The Liveaboard Paradox
I'm a full time year round live aboard on Puget Sound. I do not have another home on dry land to move to. Should I leave my busy marina in the midst of a city to cruise out somewhere more remote and drop anchor for a few days at a times (as I have done recently), I feel I'm still in compliance with the stay at home order because, technically, I have not left my home. I've noticed that compared to landlubber friends, little has actually changed for liveaboard friends. I think the reason is that if you live on a boat year round, you are already living a stay-at-home quarantine lifestyle. Someone mentioned in an earlier post that going into town and pumping out risks transmission. Those are essential activities, whether COVID19 exists or not. As a liveaboard there's really no net increase in social activity. In fact, I will say heading out to anchor is the ultimate form of social distancing.
To those who would still argue I'm being selfish in some way or another, allow me to further muddy the waters. As an airline pilot, I'm classified now as a "Tier 1 Essential Critical Infrastructure Worker." (say that 10 times real fast!). In an effort to cut losses, my employer has given me the choice of a month by month, voluntary leave or continue flying. In an effort to limit my own exposure and flatten the curve, I opted to take the leave. That was MY choice for April.
It's time to choose for May.
One option is to take another month off, and continue practicing the ultimate form of social distancing, boating with no net increase in social activity, exploring new anchorages, and making the best of a bad situation. This is a very safe option, but one that some of you will argue violates the intent of the law.
The other option is to head back to work as a flying viral vector cutting COVID19 chemtrails across the United States for fun and profit. It consists of 3 to 4 days a week spent sitting 3ft from a potentially infected coworker, for hours on end in a confined space breathing aerosols recirculated from potentially infected flight attendants and what's left of the flying public. Don't forget 12-16 overnight stays in hotels in a dozen different cities, all the while interfacing with hundreds of other "essential" workers. This is not a safe choice for me or my fellow citizens, but it sure as hell is a legal one!