From coronavirus epidemic, many countries have closed the border and even banned small foreign ships to enter its ports. As a result, many sailors had to risk their lives to get home. Some of it has not yet succeeded.
From coronavirus epidemic, many countries have closed the border and even banned small foreign ships to enter its ports. In the end, to reach home Marina, the skippers of the hundreds of sailing yachts are forced to undertake risky crossings in the open sea or even the ocean. Often this a long way people travel, being already exhausted from many days of swimming, without proper supplies of water, food and fuel.
“the Storm caught us at two in the morning. Five-meter waves, pitch darkness, we damage the boat lays on its side! We barely lasted a day, with hope came to the nearest port and there is no one” — said bi-Bi-si skipper Alex Surikov.
Under his leadership, the sailing yacht “slayt” in mid-March, went to sea on the route Turkey-Greece-Croatia. Simple training transition to become crew in the real test and adventure that is still ongoing.
the 30-year-old Alex is an experienced skipper, sailing he walks to 15 years. As a student, he even played for the national team in yachting sport. In addition to his team was four people from Russia and one from Kazakhstan. For them it was the first serious transition by the open sea — that is, away from the shoreline.
“When we pulled out of port in Turkey, the press has already something talked about the coronavirus. But on sea there was no difficulty. The day before I got home with another crew from Croatia to Turkey. So there were no signs of such extreme, in which we finally got,” explains Alex.
On the second day of the journey the boat entered the territorial waters of Greece, and almost immediately after Athens announced the closure of the international communications — including the sea.
“I understand that the next step could be the closure of internal navigation. So — we will not accept any single port. The only way out of the situation as soon as possible to go to the home harbour. Our yacht is Croatia. We were approaching a storm front, but I had to risk it and go. Otherwise we would have hung in a very strange position,” says the skipper.
the Storm, the boat is still covered. Did the team cope with bad weather in the open sea more than a day. But the boat took some damage, so Alex decided to go to the nearest port.
March 21 Greece banned the navigation within the country and, therefore, yachts are no longer allowed into ports. The crew of the yacht “slayt” I had to go to Croatia and not repairing damage. Before the last segment of the path Alex had to seek emergency assistance from the Greek port stocks of water, food and fuel on the boat was exhausted.
“fortunately, power came toward us. We were not allowed to go ashore, but gave diesel and products. Now think about it and think — cool, such a powerful experience. And in the moment, of course, was scary. Overall I would not recommend anyone to go to sea in such a storm and in such conditions,” says skipper.
When the boat came to Croatia, it became clear that none of the members of the team can fly home. Flights neither in Russia, nor in Kazakhstan. The entire crew for more than a month living on a boat in the port.
In a similar situation were hundreds of people around the world. According to the international Club of ocean crossings, in the coming weeks about 500 boats and yachts will make or already make a threat and not previously planned transitions across the Pacific or the Atlantic ocean to get home or find shelter.
the Captains of the yachts along the coast of India and Sri Lanka reported that while trying to get closer to the piers to stop boats from the coast guard and forced to return to the open sea.
the Most severe restrictions in connection with the epidemic entered the island nation. Most often in such areas there are problems with the equipment of the hospitals and the level of training of doctors.
“it is Clear that people on small Islands are panicking and doing everything to protect themselves,” explains Vice President Club ocean crossings, sailor Daria Blackwell.
“Many don’t realize that sailors making long passages at sea or ocean, often carried out in isolation from the world for 10-14 days. And after two weeks of such quarantine many are denied entry to the Marina, citing the danger of the spread of coronavirus. But because people in fact have just [returned] from the isolation,” she said Bi-bi-si.
In the end, many crews again hit the road for 14 days, not breath, not eliminating breakage and not being able to stock up on fuel and water.
In these challenging conditions, the sailors are trying to help each other. According to reports in the group of the Club of ocean crossings, dozens of boats have requested assistance in crossing the Atlantic ocean on the way to Europe, and more than 80 crews came to their rescue.
however, many sailors are not rich people, said Blackwell. Many of them live permanently on their boats and are not ready to commit long passages in the open ocean without the help of experienced skippers.
Harry Crothers is one of those boaters. Now it is anchored off the island of Saint-Martin in the Caribbean. But after a couple of weeks here begins the hurricane season, which means that Harry should leave.
From epidemic he will have to overcome single-handedly almost 6000 miles to be in his native Ireland. An additional complication is that a few years ago Harry was in a car accident and lost an arm. To find an experienced companion, he could not — many skippers now also sit in the ports without the possibility of somewhere to move.
Now the main thing for Harry, he said are not infected with coronavirus at the last moment before going out to sea.
“If in the middle of the ocean, it turns out that I was sick — it would be a problem. I have aged and my health isn’t perfect. The virus may be the last straw for this one-armed bandit, as I am,” joked Harry in his “Instagram”.
the Threat of Contracting in Porto real. In early April, yachtsman Robert Later died from the coronavirus, infected on the same island, which is now Harry. After the death of Lasera his family collected $ 30,000 in donations and handed them to the hospital which tried to save the life of a sailor.
the Crews of several boats promised to help Harry with the passage of certain sections of the Atlantic ocean. But most of the way he will have to overcome himself.
Harry jokes that already is wait, as he will have to sit in quarantine in Ireland after 30 days in the sea.
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