Tall Ship Avatar and the coronavirus

We follow the instructions of the Dutch and local authorities. If there are no restrictions or travel bans, we will perform the journey as planned.
We will of course keep a close eye on developments and will respond if necessary and inform the guests involved.

Measures on board

Safety has always been very important on board the Avatar and now even more with the Coronavirus. In collaboration with our branch organization, we have drawn up protocols to minimize the risk of infection with the Coronavirus. These protocols include amongst others the following measures:

We ask all persons who:

• have had direct contact with an infected person, or themselves are suspected of being infected with the Corona virus;
• show the symptoms fever, cough, shortness of breath and/or breathing problems;

not to participate in the trip.

In order to protect guests and the crew on board, we have taken a number of measures in line with the generally recommended measures:

• wash hands regularly with soap (min. 20 sec.) by everyone on board
• coughing and sneezing in the bend of the elbow
• using paper handkerchiefs and throwing them directly in the trash after use
• wash hands with soap (min. 20 sec.) when returning on board (after a walk) and before and after meals
• avoid physical contact (such as shaking hands, etc.)
• on board we keep 1.5m distance from each other. This does not apply to people who form a household together*
• in situations where there is not enough space to keep distance, we will make way for each other or wear mouth-nose-masks 
• avoid crowded places when visiting land and keep at least 1.5m away from others
• extra cleaning of surfaces such as door handles and handrails
• interior spaces are supplied with fresh air 6x per hour using mechanical ventilation

* In case in our sailing area persons from two households are allowed to meet without keeping distance, we will place two people from different households together in a cabin. If your booking confirmation states that you share a cabin with someone else and you object to this, please contact us to discuss the possibilities.

During the 2020 and 2021 seasons, it appeared that our anti-corona measures on board are feasible and we fortunately did not have any corona cases on board.

Current situation from April 28, 2022

If you travel to Germany from another country, you may be required to show official proof of a negative corona test (PCR or antigen rapid test, no older than 48 hours) during a check. If you have been fully vaccinated against corona or have recently been cured of corona and have official proof of this, a corona test is not necessary. You may also need to register digitally in advance. On einreiseanmeldung.de you can check whether you need to register by entering the country from which you are traveling to Germany.

The following applies to our sailing trips in the Netherlands and in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany:

• There are no more corona restrictions, with the exception of airports, planes, care homes and hospitals. Companies or cultural institutions may have their own corona rules.
• In Schleswig-Holstein you must wear mouth-nose-masks in public transport and in cabs.

The following applies to our trips to Denmark:

• There are no entry restrictions, no testing obligation and no quarantine obligation for entering Denmark.
• In Denmark there are no more corona restrictions, with the exception of airports, planes, care homes and hospitals. Companies or cultural institutions may have their own corona rules.
• If you have been in Denmark for more than 24 hours, you may be asked for official proof of a negative corona test (PCR or rapid antigen test) upon your return to Germany. If you have official proof of a full corona vaccination or of a recent corona cure, a corona test is not necessary.

The following applies to our trips to Sweden:

• Since April 1, 2022 there are no entry restrictions, no testing obligation and no quarantine obligation for entering Sweden.
• There are no more corona restrictions in Sweden. Companies or cultural institutions may have their own corona rules.

We recommend that you check in your own country whether there are any restrictions when returning from Germany, Denmark or Sweden.

Whether you can participate, depends on the country you are coming from prior to the sailing trip. Please contact us, if you have any questions.

Participants of our sailing trips will be informed in advance of the applicable rules.

We review the corona situation and the associated measures in the countries/regions that we (will) visit on a daily basis. We can only determine that a trip will continue if the (local) rules for that travel period are known. As soon as this is the case, we will immediately inform the participants personally and update this webpage. That means that you will have to be patient until then.

What happens if your trip cannot go ahead due to corona (measures)?

That depends on the situation, with two options:

Situation 1: Due to (local) anti-corona measures, we cannot carry out the sailing trip you have booked.
Think for example of the closure of borders, a ban on overnight stays for tourist purposes, quarantine obligations for travelers.
If it concerns a certain (part of our) sailing area, we will offer you a comparable trip in an alternative area. If this is not possible, we will offer you three options:

• rebooking to another sailing trip of the Avatar
• a voucher for the amount you paid, which you can use as payment on a new booking on the Avatar within one year of the voucher being issued
• you will receive your payment back

Please keep in mind that this corona crisis could turn into a failure for tourism companies. Everyone benefits if you try to change your booking to a different departure date or accept a voucher instead of a refund of the travel sum.

Situation 2: You cannot participate in the sailing trip due to a corona infection, quarantine or anti-corona measures that apply to you.
If you or a housemate has corona and you are therefore in quarantine or if, for example, you live in a risk area and you are therefore not allowed to travel to the area where we sail, you will not be able to participate in the trip. In the latter case, you are usually allowed to enter if you can submit a negative corona test not older than 48 hours (the exact rules may vary per area).

If the sailing trip you have booked can go ahead, but you cannot join us due to personal corona circumstances, our normal cancellation conditions apply. In that case, check with your insurance company whether your travel / cancellation insurance covers your cancellation costs.

For bookings a few weeks/months in the future, you will have to wait and see how the situation develops. Reliable tips cannot yet be given. Only if the trip is not possible for you (regardless of prohibitions/restrictions), you should cancel in time to keep the cancellation costs lower for you and to give us the opportunity to find another participant.