**A Voyage into the Unknown: The Extraordinary Journey of Giulia Baccosi Aboard the Avontuur During the Covid-19 Pandemic**
As the world celebrated the arrival of 2020, Giulia Baccosi, a 31-year-old Italian woman, found herself at a crossroads in life. She had just accepted a new job in Sicily but was uncertain about the path she had chosen. On New Year's Eve, as fireworks lit up the sky, she searched for a sign from the universe to guide her. The answer came unexpectedly: a message from a friend offering her a position as a cook on a historic cargo schooner, the Avontuur, which was about to embark on a voyage from Europe to Central America.
Giulia was no stranger to the sea, having previously worked as a ship's cook. The allure of adventure and the opportunity to postpone her doubts about her future in Sicily prompted her to seize the moment. She called the ship's owner and agreed to join the voyage, planning to disembark in Mexico after about three months and return to her life in Italy. Little did she know that her journey would extend far beyond her original plans, taking her into the heart of a global crisis and forcing her to confront challenges she could never have imagined.
**Setting Sail and the Calm Before the Storm**
In early January 2020, Giulia joined the crew of the Avontuur in Germany. The ship, a 100-year-old schooner, was loaded with European rum and olive oil bound for Central America. The crew, numbering 15 in total, was a tight-knit group, each member responsible for a crucial aspect of the ship's operation. Giulia's role was to provide three daily meals and manage the ship's provisions—a demanding but essential task.
Their first port of call was Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the Canary Islands. After 36 days at sea, the crew was eager for a break and found themselves swept up in the city's vibrant carnival celebrations. The joy of being on land and mingling with thousands of revelers was a welcome respite. However, a shadow loomed as rumors spread of a mysterious illness affecting some tourists on the island. The crew paid little heed, unaware that this would be the first brush with the pandemic that would soon grip the world.
**A Dramatic Rescue at Sea**
Shortly after leaving Tenerife, the Avontuur encountered an extraordinary situation. As Giulia prepared breakfast one morning, the crew spotted a faint light on the horizon, far from any fishing grounds. Approaching cautiously, they found a small, overcrowded wooden fishing boat carrying 16 migrants—five women and eleven men—who had been adrift for over ten days. Dehydrated, starving, and desperate, the migrants had attempted the perilous crossing from West Africa to the Canary Islands, a journey that claims thousands of lives each year.
The Avontuur's crew acted swiftly, bringing the migrants aboard, providing food, water, and medical attention. Giulia was deeply moved by their vulnerability. "They are the most fragile and vulnerable version of a human being you can be," she recalled. The ship was not equipped to carry so many extra passengers, so the coastguard was called to assist. For Giulia and the crew, the rescue was not an act of heroism but a basic duty of humanity: "We did what every decent human being should—and would—do in our place."
**News from Ashore: The World Locks Down**
As the Avontuur continued its journey across the Atlantic, the crew received a stunning email from the ship's owner: "The world as you know it no longer exists." Ports and airports were closing, flights were canceled, and borders were shutting down in response to the rapidly spreading Covid-19 pandemic. The gravity of the situation was slow to register on the ship, where information was scarce and the only contact with the outside world was a daily satellite email.
Giulia was overwhelmed by anxiety for her loved ones back home. The isolation of the open sea, once a source of adventure, now became a source of fear. The uncertainty about whether they would be allowed to dock or even set foot on land at their next port was palpable.
As the ship neared Guadeloupe in the Caribbean, the reality of the pandemic became undeniable. Port staff, masked and wary, refused the crew shore leave, instructing them to depart as soon as possible. The prospect of