Sailing Round the World on Sal Darago: Good and Bad News from Australia

Recently, the Australian Government announced it was opening its international borders to all travellers at the end of February. That was welcome news. At about the same time Western Australia announced it was not going ahead with its plan to open its borders to other Australian states. That was bad news for us. Why? Because Sal Darago is hauled out in WA. So, the waiting continues.

Ryan and Becky

We were invited to our nephew’s wedding in the Isle of Man at the end of November 2021. We booked the ferry and arranged to stay in the hotel where the wedding was taking place for two nights. A few days before we were due to travel, the Met Office forecast the arrival of Storm Arwen for the day of our ferry booking! Thanks to our niece, Trina, we were able to make arrangements to travel a day earlier. All of the guests who did not live in the Isle of Man had to do the same.

Cutting the wedding cake

It was very windy on the wedding day and trees came down, including one in the venue’s car park. Fortunately, no-one was hurt and the wedding went ahead. We had a great day. Everything was good: the ceremony, the wedding breakfast, the company and the dancing.


Arrival supper

Did I mention in a previous blog that the USA had opened its international borders to all travellers from 8^th November? We discussed spending Christmas with our USA family. They were keen, so we booked for three weeks and Em, Ben and the girls booked for two weeks. It was exciting and stressful making all the arrangements to fulfil the USA and UK Covid restrictions. Em tested positive a week before we were due to travel. This was overturned by a negative PCR test. Then we had to be observed by video taking tests the day before we travelled to the airport. Everyone was hugely relieved when we all tested negative.

Union Square San Francisco

We had a wonderful time. Simon hired a large house in Salinas for four nights from 23^rd December. It was brilliant to see our four granddaughters playing together. We all went to Monterey Aquarium one day and had a day out in Pinnacles National Park another day. Everyone shouted up a virtual chimney on Christmas Eve and Santa came with real presents for everyone to open on Christmas Day.

Grandchildren playing together

Em, Ben, Ellie and Sophie had booked to go skiing for four days at Tahoe. A complete white out closed the road for a day. The two hour drive the next day took 12 hours. I think they ended up with one day and a half on the slopes!

Monterey Aquarium

After spending New Year’s Eve with Simon and Erin (that’s 10 of us in a three bedroom bungalow) Em, Ben and the girls all tested negative for Covid and flew home safely. Within two days of arrival in the UK, Em and Ellie tested positive. Sophie was allowed to return to school. She tested positive for Covid a week later. Ben was poorly, but tested negative.

Family Christmas at Salinas

The rules changed for Jeremy and me. No pre-departure tests were needed. Our arrival tests were negative. A refund was obtained for unused travel PCR tests.

Pinnacles National Park

This month (February) all the USA family tested positive for Covid including one year old Ramona. Thankfully, everyone has now recovered. It has been a difficult time for both families as they tried to work from home and home school at the same time.

Family day out in Pinnacles National Park

Jeremy and I have been planning our joint 70^th birthday road trip. We hope to take our relatives out for a meal in small groups instead of having a big party (which might have to be cancelled if another variant of Covid appears). We’ll be travelling from Hampshire to Kent, Cambridge to the Cotswolds, Yorkshire to the North East and the East of England to the Isle of Man.