Future cruising plans

[Hippocampus]

First, do not violate the rule that not boating related posting should be strictly avoided. Still, between piracy concerns (approaches to Trinidad and ABCs for example), seaborne immigration ( eastern med ,Italy,Spain) and customs and immigration restrictions due to Covid (world wide) have your cruising plans changed? Add in all the usual medical evacuation services are not available anytime commercial air flights are restricted by Covid concerns has your view of the risks of cruising changed? Finally for US cruisers will the disparity in regional vaccination rates lead you to avoid the south east and Texas? Will it effect your seasonal ICW, loop or other migration?
Again no politics just posts on how the current state of the world is effecting your boating and boat related decisions.
Some see their boat as a place isolated from the world. Others know no man is an island so have modified their plans. Thought for this thread came from hearing how many of my friends aren’t going to the Caribbean this year and how many have chosen to defer cruising and just stay in their local waters even if this means winterizing and going on the hard.

 

[dhays]

For the last two years I’ve wanted to get back up to BC for a week or so. COVID has killed those plans. Yes, our northern neighbors just opened the border to US residents with restrictions, but too late for me to plan adequately. I also am frankly concerned that the rush of US boaters to BC will make the experience less than ideal.

So as I’ve said for too many years now, “maybe next year”.

 

[rwidman]

My cruising plans have not changed. I realize that fuel costs are rising dramatically and that general inflation (in the USA) is on the rise as well. If this means I leave less to my children, so be it.

I cruise entirely within the USA so pirates are not really a concern. Crime is and I may avoid certain areas based on this.

 

[Hippocampus]

It’s interesting that US crime rates have progressively fallen over the last decade but agree the recovery has been most uneven. The segment with the skill set allowing remote work or hybrid doing well as well as the crowd in the market but the unskilled continuing to suffer although employers are clamoring for workers. Still, with a bit of common sense and street sense as well as Noonsite and cruiser nets to keep you informed you can minimize your risks. Been impressed how much less a decent security system now costs than in the past so hope this fear doesn’t restrict your getting out there.

 

[rwidman]

It’s interesting that US crime rates have progressively fallen over the last decade but agree the recovery has been most uneven. The segment with the skill set allowing remote work or hybrid doing well as well as the crowd in the market but the unskilled continuing to suffer although employers are clamoring for workers. Still, with a bit of common sense and street sense as well as Noonsite and cruiser nets to keep you informed you can minimize your risks. Been impressed how much less a decent security system now costs than in the past so hope this fear doesn’t restrict your getting out there.

Where do you get the information that US crime rates have progressively fallen over the last decade?

My sense is that they have not, that the criminal justice system is failing the public (law abiding public) and that people are installing alarm systems where they wouldn't have in the past and arming themselves where doing so is legal.

It is not normal to turn on the evening news in any medium to large sized US city and not hear about one or more crimes.

 

[BandB]

Wifey B: Yes, yes, yes....yes, constantly changing. Ok, 2020 was cruising near home. Then finally this spring to the Bahamas.

However, our big plans for 2021 were Europe and we've had to juggle Schengen and Covid and everything else.

The UK was on, off and on again as you had threats and warnings and even had Germany putting in restrictions for people who had been in the UK. Of countries we have in our plans for the next two months, the CDC has put Spain, France, Portugal, UK, and Greece in Level 4 Very High Classifications.

We started in May and only hit a small bit of Italy, Croatia, and Montenegro in May. Then in June, started hitting much more. We're in Scandinavia for the next 12 days but during this time we'll daily reevaluate future plans. Our plan was to take a brief break to fly home and then continue but that's up in the air.

Right now, no where in Europe scares us as much as Florida. We're seeing a larger percentage adhering to recommended protocols.

The biggest thing we're missing is eating in restaurants and we either get take out or we get a private dining area for our group. We are all fully vaccinated.

The other thing is we've done all our flying in and out by charter as initially commercial airlines weren't available and even as they became so we don't trust them.

Also, due to the size of our group and for covid safety we've chartered tour buses for our land travel, so private tours of the sights. For many reasons has been more practical than renting cars.

How has our summer cruise compared to how it otherwise would have been? Hard to say as we've never cruised Europe before. We've been able to see the sights both on land and water. I'd say it's probably lacking something but after planning and waiting it's been a wonderful escape and very pleasurable. Next time we cruise in Europe, perhaps we'll look back and remember this time as being limited.

There's the risk at any point that our European adventure ends. Things get worse or one of us gets Covid 19 and suddenly it's all over. We stay parked somewhere and then we return the boat to Italy, or leave it where we are, and we fly home.

I'd say every day of cruising and sightseeing has been wonderful. Today was a 270 nm run and so beautiful. That's the good.

Circumstances have definitely increased the costs, from fuel, to land transportation, to charter flights. However, the real bad is the stress of not knowing what tomorrow brings or when our trip might end and the fear of someone getting Covid 19. We do have our own tests and use those regularly. But it's like every plan, every country is in very delicate, fragile glass and they've all got cracks already in them just waiting to be touched wrong.

We've been tempted to head back to Italy, dock the boat, and leave it to try again next year,, but so far haven't reached that point. We're having a blast, seeing incredible places we'd never been and we're committed to enjoying as much as possible. But we know worsening conditions or one infection and it's over. Still we see people suffering and others dying and no complaints, we accept the complications. We also while cruising check on our businesses and our friends and family at home and now they're planning for Fred. Any of those of us cruising are so much luckier than 99% of the world.

 

[Hippocampus]

Good post Band B. Congruent to what I’m hearing as well.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_the_United_States

Please look at the graft for a sense of incidence of events over time. Progressive fall since the 1980s although we compare poorly to many other first world countries.

 

[Crusty Chief]

Yep! Covid has changed everything and our future cruising plans are in Limbo. Our last cruise in So. America was not only expensive, but those countries are in dire straights. Museums, Historical sites, National parks were almost all closed. Tourist highlights and even brick and mortar businesses closed or gone forever. These countries will be struggling for many years to come.
I wouldn’t recommend to anyone the route and areas we took for another year or more.

 

[Alaskaflyer]

Where do you get the information that US crime rates have progressively fallen over the last decade?



My sense is that they have not, that the criminal justice system is failing the public (law abiding public) and that people are installing alarm systems where they wouldn't have in the past and arming themselves where doing so is legal.



It is not normal to turn on the evening news in any medium to large sized US city and not hear about one or more crimes.

I’m not him, but the uniform crime reporting statistics bear this out, even in the last year as homicides in some jurisdictions increased property crimes remained flat or have been reduced on average.

Studies also show that Americans tend to believe that crime is up when it’s actually down. Maybe it’s the speeches.

 

[FWT]

My sense of it is crime in large urban areas is off the charts. Crime in the small town ports remains very low. And non-existent in the sheltered coves on the hook. One can work around the crime issue.

Fear of covid remains sky high.

So long as there are no lockdowns to work around, one can enjoy a good cruise if they choose.

 

[Ken E.]

Yes, changed in a big way. Usual itinerary is to SE Alaska in the spring, return in the fall. Tired of Covid uncertainty, dear wife says, 'why don't we get a RV as a plan B?' Which we have done. Now we'll toggle between the two of them, getting back into the SE AK summer trip in the boat and using the land yacht during the winter. Looking forward to future adventures in both.