A cruising wrap up and goodbye to Borealis

We arrived back to our home port of Annapolis, Maryland on June 28, 2020 after nearly two years of sailing the Caribbean islands. What a feeling it was to sail into once familiar sailing grounds, but with so many more miles and stories under Borealis' keel! It started as a far-off dream in the fall of 2017, we sailed off far sooner than expected in late 2018, and here we were in 2020, feeling incredibly lucky to have had adventures for a lifetime and a treasure trove of new friends and memories. 

We were elated to be back "home" with Borealis, as we'd been sailing nearly nonstop since leaving the U.S. Virgin Islands in mid-May to escape the hurricane zone (after more than 6 weeks stuck in quarantine in St. Martin at the start of the Coronavirus pandemic). In the previous 40 days, we'd covered some 2,000 nautical miles and spent 16 overnights out at sea — and we were mentally and physically tired! 

Our 6,500 mile trek from Maryland through the Eastern Caribbean to Grenada and back

A hop, skip, and jump up the U.S. East Coast

After 2 weeks and more than 1,000 miles, Borealis and crew arrived stateside for the first time in nearly two years on May 23. We'd arrived to West Palm Beach, Florida from the US Virgin Islands shortly after 2 a.m. in the morning, and so we spent the following day catching up on sleep and touching base with family and friends after being at sea and without internet for 14 days. 

Our two week trek from the US Virgin Islands to Florida

Homeward bound: USVI to Florida

After more than six weeks of coronavirus quarantine in St Martin, we made the decision to leave the French island and sail 110 nm overnight to the U.S. Virgin Islands. 

We'd held off on sailing to the Virgin Islands because hundreds of other American cruisers in the Caribbean had poured into the USVIs at the start of the pandemic and anchorages were reportedly very crowded and resources harder to come by compared to our comfy spot in St Martin. 

The captain happy to be on the move again after weeks of quarantine

Quarantined in St Martin

On March 16, we were enjoying our time in St Barts when France issued stay-at-home orders and the closing of all nonessential businesses, including in the French Caribbean islands, and we heard rumors that island borders could soon follow.

St Martin or Bust

After checking out of St. Barts, and with fears of arriving too late and being denied entry, we rose before dawn on March 17 to motor 23 nm north in light winds and calm seas to St Martin to check in before the 12 noon business closing.

Unlike St. Barts, St Martin gave us access to more resources and anchorage options if we were "stuck" there longterm. We towed the dinghy behind Borealis (minus the engine), something we've never done on a passage before, but we couldn't afford the extra time it would take to launch it from the foredeck.