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In the middle of the Pacific with nowhere to land
May 31, 2020
A group of performers were halfway across the Pacific Ocean in a 75ft sailing boat when the coronavirus pandemic erupted. Suddenly countries began closing their sea borders - leaving the vessel with no guarantee of a safe haven before the start of the typhoon season.
When the crew of the Arka Kinari left Mexico on 21 February they, like everyone else, were aware of the coronavirus. They had no idea, though, how soon it would affect them and how seriously. They say they joked about it being just a Mexican beer. But approaching Hawaii six weeks later, they picked up a radio signal.
As their boat sliced through the waves, they clustered on the foredeck around the tiny radio, intently listening to a crackled voice announcing that Pacific islands, such as the Cook, Christmas and Marshall Islands, were all closing their borders.
"This really brought it home to us that the whole world was really shutting down," says British crew member Sarah Louise Payne.
Image caption The Arka Kinari
They had set out from the Netherlands in August - two musicians with a multinational seven-person crew, including lighting and sound engineers, heading for Indonesia, the country they planned to make their base.
Grey Filastine and his Indonesian partner Nova Ruth had spent years flying around the world performing at music festivals, playing their unique mix of traditional Javanese melodies and contemporary electronic music.
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