We are still in Puerto Rico and still under lockdown although the restrictions are easing a little now. We are allowed out of the marina area in to the village so can walk to the bakery or the small supermarket. We are allowed to hire cars again thrilling excursions to Walmart or Mr. Special (the bigger supermarket) and, giddy with excitment, we stopped for take away pizza on the way home! We also took the opportunity for a bit of touristing and drove to Boqueron. Normally the pretty little fishing village would be crowded with visitors but was a ghost town with empty streets all the shops and hotels. It felt quite spooky.

Luckily during the lockdown we were allowed to travel for medical problems as I ended up in hospital for a couple of days. While we were in Haiti I had noticed a swelling in the lower right side of my belly. I knew for sure I wasn’t pregnant(!) and was pretty sure I wasn’t getting a beer gut, at least not a lop-sided one, so I needed to get it checked out. When we arrived in Puerto Rico it took a while to arrange an ultrasound but I finally found out I had a large ovarian cyst about the size of a grapefruit on my right ovary.

The medical system here was brilliant; within a week I had seen a gynaecological surgeon and was whisked into hospital and operated on the next day. The monster cyst was sent to pathology and found to be benign – a huge relief. The two days I spent in hospital were not particularly pleasant; the food was trule inedible, each mouthful required a big gulp of water to wash it down, and the air conditioning was set at glacial so the first night I froze. Neil arrived with pillows and blankets and pringles and bananas but I was glad to leave and get back home the next day.

I was pretty immobile for the first week but Neil looked after me like a pro. He got really into cooking, picking up tips from recipe books and teaching me a few new things which was fun; how to make gnocchi and how to get lobster from the shell without cooking it. We had some amazing meals and once I was back on my feet I had to pry him out of the galley.

While we are stuck in Puerto Rico we have been getting on with boat jobs. Both our outboards were in need of a service so they are currently being worked on by a local mechanic. The engine has been out of commission again at the moment with a broken fuel lift pump. There was much grunting and swearing as he removed it and fitted the spare, only to find that that was also not working. While we wait for a new pump to arrive Neil took the spare one apart and found a stuck valve, so as of this morning we have a working engine again – what a hero.

I’m not much good at sitting around doing nothing but cannot do anything strenuous for six weeks until my stomach muscles knit back together. Looking for some easy jobs I have been washing pelican shit off the bow, the sail cover and the decks. We have been here so long the smelicans come and roost on our boat and their poop really stinks of fish. Of all the monotonous, repetitive jobs on a boat (and there are many) knocking barnacles of the anchor chain with a hammer is probably the most humbling – I feel like a prisoner in a gulag breaking rocks. Some places have really prolific barnacle growth and Puerto Real is one of them.

With so much time on our hands we have been doing a little market research of our two favorite Caribbean products – rum and coffee. All the islands produce their own brands and it turns out that the Puerto Ricans prefer white rum. Although Bacardi moved here when they left Cuba after the revolution the favorite local brand is Don Q and for those who prefer dark rum Barcelo from Domincan Republic is widely available here. We have quite a collection of coffee on board: Panamanian, Jamaican, Cuban and Puerto Rican. They all taste fine but we still prefer Jansens coffee from Panama for a tasty cuppa.

We’ve also had time to ponder about what sort of world will emerge from this Covid19 crisis, to think about what matters and what doesn’t. Hopefully some good might come out of it: closer family relationships. more connected communities, improved working conditions and a healthier work/life balance. And while we’ve been having a pause from our manic, time-obsessed lives the Earth has also had a respite from our pollution. Since the outbreak of Covid-19, carbon emissions have plummeted and major cities reports miraculously clean air.

I have to admit I struggle with the conditions of lockdown, not the confinement (which is kind of normal on a boat) but the constraints on personal interaction. Humans are innately friendly creatures, it is our nature to approach strangers with amity not animosity, but under lockdown people perceive you as a potential threat rarther than a potential friend. Smiles are hidden behind masks and when you approach someone and they raise their hand, not to shake hands but to warn you – don’t get too close. If masks and gloves and social distancing is the new normal, I hope I can find a place to live where people aren’t normal.

In the meantime the weather waits for no man. The hurricane season is approaching and we will soon become Covid19 refugees seeking refuge in countries below the hurricane belt. Panama is an option but there are signs that Grenada might soon accept boats and Curacao is showing signs of relaxing its border restrictions. Fingers crossed.

Hugs from Suzy and Neil