Self-Isolating

Where Next?
Bob Williams
Mon 17 May 2021 05:25

Position: 30 18.4 S 153 08.8 E
Alongside Coffs Harbour Marina
Wind: SSW, F5   Sea: calm   Swell: nil
Weather: sunny, mild

I slept most of yesterday away which allowed me to wake up well refreshed this morning.  After a few emails, some SMS’s and a couple of calls on the satphone, all the necessary approvals were in place allowing me to weigh anchor and proceed alongside the dock adjacent the marina office. Here I was met by the two Border Force officers (known everywhere else in the world as Customs) who were very pleasant as well as efficient. They were also acting on behalf of Quarantine and completed the paperwork to clear Oli in.  

Once they were finished Janet from Déjà Vu met me on the dock and drove me to the testing clinic in a hire car. The test took about 20 minutes and then it was back to the boat. I have now moved Sylph to a berth on the end of a finger where I will be required to self-isolate until the test results come back. That should be in a day or two. I figure self-isolating for another few days after a twelve day single-handed passage shouldn’t be too difficult, though customs did take away my last few remaining vegetables. Not to worry, anticipating this, I made a big pot of vegie curry in the pressure cooker last night, into which I squeezed as many vegetables as possible. So that will see me through tonight as well.

It strikes me as a little ironic that Oli is now legal to go ashore but I am not.

All is well.