Diary of living aboard under lockdown - CV Week 2

SUNDAY 22 MARCH 2020 - SATURDAY 28 MARCH 2020 (Week 2)

We decided on a change of format this week,  mainly because we weren't doing enough to warrant a day by day account of our life in lockdown.  If we were bored of trying to find something interesting to write about,  then readers would be even more bored reading it. So, here are the highs and the lows of Week 2 in lockdown.

It seems that since we have been in lockdown the weather has decided to reflect the mood of the country.  

The week started with high winds and rain and by Monday we had thunderstorms thrown into the mix too (called tormentas in Spain, love that word!). The wind was howling, the boat was rocking from the swell of the waves and the heavens opened up.  After a week of wind and rain we were getting cabin fever.

Pantalan 2
Our back garden!

I decided that for my own sanity I needed to get back to my running and walking regime, if for nothing else but to stop me going stir crazy. So, on with the trainers and up and down the pontoon I went.  I think people on the boats on the next pontoon thought I was mad, but I didn't care, it felt good to be out in the fresh air doing something.  Mark and I also try and do at least 10,000 steps a day (that's 100 lengths of the pontoon!) just to keep the circulation going and get some fresh air and he's now joining in with running as well.

Mark has also been trying his luck with fishing. One of the plus sides of the weather is that it supposedly brings sea bass in at sunset. So, with new lures on the line, he's been fishing off the side of the boat.   He hasn't caught anything yet, but he's been honing his skills for when we can set sail and want to catch fish for supper. He's also been busy with his online virtual regatta. He's really enjoying the challenge of sailing in the Pacific and it's good fun having a few friends in the race as well.  I'm not so sure though when he's up at 5am checking the wind and his position on his phone!

By Wednesday the weather had started to improve, but the sea was still as wild as anything.  From Offbeat we could hear the waves crashing against the breakwater so walked to the end of the pontoon to have a look.  Wow, what a sight as they came crashing over the wall.  At the same time we saw a small fishing boat heading out of the marina and we both held our breath as it made it's way gingerly through the entrance.  Once through, the engine roared and off it went to get its daily catch.

Thursday and the sun was shining, the westerly Poniente wind was blowing warm air so it was time to do a few jobs outside.  Washing done, dried and put away, I got on with washing down the decks.  The rain and wind of the last week had brought with an enormous amount of red dust so this needed cleaning off and as it gets in the ropes as well, they needed hosing down too.  Mark got busy washing and rinsing the ropes that we were using for mooring as they were covered in salt as well as red dirt.  

The day was rounded off with a beautiful sunset, clear sky and the sound of applause, music, flashing lights and sirens as at 8pm every evening people go onto their balconies to thank those that are keeping the country going.  Although there's only us on the pontoon, we join in too, Mark with his cow bell (oh how he enjoys this) and me with my flashing torch!

Living in your own little world on a boat, it's very easy to isolate yourselves away from what is going on in the rest of the world, so keeping abreast of the news in Spain is important to us and we check online news outlets on a daily basis.  On Wednesday it was confirmed that as the number of new cases of Coronavirus illness and deaths continues to rise in Spain, the country would extend lockdown until at least Saturday 11 April 2020.  

At the time of writing the blog on Saturday evening there have been 72,248, confirmed Coronavirus cases and 5,690 confirmed deaths. The Spanish government announced that all non-essential workers have now been ordered to stay at home. Its worrying that there are ever increasing restrictions to try and stem the spread of this disease.

I wanted to end this week's blog on a high and what better way than to share how we keep in touch with our loved ones.  WhatsApp, Facebook and Messenger all play a big part in our lives at the moment and keeps us in regular contact with our nearest and dearest.  It always brightens our day when we get photos or videos of the grandchildren and their latest antics.  My latest means of communication is Houseparty, an app that allows you to video call with a number of people at the same time. The highlight of the week was, using this app, having all the grandchildren video calling at the same time.  It was mayhem but reminded us of what normality is for our family! 

Family time on
Mother's Day

Millie self isolating!

Olivia and Finlay digging the garden!