The Return to Shelter Bay Marina

We have had an amazing time with the family and friends over the last few months. However, the ocean is now calling, and it is time for us to answer and get back to being sailors.

Our crew has been steadily shrinking. From South Africa, all the way up the Brazilian coast, we were five on board. From Trinidad to Cuacao to Panama, we were three. Now with Makyla staying behind in Sweden, we are down to just the two of us, facing this very vast and beautiful pond alone, but excited.

With a bit of luck, good weather, and time to provision, we may still set sail for Jamaica in the first week of February ... mmm Jamaica. That is kinda the plan, but we have seen some cool and interesting little Columbian islands along the way, so we will most likely take some detours.

Our current discussion and challenge is: How do we run our shifts with just the two of us?

As we see it we have three options: 

    1. 3 hours on, 3 hours off
    2. 4 hours on, 4 hours off
    3. We work on an honesty basis - you sit your shift until you cannot anymore, then wake your partner when you absolutely need to tap out.

For the non-sailors, please remember that someone is on duty at all times, 24 hours a day. Also, keep in mind that during our off time, we need to prepare food (which you could eat on watch), decompress, shower and sleep. Of course, we must always be available when the other person needs us, even if we have just fallen asleep, as circumstances can change rapidly on the water. 

After breakfast the following day, we headed to the boat again to see the man in charge and go inside, as we had very smartly forgotten the keys yesterday.

Thankfully, a large dehumidifier had been running the entire time we were away, and we had smaller ones in all the cabins. Despite this, our pillows are all mouldy, and i can feel a dampness on the mattresses. 

We expected something like this, which is why we had the dehumidifiers running. I am hoping that putting the pillows in the washing machine and tumble dryer will solve that problem. 

As for the mattresses, I am open to suggestions, but I will probably haul them out into the sun and give them a good vacuum.