Episode 5—Brian
Brian has spent much of his professional life at sea, doing a job he loves, helping people explore the most remote corners of our world. When the pandemic first hit, Brian was working on a routine cruise from Argentina to Antartica, until borders began to shut down, and ships out of port found themselves stranded at sea.
Brian found himself stuck on board his cruise ship, along with 200 passengers and 200 fellow crew members, part of a crisis that
rapidly developed in seaports around the world. In the United States, the Center for Disease Control issued a no-sail order, shutting down passenger cruise operations in waters subject to U.S. jursidiction. By April, 2020, the U.S. Coast Guard reported over 93,000 passengers and crew on 114 cruise ships were anchored in or near U.S. territorial waters.
And the crisis still isn’t over. According to the CDC, as of July 3 2020, 9 of the 49 ships still under the no sail order were have ongoing or resolving outbreaks of COVID-19. And according to the US Coast Guard, as of July 10th, 2020, 67 ships with 14,702 crew on board remained subject to the no-sail order, which in July, 2020 was extended through September 30, 2020.
If you haven’t had a chance, I hope you’ll find a comfortable seat, take a moment, and listen to Brian’s story.
About Brian:
Brian Bailey is an Actor, Singer, Dancer, and Trombonist who has performed in the Broadway National Tours of CATS and The Wizard of Oz and worked on the costumes for many Broadway shows in New York City. He was a performer for Disney Cruise Line for many years before his current position as Cruise Director for Silversea Expeditions. He is a graduate of Northern Kentucky University, a published Op-Ed writer for NBC News and currently studies Dinosaur Paleobiology with the University of Alberta.
Sharing your story is hard, especially with a stranger, especially when that stranger is planning to share your story with other strangers. Take a moment to thank Brian for sharing his story so bravely and vulnerably by making a contribution of any amount to a non-profit close to Brian’s heart—The Trevor Project.
About the Trevor Project:
Founded in 1998 by the creators of the Academy Award®-winning short film TREVOR, The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people under 25.
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