An English Summer 36

 

What with Wally's visit yesterday (An English Summer 35) . . . 

. . . .and 'the night of the great storm' (An English Summer 33). . . .

. . . .I am glad of a quiet day aboard. Sitting, cozy and warm, below deck, as rain patters down, whilst sheltered, from the wind, by the perfectly oriented arc, of Old Grimsby anchorage. (Yesterday evening's picture!)

It gives me the chance to catch up on the news, beyond our cruising bubble. The liberalisation, of UK Covid travel requirements, catches my eye. Roscoff lies one hundred and twenty nautical miles to the south east. An overnight sail. A reach too, in the prevailing south westerly wind. Could Stargazer be returning home via Brittany, after all? 

Two of these, online forms, are required, to satisfy post-Brexit French formalities. One to enter, one to leave. Two similar, but snail-mail based, forms are required, for us to leave and re-enter the UK. So far so straight forward.

The complication comes with the mandatory Covid PCR testing, which remains a requirement, even for the double vaccinated. A total of four tests are needed. One no more than seventy two hours before arrival and one on arrival. Both for travel to France and return to the UK. Availability of PCR test facilities is one obstacle, particularly here on Scilly. The cumulative cost another. The consequences (mandatory hotel isolation), if a PCR test proves positive, another. The potential for mandatory hotel isolation to be reinstated, by either government, as cases inevitably rise during the summer and autumn, still another.

An English Summer, it looks likely to remain.

The Common Travel Area (CTA), however, may offer an opportunity, to cross a stretch of open water, to a suitably craggy destination.

Not Ireland though, sadly. It is very much following the European requirements, for PCR testing. Although its mandates are set out in more lyrical terms, than those issued direct from Brussels, they amount to the same hurdles.

The Channel Islands do offer real hope . Guernsey in particular. Within the bailiwick, double vaccinated UK citizens, who have travelled from a CTA country and have not been outside the CTA, within the previous ten days, may enter Guernsey, with no requirement to test or isolate. Which has been the case since July the first. Not even a Passenger Locator form is required, for travel, in either direction, from the UK to Guernsey.

For Jersey, requirements are currently more stringent. However, from July the thirteenth, they relax somewhat. A Passenger Locator Form is required, inbound to St Helier, as is a (free) PCR test, on arrival; but, for the double vaccinated, no isolation is required (unless, of course that PCR test should prove positive).

Guernsey, then, can be added to Stargazer's choice of onward destinations. Possibly Jersey too. Not bad, for a day's work.