Sheltering In Place in Panama, 2020

Sheltering In Place -- Island Style

This post finds the crew of Abracadabra, along with many of our fellow humans around the world, “sheltering in place” and practicing “social distancing” in response to the threat of the  COVID-19 virus. We are sheltering aboard Abracadabra at the Red Frog Marina on Bastimentos Island in the Bocas del Toro province of Panama. An historian writing in the New York Times has suggested people write about the COVID-19 related experiences. Here go ours:

          Restrictions -- In and Out

At this point in time the Panamanian government has closed the nation's borders to everyone except citizens and legal residents who must self-quarantine for 14 days upon entry into the country. This closure prohibits entry by land, air and sea. This morning we listened to radio traffic telling a non-Panamanian sailboat (S/V Exit) arriving from the Cayman Islands that it could not anchor in Panamanian waters. We feel for the crew of two (a man and wife) on that vessel. At this very moment we are listening to radio traffic between a very pleading captain of a motor vessel and the Port Captain. The captain keeps asking to stay under quarantine. The Port Captain keeps insisting the vessel, which has just arrived from Grand Cayman, must leave Panamanian waters. The AeroNaval is telling that vessel it must leave their spot in a nearby anchorage in ten minutes. Most or all of the other countries in the area have also restricted entries by non-citizens. These are frightening times.

          Restrictions -- Social Distancing, Governmental

In addition to "social distancing" restrictions imposed by the federal government which close gathering places such as bars, sports arenas and movie theaters, the mayor of Bocas Town has added restrictions which some locals have suggested primarily reflect his personal moral position on the evils of drink. In Bocas town all alcohol sales are prohibited after 6 p.m. and there is a potential $1,000 fine for going to the beach (which in Panama frequently involves drinking beer). 

          Restrictions -- Social Distancing, Otherwise 

The resort in which the marina is located has closed down, which has impacted life in the marina in two ways. Our electrical rates are going up because the marina is dependent on the resort's electrical generating system, which is now operating on its emergency level. Worse for most of us is the closure of the resort’s beautiful swimming pool, a favorite place to spend a hot afternoon. Yesterday we took aquatic matters into our own hands and took our dinghy out to a tiny mangrove-ringed area away from the local anchorage and indigenous village where we could swim. That was perfect.

Just moments ago the marina manager stated that boats could no longer come and go from the marina, even if only cruising locally. So - here we are. As one marina neighbor has said: This will all be bearable right up until the internet fails. We are not yet sure how that is going to affect us with regard to food shopping in town. Which won't be a disaster unless the local store closes.

          Economic Fallout

Of course we realize that our problems are not really unique, though we possibly have great logistical complications. We worry for our friends working at the marina and in town. There are a lot of independent water and land taxis in town that are not working. Many of the restaurants have closed, probably in response to the lack of tourist trade. One particular concern we have is for the local pig farmer who diligently picks up the kitchen scraps from the area restaurants and paddles them back to his village in his leaky cayuca.  We hope the restaurants, in their limited incarnation, will be able to generate enough scraps for the pigs. 

Bryce has determined to remain in good spirits by making a list of small boat maintenance items to tackle. Fortunately the hardware stores in Bocas Town remain open. Molly has decided to re-start our blog. All that might sound painfully chipper so we will confess that our primary conversation is (over and over): 

          What’s Next?

We are doing our best to avoid being caught up in the (albeit justified) anxieties of our marina neighbors who are finding their cruising plans curtailed (e.g., Guatemala and Colombia have closed their borders to non-citizens transiting by ship). But still we are caught up in wondering how the measures being imposed in the U.S. will impact our plans. 

Our pre-virus plans for late Spring, which we had evolved over the last couple of months, were to:

• sail back to Shelter Bay Marina outside of Colon, Panama (150 nautical miles +/- to the east) in early April;
• pack Abracadabra up as though leaving for the season;
• arrange for a transport ship to pick up Abracadabra and take her to British Columbia (a little boat on a big ship);
• travel to California at the end of April for some medical stuff;
• return to Panama upon completion of medical stuff to put Abracadabra on the transport ship – or, if necessary, arrange to have that done for us (if medical stuff and transport ship schedule won’t sync); and finally
• fly to meet Abracadabra in British Columbia and sail about in the Gulf Islands this summer.

A complicated plan even if all goes perfectly.

It is becoming abundantly clear that it is highly unlikely that everything will go perfectly. Or that anything will go perfectly or perhaps at all. More on this later.


So, Hang In There, Friends!

We will continue to do our best to keep the grumpies at bay while sheltering in place. We may even be able to put together a post or two about: our time here before the true virus anxiety settled in; our ten weeks in France and Portugal last Fall; and the crazy on-off-on Transatlantic Cruise(s) we took to try to get back to Panama.

To you, we say: Stay well. Stay sane. Be kind to each other. And Stay Home (wherever or whatever that is for you) as much as you can. It’s good for the planet and for those of us who share it.