Couple Sailed Across The Atlantic On Yacht For A Month, Had No Clue About Coronavirus Pandemic
Elena Manighetti and Ryan Osborne set off across the Atlantic for the Caribbean last month and all along they had no clue that a global pandemic was brewing on dry land. The couple had quit their jobs in 2017 bought a boat and set sail from the Canary Islands on February 28 planning to dock on the French overseas region of Guadeloupe by the end of March.
Elena Manighetti and Ryan Osborne set off across the Atlantic for the Caribbean last month and all along they had no clue that a global pandemic was brewing on dry land.
According to a Guardian report, for the couple who set off on the journey--from the Canary Islands to St Vincent--on their 11-metre sailing boat, the coronavirus crisis was just one of many stories in the news. They didn't realise it was a full-blown pandemic.
The couple had quit their jobs in 2017, bought a boat and set sail from the Canary Islands on February 28, planning to dock on the French overseas region of Guadeloupe some 3,000 miles away by the end of March, reports The Telegraph.
When they set sail, they left their loved ones with a specific request, "We told our shore contacts we didn't want to hear any bad news, which was a difficult job as it was pretty bad news," said Elena Manighetti, who was travelling with Ryan Osborne.
After 25 days at sea, without access to news from the outside world as they had no mobile phone signal - they were unable to dock at several ports because of the new lockdown restrictions. That's when the reality struck them
On their official Instagram page, which documents their journey, the couple wrote, 'We made it! We sailed 3,000nm across the Atlantic Ocean while the world was turned upside down. So grateful to the Bequian people, who allowed us to check in. We had no idea how bad things got - when we left, the news said the situation was improving! We¡¯re so lucky to be here. It¡¯s gorgeous.'
According to the Guardian, the couple found the standard of living to be expensive in Manchester and so they decided to buy a small boat and explore the world on a tiny budget, making a living from bits of freelance copywriting and graphic design work.
Manighetti told the 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. We told our shore contacts we didn't want to hear any bad news, which was a difficult job as it was pretty bad news.'
The couple, who are currently in Bequia, Saint Vincent, are unable to continue their journey due to the lcokdown. They said they wanted to continue exploring the Caribbean before June and the start of the hurricane season, reports Mail Online.