Days 106 – 114, Feb 16 – 25
Yvonne’s brother Dave and his wife Pauline arrived on the 18th. It was a perfect visit with some touring, too much eating, and lots of just relaxing. Dave is an avid fisherman so he and Peter took the dinghy out one day for fishing. Dave caught several including one large enough for dinner for the four of us along with some grilled lobster tails and his famous Alexander sauce. We drove to Deer Key and visited a nature center but never spotted the famous Key Deer. On the 25th, the four of us drove to Ft. Lauderdale where we spent the night at Peter’s condo before flying out the next day headed home to Texas.
Feb. 25 – March 9
We spent two weeks back in Texas where we caught up with family and friends, business, doctor visits, and income tax prep. It was nice to be back and even saw some bluebonnets and other wildflowers as they started their bloom. We returned via Ft. Lauderdale once more. Peter’s condo was now under contract so we had an opportunity to take out a few things that had special sentimental value.
Days 115 – 129, Mar 11 – 25
We were now anticipating heading to the Bahamas around the 20th. We did some initial provisioning of the boat and started looking at plans for a route but the coronavirus alerts had begun and we went into a bit of a wait-and-see status. I don’t need to tell anyone how that turned out. There was an opportunity for one or two social gatherings around the marina in Marathon before things really heated up. We had used InstaCart a couple of times to get groceries delivered but now even that was difficult to schedule. Marina services were being cut back a bit more every few days. Our favorite eateries were going to take-out only. We could walk in the sunshine but not really get out and about. First, the Bahamas trip was off the table. Then, the thought of possibly being ill in the confines of the boat and with such limited medical resources locally became a big concern. Even getting a rental car for the trip home became complicated. A very dear friend and fellow boater with a car graciously drove us to Key West to pick up a rental. With heavy hearts, we secured “Quite Nice” as best we could and left her in the hands of the marina staff and friends. On the 26th we once again headed for an interim stop in Ft. Lauderdale then driving back home to Texas.
Some Thoughts
When we started planning to do the Great Loop, we knew there would likely be interruptions. Listening to the stories of other Loopers (given the length of time needed to make the trip), it is rare that there is not some occurrence of family situations, health , or major weather that deems a stop necessary. I guess we need to add “world events” to that list. We had decided that whatever came up we would treat as part of the adventure. So our adventure now includes self-isolating on a boat in the Keys, making a road trip during a travel shutdown with county and state lines being barricaded within hours after our crossing, then joining the majority in simply hunkering down at home to wait it out. As I write on April 28th, the Governor of Texas announced yesterday that restrictions are beginning to be lifted starting this Friday. Word is the Keys do not anticipate opening until June 1 at the very earliest. They are currently closed to non-residents. When the time is right, we will return to the boat. Likely we will need a few days to make sure all is in working order and to provision, then make a plan for where we will head from there.
For now, we are grateful that we are both healthy as well as our families and circle of friends; grateful for the comfort of home; grateful for the experience we have thus far on our cruise; grateful that we can look forward to a future of cruising the beautiful coastal areas of our country; and most especially, grateful that we have each other.