- Title: Splendid isolation: Hungarian family outsails COVID nightmare on the sea
- Date: 3rd February 2021
- Summary: OFF SAINT MARTIN (JANUARY 25, 2021) (REUTERS VIA ZOOM) (SOUNDBITE) (Hungarian) IT WORKER, DOMONKOS BOSZE, SAYING: "(When we arrived in Martinique) we told authorities that we just spent 16 days on the open seas and they accepted that as quarantine. Up to eight days passed without us even spotting another boat."
- Embargoed: 17th February 2021 12:38
- Keywords: COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic ound the world trip sailing round the world
- Location: AT SEA / OFF SAINT MARTIN / UNKNOWN LOCATION, CROATIA / OFF CROATIA
- City: AT SEA / OFF SAINT MARTIN / UNKNOWN LOCATION, CROATIA / OFF CROATIA
- Country: Hungary
- Topics: Europe,Human-Led Quirky,Human-Led Stories
- Reuters ID: LVA006DY3CCBD
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: While the world was grappling with the pandemic, a Hungarian family of four decided last summer to fulfil their dream: sailing around the globe in a 50-foot boat called "Teatime".
They set sail from Croatia in late June 2020 and have since made their way around Italy and Spain, stopped for some time on Cape Verde and crossed the Atlantic.
Now anchored off the the Caribbean island of Saint Martin after spending Christmas on Martinique, they have their sights set on the Panama Canal.
They are in no rush, though, as the pace of life on the boat - just as for many people quarantined in their homes - is slower than their lives pre-pandemic.
Father and IT worker Domonkos Bosze, 48, told Reuters he finds he can spend much more time with his children.
He and his wife Anna Demecky have been sailing for more than a decade and had planned the adventure long before the COVID-19 pandemic.
So far the biggest challenge has been a six-hour storm during the Atlantic crossing which they managed well, losing only a toaster and the satellite phone which broke.
They follow the changes in coronavirus rules in each country and take a test or go into quarantine as required.
The boat carries a month's worth of provisions and the family catch fresh fish and other seafood, to the delight of their six and eight year-old daughters.
The two girls do remote learning, and will be enrolled in local schools if possible to get familiar with different cultures.
Demecky said the trip has given her huge freedom even though she cooks regularly as well as handling the sails if needed.
She also said they had made unforgettable memories, such as when the family spotted a group of dolphins swimming ahead of the boat off Sicily.
Depending on COVID restrictions, they plan to sail on towards the Pacific, and say their trip could last another five to six years, with extended stops in the south Pacific and Indian Ocean.
(Production: Krisztina Fenyo, Lewis Macdonald) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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