Bobby White of Dallas just might be isolating better than most everyone during this coronavirus outbreak. White and two other crewmates have been at sea for six months now. But even out in the ocean there is no escaping the effects of the coronavirus.
White suffered a stroke five years ago that made it impossible for him to continue his profession as a pilot. He pivoted into sailing, and that completely surprised his parents.
"I'm used to it now. I didn't like it at all in the beginning," said his mother Vicki White.
White has been sailing for nearly four years now. He has a YouTube channel called Sailing Doodles with more than 224,000 followers where he documents his travels.
"There's nothing hold me back, so I sold everything I own and bought a boat," White said.
Shutdowns because of coronavirus have extended to marinas and to ports. Especially in Puerto Rico, the crew was met with challenges on where to dock and stay.
"We were in Puerto Rico already in marina when the shutdown happened and then we left," said fellow crew member Taylor Francis.
White says he was not overly concerned. When asked what worries him more, rough seas or the shutdowns influenced by the virus, he said the shutdowns are a more prolonged worry.
"You couldn't get any service on your boat. You couldn't get fuel for your boat. You couldn't get water for your boat because they did these blanket non-essential shutdowns," he said.
But he stresses that he does not want anyone to feel sorry for him.
Thankfully the crew landed in the U.S. Virgin Islands and they have been docked there safely for the last several weeks. Of course, that didn't stop them from being questioned by U.S. Coast Guard and Border Patrol about where they've been and where they're going. They will stay in the Virgin Islands another three weeks before heading to the U.S. mainland as part of a larger flotilla. The eight-to-nine-day sail will take them somewhere near the Chesapeake.
White says the reason they have to leave the island is because it will soon be the start of hurricane season.
"We do have some special hurdles right now because of all this. I wouldn't trade places with anyone in New York or Dallas," he said.
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