2021 Life Logs, Day 53: Stuck in the Netherlands Antilles
Date: Monday, February 22, 2021
Weather: Overcast, Then Rain; High 41, Low, 31 Degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
I’m beginning to feel like I live in two realities. One of me is immersed in sailing around the world while the other is trying to make it through a New England winter. Guess which one is having the most fun!
The weather today was a bit warmer and the snow was beginning to melt a bit. But it was a dreary, overcast day for the most part. And then late in the afternoon the rain came tumbling down. When I took Shadow out after dark, t was really yucky out. But I spent most of day ignoring the weather and sitting at the dining room table writing my way from Bonaire to Curacao in the Netherlands Antilles. Three islands in this territory are in the northern group in the Leeward Islands, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten. Bonaire and Curacao, the islands I was writing about today are in the southern group down near the coast of Venezuela. Until I started rereading my logs from our time in Bonaire, I had honestly forgotten just how much we enjoyed our time there. So, I got stuck there today writing about the place. Before I stopped writing, I at least got out of Bonaire and on to Curacao. Hopefully tomorrow I will write about leaving Curacao and heading to the San Blas Islands. We were only in the San Blas for two days, but what a special two days those were. I can’t wait to write about that experience. The Panama Canal will have to wait until Wednesday.
Today I got an email from Margaret, my daughter-in-law Jo’s mother in England and loved what she wrote about her experience in getting her Covid vaccination. I do hope she won’t mind that I quote her here. “Well, we have had our vaccinations! The aim in the U.K. was for everyone in the top 4 risk categories to have been offered one by 15th February . . . we are in group 4 which is the over 70s, although I must confess I still struggle with the idea that we are vulnerable people! And we had ours on Saturday 13th February. It was the most amazing feeling when we had had it, and for the first time in many months I started to look forward positively, rather than existing on an almost daily basis. The vaccination centre we went to is normally a village hall and was staffed by volunteers although obviously qualified staff actually gave the injections. We had seen a video on the BBC news with the actor who played the Earl of Grantham from Downton Abbey working as a volunteer … and he was there to greet us too! I think this was all part of a drive to boost take up in the vaccinations, but so far numbers have exceeded even the most optimistic expectations.” Now I want to go to England to get my Covid vaccine. I think it is fabulous that the Earl of Grantham from Downton Abbey was there to greet Margaret and Phil. We need to get more creative in the campaign to get everyone vaccinated and use some of our star power!
And speaking of star power, today I downloaded and read an article from the December 2020 edition of Yachting magazine about Windbird. Sam had an article published about the life he and Dawn have led living aboard Windbird since they bought her in 2016. And the photos were fabulous. Congratulations to Sam for getting the article published. It made me feel so proud to see that sailboat that I love so much looking so good. And it gave me even more incentive to get that book written.
