COVID-19 Update

Things are changing so rapidly with Coronavirus that it’s hard to summarise the past few days. But we will try…

On Friday our crew, Clare and Jake, made the difficult decision to leave Morocco for the UK. They were due to sail with us to Gibraltar and the south of Spain over the next few weeks, so this was not the ending we had imagined. However, with borders and ports suddenly closing and options narrowing, it was only right that they should want to be at home with family and friends. But late on Saturday night we found out that their Sunday morning flight to the Netherlands had been cancelled. So, they are now in Marrakech hoping to get on one of the last repatriation flights back to the UK. We are thinking of them and hope they can return home quickly and safely.

Meanwhile, at this point Ben was still in Singapore on his business trip. He was originally due back in Morocco on Monday, but gut instinct told him to rearrange his flight for 24 hours earlier. Cutting short an already exasperating trip around Asia was stressful to say the least. But boy, are we glad he did... On Sunday Morocco suspended all international passenger flights to and from the country, so he made it home by the skin of his teeth.

As of yesterday, schools around Morocco are all closed. It was due to be the children’s last week at their preschool here in Tangier, but for now the farewell parties have been cancelled. Instead we have started up our very own boat school for two, trying to retain some structure to the day whilst remaining busy and upbeat.

We will be staying in the marina here in Tangier for the foreseeable future; our summer cruising plans currently on hold. There is uncertainty around our visas, but we will cross that bridge when we come to it. We have nowhere else to go, and nor would we want to leave.

To say that this weekend has been an emotional rollercoaster is an understatement. So much has happened that it feels like it’s been a week long. But at the end of the day we are all healthy and safe here on Long Summer, happy to simply be together. For others that is not the case. Look after yourselves and each other.