Couple Sailing at Sea Had No Idea about Coronavirus Until They Docked
Elena Manighetti and Ryan Osborne quit their jobs in 2017 intending to sail around the world. Couple sailing at sea had no idea about Coronavirus until they docked.
Elena Manighetti and Ryan Osborne quit their jobs in 2017 intending to sail around the world. The couple who lives in Manchester began their journey from the Canary Islands in late February to St. Vincent which is around 3,000 miles in distance.
Before beginning the voyage, the couple laid only one condition that is their family shouldn’t disclose any bad news while they were amid their adventurous escapade, enjoying the sun and the sea.
Manighetti told BBC, “In February we'd heard there was a virus in China, but with the limited information we had we figured by the time we got to the Caribbean in 25 days it would all be over.”
With limited contact with family and friends, the couple had no idea that a deadly virus had spread all parts of the world.
They first attempted to dock in one of the French territories however the borders were closed. “Even at that point, we assumed it was a preventative measure due to the high season. We thought the islands didn't want to run the risk of a few tourists infecting the locals”, said Elena.
Next, they drifted towards Grenada a place where their 4G was in working condition, just good enough for them to get to know what was happening around the world. A friend of theirs who was already in Saint Vincent, the place they were heading to, told them that they wouldn’t be permitted as Elena was an Italian citizen.
Since the couple was tracking their boat via a GPS signal, they proved their travel history. They hadn’t been to Italy in months and they’ve been under isolation for 25 days in the sea. At present, the couple is at Bequia in Saint Vincent and would be there for some time till lockdown restrictions are uplifted. “When we arrived we realized it wasn't over and the whole world had been infected,” Ryan said.
Fortunately, Elena’s family who is from Lombardy, Italy is safe albeit many of her friends have become victims of the deadly virus.
The couple wants to further explore the Caribbean before the start of the hurricane season which is in June. Elena revealed: ‘We're sandwiched between the hurricane season and the virus.’ Hopefully, the adventurous couple whose dream is sail around the world would be able to complete the remaining part of their expedition once the virus is contained.