Impact of Corona Virus

The first news about Covid-19 came from China. Then the wave spilled over to Europe and from there across the rest of the world. We in Mexico were also affected.
The first indication that we were to be seriously affected was the airline's cancellation my flight to Germany for my mother's birthday celebration.So our plan was hastily changed to leave Mexico as soon as possible and head to the South Pacific bound for French Polynesia. Our reasoning was that after a twenty eight day passage we be virus free or dead on arrival and would therefore cause French authorities little angst.

Having had difficulty obtaining water in the Pacific Islands previously we didn't want to start the long journey without having installed our water-maker.It was quite a difficult puzzle find space for all the water maker parts that involve multiple trips to the local plumbing store. The installation was accomplished quite quickly, in a little less than two weeks, but just as we finished the project the news of border closures rolled in on an almost hourly basis. We briefly considered going south to the central American countries until they all closed their borders with every Pacific nation following suit.

in which direction will the journey go?

It soon became clear that an exit from Mexico would be impossible because no other country in the Pacific (except NZ) would allow us to enter. Non-stop Mexico-New Zealand was not an alternative for us. Ultimately, we could only stay here in Mexico.
So we shall have to remain here and enjoy cruising in Baja California a little longer. For us, that means waiting until February or March to join the annual safe season 'coconut milk run' back to NZ, avoiding northern and southern hemisphere cyclones.
With this knowledge, we tried to convert our tourist visa into an annual visa, which the Migration Authority of Mexico refused. When all the borders were already closed, they recommended that we leave for the United States, where we would be denied entry, and be unable to return to the boat. This was too risky for us and so we let the whole thing rest while hoping we would be able to do something about visas when restrictions relax. The are signs this may happen in June.
With the news and information from Germany and New Zealand we had the feeling that the pandemic in Mexico was tackled a little laxly at the beginning. This is only an impression as we cannot follow the news in Spanish.

We decided to leave La Paz, the state capital of Baja California Sur, while the port was still open and we could retreat to the less populated island world of the Sea of ​Cortez. Here, self-isolation would be easier and we can snorkel or hike at various places, away from the local population, while slowly sailing north to get out of the hurricane belt by June, at the latest.
Like us, many other yachties have made the same decision and we have the feeling that an entire armada is heading north.

Before we could finally leave La Paz we re-provisioned. A different picture suddenly appeared in the supermarkets. At the entrance, someone stood with the disinfection bottle and had every customer disinfect their hands. The staff all wore gloves and face masks. People kept their distance and waited until the aisle was free instead of squeezing past the other customer as usual. The distance was also kept when queuing. We were impressed with this discipline.
The yachties also kept their distance from one another in the anchorages. No social gatherings or joint ventures were visible, everyone remained isolated from each other.

Saying a 'socially distant' farewell.

Now we are slowly sailing north. On the way we stop at various small picturesque anchorages. A highlight was a short stop at a sea lion colony in a marine park. We were immediately surrounded and welcomed by the sea lion pups. We did not decline the invitation to swim with them and were in the water promptly. What an experience. The nimble pups frolicked around us and leapt over us in their playful capers as we swam along the surface. We were also surrounded by schools of fish. The water soon became too cold for us to remain, we went back on board and continued to a sheltered anchorage for the night.

 Sea lion pups at Isla los Lobos

 

 School of fish around us

On Good Friday we anchored in front of a small village of San Evaristo with 12 other boats. In the afternoon a panga with the village chiefs came to every boat and asked them to leave the bay. You have to know that the President of Mexico imposed a 96-hour curfew across the country at Easter. We were able to negotiate a later departure by stating that we could not reach a safe anchorage in daylight and that the weather forecast for the next day was not good. With the promise not to come ashore, the fleet was allowed to stay until the Easter Sunday. We understand that the Mexicans in the small isolated villages are in a vulnerable position. There is no medical care there, the nearest hospital is 5 hours by car on a rough desert track which can only be driven with a high clearance 4 wheel drive vehicle and only in good weather.

Our social connection with other yachts is maintained by radio nets each morning on both single side band and sometimes VHF radios. In addition to the current weather forecast, we also get the latest reports and experiences, concerning the Covid-19 virus restrictions, of other crews who are further ahead on the northward yacht migration.

 One of the most beautiful anchorages, Isla San Francisco

The next juncture at which the frightening reality of virus affected us was at the picturesque anchorage of Agua Verde. We anchored by the small village, where beach activities and dining at the small beach restaurant were no longer allowed.

The lovely anchorage of Agua Verde

On going ashore to village shop we respectfully wore our face masks and were greeted by the friendly village policeman on his quad-bike. He was visibly pleased to see that we were already taking the recommended precautions. On the policeman's 'buenos dias' we continued our walk to the shop. At the shop we found that only one person may enter at a time wearing a face mask and having freshly disinfected her or his hands. All sensible precautions. Here we were able to buy access to satellite internet with an hourly ticket. The connection was very slow but were able to read and send some important emails.

This luxury was quickly over, however, because Mexico went to level 4 and the shop and the village was closed to all outsiders. The village was to be completely isolated, nobody in and nobody out. We were not asked to leave the anchorage and we were allowed to take walks in hills and along the beaches away from the village. 

one of our hikes

With much of Mexican society not far above poverty we sailors were deeply concerned by how the sudden loss of cash business from visiting yachts would affect the villagers lives. Furthermore, we were very concerned about how their needs would be supplied if they were cut off from supplies from the outside world. Concern for our own situation was minor as most yachts were well provisioned and were able to move on when they chose. The hard working Mexican families had only what they had at the point of closure to last them for an indefinite period. On brighter note, the village produces an excellent goat cheese of which yacht crews bought plenty because it is a product made at the village, that does not require outside input, and to try to inject a little more cash into the village economy.

Interestingly, the goats are allowed to range freely with a large dog to prevent predation by coyotes. The dog is put with the goat herd as a young pup and thus regards the goats as his pack, of which he becomes very protective.

North Anchorage of Aqua Verde

It was 5 weeks since we left La Paz. The situation was now difficult to assess. What did everything mean for us as long-term visitors? How will food supply develop for the population and for us? How far and how quickly will the virus spread here in the Baja California Sur? Where can we anchor if we are to stay away from villages and fishing camps? With all these questions we decided to sail to Marina Puerto Escondio. This is in a large bay sheltered from all winds, about 30 km from the nearest town of Loreto. Anchoring in the bay is not allowed and boats are obliged to take an outrageously priced marina mooring. The marina responded very positively to the needs of the sailors. The word quickly got around that the small marina store was taking shopping lists and sending staff into the town to do the shopping. One was never sure of the quantity, quality or price of one's purchases, but they went out of their way to please everyone. So we rented a buoy for a month to lie low and await developments. Again, we have to follow the rules of conduct and wear face masks and keep our distance, but we have an internet connection, laundry, and showers when we make the long row ashore.

 Marina Puerto Escondido

Now our month is almost over. We used the time to complete a few projects on board. Martin built a bracket with chocks to stow the dinghy safely on deck. We have secured the sails to the battens in better way and improved the fore and main sail sheeting. We were much pleased by the test sail in the bay but we are still unable to work out why the upper panels crease when going windward. We suspect that upper sheet pulls the battens downwards when the panels are loaded thereby stretching the luff; adding a length of Dyneema to the webbing at the luff may help to prevent this.

 Test sail in Puerto Escondido.

We rehearsed new music and Martin now plays the 'Trumpet Hornpipe', otherwise known as “Capt'n Pugwash”, on the mandolin. Of course, we also got to know other sailors here and there were one or two meetings with enough distance, such as when a sailor gave a concert on board and the others were tied around in their dinghies.

The situation with the virus has not really relaxed, but it has not got worse around here. We were hoping to extend our visa here, but unfortunately it didn't work out for technical reasons. So we will continue our way north to get out of the hurricane area. For us it means sailing again, but also no or very limited internet. So it may well be that you have to wait a little longer for the next entry.

 The northward journey continue