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With Flights Banned, Son Sails Solo Across Atlantic to Reach Father, 90
Key Excerpts from Article on Website of New York Times
Posted: August 24th, 2020
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/28/world/americas/coronaviru...
Days after Argentina canceled all international passenger flights to shield the country from the new coronavirus, Juan Manuel Ballestero began his journey home the only way possible: He stepped aboard his small sailboat for what turned out to be an 85-day odyssey across the Atlantic. The 47-year-old sailor could have stayed put on the tiny Portuguese island of Porto Santo. But the idea of spending what he thought could be the end of the world away from his family, especially his father who was soon to turn 90, was unbearable. So he said he loaded his 29-foot sailboat with canned tuna, fruit and rice and set sail in mid-March. He was no stranger to spending long stretches of time at sea, but being alone on the open ocean is daunting to even the most experienced sailor. I wasnt afraid, but I did have a lot of uncertainty, he said. It was very strange to sail in the middle of a pandemic with humanity teetering around me. Several weeks into the trip, when his spirits were low, Mr. Ballestero said he was buoyed by wildlife sightings that felt like omens. He found solace in a pod of dolphins that swam alongside his boat, on and off, for some 2,000 miles. When he made it to his native Mar del Plata, on June 17, he was startled by the heros welcome he received. Entering my port where ... all this originated, gave me the taste of a mission accomplished, he said. While he didnt get to celebrate his fathers 90th birthday in May, he did make it home in time for Fathers Day.
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