Students forced to sail across Atlantic due to coronavirus
Wylde Swan
The group, aged 14-17, had been halfway through a six week sail-study program in the region on board the "Wylde Swan", which was built in 1920. But by mid-March, it appeared they could no longer fly home from Cuba as planned.
7,000 kilometre trip
Organizers decided the ship, including 12 experienced sailors and three teachers, would have to sail back across the Atlantic, a 7,000 kilometre trip that took them five weeks.
Return eagerly awaited
With social distancing rules and bans on public gatherings in place in the Netherlands, the students departed the ship one by one in the port of Harlingen, where parents waited in cars to pick them up.
Inadequate supplies
They had stocked up on supplies, including clothes, on the island of Saint Lucia before the Atlantic crossing. Students had packed for tropical weather, not a deep-sea voyage.
During their next stop in the Azores, off the coast of Portugal, they were not allowed to leave the ship by local authorities.
Health monitored
A doctor monitored the health of everyone on the vessel and after two weeks of sailing it was determined that the vessel was free of coronavirus.
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