When we decided we were going cruising we set a date to cut the lines and go. We were off schedule by about 4 months. Not bad for picking a day far into the future and no idea how to make it happen. But when we did we know it was only for 2 years; maybe we could stretch our savings into more, but 2 years was the goal.
In Feb 2019 a job was left, lines were cut and we went on our way. Two years later a job was taken. After we pulled the boat in St. Marys we, before Christmas I mind you, we visited friends and family, had an interview and received a job offer.
We had intended to paint the boat bottom and go back in after a few weeks. But the boat gods had other plans. Mixing elbow leak. Bad water pump on genset. Cutlass bearing replacement required with possibly cutting the shaft off. The list started to add up. Then layer on top of that, no ability to work on it for almost a month due to contracting COVID-19.
COVID was not great. We know of friends that lost family. We have friends that spent weeks on a ventilator and made it; after months of rehabilitation. Then we have friends who only knew they had it due to testing; their cases being so mild. For Jeff it was not fun for a couple of days, but for the most part not terrible. The after affects of fatigue for a few weeks seemed worse as he could not get to the work he wanted to do.
Combine these with starting a fulltime, weekday position and you can see how the boat yard work has backed up for weeks. It will likely be a few weeks more. But we are committed to getting back in the water even as our cruising life changes.
Yes changes, not ends. Well not yet anyway. Our work will enable us, at least for the foreseeable future, to work remotely. Maybe that’s a blessing in COVID, many employers have finally realized their staff was just as productive with out an office. While our area and daily jumps might be constrained some, it doesn’t mean we have to stop just yet. Though, we will be taking pauses in our boat travels, since we are also purchasing an RV; but more on that if we actually get it…
If you see this after your page is loaded completely, leafletJS files are missing.