Angela Harger Thompson found herself trapped on a 47-foot sailboat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean when the COVID-19 pandemic erupted in March 2020. She was on a 4,000-nautical-mile journey from Panama to the Marquesas Islands with her on-again, off-again boyfriend, known as the Captain, three strangers, and a dog. Borders were closing rapidly, leaving them with nowhere to land and forcing them to continue westward across the ocean.
A Promising Adventure Turns Sour
Thompson had met the Captain five years earlier in Austin, Texas. He was older, bald, wrinkled, and full of life experience. She fell for him during a road trip across the American West. However, red flags emerged, including their age gap and differing values. She ended the relationship before moving to Los Angeles to pursue acting.
After a traumatic sexual assault by a producer in LA, Thompson reconnected with the Captain for support. He comforted her, but she remained uncertain about a long-term future. When he bought a sailboat and invited her on a sailing adventure, she agreed, seeing it as an opportunity for adventure and a chance to film a documentary.
Pandemic Strikes at Sea
One week into the passage, an email from the Pacific Crossing network announced that COVID-19 had become a global pandemic. Borders were closing fast. The crew received conflicting information about landing in the Marquesas: first, passage time would count as quarantine; then, a 14-day boat quarantine was required; eventually, no landing was allowed at all. With Panama closed to new arrivals, they had no choice but to continue west.
After 26 days at sea, they anchored in Nuka Hiva Bay to find a ghost town. The gendarmerie strictly enforced rules: no swimming, no dinghy rides, and no contact with land. They could refuel and reprovision but then had to leave or face heavy fines or impoundment.
Alone with the Captain
The European crew opted to sail to Tahiti with another boat, leaving Thompson and the Captain alone with the dog. The workload intensified: constant watches, meal preparation, and navigation. Thompson felt anxious about the possibility of something happening to the Captain, as she would have to handle the boat alone. He showed her essential safety procedures, but a sense of unease lingered.
One night, the Captain announced that a fleet of 20 fishing boats with steel cables lay ahead. If they hit a cable, the boat could sink. He altered course casually, without informing Thompson, leaving her frustrated by his lack of communication. “It was starting to seem as if he had no concern for my feelings,” she wrote.
Stormy Seas and Trust Issues
At the Intertropical Convergence Zone, they faced intense squalls, including an 18-hour storm that heeled the boat at a 45-degree angle. The life raft submerged. While the Captain was terrified, Thompson felt an unexplainable peace. However, calmer seas did not soothe their relationship.
Thompson discovered photos of the Captain with another woman on the boat before she arrived—pictures of her barely clothed on what became their bed. “I suddenly felt completely insecure in my own body,” she recalled. He refused to discuss it, and they barely spoke for days. Desperate, she called her mother via satellite phone, who advised forgiveness and grace. Thompson softened her approach, and the Captain reassured her, saying, “Stay with me, and one day you’ll be able to trust me like I trust you.”
Arrival in Hawaii and Quarantine
After 49 days at sea, they arrived in Hawaii, only to be told they must quarantine for 14 more days on the boat. A welcome party gathered, but the Captain ignored Thompson, walking away when she reached for his hand. When she confronted him, he screamed, “I didn’t want to see your face,” and slammed a door. The next morning, agriculture officers confiscated all fresh food, leaving only canned goods.
Thompson asked the officers if she could quarantine elsewhere, but the Captain insisted she stay. She felt trapped. During quarantine, she escaped to the yacht club bathroom for hot showers, experiencing “mal de débarquement” as her body still felt the boat rocking.
The Final Breakup
After quarantine, they rented an Airbnb, but the relationship unraveled over COVID restrictions, the presidential election, and protests. The final straw came when Thompson refused to wear a mask outdoors at Pearl Harbor. The Captain ended the relationship, sending vicious emails and texts, calling her names, and hiring a lawyer to claim ownership of her documentary. He even changed its title to “Worst Tits Ever” to taunt her. After an expensive legal dispute, he backed off. “His mask had completely slipped,” Thompson wrote.
Healing and Reflection
Thompson returned to Texas to care for her father, who had severe COVID. Her night watches at sea prepared her for monitoring his oxygen levels. He recovered. She eventually returned to California and stepped into the Pacific Ocean, feeling a sense of reunion. “The water quickly swirled around my ankles, as if to say: ‘Hello, old friend. I have missed you, too.’”
Her memoir, “Worst Tits Ever: A Raw Memoir of Survival, Humor, and Reinvention,” is available as an audiobook and on Kindle.
