Goodbye to 2021

Hello? Anyone still checking in? Maybe you've given up on Sailing Saralane? I've almost given up on it since letting it languish for so long. I've most definitely given up on any possibility of chronology. I really hate to let an entire calendar year go by with no posts at all so I'll give it a go. No promises....

We were in Barbuda in early 2020 when news of the coronavirus became more persistent and unsettling. We stayed there for a while before sailing back to Antigua and making the decision to head home. Our first thought was to haul in Jolly Harbor where we'd been before, but they closed the Antigua airport leaving us no option to fly home. One by one all the islands closed airports and borders so we sailed to St John where we were at least in US territory. We weren't the only ones who had that idea so we had friends around and it was pretty comfortable being there. In April we hauled out in a small yard in St Thomas and flew home and we've been here since then. That's pretty much it in a nutshell. 

However, the two things that have most marked this time away from the blog have nothing to do with the surreal turn the world has taken with the pandemic. 

On Christmas morning last year, we lost Skip's dad. It's hard to believe it's been over a year already. He died peacefully at home and we were fortunate to be with him during his last days. Warren lived a long and adventurous life and was in good health until the very end of his 97 years. He was a big presence and we miss him immensely. I hope he and Kathie are together somewhere...

Kathie and Warren on Saralane in St Croix

The other event that marked this time is the death of our friend Ellen Tischbin. She died last May after being struck by a dinghy while she was swimming in Falmouth Harbor in Antigua. It still feels shocking to realize that this happened. We became close with Ellen & Rob on 'Miclo' during the past few years, and along with Steve & Eva on 'Foreva', spent weeks at a time in each others easy company and had some of the happiest times of our cruising years.

We were introduced to them by our mutual friends Ed & Elizabeth from 'Skylark' and were lucky to have Ellen & Rob and Ed & Elizabeth visit us together in Newport the last summer pre-Covid.

I could go on about the time we spent together and what made Ellen so special but it would be impossible to know where to stop. People were drawn to Ellen for her deep kindness and thoughtfulness, her big laugh and even bigger heart. She had friends from forever ago and friends from the day before yesterday and she loved them all fiercely. She was epically proud of her New Jersey roots and in September we gathered in New Jersey with her family and friends to remember and celebrate her life. Ellen is gone much too soon and she is missed in ways beyond words.

Rob & Ellen, Skip & me, in Barbuda early 2019

Maho Bay St John: Skip, me, Ellen, Rob, Eva, Steve early 2019

I'll leave all the boat talk for another time. As I looked back through my photos I realized I hadn't even covered our re-rigging after Hurricane Irma, so all you detailed-boat-project readers stand by. Skip is getting his first look at Saralane in St Thomas this week so there's fodder/hope for the blog. I hope I haven't lost you all in the mean time.

Here's to a happy and healthy 2022...