Can't believe it's been almost 2 years since we last posted an update here on our blog, and what an utterly bizarre and unpredictable 2 years it's been.
Let's go back a bit. On the 14th October 2019 we winterised Bon Bini and hauled her out in Marmaris, Turkey. We needed to get some work done over the winter so got in touch with Jes Holman, a super yacht surveyor and project manager with great connections. We met with him and shared the looong list of what needed doing, a new solar arch, new solar panels, a full engine service, a life-raft service, repair of a damaged stanchion, new guard wires, to name but a few things. Jes was wonderful and got straight to work.
It's always sad when a fabulous sailing season comes to an end, but with our launch date in the diary already (23rd April 2020), Bini on track with getting her upgrades and two jobs in Munich lined up for the winter months we were feeling good as we packed the last of our bags and got a taxi to the airport.
Arriving in Germany, we quickly settled back into land life and got back into the swing of corporate life. Munich itself took a little more getting used to as it was a far cry from the relaxed easy going pace of life we'd experienced in Greece for the last 6 months. People everywhere, routine, rules, structure, long sleeves and coffee costing a whopping €6 each! After staying in an Airbnb for a few weeks we found ourselves a cosy one bedroom apartment which was nice enough, and only a few minutes walk from the Isar river.
What it lacked in terms of space and light (to see the sky you needed to lean right out of the kitchen window) it made up for in location and easy accessibility to everything we needed.
We were also fortunate enough to be working for the same company so we commuted together every day, opting to walk the 5km to the office and back through the middle of the city, come rain, wind or snow. We signed up at a gym too and managed to get into the routine of going 3 times a week as well as running along the river. All in all, life was good. I also finally took the plunge and decided to get my teeth straightened and was scheduled to start with my Invisalign braces in March. Invisalign are these clear, removable aligners which slowly move your teeth and which you change every 2 weeks. How any of this was going to work on the boat, in Greece, miles away from my orthodontist I had no clue, but I figured we'd sort something out.
During the remainder of 2019 we squeezed in a couple of trips to Prague for my birthday, a “Gathering” in the UK, Copenhagen for Tom’s birthday and for Christmas we divided our time between Germany and the UK.
Then COVID happened. As for many, it crept up on us slowly at first. In January we visited the Boat Show in Dusseldorf, my parents came to visit us in Munich, and it still felt like the disease was a long way away and if you kept washing your hands you'd be fine. In the office we were merrily making jokes when people coughed, "Haven't been to Italy recently have you?". It was when people in the office started to contract COVID, and the decision came in mid March to shut down the office that things started getting more serious.
In Munich we were reasonably lucky with the restrictions and at no time were we completely housebound as many of our friends and family were in the UK, Spain and The Netherlands. We were allowed out for exercise with members of our household and we could still go to the supermarket together. Not that there was too much to buy when you got there though, the shelves were very sparse! The seriousness of the situation really hit home when my sister contracted COVID whilst working at an elderly care home she managed. Thankfully she didn't become seriously ill, but it was certainly a wakeup call for all of us. It was closing in and was not to be ignored.
In our minds though, we (well, mainly me) still naively assumed the whole thing would blow over in time for us to get back to Turkey in April. So we remained positive by working hard (we did enjoy working from home), persevering with our Body Pump workouts at home (with weights which you fill up with water), running, watching TV, talking to friends and family and drinking wine. Lots of wine. We also got into a routine of walking along the river before work each morning in an attempt to get some fresh air, and we got on first name terms with the local wildlife.
