In keeping with the saying “when life gives you lemons …,” we need to make the best of the forced COVID19 quarantine. Besides, isn’t boating all about adjusting to plan B or C? We may not be able to change the direction of the wind, but we can usually adjust our sails … and our attitudes. Offshore, it’s often the only option.
Innovation is essential: In a remote anchorage in Vanuatu, on the fly we built a sailing rig for our dinghy using two oars lashed together for a mast and an old awning for a sail; in the Solomon Islands, when a voltage spike fried our electronics, we gerry-rigged a borrowed depth sounder using PVC pipe and a broom handle and sailed on to Kiribati; in Kwajalein, we built a hard dodger from Styrofoam packaging material and sealed it with fiberglass. Creativity is a survival tactic many sailors know well. During a race to Macau, when our traveler blew into pieces, we convinced our crew not to abandon race, re-rigged around the broken block, and carried on.
The Corona virus pandemic is another situation forcing us to change course. For us, it’s been a chance to catch up on boatbuilding projects.
Here’s an article in Latitude 38 Magazine’s July 2020 issue about making progress on our boatbuilding project now that we have NO EXCUSES. Read the full article beginning on page 89. https://www.latitude38.com/issues/july-2020/
