Sunday 5 Apr, CY day 22: Starboard side mesh sun-shade completed.
It’s the first Sunday of total lock down, so there is barely a sound from the streets ashore. I decide to break curfew and snorkel about 100m away from Cloudy to where I spotted a nice patch of coral from the dinghy yesterday. Indeed, it was quite pretty, but a surprising lack of fish. Just too close to the town I guess. Or maybe they all understood the stay-at-home order applied to them too?
Oana has a book reading day. I think she read 2 by the evening. One must have been seriously good because at one point I found her reading in the cockpit with tears running down her cheeks! Nothing like an easy Sunday getting totally lost in a good book, eh?
For me, it was another day with the SailRite sewing machine in action again. It took me all day to complete the starboard side sun-shade for the bimini. It was quite tricky because the top of the bimini is not a straight line. With 5 poppers to secure it to the bimini and ties to the top life line, the finished product seems to fit pretty well. We are both pleased with the result. It’s quite timely because the wind increases tomorrow and we may need to remove the over boom shade. Can’t wait to see how this new shade is in direct sunlight. Starboard side will get full sun on it tomorrow, with Cloudy pointing into the easterly breeze. That will be the test.
During our evening cocktails we joke that maybe we should put up the spray top and tent to add to the bimini, the bimini side shades and over boom shade! 3 layers should keep the sun off right? 🙂 Seriously though, we realise we have a significant amount of canvas on the boat these days. All for different purposes.
Now what sewing project next? Make the port side shade? Make the rear cockpit shade? Or tackle the most important project, and trickiest, mounting the 6 new solar panels on the bimini? Decision will be made in the morning.
News from shore: the briefing was delayed by an hour today because they broadcast the Queen’s address to UK and commonwealth countries. So nice to hear her voice. So calm and reassuring. This is only the 4th time she has addressed all commonwealth countries during her entire reign, which stretches nearly 70 years now! I’m so proud of her. Have to say I had a lump in my throat as I listened to her. She’s been an amazing monarch, and at 93 years old she clearly still has all her marbles still in place. What a Queen. What a dignified lady!
Oh yes, the daily briefing. Another 6 tested positive for Covid-19. So that’s 36 now. Surely just a matter of time before they get some hospitalizations. Tomorrow a BA flight arrives, bringing all sorts of medical gear plus taking 130 passengers back to UK. The islands have a lot of non-Cayman residents who will not have jobs here again for quite some time. Certainly tourism won’t come back any time soon. The government has been encouraging them to book on the flight and try to then get home from London. Poor them.
Only other interesting point was by the island’s chief constable who always comments on curfew violations. Yesterday’s big violation was several young motor bikers doing wheelies and other tricks down the main street during the hard curfew time. What ensued was a helicopter and police car chase across this tiny island which ended up with 2 of the bikers crashing their bikes and getting arrested! The police helicopter must have loved it after days and days of boring circling around looking for who knows what!
That’s all to report today. We enjoyed another relaxing evening in the cockpit. Spirits remain high on Cloudy Bay.