• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • My Account
  • Cart
  • Members Home

Sailing Britican

Sailing, Liveaboard Life, Guides, Checklists, Vlog & More!

TwitterYoutubeFacebookLinkedinPinterestInstagram
  • Home
  • Shop
    • Boating Guides
    • Sailing Lifestyle Coaching
    • Week Long Sailing Experiences
    • Men’s T-shirts
    • Women’s T-shirts
  • Life Aboard
    • Life With COVID-19
    • Hurricane Season
    • Galley
      • Recipes
    • Getting Started
    • Making An Income
    • Kids On A Boat
    • Marina Life
    • Racing Your Home
    • The Boating Lifestyle
  • How To’s
    • Buying A Boat
    • CopperCoat
    • Electrical Systems
    • Kit
    • Maintenance
    • Major Upgrades
    • Organization & Cleaning
    • Passage Planning
    • Safety
    • Sailing, Maneuvering & Mooring
  • Destinations
    • Atlantic Crossing
    • Bahamas
    • Bermuda
    • Caribbean Sailing
    • Charleston
    • Florida
    • Mediterranean
  • Our Journey
  • Sailing Experience
  • More…
    • Our Story – From The Beginning
    • Freebies
    • The Crew
    • The Yacht
    • Best Sailing Quotes
    • Sailing Q & A
    • Disclaimer
    • Contacting Us

Life Under Lockdown On A Boat

April 28, 2020 10 Comments

Share
Tweet
Pin
Buffer
Reddit
Share
Pocket
102 Shares

Throughout the world, every country and even individual states are handling the Coronavirus outbreak in different ways. Discover what life under lockdown on a boat is like. In some cases, it’s better and in others, it’s not so great. 

Watch the video and then read more below for further details.

Life Under Lockdown On A Boat Video

One of my most popular articles is 13 Reasons Why Living On A Boat In A Marina Is Better Than Living In A House On Land. I toyed with the idea of writing 13 reasons why living on a boat during the coronavirus outbreak is better than being in a home on land. 

Heck, I’m a sailor. My home is where the anchor drops and I cannot live life without Vitamin Sea. No matter which way I look at it, I’d rather be on my boat than anywhere else in the world.

That being said, there are downsides. Especially during a lockdown. 

With life under lockdown on a boat, there’s a lack of space and that issue becomes extremely noticeable when you can’t get off the boat for a break. Another major factor is toleration levels become unbalanced. Most sailors tolerate being ‘stuck’ somewhere to wait for parts, fix something or hang out during bad weather. It’s simply a part of the lifestyle. Surely you’ve heard the phrase, ‘fixing things in exotic locations.’ 

Sailors know that after a finite period of being stuck, they’ll once again have the reward of freedom. The freedom to sail in the open ocean and head in any direction the wind will permit. 

With this virus, however, it seems as if things are not so finite. Every headline seems to be stretching life after Corona starting in August or December or one report mentioned February. 


No matter what, life has changed for all of us whether we’re on a boat or not. And the difficult thing is that no one knows how long it will last.

In Grenada, we’ve been under a curfew and lockdown for about six weeks now. Everything has closed except for medical services. Even the airport is shut. At first, we could only get groceries one day a week but now we can get them three days a week. And as I write this we’re just now being able to finally go to land (not the beaches) for exercise. Until now we haven’t been able to go for a walk! 

I feel terrible for the dog owners. Especially the dog owners on a boat. They were told that the pet has to use the sugar scoop to do his/her business. Can you imagine life under lockdown on a boat with a dog!?

After all this isolation I wish I could report that Grenada was doing well. From the perspective of flattening the curve, things are very good. But we still have new cases appearing every couple of days. 

I think we were all hoping that Grenada would at least come up clear and the country could go back to business.

No one was expecting the borders to open anytime soon but we were hoping for the ability to move about, go to boat shops and even enjoy a takeaway. 

Going forward, I think the government is looking around and trying to model themselves after the countries that are doing better than others. It seems like the key is social distancing while keeping the economy going AND ensuring there’s enough medical care, equipment, and personnel to handle whatever havoc the virus is going to dish out. 

Things are looking more hopeful lately. Perhaps this week we can walk around and next week more shops might open. Some restaurants are doing take-aways and there are some boat services shops saying they’re available. We managed to get someone to take our Bimini and sprayhood away for repair a couple of days ago.

On Britican, we’ll continue to focus on what we can. Simon is doing boat jobs, I’m getting our website/YouTube channel/Social media in order, we’re both working hard on homeschooling Sienna and doing family-based activities and life goes on 🙂

And A Note For Anyone Interested In Coming To Grenada This Hurricane Season

I have a lot of people higher up in the Caribbean contacting me that want to sail to Grenada. They’ve been emailing to ask me what my thoughts were. I have absolutely no idea what’s going to happen but it does seem that the Grenada government is slow to make changes. It would not surprise me if this country is still closed for many months to come. The entire staff at the airport were laid off and rumors state that flights won’t start up again until after August.

There are some boats anchored off Port Louis that entered Grenada before the lockdown but had to self-quarantine.

They have not been allowed to book in.  Any boats that try to enter Grenada waters are being turned away. I’ve heard that you can enter St Vincent & The Grenadines but you have to quarantine in a hotel for two weeks at your expense. You could go to SVG and hope that Grenada eventually opens.

If we were in an area like Antigua or USVI, we’d be making plans to go to New England or as high up on the east coast of America as possible.

I wouldn’t stay in the Caribbean and we definitely wouldn’t return to Charleston, South Carolina. When we were there last three hurricanes hit us! If we were below Antigua we might consider staying in the Caribbean but our plan would be to sail south if there was any threat of a hurricane…and when I say sail south that means that we wouldn’t necessary sail anywhere specific.

We’d go into open water out of harm’s way, wait, and then return. I don’t think there are too many boaters that are very comfortable with that idea but it is an option. The key to the sailing south plan, however, is to have a place you can return to that will let you in.

Any questions or comments about life under lockdown on a boat?

Please leave them below.

Other Articles About Life Since COVID-19 Started

  • Surviving Your First Virus Outbreak – How To
  • Where Can We Sail To Avoid COVID-19?
  • Life With The COVID-19 Pandemic – A Channel Update
  • The COVID-19 Silver Lining For Cruisers?

Check out La Phare Bleu on NoForeignLand

When This Is Over Join Us For A Sail!

THE BRITICAN EXPERIENCE - A WEEK-LONG BLUEWATER CRUISING EXPERIENCE
Britican Experience
Britican Experience
Britican Experience

"Sailing Britican was more than a vacation on the beach. For a week we tasted a new way of life we didn’t know possible. We couldn’t say it better than Margaret, our four-year-old “being on a boat is the life for me! Wind in my hair, not a care!”

With the constant sound of crashing waves, a rocking boat, the sunsets, and translucent waters glistening it’s a challenge to pinpoint our favorite moments.

Every moment of every day seemed to gel together helping us to forget our worries on land. Thank you to Kim and Simon for sharing their sailing expertise, introduced us to other sailing families, and a pace of life full of fresh and salty air! Their home is truly a dream, their sailing stories an unforgettable experience!

They are generous people who want to share this life with all who dare to seek it. What a phenomenal experience for our family of five. Even our littlest member turned one on Britican, a memory we will cherish forever." Dorothy, Roger, Isla, Margaret & Patrick

Check out our availability here: Click here for more information.

The Browns On Britican

Life Under Lockdown On A Boat

Share
Tweet
Pin
Buffer
Reddit
Share
Pocket
102 Shares

Categories: COVID-19, The Journey, Videos

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Brian Stewart says

    April 28, 2020 at 11:50 pm

    Hi guys,

    Corona virus is settling down here in New Zealand with the. Urge flattening out very well. Sadly we have had 19 people die from the virus with one case reported yesterday. Our 4.5 million population plays a definite advantage oupled with a very effective Prime Minister at the helm. Every day she gives excellent reports in a manner that builds confidence within all Kiwi’s of supporting each other by following her suggestions and doing our bit to beat this very nasty bug.
    I thank the Britican team for this weekly email and this one with the video especially. It had a real ness flavour to it not saying that previous vids are not but the casual and boring parts blended together gave me a sense of feeling the good with the not so good. It was simplicity and natural, a complete lack of flare, now there is nothing wrong with that but true life is a complete change to presenting preset shots for the camera. just showing cooking for what it really is makes for an interesting view of life for real on a boat and a simple kiss in appreciation for a coffee is just wonderful to view.

    Anyway all my aroha to you all
    From New Zealand Kiwi-ana
    Nga Mihi
    Brian s

    Reply
    • Kim Brown says

      May 5, 2020 at 8:47 am

      Thanks so much for your thoughts Brian. I’ve been wondering why that video has been doing so well… When I published it I thought, ‘it’s so boring!’ As usual, this video proves to me that I have no clue what people want to know or see. When I think I make a really good valuable video, no one likes it. When I think I just did my best considering the circumstances…it does well. Hahahahah. It’s good to hear that things are settling down in NZ! Please stay healthy and be safe. Smiles, Kim

      Reply
  2. Bob ( Boatname Capella , Belgian ) says

    April 29, 2020 at 10:25 am

    Hello Kim , I’ll address you as you’re the one organizing this blog/vlog .
    Short intro , apparently we met ( this is what my wife told me anyway ) during the MDR winter season 2014 -2015 . We stayed there for 3 extra winters btw . Pontoon D15
    We were never live-a boards so we have never been a serious part of a community in whatever marina But having said that , you guys drew my attention with the coppercoat story which was of some of interest to me because I’ve experimented with it also . To no avail I must say .

    To the point now , in your last video ” Life under lockdown ……. ” you mentioned the fact that your husband Simon suffers from a sore ear after diving under the boat . Blaming it on contamination could be a wrong move .
    I’ve been diving for over 40 years now and have experienced , most summer vacations in the Med . , a sore and swollen ear that lasted for several weeks after coming home .
    It’s not until my grandson was hit by the same uncomfort during the 2017 vacation around Corfu that I got to realize what had been bugging me for all those years before ……. , ‘ otitis externa ‘ , a swimmer’s ear ! Not to be confused with a diver’s ear which is a punctured eardrum mind you !
    The science behind it , is that the PH (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PH ) of seawater ( 8,1 ) is responsible for disturbing the acidity in the ( outer) ear ( PH around 6) and therefor causing the protective bacterial growth in the ear canal to disappear .
    I’m sure you understand that pouring a solution of bicarbonate ( PH 10 ) in the ear will worsen the situation .
    What you, what Simon needs to do , is to get the PH in the ear lower , not higher !
    Some people are perceptive for the infection , others are not , ……as life is .
    These days I ( occasionally ) use a solution of vinegar ( any soft acid will do ) , before and after a dive . Problem solved . Although by getting older , the condition has diminished drastically , in my case .

    If you don’t mind playing along with the commercial games , there are ( rather expensive for what it is ) ear drops on the market
    Google is you friend , an example :
    https://www.diversalertnetwork.org/health/ears/eardrops

    Please feel free to post this information on the blog/vlog as it might help a lot of – unaware – sailors divers & swimmers .
    Good luck

    Bob

    PS :
    how’s the evaluation on the new coppercoat so far ?

    Reply
    • Kim Brown says

      May 5, 2020 at 8:55 am

      Bob – thank you so very much for this write-up! We will give a vinegar solution before and after the next time, he goes down to clean the hull. Our evaluation on CopperCoat is excellent. Ever since the last application, we haven’t had any barnacles. Simon just goes down with a rag to clear off the soft growth and that’s it. We want to do a video but the water we’re in isn’t clear – it wouldn’t do CopperCoat justice. As soon as we can move our boat to clearer waters we’ll do an update. Thanks again. Kim

      Reply
  3. Sak says

    April 30, 2020 at 10:33 am

    Just viewed your vlog on copper coat. Love sailing. You wore a “Citadel” shirt; what’s the connection?

    Reply
    • Kim Brown says

      May 5, 2020 at 8:57 am

      One of our Patreon Patrons went to the Citadel. While we were in Charleston he visited the Citidel and us often. He got all of us Citidel shirts 🙂 Smiles, Kim

      Reply
  4. Serban says

    May 4, 2020 at 6:48 pm

    Such a sweet video. It is full of you. Once again, I feel that it is you, the Britican family, that makes these videos so delicate and enjoyable, more than the sea and the sailing combined. The lock down will end eventually, and everything will return to normal.
    Sweet Kim waking up!

    Reply
    • Kim Brown says

      May 5, 2020 at 9:00 am

      Thanks so much Serban 🙂 As always I appreciate your comments. Big smiles, Kim

      Reply
  5. W.W. says

    May 5, 2020 at 8:11 pm

    05.05.2020
    We’re not out of the woods yet!
    It seems that a few brilliant minds have stumbled across a covid-19 mutation ! Time will tell if that
    version turns out to be friend or foe!
    Here in the U.S. citizens are choosing to take back control of their lives moving forward as free
    Americans!
    Find the wind – fill your sails & fulfill your dreams! W.W.

    Reply
    • Kim Brown says

      May 6, 2020 at 11:20 am

      I’m not sure if we’ll ever be out of the woods…we might just have to learn how to live in a new forest. Stay healthy and be safe! Kim

      Reply

Leave a Comment Cancel

Recipe Rating




sidebar

Blog Sidebar

Watch This First

https://youtu.be/Cp2pbeNnJeY

Free Guides

10 Steps To Buying A Sailboat

10 Steps To Buying A Sailboat

Electrical System Audit

Need Coaching?

Britican Members Only Club

Britican Experience

The Britican Experience

Britican Experience Availability

Available
Booked
Changeover
MTWTFSS
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31

Support Us On Patreon

Become a Patron!

Recent Comments

  • Kim Brown on The Journey
  • Brian on The Journey
  • Philip worgan on Checklists for Sailors – Digital
  • Kim Brown on 8 Reasons Why Christmas Is Better Spent On Your Sailboat
  • ridetheducks on CopperCoat Antifouling Review

This Might Be Of Interest…

Recent Posts

  • Raymarine Axiom Installation January 12, 2021
  • How To Make A Rubber Gasket For A Boat Engine January 5, 2021
  • Where To Go Sailing During Covid? December 29, 2020
  • 8 Reasons Why Christmas Is Better Spent On Your Sailboat December 20, 2020
  • New Anchor Chain Checklist December 15, 2020

Top Rated Products

  • Checklists For Sailors Checklists for Sailors - Digital
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $24.97
  • Sailing Lifestyle Coaching
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $500.00 / month
  • Sailboat Buying Guide Sailboat Buying Guide For Cruisers - Digital
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $24.97
  • VHF Radio Checklists For Sailors VHF Radio Checklists For Sailors
    Rated 4.67 out of 5
    $15.97
  • I'd Rather Be Sailing women's short sleeve t-shirt $28.00 – $30.00

Have You Read My Book?

Changing Lifestyles Book Thumb "Changing Lifestyles - Trading in the Rat Race for a Sail Around The World" (Click the picture for more information)

Nautical Gift Store

Instagram

sailingbritican

We offer try-before-you-buy sailing lifestyle experiences⛵️🏝🧉🥑🌺
⬇️OUR LATEST VIDEO/ARTICLE⬇️

Sailing Lifestyle Experiences
The perfect anchorage. Sienna and her friend Ivy c The perfect anchorage. Sienna and her friend Ivy can swim from the boat to the shore. And then they can walk 5’ to the ice cream shop! Boat kids have it made!
NEW VIDEO AND ARTICLE! Check out what it's like to NEW VIDEO AND ARTICLE! Check out what it's like to upgrade your navigational equipment. It's not an easy job and it's far from inexpensive. Discover what we got rid of, what we kept, what new nav kit we installed, how the installation went AND find out what all the new gadgets look like when you turn them on. This video is totally for the Geek in you, so go watch it now. Also - find out what $11,000 USD will buy you in relation to navigation equipment. Copy and paste this link or visit link in the bio: 

https://sailingbritican.com/raymarine-axiom-installation/
NEW, NEW, NEW: Video, Article and Checklist! So. NEW, NEW, NEW: Video, Article and Checklist! 

So...what will you do when your engine springs a leak? The first step is to figure out where the leak is coming from. The second step is to determine what you need to do to solve the problem. 

All engine pieces and parts are connected by hoses, gaskets and o-rings. If a gasket or o-ring goes it's actually not difficult to replace one yourself. YES - A job that anyone can do on an engine!! 

Watch this video so you're prepared for the day when you need to fix one of your engine gaskets. And check out the checklist too!

https://sailingbritican.com/how-to-make-a-rubber-gasket-for-a-boat-engine/
What a crew we are! Today was a sad day. Our Briti What a crew we are! Today was a sad day. Our Britican Experience guests left us heading back to the States. I’m sure we will meet again - hopefully they’ll buy their dream boat and will be cruising around with us. And thankfully we still have some of our buddy boats around :)
Today was a blustery sail. We left St Barth’s an Today was a blustery sail. We left St Barth’s and headed back to St Martin. Big winds are expected over the next couple days.
Some sails are hectic and bouncy. Others are perfe Some sails are hectic and bouncy. Others are perfect and relaxing. Our sail back to SXM from the island of Tintamarre was the latter :)
The kids enjoying a swim from the beach with Briti The kids enjoying a swim from the beach with Britican anchored in the background.
Is it better to stay on your sailboat over Christm Is it better to stay on your sailboat over Christmas? Read this to find out: 

https://sailingbritican.com/8-reasons-why-christmas-is-better-spent-on-your-sailboat
So...how do you know when you need to change your So...how do you know when you need to change your anchor chain? When you do change it, how do you know how to do it without messing it up? 

Buying anchor chain is not as straightforward as you would think! Watch this video and get your New Anchor Chain Checklist here: 

https://sailingbritican.com/new-anchor-chain-checklist
This was a couple days ago - all the girls were ha This was a couple days ago - all the girls were having a blast in the water. Everyone in St Martin, however, has been banned from swimming for days now. Unfortunately there was a fatal shark attack. I’m not sure if I’ll be swimming any time soon!!
Our Britican Experience guests got quite a bit of Our Britican Experience guests got quite a bit of practice with tacking this week. As usual the wind was often coming from the direction we wanted to go!
St Martin is in the background. We’re headed for St Martin is in the background. We’re headed for Tintamare, an uninhabited island with orange and pink sand.
Our sunset shot of the week. I took this from Colo Our sunset shot of the week. I took this from Colombier on St Barths. It’s a 100’ sailboat ⛵️ There was no chance for a green flash so we weren’t concerned with the obstruction :)
We’re going to try and sail around the whole of We’re going to try and sail around the whole of St Barth’s today. It’s a beautiful day to enjoy boat life!
In St Barts now. We enjoyed a walk, had a deliciou In St Barts now. We enjoyed a walk, had a delicious lunch and even tested out the gelato. Being a cruiser isn’t just about sailing and living on a boat. It’s also about thoroughly soaking up the beautiful scenery on land and tasting the culinary delights :)
Sailing to St Barts with our latest Britican Exper Sailing to St Barts with our latest Britican Experience guests.
Our latest Sailing Channel YouTube video has just Our latest Sailing Channel YouTube video has just gone live. Discover what it was like for us to Sail from St Lucia to St Martin all in one go (2.5 days) - we passed an active smoking volcano, Simon was attached by flying fish and a random wave doused the entire cockpit! 

Find out if our engine bodge job worked and get a glimpse as to what it's like to sail into the Dutch side of the island. Also learn about leach lines, how much wind has to blow before we reef our headsail and much more! 

Check it out here (cut and paste): https://sailingbritican.com/sailing-to-st-martin/
Coming into Grand Case in St Martin. I wonder what Coming into Grand Case in St Martin. I wonder what we’ll find here?!
Have you ever wondered what food costs in differen Have you ever wondered what food costs in different locations popular with sailing cruisers? Is there a large difference between one Caribbean island and another? Is the food in the Dominican Republic that much cheaper than The Bahamas? How about the difference between Europe and the Caribbean? 

Emily and Clark from Emily & Clark's Adventure set out to get some answers. 

This beautiful couple interviewed five sailing YouTube channels to get the inside scoop on food costs, ease of provisioning and a whole host of other valuable insights regarding provisioning and cooking on a boat. The YouTube Channels that participated are:

Emily And Clark's Adventure
Distant Shores
Sailorama
Sailing Ocean Fox
Sailing Fair Isle

Copy and paste this link to watch: 

https://sailingbritican.com/what-sailors-pay-for-food/
This ‘doorway’ made me feel like a new adventu This ‘doorway’ made me feel like a new adventure awaits. So inviting - isn’t it?!
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Pinterest

Footer

Contact Us

We help people to take the exciting leap from living on land to becoming full time live-aboard sailors. If you would like to get in touch or having any questions, here are our details.
WhatsApp: +44 787 940 1425 Email: info@SailingBritican.com

Payment Information

We accept PayPal and all major credit cards including Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, JCB Diners Club, credit and debit cards. Transactions are performed via a SSL server to ensure your privacy.

Credit-Cards

Want to become an Affiliate?

If you would like to earn a commission on promoting our t-shirts, guides, club or experience, join our affiliate program.

To apply, you must be a registered user on this blog. If you have an existing account on this blog, please log in. If not, please register

Check Us Out On Social Media

TwitterYoutubeFacebookLinkedinPinterestInstagram

Site Developed by Gary Fox

Sailing Britican, All Rights Reserved