Preparing for the worst and hoping for the best...COVID-19

I’ve been sitting on this draft for a week or so…updating it frequently since things are changing daily…so I am fully aware that by the time you read this it might be totally irrelevant…or I will looks like a amazing fortune teller and launch a second career as a seer….

So… lots has been happening since we've been away from North America and there are only a few things that penetrate the live-aboard life and the things we are always thinking and doing while sailing with kids...We are following the Democratic race closely in the US and watching the field narrow. We are watching the actions of our Canadian government in response to those trying to protect their land and voice their rights. Annnnnnnddddd...we are watching the world respond to COVID-19...

Having worked in Public Health in some capacity my whole life I have some insight as to how governments respond. I was working at a Health Unit when SARS happened in the early 2000's and the Canadian public health system has evolved dramatically since those days. On the one hand, the government and all the associated infrastructure systems are better prepared than ever before for public information, testing and containment strategies...and are quick to fund them as well. On the other hand high volumes of information (even when important and totally accurate) can sometimes mean more panic in the general population...why is everyone freaking out about toilet paper? I mean it's not ideal but worse case you can wipe your a$$ with a cloth and then wash it right??? Maybe it’s just human nature to freak out…I mean sh*t, it doesn’t get much more scary than a new virus pandemic….unless it’s a zombie virus pandemic with 100% transmission success…which this is not.

I think boat living gives us a leg-up in the pandemic virus prep-scenario. I mean we already have what we need to live a somewhat self contained life for at least several months...the really important stuff anyway like fuel, spares, water maker, renewable energy production, and medications (we can keep my Type 1 diabetic husband alive for over a year without touching land once if necessary - THANK YOU CANADIAN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM). In fact, food is the only thing we really need on the reg. Dominica (the island we are at currently) would be a good place to hang out for an extended time since they grow almost everything here (even some coffee but not as much as before Maria)...lots of people grow fruit and veg on their land and eggs, chicken, fish and other staples are plentiful. It's well set-up to be self-sustaining. So with this in mind, a week or so ago Greg and I kind of half-joked that if we got "stuck" somewhere we'd like it to be here. I would be least concerned about access to food here I think (although a lot of it gets purchased at markets which seem like they would be an ideal spot for transmitting a virus...). Another positive about Dominica in terms of containment is that while they have 2 airports here, they are small and only handle local aircraft - as compared to St. Barths or St. Martin which handle many many international flights each day (both of which have active cases at the moment)…less air traffic (at this point) may be fewer cases.

A bit of deeper provisioning happening over the next few days…this pic is just one of several different trips we’ve been making when convenient. Oats, lentils, boxed milk and rice are things we were running low on anyway as we have started to work through our stores from the US back in the summer. We always seem to be running low on pasta (kids…) and we found some nice Canadian (!!!) sardines that are a handy source of healthy protein and fats…also some popcorn for days when we are low on the preferred treat onboard (Pringles)….the fruit / veg market is very very close to where we are anchored so I can go there daily if I want :) When this boat is loaded up we can have enough food for probably 6 months…it’s kinda crazy…I like to have food for a few months at any time at least and always have back-up staples.

However, there are numerous ferries and at least 1 cruise ship a day entering Roseau on the south end of the island…we went into Roseau yesterday to pick up a package and there were 2 large ships probably carrying more than 7K people…I also wouldn’t choose to be right smack in the middle of the Caribbean during hurricane season so hopefully things are chill again by July…will cross that bridge later…

Also on the flip side, the health care infrastructure here isn't the same as it is back in Canada. While the island's population is about 73K, there is one hospital on the island which is extremely busy (according to what we were told by a friend who had a recent visit to the ER due to an unfortunate encounter with a Lionfish). I'm not sure the testing technology and care infrastructure wouldn't get quickly overwhelmed in the event of an outbreak here... Dominica's cultural views on health and healthcare are also different than what we're used to in Canada. Almost every single local person we've spoken with has emphasized their use of natural remedies for almost any ailment you could dream up. From various teas brewed with different plants that grow in almost every back yard here, to taking regular baths in the hot springs (the sulphur content kills bacteria), to chewing different seeds, everyone has been very helpful and eager to share their natural medicines. Greg was given several pods with dried seeds to 'clean his blood' once he found out he was diabetic...he's supposed to eat one every morning. I looked it up and Moringa is the name of the seeds and the 'blood cleaning' may be due to the high zinc content...according to the Goog. In fact you can buy Moringa seeds on Amazon.

Moringa seeds drying in their pods.

Maybe that's a good thing, in fact it's probably a good thing, that the general populace is very health aware and not shy about sharing it with visitors; however, people are also so laid back (i.e. not filled with the baseline level of neuroses and anxieties I am used to) and I'm not sure if containment efforts would as effective here...everyone might just go about their regular business unless they got really, really, sick. But honestly I don't know. Greg and I have tried to chat with a few people about the health care system here but haven't gotten too many straight answers. Not that people are evasive - anything but actually! It just seems as though the hospital is a part of a much more wholistic approach to health (which is kind of amazing). We got a little taste of trying to manage a sna-foo with Greg’s medical equipment here and it was complicated…but successful (he will write about this very soon if I nag him enough ;P).

All that said, I’m not sure where the best place would be for us…and we are aware we might not have a choice as things progress…so for now we are planning to see how things evolve and stay here in Dominica for at least another week. Aden’s birthday is in 6 days and she would like to go horseback riding here. If we move, our decision will likely be based on food-security of the island, medical facilities, and the policies of the local governments (if available) regarding their containment strategies.

Also 4/5 of us are really at a low low low risk (0.5% according to the latest information we could get our hands on) of death via COVID-19...Greg on the other hand, fits into the category of pre-exiting conditions which put him more at like 7% risk...now he's super healthy, young(ish), and takes really good care of himself so I think he would be a-ok...but with this extra layer it does have us thinking about the 'what if he needed a hospital...where should we be'. Pointe a Pietre in Guadaloupe has a big international learning hospital which is state-of-the-art...and Guadaloupe is right beside Dominica...like could get there almost as fast as driving from London to Toronto when on a fast ferry. However, it's a different country and if immigration while sick became a problem Greg would maybe not be able to get care there??? These are unanswered questions...

So what are we doing to prepare? In addition to washing hands and singing Happy Birthday like we work at the Olive Garden (and maybe not shaking as many hands or bumping as many fists as we usually would with such friendly strangers as the people on the island here)…it’s same as we would do if going offshore basically - in addition to keeping a bit of distance between us and others on the markets, sidewalks and in restaurants (those are really the only places we encounter people) - have at least 4 months worth of food, medications, stores, spares and fuel on the boat so we can weather any storm (figuratively and literally)…however, if it comes down to it, we'll wipe our butts with a cloth ;)

Frequent dips in the salt water might help (can’t hurt) and it things get dicey, I’ll keep Greg in the bilge while I get our passionfruit and dasheen from the market.

Wishing you all safe, COVID-19 free day with appropriately-stocked but not a hoarding level of TP.

Much love, M

Lots of places available here to seek out some social isolation….unless you count overly friendly crabs ;)