Games

​Most people are probably in similar situations where they are wondering what to do to fill the time. I probably have more options than the average person, because instead of being quarantined within my house, I get to be on our boat and go swimming. Even with the friends that I’ve gotten to hang out with, I still have a lot of time to kill.
A game we have all started to love is called (and excuse the curse word) Smart A**. While it isn’t exactly a friendly title, it is still a very fun trivia game. There are three categories: Who Am I, Where Am I, and What Am I. There is a fourth pile called Hard A**, which is an extra shot to move forward on the board. So far, I have won against the boys but when it comes to the parents, we are all at a loss. I blame it on their age.
We usually only start to break out the board games when we have started to get bored with swimming. We’ve taken to jumping off the top of our boat into the water, some of use even diving. It’s only a ten foot jump but it still can be absolutely terrifying. I’m not able to dive off, both because I don’t know how to and because I don’t have a death wish. I can barely jump off the side of the boat without squealing like a pig, not to mention the sheer will it takes to jump off the top. I’d probably scare any witnesses if I tried to dive, because I’d start pinwheeling my arms midway down.
There are still those of us in the mooring field who are a little more protective than others. An example is the boat SV Liberty who have been in quarantine since they arrived in the USVIs in March. Personally, I have no idea how they have survived so long without anyone besides their family and mate. The dad on their boat finally decided that we were safe and allowed his fourteen-year-old daughter to come hang out with me.
Don’t get me wrong. I love hanging out with the boys from Hekla and Dorothy Rose. I even got to hang out with another boy named Cobin one night, but… sometimes you just really need to be around another girl. I’m sure my dad feels the same way about my mom and I, he can’t always be around girls. I’ve seen first hand how crazy we can drive him.
The girl’s name is Micaela and we got to go to the beach when we met. She brought a speaker and we played her playlists while we walked down the beach. She is an extrovert and she made it blatantly clear how confused she was that she’s not insane. I was right! She barely survived life on the boat with only three other people, all of which are older than her.
I really understand how it is. I find it hilarious how everyone is freaking out about being stuck with only their family ad all I can think is, “Welcome to my life!” There is a real irony that the most I’ve gotten to hang out with other kids is when we’re in quarantine. We’re all forced into the USVIs because nothing else is open for cruising families, so now we’re all bundled together and able to make friends. It’s hilarious!
As quarantine is coming closer and closer to its end, all of us are starting to scatter. We’ve moved from our place in Maho and Francis Bay and into Magen’s Bay on the side of St. Thomas. SV Liberty will be heading north for the start of Micaela’s boarding school in fall (if it’s open) and Hekla will be leaving for Florida the day before Liberty leaves. The only boat left is SV Dorothy Rose who will be going the same direction as us… Grenada!
We’ve been patiently waiting for any sign that Grenada would be opening its borders. For non-sailors, it is important to understand that storm season runs from about July to November and during that time, cruisers have to find a way out of the ‘Storm Box’, otherwise there’s no insurance. Usually. So when Grenada released that we could start filling out forms and pick dates to arrive, we were very excited. This means we won’t have to backtrack for the third time, we wont have to return to Florida.
So sometime in the days following June 24th, we will be in passage to Grenada.

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