With no flights because of coronavirus, man sails solo across Atlantic
- The 47-year-old who lives in Spain wanted to see his parents in Argentina
- He was in the Portuguese archipelago of Madeira when lockdowns took effect
“Mission accomplished!” That joyful declaration came from Juan Manuel Ballestero, an Argentine sailor who, unable to fly home from Portugal due to the pandemic, crossed the ocean alone in his modest sailing boat to see his ageing parents.
“I did it! I did it! I did it!” Ballestero exclaimed at dockside last week when he reached his hometown of Mar del Plata.
The 47-year-old had completed an exhausting 85-day odyssey in his small boat, the nine-metre (30-foot) “Skua”.
After testing negative for Covid-19 on arrival, Ballestero was cleared to set foot on dry land to see his mother 82-year-old Nilda and father Carlos, aged 90.
“I’ve achieved what I’ve been fighting for these last three months,” he said. “It came down to this: to be with the family. That’s why I came.”
He had hoped to arrive in Argentina by May 15, for his father’s 90th birthday.