In Limbo in San Juan

Simanderal
Michael Hughes and Ger White
Sun 29 Mar 2020 21:32
The Spanish vibe didn’t last for long! After a few days in Culebra—-hired a car for a couple of days to see spectacular beaches etc.—-we did a couple of short hops to anchor in bays for swimming, beach etc. And then on the 15th we sailed the 50 odd miles to the capital of Puerto Rico, San Juan. And as we checked into the marina, the dock master informed us that there was a curfew starting that evening, all restaurants and bars—-indeed all businesses other than supermarkets and pharmacies——were closing for 2 weeks etc. So we took a walk to the old town, very beautiful, but everything closed/closing, few people about—all pretty dismal. And one of the reasons for coming here—-big chandlery, shopping etc.—-wasn’t going to happen.
It’s now the 29th. PR has been on lockdown for 2 weeks and a further, even tighter, lockdown just announced for a further 2 weeks. Big police presence, not even allowed to exercise beyond a walk to the supermarkets. 

And so we stay—-if we leave we have nowhere to go with certainty—-most of the islands are turning away pleasure boats and not allowing people ashore. I don’t want to leave the boat here during the hurricane season—-cannot get insurance! The US is still open but that doesn’t seem a sensible option given their virus problems. So we will stay here until either Grenada reopens or the weather improves for a return to Europe—-about a month before the winter storms subside.