Ep.41. BROKEN DAGGERBOARD before arrival in BAHAMAS

In this sailing video we reach Bahamas and have a short stop at the island of Mayaguana to see if the customs office is open. Just before our arrival, the starboard daggerboard broke at sea. We spoke with the Fire Dept. Volunteer on the Island of Mayaguana, who said the customs office closed last year, and the island residents were lobbying the government to have it re-opened. Before leaving the island, Pierre dove under the boat to check the daggerboards and bottom of the boat. With all in order, we decided to proceed on to Georgetown. It was tempting to stop for the night, swim and enjoy the beautiful location. But with the US starting to close its border to certain countries, we were worried that border closures would spread rapidly. Therefore ,we hoisted anchor and sailed on for a third night at sea. We arrived in Georgetown and checked in – 2 days before the border was closed to all boats. Covid 19-Update The Bahamas has a "shelter in place" type order that started March 24 at 9 am. The goal is to protect the islands where Covid-19 has not yet spread because of the vulnerable population with lack of sufficient doctors and medical facilities on the outer, less populated islands. With the new rules, public beaches are closed, all airport and ports are closed to foreign vessels. We are not to leave our homes (or boats) except for 90 minutes of exercise each day, and only with family members living under the same roof. Everything is closed except grocery, which is reserved for seniors in the morning. No alcohol because it is sold in separate stores considered non-essential. There is a radio net at this anchorage each morning and people debated if we can move to different islands in our boats. The logical comment was the spirit of the order was to prevent foreigners from bringing the virus to the islands and keep locals safe inside in case they has already caught it. We should only move islands if we are headed out of the country. We are happy to have such a nice place to be in confinement. Music by Epidemic Sound A Bitter Love by Sven Karlsson (Intro music) Descent by Peter Sandberg Produced with CyberLink PowerDirector 17