Your 2022 Cruising Plans/Philosophy?

[RickG]

2021 in Grenada was tougher than 2020 due to COVID outbreak and lockdowns. We'll go down island again in 2022, but we are hoping for no quarantines/lockdowns. Starting from the USVIs this hurricane season, we visited Saint Maarten, Antigua, Dominica, Saint Lucia, and Grenada. We would love to hit the French islands and SVG in 2022.

Cheers, RickG

[Ndavies]

Our 2021 plans were changed - largely due to a family illness (non-Covid), but in part by Covid. We had planned to take the boat to Europe in 2022, but with still some uncertainty with Covid and having experienced the European attitude towards Covid on a non-sailing trip to Europe this year....we feel 2022 still has some uncertainties. In general, European countries take Covid far more seriously than the US, and Europeans are way more "compliant" than in the US. I am not making any judgements in that statement - just reporting my experience.

We are currently helping friends bring their boat south down the US east coast. There are A LOT of boats headed south - most with plans for the Bahamas. We are also planning to head to the Bahamas in January, leaving from the northern Gulf Coast. I know of so many boats with a similar plan, and I think (fear) its going to be a busy year in the Bahamas!

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by waterman46

Everyone has different stories and paths through this pandemic. Necessity forces undesirable decisions, sometimes long absences from what we would prefer.

Our story: we left our boat in a marina in Belize just before the pandemic broke out, intending to return soon after taking care of renting out part of our house. Literally 2 days after we got home, the borders all shut.

It's been about 21 months now and we return to Belize tomorrow with our 3 shots of Phizer and lots of N95's. Marina reports rats have eaten up everything not metal or fiberglass inside our boat. Wish us luck.
We intend to haul out in Rio Dulce then continue to Cancun and FL. Boat needs new reefer and rigging and thought is that once back in US this will be easier to accomplish.

Damn. I feel for you from first hand experience. Last summer, at least one rodent boarded my boat and nearly destroyed it.

It ate through literally everything in the galley that wasn’t metal or glass. Chewed through paper plates, cup-o-soup styrofoam cups, books, juice pouches, literally everything.

Then it chewed through my solar cable (and just my solar cable), which stopped all power from getting to my electrical system, which killed the batteries, which disabled the bilge pumps.

Meanwhile some named storm went through and blew out a window. Then the daily tropical rain happened like clockwork each afternoon. My port hull filled up with a TON of water (and hornets) over the summer. It was half sunken when I returned.

Luckily, I hadn’t built anything out over there and it was just bare fiberglass that sank. I pumped out the water, scrubbed out the residue from stagnant water, fixed the window and was none the worse , except having to buy a brand new battery bank.

So yeah. Rodents. Hate em. This year I made guards to keep them off the boat.

Hope yours isn’t too bad. They sure are jerks aboard boats.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Ndavies

Our 2021 plans were changed - largely due to a family illness (non-Covid), but in part by Covid. We had planned to take the boat to Europe in 2022, but with still some uncertainty with Covid and having experienced the European attitude towards Covid on a non-sailing trip to Europe this year....we feel 2022 still has some uncertainties. In general, European countries take Covid far more seriously than the US, and Europeans are way more "compliant" than in the US. I am not making any judgements in that statement - just reporting my experience.



We are currently helping friends bring their boat south down the US east coast. There are A LOT of boats headed south - most with plans for the Bahamas. We are also planning to head to the Bahamas in January, leaving from the northern Gulf Coast. I know of so many boats with a similar plan, and I think (fear) its going to be a busy year in the Bahamas!

Well, it depends on what part of Europe. Northern other than Russia had no locks and the Baltic Sea other than Germany for certain periods has been open for normal cruising almost without interruption. We had quite normal seasons in the Baltic both 2020 and 2021, even including Germany which was open both summers. Even when borders were closed, there were specific exceptions for pleasure boats, most places. For next year we're planning an Atlantic circuit starting in Spain, on to Caribbean via Canaries, U. S. East Coast, Labrador, Iceland, UK. Obviously nothing can be totally certain, especially what concerns the Caribbean, but we are not expecting problems (at least not with a 100% vaccinated crew).

[ol1970]

My opinion is that we are going to see this pandemic become an endemic that will just sort of be with us forever. That being said, 2022 will still be rough from an international travel standpoint even for the vaccinated. There will be rolling lockdowns & rules will change quickly. If I were a betting man, it would be fall of 2023 before the world gets back to resembling what we knew as normal. That's one of the big reasons we were happy to be sitting on the sidelines right now, but our new build should be done in summer of '24 when we cast off, fingers crossed this is all over by then!

[Ekeno]

cool, smart and careful reach

[Ekeno]

I was referring to Joh's Ghurt comments

[goboatingnow]

I don’t foresee any more lockdowns in Europe. There is very little public stomach for it.

I had a great sailing season in Greece from early may. The charter companies reported an “ excellent “ year ( talking to sun sail manager this morning )

I think next year will be gang busters with everyone out from April onwards.( groan )

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

I don’t foresee any more lockdowns in Europe. There is very little public stomach for it. . .

No stomach for it indeed, and with everyone vaccinated, what would be the point?


In that part of the world fortunate to have access to vaccines, we are entering a new era -- "living iwth the virus". It's a different world from the pandemic one we've just been through.

[Vasco]

After many winters of cruising the Bahamas we did not for the 20/21 season and will not be cruising this winter either. The pandemic has raised too many obstacles to the former "freedom" life of cruising. Funny, I used to think of cruising as one of the few remaining bastions of relative freedom but all this has changed drastically in a way not imaginable before the pandemic struck. The bureaucratic reliance on negative tests, constant reporting, and the ever changing regulations and lockdowns are examples of hindrances that take the enjoyment out of the cruising lifestyle. We are happy (well not that happy) to stay at home for the time being but I do miss living on the boat.

We have cruised for quite a few years but think we have a season or two of cruising left in us. It will not be a great hardship to skip a year or two. Some folks that are hit hard by this (as it relates to cruising) are those that were preparing to set off for the first time. Years of prep and anticipation and now... maybe next year. Maybe next year.

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by Vasco

... Funny, I used to think of cruising as one of the few remaining bastions of relative freedom but all this has changed drastically in a way not imaginable before the pandemic struck. The bureaucratic reliance on negative tests, constant reporting, and the ever changing regulations and lockdowns are examples of hindrances that take the enjoyment out of the cruising lifestyle.

I think for many older cruisers who remember how relaxed, free and informal, cruising regulations were, the enhanced controls, some of which will transform into permanent red tape, has left a bad taste in our mouths.

It is often the uncertainty of new rules (like Schengen) and how they are locally interpreted, constantly modified and applied, that adds to the frustration, for those who remember the simpler days of cruising.

It won't bother new cruisers, but having already .....' been there and done that '..... my plans are less international voyaging and more the enjoyment of peaceful quiet anchorages locally, where I do not need to check in with anyone.

[boatsisboats]

Speaking of which, where can you go (in the Caribbean for me) without a long Q period?

We are layed up in Grenada and look forward to heading north up the chain to willing island nations.
Anyone know where to best find out this info? All that I can find seems to be old or incomplete...

Thanks!

[barryglewis]

Expect to be stuck in Australia for 2022, so end of year hope to cruise Tasmania over summer, then barrier reef.
Hoping 2023 NZ, Cook Islands, Tonga and Samoa will open for cruisers

[ParL]

Sorting my 50 year old cutter rigged Amigo 23, and spending a few weeks on Storsjön in Sweden learning to sail her. Storjön ("Big lake", https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storsj%C3%B6n) is the 5th largest lake in Sweden, but still not huge (20-30 km across), but is close enough to the mountains that you can get some serious winds and wind gusts there.



Plain is to try out living aboard for 2-3 weeks at a time and seeing how that works for me (sleeping at anchor and sailing during the day). While 23' is on the small side as sailboats go I'm used to a backpack, a canoe or kayak and a mountain tent, so by that standard it is huge.