At the end of May, we posted about the unplanned 10,000-mile voyage of the bark Europa, made necessary when the pandemic shut down transportation options for its crew. Argentine sailor, Juan Manuel Ballestero, 47, faced a similar challenge and found a similar solution. Ballestero was on the Portuguese island of Porto Santo and wanted to return to Argentina to be with his 90-year-old father and 82-year old mother. However, in mid-March, Argentina canceled all international passenger flights to shield the country from the new coronavirus. There was no way to fly home.

Rather than being trapped by the lockdown, Ballestero set off on March 24, to sail back to Argentina, singlehanded on his Ohlson 29 sailboat named Skua, It was an eventful voyage that would ultimately take 85 days.

On April 12, the authorities in Cape Verde refused to allow him to dock at the island nation to restock his supply of food and fuel. Hoping he had enough food for the voyage and having to ration fuel, he sailed on. When 150 miles from the coast of Brazil, his sailboat was knocked down in high waves and suffered rigging damage. He put in for repairs at Vitória, adding 10 days to what otherwise would have been a 75-day voyage. 

He had hoped to arrive by his father’s birthday on May 15, but missed it by two days, arriving in Mar del Plata on May 17th, to a hero’s welcome.  

When asked about his plans, Bellestero responded, “I’ll plant a garden and buy three chickens. I’ll make it through the winter with the old people. I want to be with the family.”