Genoa – September 2018, the evocative setting of Port Hercules in Montecarlo, hosts the annual edition of the Monaco Yacht Show, the international showcase for large yachts. Among these is El Leon, a 54-meter aluminum ship delivered to the owner a few months earlier by the Tuscan shipyard Overmarine.
In command there is Paolo Bozzo Costa, 48 years old from Genoa, that after following the construction of the yacht belonging to the Mangusta Gran Sport 54 Mt series for about three years (from the first project and the signing of the contract until the launch ed) is preparing to plan the cruise season (read TTM Yachting 4/2018 pp. XII-XII). In other words, it was finally time to start sailing the seas after a first summer run-in phase.
The yacht El Leon
Today, almost three years after that meeting, with the pandemic waning, we have tracked down The lion and its Commander in South East Asian waters in the Banda sea area (Indonesia). What better occasion, then, for an “intercontinental” chat with Paolo Bozzo Costa to understand how the Covid-19 season was experienced in command of a superyacht.
Commander, where did we stay?
“In the summer of 2018 I spent in the Mediterranean trying the boat, trying to get to know it in detail and prepare ourselves as best we could for the world tour that will end in 2022″.
When did you leave?
“We started the Atlantic crossing in November 2018. Christmas in the Caribbean and then, once we crossed the Panama Canal, in January 2019 we headed to the Galapagos where we made a two-week itinerary and then returned to Costa Rica. we went up in early summer in British Columbia where we started the summer cruise, about 1500 miles from Seattle to Juneau in Alaska. In this Pacific area, right in front of Alaska, navigation is particularly challenging because storms often arise and the swell spreads to low latitudes. On our way back we stopped in Los Angeles and San Francisco. In October 2019 we left for Mexico for the autumn cruise in Baja California in Cabo San Lucas from where, in February 2020, after the arrival of the provisions and having refueled, we left again crossing the Pacific to the Marquesas Islands in the French Polynesia which we reached after 12 days of navigation ”.
Has the pandemic broken out in the meantime?
“On board, through the satellite antenna, we always have access to the internet, and while browsing we learned what was happening in the world with the spread of Covid 19. Among other things, the program provided that the owner, a European entrepreneur, he would join us in the Marquesas Islands and then begin the itinerary I had prepared. Once the shipowner arrived, the day before the borders in Europe closed, we started the cruise but, after a few days, French Polynesia also entered lockdown, our agent informs us that private navigation between the islands is suspended and the local authorities ask us to drop anchor in the Noku Hiva bay ”.
So an unexpected situation?
“We are at anchor in a bay of a tiny island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with the owner on board and the difficulty of receiving supplies from Tahiti as a ship arrives with supplies every 21 days to the Marquesas Islands”.
How did you organize yourself?
“It wasn’t easy because we had to spend 45 days at anchor. The authorities did not allow us to go ashore and in any case the local population, afraid of what they learned from the news, was against the landing of foreigners on the island. To try to spend this period in the best possible way, during our hours off the guards, we organized some activities to keep the crew’s morale up: gym, fishing and cooking lessons ”.
In what state of mind did you face this period of forced rest?
“On the one hand we felt safe from the danger represented by the pandemic that was sweeping the world, on the other hand having families at home, the fear for their health safety was great, certainly magnified by the enormous distance that separated us from home. Then, after three weeks of lockdown, since French Polynesia is zero contagion from Covid, the authorities finally allowed us to start the planned trip “.
Was it like returning to normal life for the crew?
“Definitely, even if it was a surreal experience to arrive, for example, on a renowned island like Bora Bora and find it without tourists or boats around us”.
The unknowns in your work are on the agenda, what did this specific experience leave you in particular?
“The period spent in French Polynesia during the navigation blockade due to Covid will remain an indelible memory for me for the problems faced but, nevertheless I want to be optimistic and underline the positive aspects as I managed to keep El Leon and the 10 members safe. crew. Above all, not to let the owner lack anything despite the difficulties encountered in the logistics and overall management of the ship “.
Once you left French Polynesia, where did you go and what plans do you have?
“We completed the Pacific crossing, stopping in the Fiji Islands and then heading to Australia, at the Brisbane Gold Coast. Finally, since the end of last year, we have been stationed in Asia where we will stay for the whole of 2021 before returning to the Mediterranean in the first months of next year and concluding our world tour ”.
See you next year for the final report?
“Of course, perhaps in the shadow of the Genoa Lantern”.