February 2021

Although not much happened since my last update, I will try to give you an impression what happened since the last update.

Since the pandemic I was very limited in my options. After finally reaching Grenada I could service the Ellena on the hard, that’s on land, and managed to anchor later on in a safe place. A nice bay with coral reefs, small islands and beaches.

A bbq on an island. At the back you see the ‘kitchen’

In September and October it starts getting wet here. Lots of rain and the humidity gets really high. So every sunny day, I got my sails and stuff out of the lockers and put them on deck.

After a lot of searching I finally met a guy who sold me a new dinghy. The old one had one repair too many. A bit bigger and less weight.

But the waiting time extended and extended. I really would like to hold my wife again and see friends and family.
After a long time I was able to fly back. Not a nice trip, since I had to go to Toronto, Canada and wait for 24 hrs. to continue to Frankfurt. From there I could take a train to NL.

Since the boat is well on anchor and guarded by a lovely capable guy, I was able to leave the boat here and fly back. On the photo above you can see an old tugboat in the back on which friends of his also keep an eye on the Ellena. I keep in contact by Whatsapp.

All the hassle of the trip started already in Grenada. Now I suddenly needed upfront confirmation from the Canadian customs. Then my carry-on luggage was not accepted. In the end I got to Toronto at midnight with no food or even warm clothing!

I found a restaurant who had some last-minute sushi-food. Not really my favorite. Then the food was gone. Cleared by the cleaners. Shit. I tried to get some sleep somewhere on the floor.

The next morning a store sold me some clothing.

A large terminal, almost empty is a strange site.

The flight was wonderful. I mean there was almost nobody on the plane. The flight to Frankfurt was very comfortable with good food and I could get some sleep. After 3 days I finally arrived in NL.

This was the beginning of October.

But in NL the situation with corona is disturbing and getting worse. So Christmas and New Year’s Eve were quiet. Stores were still open and I was surprised by all the luxury, coming from a simple Island with small and simple stores.
I had to take this picture. You all know this, but still, it is astounding when you think about it. Here you see just earplugs on display. It is the top row of about 50 m in length! Every earplug slightly different from the neighboring one.

The supermarket is a treat! I mean everything you can think of is available in large quantities, excellent quality and small prices. For me it felt like Paradise, really.

And the internet, limitless and being able to order everything! I mean there is mobile internet in Grenada, but ordering is no option because of customs and huge transport costs. You have to add around 300 US$ for every package.

I spend a lot of time ordering and searching. All the things I would need for the next couple of years.

And later there was a surprise. A really old fashioned winter!

Then I met some new people from my articles in Zeilwereld, which is nice.

I originally planned to return in March, but I already extended this, because I would not like to be forced into quarantine, which is the case now in Grenada. Hopefully a vaccination will help.

All stay healthy and sane!

Next . . .