Adrift from the Covid-19 storm
Staying in our bubble during the level four lockdown was an oftentesting experience for many New Zealanders.
However, spare a thought for those who have spent that time and beyond at sea, adrift from the onshore occurrences of a global pandemic and out of reach from their families.
The crew of Nelson-based fishing vessel Ocean Pioneer has spent the last nine weeks in a boat bubble, catching scampi on the Chatham
Rise as the world changed.
Skipper Blair Alderson and his crew of five deckhands and a chief engineer departed Nelson two weeks’ prior to the March 26 level 4 lockdown.
At the time, New Zealand’s borders were still open and the number of national cases were still in single figures.
Alderson said receiving updates of the evolving Covid-19 situation while based 200 miles out to sea had been a surreal experience.
Damage to the boat’s television dome on the second day of the first trip restricted their news updates to emails from home and chatter with other boats in the vicinity.
‘‘China wasn’t too far into its lockdown when we sailed ... it didn’t really hit home until we started getting told by family that we were in lockdown — then it was like ‘s---, that’s pretty serious’.
‘‘You miss your loved ones at the best of times but when you’ve got a crisis like this it’s certainly in the back of your mind as well but you’ve got a job to do so you just get on with it.’’
The crew were able to truly grasp the lockdown situation when they unloaded their first catch at Port Nelson in the midst of level 4 lockdown.
While tied up at the Amaltal wharf, no one was allowed off the boat and none were allowed to come on board.
‘‘That’s when it felt real — coming through The Cut seeing no traffic along the road and people wearing face masks.’’
To maintain their bubble, there were no crew changes for the next month-long trip, with everyone on board pulling double duty after a couple of days’ rest.
Having seen the extent of lockdown measures and with television access restored for the second trip, Alderson said the crew had a greater perspective of their situation during the remaining time at sea.
‘‘Out of anyone in the world we would be the least likely ones to get [Covid-19] because we’d been out on the ocean all that time.
‘‘Because we’re a smaller boat, it’s kind of a family unit — you’re closer and everyone gets along — The boys were just thankful that we could keep working and paying our bills and mortgages.’’
Also keeping a crew-sized bubble during lockdown was Sealord’s deep-sea vessel Tokatu, which was in the middle of a fishing voyage to the Southern Ocean and the Otago coast when the lockdown was announced.
By the time they berth in Nelson
this weekend, around 48 crew members will have spent almost 80 days together on the vessel.
Skipper Stephan Fridell said while information filtering through about the coronavirus situation had been difficult to process for some on board ‘‘the best and safest decision was made to extend the trip which we obviously put to the crew.’’
‘‘It was a tense last week of that trip and very hard for the crew – once one story goes around it can go into threefold and vortex into this little tube – so you’ve got to let the crew digest it.’’
Offered the choice to stay on or return to their families, Fridell said 90 per cent stayed on to do the second journey.
Those that had opted to return home would be accommodated on another boat or go on the Tokatu’s next trip at the end of May to Tasmania.
‘‘To put it in context, these guys have been through an emotional rollercoaster and it’s the unknown that they were frightened of.’’
Fridell said while the overall threat of coronavirus had reduced over time, many crew members were still worried for the well-being of their family members, some of which had immunodeficiency issues which made them vulnerable to Covid-19.
‘‘These guys are fishermen, providers — archaic individuals that go home and look after their family — so when s--- happens and they can’t go home and be there for them, that really rattles their cages.’’
Tokatu returned to Nelson twice to refuel and unload product over that time.
While no-one was allowed to leave the vessel, Fridell said the crew was able to ‘‘see a little more perspective’’ of what was transpiring on dry land.
Tokatu has caught around 2000 tonnes of food product for Sealord during the extended trip.
Fridell said he was proud of what the crew had achieved during a challenging period.
‘‘I am very appreciative of these guys for having stuck with me.’’