Oh yeah has this messed with our plans.
Currently in Antiqua. Our plan was to watch Classics here (was supposed to start April 1st but cancelled). Then my Bride was flying home for a wedding at the end of April. A buddy was flying in and we were going around Antiqua and Barbuda. After that, hoping down the island chain to Carnival in Bequia at the end of June. A long overdue haul out in July in Carriacou. Followed by Carnival in Grenada. After that staying around the Grenadines until after hurricane season. Open book after that but probably some work as funds would be getting low.
Two weeks ago we were in Jolly Harbor. Just a routine provisioning trip. No COVID-19 concerns in the islands but it was starting to be a concern in the US. We worked out way over to Green Island and waited out some weird northwest to west swell.
While at Green the islands starting getting a case here and a scare there. Grenada immediately started to take an agressive posture. Closed the University and sent all students but the more advanced medical students home. Then they limited check in ports to two.
Seeing how Grenada was acting I suspected they would close all entries. Everyone thought I was crazy. I told anyone I knew that didn't have alternative hurricane season plans to get out of French islands (they were not limiting or screening any travelers coming from Europe) and make plans to get to Grenada very soon. Most laughed it off or told me they would never deny Americans or Canadians.
We sailed up to Barbuda. Absolutely beautiful spot if you haven't been, probably our favorite in the Caribbean. We had slow data but were able to monitor the developments. More cases in the islands and more travel restrictions. Some of the big French grocery stores started to get empty. We normally have about 4 months of food on Smitty. But we had been spending a lot of time in more remote locations and had eaten into that stockpile. So we made the decision to sail back to Jolly Harbor before another northern front came in and reprovision. We got in, rented a car and did our reprovisioning.
While doing this we didn't really know what our plan was going to be. Our visas are valid until April 23rd. We had thought that we would at least stay in Antiqua, going to the more remote anchorages without bars and restaurants practicing social distancing, until our visas were up. Then we could either apply for extensions (a process that requires a doctor's visit, lots of paperwork and showing we sufficient money to support ourselves) or things would have gotten better and we could continue as planned to head south just probably without the carnivals. This was Friday we did the reprovisioning.
Today, Monday, all ports except Antigua, the USVI and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines are closed. We have been looking at a good weather window to hop somewhere. Grenada has gone from allowing entry at two ports with health screenings during entry. Then to entry at two ports with 14 day quarantine and refusing any boats who have been to the French islands in the last 14 days. Then some cruisers went ashore in Carriacou that were supposed to be quarantined so that port was shut and all cruisers, regardless of how long you had been there, were quarantined and couldn't leave your boats for any reason. Today Grenada closed completely. So far they are letting people stay that are there but that could change if cruisers continue to break quarantine.
This morning we made the plan to sail back to the USVI. We have our own legally registered mooring and we are USVI residents, so we don't think we will be denied entry even if they change things. We have a network of friends that will be doing the same thing. And we have survived several hurricane season there including 2017.
But this choice is not without risk. The islands only survive based on supplies from the mainland. So far no one is panic buying and the stores are fine. There are a lot of boats currently stuck there that had planned to be in Grenada for hurricane season. They don't know the local traditions or customs about hurricane holes. Many have never prepped a boat to survive a hurricane in mangroves and probably don't have the right supplies (we carry 4 anchors, rode for all, an additional 30 feet of chain for going around piles or docks, tons of shackles and thimbles, 40 feet of fire hose for chafe guards and 600 feet of line for tie to mangroves).
So I would say our sailing plans have changed quite a bit thanks to COVID-19.