COMMUNITY SPIRIT

Mortimer Bones reflects on the state of the network

- Mortimer Bones

When people ask me what it is like to be a liveaboard boater, my answer is always that it is a good life, but a hard life. The good is numerous, including the proximity to nature and the connections that come from choosing to engage in the boating community.

The hard comes from resourcing basic supplies and being exposed to the elements all year round. Although one can be a liveaboard and be exceptionally private, those who choose to engage with the people around them also become part of the rawness and reality of life in sickness and in health. Boating is good for a tired and weary mind, but during these times of social distancing and isolation, life aboard is more stressful than ever.

As the tumbleweed swept through Wuhan, the world was wondering whether scientists would be able to halt the spread of Coronavirus and prevent a pandemic. The World Health Organisation declared a public health emergency and months later, the world is on its knees.

We are all wondering when we will meet friends and family again, but also whether this pandemic will become a recurrent epidemic or endemic. Scientists are working hard to develop testing centres to confirm current and past cases, but we still don’t know whether the immune response to COVID-19 prevents reinfection. This is just one of the many unknowns that make modelling the outcome of these kinds of outbreaks challenging.