Gripping account of how Covid crushed the cruise industry

Three years on, it's easy to forget how much the world changed during 2020 as Covid-19 first swept the globe, and just how unprecedented the global reaction to the disease was.

Luckily, you don't have to don a mask again to get a good reminder. If you're looking for a maritime book that reads like a thriller, while taking you right back to the start of the crisis and those feelings of trepidation, this is one for you.

As Nautilus members will be all too aware, seafarers were among the most affected by the pandemic, with travel restrictions causing a disastrous crew change crisis which left some stuck onboard for months after the ends of their contracts. Those in the cruise industry were doubly affected, as with elderly guests onboard, the pandemic really was a matter of life and death.

This was the experience of the crew of the Holland America Line cruise ship Zaandam. Veteran journalists Michael Smith and Jonathan Franklin focus on a select group of people onboard during the vessel's ill-fated cruise around South America, from Captain Ane Smit, Filipino laundry worker Wiwit Widarto and sanitation officer Erin Montgomery through to guests with unique perspectives including a psychologist, a Vietnam veteran and a schoolteacher hoping to achieve his dream of visiting Machu Picchu.

We are given the opportunity to get to know all of them, leaving us wondering whether they will make it through alive – and what they will have to go through in the meantime.

The authors do a great job of giving the reader a growing sense of foreboding as the cruise begins and the passengers arrive, along with an unwanted stowaway: the virus. The tension soon ratchets up and for those unfamiliar with cruise, we get a fascinating look at the difficult decisions that had to be made by governments, head offices and masters, and how those affected the crew and guests.

Some of the descriptions of the industry may be all too familiar for those who work in cruise, and those who experienced things first hand may not want the reminder, but for the rest of us, this is an interesting, fun and fast-paced read that will keep you turning the pages.

Cabin Fever: trapped onboard a cruise ship when the pandemic hit
By Michael Smith and Jonathan Franklin
Endeavour, £16.99
ISBN: 978 19130 68738

Book reviews landing page image: Zandaam cruising in Quebec 2022/ Wikimedia Commons stock photo