In May, the COVID situation seemed to be reasonably under control, allowing me to take courage and fly down to LAX to stay on the boat.
The flight was actually an enjoyable experience in itself - the airport was eerily empty, with no travelers, minimal staff, no lines, and everything closed, yet the planes were still flying. There were about 20 people on a 200-seat plane. We all boarded with the reverse row number - highest row numbers first - and not with the first-class-first order. Everyone was asked to wear masks. There was no food service or any kind of service throughout the flight. I had a whole row to myself, and it was a short flight, so it was an overall good trip. I think I would meet more people on a trip to a grocery store than on that flight.
This was the first time I had used my maximum luggage allowance - 2 bags of 70 lbs each.
Once in LA, a quick ride to the boat followed by 2 weeks of sorting stuff out. I went through each and every compartment and closet on the boat, cleaned up everything, inventoried, and stored away all the items I brought in or ordered and shipped before my arrival. There was a whole cabin of boxes that got to the boat before me.
All this was done while I also attended to my everyday work, connecting from the boat through cellular internet. It is incredible how much data is being used for video calls. I had to purchase an additional 20 GB data package to get me through the 2 weeks of work. This is something we do not even think about when plugged into a high-speed land-based internet connection.
I also managed to go out for a few walks and enjoy the SoCal amazing weather.