Cruising during Covid 19 – is it really worth it?

It’s weird out here, I’m not gonna lie.  Seriously weird.  Cruising during Covid is a world away from cruising pre-Covid.  And I feel like nobody’s really talking about it.  So let’s fix that.

(In)Ability to Move

Man. We’ve seen so many people getting into cruising in the past year or so – and getting right back out. Yep. They get their “dream boat” do loads of prep work, get ready to sail away and… Well, there’s nowhere to sail. So they move from anchorage to anchorage within the same country. Then they get bored. Or too overwhelmed by the required hoop jumping to move. And they list the boat for sail and fly away as fast as possible.

The first year of cruising is challenge enough – but throw on all of these new regulations and many are jumping ship.  Does this happen during a “normal” year also?  Absolutely.  Another topic that doesn’t come up as much as you would think.  Cruising is hard.  And expensive.  And challenging.  It either fits your personality or it doesn’t.  But adding on this Covid nonsense to the pile of First Year Challenges is causing many people to rethink their dreams – even when those dreams have been in the works for years.

On the upside, there are some sweet deals to be found on boats pretty much ready to sail away, if you can find one of these unfortunate souls who jumped in and then right back out again. 

Test, Test & Test Again

If you’re already cruising during Covid, you know this: it’s all about the testing.  Want to move to a different country? Take a Covid test before you check out.  Just arrived at a new country?  Take a Covid test when you arrive. Not vaccinated?  Well, good luck moving at all – but if you do, be prepared to pay for another Covid test in 5-14 days, as well as the fees associated with your quarantine. (Could be on a mooring ball or a hotel stay – regardless you typically have to pay for it) And this is obviously on top of the regular fees associated with checking into each new country. 

Upside: Cost of testing has begun to drop.  We were paying $150/test per person for a long time.  In Grenada, at least, this recently dropped to US$50/test.  That is a HUGE help, but the prices haven’t dropped everywhere yet, and the cost of the testing obviously adds up quickly. If you’re on a budget, plan a longer stay to balance out the costs.  Gone are the days of hopping from SVG to St. Lucia to Martinique just based on a whim or a weather window. Or a need for French wine and cheese. 

In a Funk

We have lots of friends in various ports – and keep running into the same thing.  They’ve been “stuck” at this island or that island – and they get into a rut.  Not going out because things are shut down, no longer searching for adventures because they’ve already done All the Things.  Just in a daily routine that doesn’t involve much outside the boat.  

So when we come crashing into an anchorage, full barrel, ready for adventures?  Sometimes it really is a struggle to get people to join in.  To be fair – they’ve often been sitting in that anchorage for ages and done all of the “fun” things ad nauseam.  Sometimes we can drag them out – and other times?  Other times we find other people that are also new to the anchorage and ready to tackle some fun.  A hike, a snorkel, a waterfall in need of exploring – there’s still fun to be had. And we love finding new friends to play with.  But it’s also a shame that we haven’t been able to reconnect with as many of our old cruising buddies as we would like.

Regulations: Regulators Gonna Regulate

The result of a rise in cases is a rise in restrictions. When we were in Grenada recently, and there was a major post-Carnival spike, the government took it seriously. Curfews were implemented on weekdays, weekends were totally locked down. Restaurants went to take away only – if they were open at all. There were even requirements for beaches to be cleared out by 1pm – and to be used purely for exercise. No more liming when there’s a virus about.

Things we take for granted as cruisers like snorkeling and hanging out on a beach can now have restrictions we’ve never faced before.  It’s critical to check with each country for current regulations – as they are constantly changing.  Thankfully, most islands are beginning to loosen up the restrictions – particularly for vaccinated cruisers, but it varies widely from port to port. You can check places like Noonsite for good info – but your best bet is often the Ministry of Health for the particular island you hope to visit.

Is Cruising During Covid Worth It?

Is it worth it to be out here?  For us, the answer is yes.  And no.  How’s that for clarity?

We are in a place (St Thomas, USVI) that is typically a stop-over.  A good place to provision and fuel up before heading off on cruising adventures.  But during this time of the pandemic, the USVI have become the place to be.  At least for American cruisers.  

It’s easy to get here – relatively speaking.  American’s don’t need a passport or visa.  There are actually lot’s of beautiful anchorages.  St. John has loads of hiking.  You can snorkel, SCUBA and even spot whales. There are good restaurants.  And although the food is fairly expensive in contrast to most of the US – the selection is fairly varied and the prices are lower than the Bahamas.  

Sitting still has forced us to check out several excellent anchorages in the area that we’d never used in previous years when just passing through.  While it’s not the “freedom” that most of us think of when we are making our cruising plans, being here with our friends on boats and land sure beats another winter on land. 

Our Cruising Plans This Season

We don’t have any.  The Luna Sea crew is staying put here in the USVI for the foreseeable future. We will keep exploring all of the beautiful anchorages here on the weekends, but Mark has teamed up with two other cruisers and opened STT Marine Services.  There was a true need for marine services – especially here on the west end of the island (we are moored just off of Water Island). And Mark is having way too much fun mucking about on other people’s boats for us to leave just now. 

While islands are slowly beginning to reopen, cruising is currently a pain in the ass.  There’s too much sitting still for our taste.  Too many covid tests.  Too much money spent on regulations vs actually contributing to a local economy.  It’s just too much of a bother for us cruising during Covid.  So we will hunker down here in the USVI and ride out the rest of this mess.  And if we make a little money for the cruising kitty and all of our future adventures, so be it.  

About Author

Jennifer

Artist, food nerd, SUP/yoga enthusiast and travel obsessed blogger – chronicling the process of going from land to sea. Selling all of her worldly possessions so that she can set sail into the sunset with her husband and two dachshunds – searching for that next sunrise paddle. Follow along. It’ll be fun 🙂

See author's posts