Spring Break.

O2 has covered 8238 nautical miles since she left the factory in La Rochelle, France in October 2019. She has now reached Marina Chiapas, Mexico.  Marina Chiapas is a peaceful haven for sailors on their way up or down the Eastern Pacific Coast. Our days have been filled with margaritas at the swimming pool, a birthday party with poke bowls prepared with freshly caught tuna, yoga on the grass and aqua therapy in the pool with Kelly, socializing at a safe distance in the open air with old acquaintances and new arrivals from all over the world . We also collectively take care of the Australian neighbor’s cat. She likes to hang around on the different boats in order to change her perspective. There are moments that the many birds that are busily nesting (we have to close up our booms tightly) are driving her crazy. And then we try to distract her with a cuddle.

Plans are being discussed and plans are continuously being changed as the peaceful days pass by. Tapachula -where mango groves and supermercados abound – is just a cab ride away. All is well. 
Were it not for Covid 19. When we set off all of these months ago, the initial plan was to cross the Pacific to the Marquesas. Covid said no. Then we redirected our bow towards Baja California where we would shelter for the coming summer storms in a hurricane hole called San Carlos.  But again Covid is saying no.

According to the Mexican Secretary of Health Services, Baja California has joined Mexico City as a Covid hotspot and the only Mexican State that has the situation more or less under control is Chiapas, where we are now. But according to local newspapers and to the Marina manager himself, a lot of people here are refusing their vaccines because they distrust the vaccines or they feel there are not enough local cases to justify it. So any leftover vaccines are then distributed to whoever is around. That’s how we hoped to get one. But a lot of ifs, general vagueness and the overall mañana attitude was putting  us more & more on edge. And it didn’t help to have to observe the growing slothfulness regarding Covid measures among the Marina community – our own slothfulness included – as days went by. The margaritas weren’t cutting it anymore. Neither was the whisky and the tall tales. (A retired Navy dolphin trainer explained that the crucial step to get dolphins interested and to make them pay attention is to teach them to appreciate dead fish. From there on, they could be taught anything. They gladly zoom off to detect unexploded mines, come back to the mothership to get the detonator, zoom back to the mine and place the detonator on just the right spot, zoom back to the mothership and glide on board not unlike the orcas in SeaWorld do and together off they go to a safe distance so that a specialized detonator ship can come in to push the detonator button and then the whole action starts all over again.)

But then an e-mail rolled in: a vaccination invitation for the both of us coming from the Belgian Health Services. We feel so deeply thankful and privileged.

So O2 is being prepared for a lengthy stay in the dock gathering cockles & mussels. The tickets to Brussels have been booked and we are ready for a spring break.

But we will be back !