Ushuaia lockdown

When we for the first time heard the news about coronavirus in mid-January, we took it somewhat lightly. Being on a tall ship in Antarctica, in a self-contained bubble many miles away from the world’s problems, made us feel untouchable. This was an issue that didn’t concern us too much. Few weeks have past and we were on our way back from the last trip of the Antarctic season, and news started to pour in on a regular basis. Really bad news.

What seemed to be a slight concern at the beginning of the year has developed into a world pandemic that touched even us, in the middle of the Drake Passage. Words about the virus, lockdowns, canceled flights, and closed ports have quickly spread across the ship. Captain updated us on new developments every time he received the news, yet we didn’t really know about the scale of this problem. It really hit us when we learned that the port of Ushuaia is going to be closed and we are only allowed in because being in Antarctica for the last 3 weeks, we were considered as a “safe ship”. As we entered the Beagle Channel we learned about more closures. Passing by Puerto Williams we got the news that all Chilean Ports are closed effective immediately. The last official flight from Ushuaia was guaranteed the day after our arrival. It was enough for most of the voyage crew to leave the country. Luckily many did. As for us, the permanent crew, that was about to leave the ship, it was too late. For the incoming crew, it meant they couldn’t get into the country either. Argentina was fully locked. Only two of the new crew have made it to the ship, only one of the old crew has made it home. The rest of us had to stay on the ship. Going ashore was not allowed, only one person could go and get supplies from the supermarket. Even that option was canceled later.

For a few days, it was business as usual. Not knowing the future, preparing the ship for the next trip was our priority. We are technically able to set the sail and leave, but we don’t have the voyage crew, the incoming permanent crew couldn’t enter the country and all ports of our upcoming schedule are closed anyway. We also have to leave the spot on the pier and go on anchor, just outside the port. There was no going ashore now and we lost the free wi-fi available at the port too. Since ship was scheduled to go through maintenance in Valparaiso, we decided to start to do some work right now. We are stuck in Ushuaia anyway and it doesn’t seem that we are leaving any time soon, so why not. Tall ship is an old lady that requires permanent attention and there is a lot to be done. The whole crew is putting the heart into the work whatever the job may be. Some are scraping the old varnish from the floor, some are refurbishing the cabins, while engineers fix whatever needs to be fixed. Galley team does exactly what they do the best, they keep the bellies full and people happy. The heart is still beating, and we are still going strong. Lots of work is being done but we also know how to have good time and enjoy ourselves. We keep to regular coffee times as we were on the sea and since we are not sailing now we have extended beer times. It is the time when the ship is cleaned after the day of work and we crack open a few cans of beer just before the dinner. Did I mention the movie nights? Well, we have those too. No matter the madness that is going on in the world, we keep going. Morale is high and we all hope for the corona situation to stabilize and world going back into the old ways. But can it really? And when? That is the question.

The latest news are not so promising. More ports are closed, flights canceled and countries locked down. Even if we left Ushuaia now, the only port that can accept us is in the Netherlands, the home port of Bark Europa in Scheveningen. That is over two months of sailing. Considering some of the crew is already on the ship for a long time and also quite tired, it is not a small task. We still hope in some positive development. News keep coming but it is hard to get a full and clear picture without proper access to the Internet. At this point, it is clear that this whole situation will have an effect on everything. We already know that the whole Pacific schedule for Europa may be canceled. We know of other companies that are in trouble due to ongoing pandemic. The world as we knew it when we embarked on our trip is no more. We are facing a new world, new challenges, difficult decisions.One of those is to decide whether Europa stays in Ushuaia or there is an alternative to it. Others seem to decide for us. Argentina is extending the quarantine and lockdown indefinitely. Some of us have been in contact with the embassies still hoping to get out. However, it is proving to be difficult if not impossible. It looks like sailing to the Netherlands is going to be our best option after all. 68 days at sea, based on 5.1 knots average speed prediction is a long time. A lot can happen in 2 months. It is going to be total isolation from the world again, a self-imposed quarantine, just like Antarctic trips. We are not allowed to any port and we also have limited fuel. Most of the trip has to be done on the sail. What world do we return back to in two months? I have no idea. I don’t want to think about that now. We all have some news from home from our loved ones. So far they are all safe and that feeling makes it easier for us.Now the priority is to finish the maintenance jobs we started and make the ship sail ready again. The latest news is, we are setting sail in a few days. That is not too much time but I am absolutely sure the ship will be ready by then. The crew is like a family to each other. We all hoped for a different end of the Antarctic season. But this is what we are facing, an uncertain future. Personally, I am glad I am facing these challenges with these fantastic people on my side. The countdown has started. Setting sail soon. Netherlands baby!!! See you in two months.