Self-Isolation? Together?

Self-isolation. That’s a strange term. How do you isolate yourself – with another person? Or does it mean that you choose to isolate yourself rather than being told to do so? Whatever it means, people across the globe are doing it, including cruisers. The funny thing about it is that many cruisers are used to it, and actually prefer to live life that way. They look for out-of-the-way anchorages with very few boats, they like to hike off the beaten path, and they prefer a quieter, less crowded lifestyle. So for many, this isn’t very different. Except the whole “stay on your boat” and “wear masks whenever you’re outside” thing.

But for those of us who lead a double life, it’s hard. We love our boat. We love being on it away from everyone else, waking up at 10:30 or 11:00, not putting on clothes all day. But we also love when we have lots of company on our boat. We love fun activities in busy anchorages, impromptu happy hours, and visiting neighboring boats. And we love our condo. We love all the nearby restaurants, bars, our community pool and outdoor kitchen, and having BBQ’s with our neighbors.

We had great plans when we brought our boat home. Take our friends and families to Beer Can Island, Longboat Key, Key West and the Dry Tortugas. We were going to have a boat naming party on the dock before the weather got stifling hot. But like everybody else, our plans changed. Now we’re taking shorter trips on the boat, watching TV, cooking A LOT, and putting together jigsaw puzzles. I’m on my 4th one, this one has 2000 pieces. It’s kicking my butt.

Hopefully, this will begin to let up, soon. I really want to hug my family and get my hair highlighted.

April 2020