Salem couple home after being stranded on cruise ship – Eagle

SALEM, N.H. — As Leon Drysdale and Mark Woods were about to embark on a cruise around South America, COVID-19 was spreading across the world.

Woods’ mother and siblings advised him not to go, but he decided to take the trip despite the threat with his partner of 24 years.

The news at that point “wasn’t really doom and gloom, we know we could have gotten coronavirus,” Woods said. “But we (understood the risk) we chose that before we entered that boat.”

What the couple couldn’t know is that the world would come to a near stop in the middle of their trip. They would be stranded on a boat that would be denied entry to several ports for weeks because of COVID-19.

The couple in their 60s boarded the Zaandam on March 7 — a day before the U.S. State Department advised people to avoid cruise travel and six days before Gov. Chris Sununu declared a state of emergency in New Hampshire. 

The first week on the ship went as planned. The Zaandam made it to Punta Arenas, Chile. The couple, along with more than 1,200 passengers were able to get off the ship and see the sights.

That night, as the ship was making its way around the horn of South America, they received a letter saying they would be going back. Chile would allow them to dock and the captain would tell them more information. However, that didn’t happen.

They were stranded in the harbor for a few days, still able to move around the ship. Three days later, Drysdale and Woods, along with all other passengers were quarantined to their rooms. The couple had a small cabin with no windows.

That day they discovered COVID-19 was on the ship.

Drysdale and Woods could watch where the ship was traveling on the television screen in their room. The television was also the outlet that provided workouts and games. They were fed three “delicious” meals a day, which were dropped at their door, Woods said. 

On the third day of the quarantine, they were able to go outside for a 30-minute walk on the deck. It became apparent that no country wanted to let the ship dock to allow the passengers to go home, Woods explained.

Passengers were asked to keep their rooms dark and close their shades in the middle of the night as they passed through the Panama Canal to make their way to Florida.

After a few days in quarantine, the Holland America cruise line switched them and other healthy passengers to another ship, the Rotterdam. 

There was a six-pack of Heineken and six bottles of wine waiting in their large room with a balcony. The bottles went untouched, Woods had given up alcohol for Lent and he wasn’t going to give in. Being able to see the ocean made quarantine more bearable.

Drysdale and Woods were two of the about 300 Americans on the ship. They sent an email to the State Department about their situation, but no timely reply was promised, according to emails from Woods.

In New Hampshire, their friends were frantically calling federal legislators to help. The offices of U.S. Sens. Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen and U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas were on the case, pushing for their constituents to get home. 

“I apologize that all our friends who are calling all of our government offices,” Woods said in an email to Hassan’s office in one of the rare moments he had service. 

Elise Briton, Hassan’s director of constituent services replied, “No apology is necessary regarding your friends contacting our office. We encourage anyone to call with information about constituents who are seeking repatriation!”

Eventually, the ship was able to dock in Florida where healthy passengers could disembark. 

The couple got back to Logan International Airport on April 4. The couple is now quarantining in their home for 14 days to ensure they don’t pass along the virus.

“I enjoy being quarantined at home than on the boat, I can walk into the backyard,” Woods said.

He had a fever after returning home. He doesn’t know if it was exhaustion or the virus. The fever passed on Thursday, and Drysdale hasn’t shown any symptoms of the virus.

The whole trip and the ordeal of getting home was free, the couple could choose a refund or another cruise. They are planning to set sail again in 2021. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

‘;
var element = document.getElementById(“sub_message”);
element.appendChild(subMessage);
console.log(“Code Loaded!”);
} else {
var subMessage = document.createElement(‘div’);
subMessage.id = ‘sub-message-top’;
subMessage.class = ‘panel panel-default’;
subMessage.style.backgroundColor = ‘#eee’;
subMessage.style.borderRadius = ‘5px’;
subMessage.style.padding = ’10px’;
subMessage.style.marginTop = ’25px’;
subMessage.style.marginBottom = ’25px’;
subMessage.innerHTML =
‘

Support local journalism.

We are making critical coverage of the coronavirus available for free. Please consider subscribing so we can continue to bring you the latest news and information on this developing story.

Subscribe Today’;
var element = document.getElementById(“sub_message”);
element.appendChild(subMessage);
console.log(“Code Loaded!”);
}
}