. We will only move if needed for a safe anchorage or if we decide to go home. It's my opinion that boats moving amongst the islands to get to North America expeditiously should go ahead and do it, but should not go ashore. But if they need fuel...gah, this is tough, folks!

There is talk that this curfew will be extended for another month as the confirmed cases (5 at this point) are now on two islands. That may be what pushes us to move on. Our plan had been to volunteer with rebuilding efforts in the Abacos in April, but given their damaged infrastructure they are discouraging visitors at this time to keep the virus away. We understand, but having this aspect of our trip go away is a bit heartbreaking, though not as heartbreaking as a virus impacting an already fragile island would be.

At this point, you may be wondering, "So what the heck will you guys do?" We don't know. We weigh spread of the virus, access to food/water/fuel/waste disposal, weather, and our general feeling of safety daily (ok, one anxious crew member weighs those things nearly constantly). We are currently anchored snugly in Hatchet Bay on Eleuthera, a 2-day (overnight) sail from U.S. waters. We have food and water (and rum and coffee!). And every day, we relook at the world and reassess our plan.

Eleuthera--Governors Harbour and Alabaster Bay

We continued to creep north in Eleuthera with a stop in Governor's Harbour, the original seat of the Bahamian government. Partly due to holding, partly because we don't like to anchor right around other people, and partly to resist the urge to socialize with the virus spreading like crazy, we decided to drop the hook south of Cupid Cay on the "back side" of town. After AN HOUR AND A HALF of attempts and pulling up interesting trash like a pair of shorts and a strange hunk of metal, the hook was set!

With parks closed already we weren't able to do much exploring in town, but we did manage to get groceries, baked goods, and liquor, and we donated books and clothing at the local library. We ate "out" at the Sweet and Savory food truck outside of Burrow's One Stop Store and loved it--healthy smoothies, delicious sandwiches, and vegetarian options! I really hope they survive the economic challenges the pandemic is sure to bring.

After a few days we headed further north to Alabaster Bay and this gorgeous beach! It was so easy to go ashore and swim and play frisbee. We also took a walk to the old U.S. Navy base near here. I can't imagine being stationed and living right on that glorious pink sand beach!

Alas, when the Prime Minister put the curfew in place the beach became a more popular local hangout and we actually left one night as jet skis kept whizzing by dangerously close to the boat and the anchor chain. After asking them to give the boat more room they kept at it (even closer!) so we went a few miles north to Rainbow Bay for the night. It worked out--Katreina and I were able to finish up work scrubbing the hull in this nice, clear, sandy anchorage.

It's looking more and more like our plans to work in Abaco are going to get impacted by COVID-19, but we will keep heading that way and remain hopeful.

Cruising in the COVID-19 pandemic

Well, time to pull our toes out of the sand and confront what the rest of the world is--the COVID-19 outbreak. The Bahamas just had their first confirmed case Sunday (in Nassau) and made the call immediately to close schools for a month. Yesterday we went into Governor's Harbour and didn't sense too much panic and the store we went to was well-stocked, but at the food truck the owner talked about possibly having to shut down to watch her child even if the government didn't force them to close. It will be interesting to see how activities on the Family Islands change in the coming weeks.

As far as preparation, we feel ok. We had food in the hold and were starting to eat through that as we headed north, but we decided to lay in a few more staples (flour, yeast, rice, pasta) yesterday. We have a fair amount of beans and dried vegetables onboard and we make our own water. And if we need to get away from population centers we can do that pretty easily. And since we were already homeschooling, classes have continued without disruption.

So, what do we want to do? We just renewed our visas with the immigration office in early March so we have some time. We had some important mail that was to come to us via a visit from Mom, but that got called off both to protect her and ensure she doesn't get stuck here or somewhere in between. Thankfully she has agreed to "process" our mail for us so we can stay here. Thanks, Mom! We were going to head north exploring Eleuthera this month before heading to Abaco in April to see where two handy adults and two mature kids could lend a hand, and for now we will likely continue along that path. It's tempting to head back to the Exumas for some prime snorkeling and fishing! So far, no one is kicking us out of this beautiful country or making us feel unwanted, so we will continue to explore and support their economy as they continue to recover from Dorian. We have met many cruisers from many countries, all trying to figure out what to do. We all normally have weather as our biggest decision factor--this is much more challenging.

Eleuthera--Kemps Bay to Palmetto Point

After a brief and completely private stay in Kemps Bay, we continued north to South Palmetto Point. There were only a few boats there and we found good holding just off the beach. We ended up being all alone for most of our stay. Cold water and jellyfish kept us from snorkeling too much, but we did head into the village for pizza at Mate and Jenny's (twice!) and that was awesome! There is a tiny convenience store there that was pretty well-stocked and had two nice, old gents that we chatted with. One night, we also had a spectacular sunset, complete with dolphins! They were curiously circling the boat and it really made for a memorable evening.

Rockin’ in Rock Sound

With protected, good anchoring from almost every direction (so long as you move!), caves, ocean holes, provisions, and delicious dining options, we’ve enjoyed hanging out around Rock Sound while the wind howls!

We started our stay anchored south of the main anchorage and dinghy dock. This put us in range to enjoy the super loud tunes during a fundraiser and come ashore to sample the kabob plates they were selling! The kids enjoyed that while we dug into some conch salad just up the street.  While in town we’ve also tried Louis Delights, Sammy’s, and Frigate’s, and would recommend them all!

Land excursions took us to the airport immigration office (you can almost dinghy right to it!), Boiling Hole, Cathedral Cave (a.k.a. Spider Cave), and the Ocean Hole, where you can easily go for a dip in the 600’ deep hole with lots of fishies! We’ve swam a bit, too, but this weather has mostly been conducive for chores, cooking, games, and movies! 

We also celebrated the 2nd Mate’s birthday while here. In fact, it was her decision that we stay here for the big blow rather than head to Hatchet Bay. We moved up into the main anchorage and dropped the hook due west of Frigate’s—she had chosen that restaurant for her birthday dinner so it was super convenient! 

It’s been blowing over 20 knots for more days than I can count, with gusts nearing 30. Yesterday our dodger/bimini connector zipper had some stitching fail, but I had it patched up, albeit not with matching thread, in less than five minutes. Today we did some errands in town and once we get our propane tank back  tomorrow we will start to look for a good time to creep north!