Family stuck in ‘Covid limbo’ on their yacht

Seth Hynes is meant to be in New Zealand – instead, he and his family are stuck in the South Pacific on a yacht as cyclone season approaches.

The American family of five left New Zealand in July on their catamaran, Archer, for Fiji but with the oncoming cyclone season starting on November 1, they are hoping to come back.

‘‘We left New Zealand knowing we might not be able to return, so we would be incredibly grateful if we were allowed to do so safely but would understand if denied,’’ Hynes said.

Known as The Sailing Family, they have been sailing the world for two years, originally departing from Boston.

Hynes said they were applying for a travel exemption to New Zealand for ‘‘humanitarian reasons’’ this week.

‘‘The form is straight-forward but we understand our application will be denied as cyclone refuge is not considered a ‘humanitarian need to travel’.’’

They were also applying to enter Australia but were also told cyclone refuge did not qualify. ‘‘To date, no exemptions have been granted to cruisers for this reason.

‘‘Otherwise, our only option is to sail ‘home’ to a US territory.’’

Hynes said they were also considering weathering out cyclone season in Fiji.

‘‘As keeping our family safe is the top priority, this would mean tying our catamaran up to some mangroves and leaving her for higher ground.’’

But Darryl Lapaire, who was sailing across the South Pacific and is based in French Polynesia, said there were other options rather than attempting to get to New Zealand or Australia.

‘‘The risk of being hit by a significant storm in French Polynesia is, in reality, low. The islands are known by cruisers to have a much lower risk of cyclone activity than other parts of the South Pacific.’’

Since April, the Ocean Cruising Club (OCC) has been appealing to the New Zealand Government to allow crews of small yachts into the country.

The club said about 300 small yachts were stuck in ‘‘Covid limbo’’ across the South Pacific, most in Fiji and French Polynesia.

A Ministry of Health spokesperson said all applications were considered on ‘‘individual circumstances’’ and there was no ‘‘class exemption’’ for foreign yachts.

‘‘The bar to qualify for a humanitarian exemption is necessarily high, to avoid creating an unwanted ‘back door’ into New Zealand.’’

Seth Hynes, wife Elizabeth and their three boys – Hale, Rhys and Pierce – have been sailing around the world for two years, originally leaving from Boston.