Man Sails Across Atlantic Ocean To Be With His Father on His 90th Birthday
This story from good news network is absolutely incredible! Juan Manuel Ballestero was missing his family and he desperately wanted reunited with his family for his father’s 90th birthday. Juan was in Portugal and his parents were in Argentina. All international flights were canceled due to coronavirus restrictions. But that was not going to stop Juan. He decided that he was going to sail across the Atlantic Ocean to get home. Authorities on the Portuguese Island of Porto Santo warned him that if he left, he couldn’t return.
Juan packed up his 29 foot sailboat with what he thought would be enough food and supplies. Along the way, he hit several hardships. First, he was denied entry at the port where he planned to restock. The food supply was running low and on Day 38, he ran out of wine! *gasp* It gets worse! Once he passed the equator, he ran out of fuel. He had to rely solely on wind power. The wind quit, leaving his sailboat sitting in the doldrums for 10 days. During that time, barnacles grew on the hull, which created drag and slowed him down. He had no other choice but to dive under the boat and scrape them off.
Ballestero’s faith was certainly challenged, but he said never truly panicked. he told The New York Times. “I wasn’t afraid, but I did have a lot of uncertainty. It was very strange to sail in the middle of a pandemic with humanity teetering around me,Faith keeps you standing in these situations.” 85 days later, he finally reached the port in Argentina. Once he was tested and cleared for COVID-19 and was reunited with his family for father’s day.
