Welcome to Dominica! I would love to tell you all about the wonders of Dominica but alas, we have been quarantined on the boat since our arrival. When we checked in, we were PCR tested and given a lovely neon orange bracelet that states, “WELCOME TO DOMINICA MANDATORY QUARANTINE”. We were told not to remove the bracelets. I call them our scarlet letter and my daughter says they are the mark of the unclean. We are allowed to swim in the vicinity of our boat but we can not have anyone on the boat or around the boat. We are so unclean that the trash pickup guys can’t even pull up to get our trash because our trash is considered “hazardous waste” until we test clean. The person who did our PCR test showed up in complete hazmat level gear. Goodness, Dominica must have had a very horrible run of Covid to have all of these things still in place…..”We have had zero cases” was the response I received when I asked. Yet they have managed to make an entire industry out of a non-existent germ. We had to hire an agent to help us navigate the Dominica system- $80.00. PCR test on arrival and five days later for two people- $160.00 (quite the bargain here!). Order some groceries from the Covid agent since we can’t get off of the boat- $135.00 (a pack of salami, pack of cheese, loaf of bread, bacon, a few packs of M&Ms and two cases of beer. Yes…I know our shopping list sounds like it was written by a drunken 16 year old but these are desperate times!). So, without stepping foot on the island, we have spent $375.00. Trying times definitely inspire entrepreneurship!
In preparation of being stuck on the boat for a week, we had prepared a list of boat projects to tackle to pass the time. We have made our way through a few such as oiling the teak, polishing the bowsprit, installing new lights in the engine room and repairing a loose door. We could have accomplished more if the weather had been more cooperative. The first night we were here we climbed into bed and all of a sudden, the winds started to roar. About an hour into trying to sleep, I heard a strange crashing sound so I got up to find that one of the solar panels had flown off of the framing and was hanging precariously by a corner. I called for Bill (who can apparently sleep through the end of the world) and he managed to get the panel off of the frame and safely into the salon. He then proceeded to throw out our super duper emergency anchor to make sure we did not drag during the night. We did not get much sleep the rest of the night and one of the other boaters had clocked the wind at 50 mph. I have to say that night was worse than the direct hit hurricane we had last year in the Dominican Republic. When I asked our “agent” if the wind was always that ferocious, she responded, “No way. I thought my roof was going to blow off my house!” I told her to try riding it out on a boat….at least she had the decency to look a little compassionate given that her country was torturing us in so many ways! The next morning, the weather had calmed and we had a good day with only a few rain showers. The next day, the wind died down to nothing. Oh, that must have been wonderful I hear you say….not even close. Boats are designed to face into the wind which on most occasions, keeps the waves on the nose of the boat which makes for smooth days and nights. On this particular day, when the wind died, Galt spun aimlessly about with the waves and current crashing incessantly onto the broad side of the boat causing the boat to rock and roll. All day. Every moment of the day. Thank goodness for Dramamine and the glorious distraction of chick flicks. Bill, not yet having discovered the wonder of chick flicks, had a few meltdowns during the day but we managed to survive the day and another long night. We awoke the next morning to discover that the rocking and rolling had been so fierce that the super duper emergency anchor had come loose and was now somewhere on the bottom of the bay. During a break in the rain, we jumped into the water with snorkel and mask to go on the anchor hunt. Bill literally swam into the rope that was floating above the anchor so we hoisted the super duper anchor into the dinghy and it is now safely back onboard. During that excursion, I saw my first octopus! I never knew how amazing an octopus was and he enjoyed showing off for me by squeezing into the tiniest of places and then flattening himself out to look just like a rock. Add see an octopus to your bucket list! So, here we are on day 6 of our 5 day quarantine. We took our five day PCR test yesterday morning and are praying for release by tomorrow. We have been investigating all the locations where Pirates of the Caribbean were filmed on the island and I am making my list. We watched one of the Pirates movies last night so that when we go to a location, I will know which scene was filmed there. Very exciting stuff for a movie geek like me! I told the gal that did our PCR tests today that if the test came back positive then it was going to be a greater miracle than the virgin birth of Jesus since we have not been off the boat for over a week now. She also must have figured out that the chances were nonexistent because she told Bill it was too hot for the full hazmat suit today…..we took that to mean it was Saturday and her bosses were not around. So, here’s to a negative test, running into Johnny Depp soon and a Happy Father’s Day to you all! PCR count to date: Sally -10 Bill - 8
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AuthorSally Miller Archives
May 2024
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