Covid 19 coronavirus: Sailor couple learned of crisis after 25-day Atlantic voyage

Elena Manighetti and Ryan Osborne were unaware that a global pandemic was brewing back on dry land as they set off for the Caribbean.

It was supposed to be the round-the-world trip of their dreams, and their parting instruction to their family was please stay in touch - but save any bad news for when we get home.

However, as Elena Manighetti and Ryan Osborne set off across the Atlantic for the Caribbean last month, little did they know that a global pandemic which would claim hundreds of thousands of lives was brewing back on dry land.

Ryan Osborne and Elena Manighetti were completely unaware of the Covid-19 pandemic as they had been sailing across the Atlantic ocean without access internet during most of March. Photo / Facebook

The couple, from Manchester, had quit their jobs in 2017, bought a boat and set sail from the Canary Islands on Feb 28, planning to dock on the French overseas region of Guadeloupe some 3,000 miles away by the end of March.

During their 25 days at sea with no consistent phone signal, they were all but cut off from the outside world, their heads filled with the excitement of exploring the Caribbean for the next few years.

But when their phones finally sprung into life just hours before they were due to arrive, they realised to their horror that the deadly coronavirus had been spreading rapidly across the world, forcing numerous countries into lockdown amid a soaring death toll.

Manighetti told The Telegraph of the chilling moment they learned of the havoc it had wreaked.

The couple had known there was a virus in China at the start of their trip, but presumed it would be resolved by the time they reached the Carribean and that it couldn't possibly affect an area so far flung from the original outbreak.

But as they approached the sparkling shores of paradise, the dark truth that the "whole world had been infected" dawned like a bad dream.

Two weeks into their voyage, they learned that some Caribbean islands were closing their borders to protect their populations from the virus, but they had presumed this was just a precaution.

Fearing they would not be allowed into Guadeloupe, they began sailing towards Grenada - only to discover they would not be able to dock there either.

In a final effort to reach dry land, they headed for Bequia, in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Then came the warning that they may be refused entry because of Ms Manighetti's Italian nationality.

Thankfully, the couple were able to prove, using the satellite device on their boat, that they had inadvertently been isolated at sea for 25 days and had been nowhere near Italy for months.

They are currently safe and well in Bequia. But the couple's dreams of exploring the Carribean are indefinitely on hold.

And they are worried about being there during the hurricane season, which starts at the beginning of June.

Recalling the moment she first spoke to her father when they arrived in Bequia, Manighetti said: "It was a hard conversation. He told me to not panic but our town had been one of the worst affected areas globally.

"He sent me a New York Times profile on our hometown, which made it all feel suddenly real. I was shocked.

"My family is thankfully safe at home and have been in lockdown for over six weeks, but people we've known for years have died."

"We were in total shock," she said. "I instantly called my family and asked how they were and to please tell me right away if anyone had contracted the virus or passed away. I was especially worried because my hometown, Lombardy, was the worst-hit town in the world at that point.

"I remember Ryan reading the number of cases and deaths out loud to me as the sun rose over the horizon and having my mouth wide open in awe."