Still Sane!

We've stepped back into the land of information and food! Not ONTO the land, as we aren't allowed due to covid, but we can see people and cars and buildings from Arena :) Through the single side band (SSB) net, we found Elena, a lady in Loreto who is taking sailors' grocery lists and doing the shopping, meeting at the dock to drop off the supplies. She charges a 20% fee that we feel is fair. It's a brilliant exchange that benefits both parties! She even went to the bank and took out extra cash for us! We had a good laugh at some of her interpretations of our requests (ie - somehow we ended up spending $70 CDN on 2 kg cheddar cheese...oh my!), but we appreciate her very much and recommend her services! She is from Spain and is anxious to get home to her family...all of whom she reports are safe and healthy at present. It's so awesome to still be making connections, even with social distancing and all of the restrictions.

It has been 6 weeks since we've needed to wrack our brains for a spanish word or phrase. 6 weeks since we've stocked our fridge and freezer with fresh foods. 6 weeks of relief from covid19, sprinkled with a day or two of boredom and technology withdrawal, maybe a pepper of irritation because of the increasing heat. This was absolutely the right decision for our family!

6 weeks ago, we self-imposed a strict quarantine period post-Loreto shop, starting while we anchored off of Isla Coronados until we tucked away in San Juanico on April 17. A strange existence, having friend boats so close, but no sundowners in the cockpit, no kid invites for games and movies, no helping with another's dinghy or trading items in need. This is essentially the existence of everybody in the world that is complying, I suppose, but strange none-the-less. Our friends on SV Love & Luck and SV Utopia were quarantined as well and we were all thrilled to complete our time with a full bill of health and most of our sanity! What a relief to be tucked away in San Juanico, away from civilization, to live life without being inundated by information and fear. There are a few other sailors that come and go, but the bay that we have chosen is usually just the 3 of us. Almost to the hour of the last boat in quarantine (that was us on Arena), we gathered to celebrate our health with a potluck breakfast - kids on SV Utopia, adults and Lochlan on SV Love & Luck. We are so thankful for these new friends of ours...I barely have to excuse Jamie's candor, so they are either our kind of people or they are as polite as Canadians!

We've needed this time of isolation. Leaving the world behind, we have had the opportunity to reconnect with the kids and each other. The conversations have been deeper and the relationships have definitely been strengthened. We have read copious amounts of books! I have become preoccupied with creating new ways of cooking as we are nearly vegetarian these days. Andrew and Tristan on Utopia have been our local fishermen, so we are often gifted a fish that we try to reciprocate with a loaf of bread or a beer or chocolate bar. We have other meat in the freezer, but we are trying to stretch it's life. I'm not comfortable with someone else shopping for my meat in Mexico. Nobody on Arena seems to mind the shift in eating and we are always full. I honestly think we have enough food for 4+ months if necessary! Julie and the girls on Love & Luck are a great resource for vegetarian recipes as it has been their existence for much longer than ours.

The beauty of the Sea is legendary. The water is still cool (20-21 degrees), but we appreciate the temperature to cool off if our mental state is rapidly declining in the heat of Arena. There have been days that the temperature below decks has been 36-38 degrees on windless days. I am a bit apprehensive of sharks, so I'm not a lingerer in deep water, but the kids don't seem to be bothered by their imaginations like I am, so I'm pretty sure they stay much cooler than I do! We have some sunshade, but would love to have access to resources for more if/when restrictions start lifting.

I will sign off now as we are headed back into isolation. We've just have had our first experience with the Mexican Navy blaring a recorded English message into our cockpit that we are not allowed to leave our home and that there will be fines if we do not comply. One person limit allowed to leave the boat to conduct business on shore....STRANGE TIMES!