Archive October 2020

Halloween during COVID-19: balancing safe with scary!

In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, what happens at Halloween?  Here at Evolution it is one of our favourite celebrations but we won´t be holding our usual crew party this year. 

The question is: how to celebrate Halloween and stay safe within the local restrictions? We think it’s time to create new traditions on board to keep the SPIRIT and the SPOOKS alive!!


1.- HOST A SUPERYACHT VIRTUAL PARTY

For those of us who were looking forward to hosting an amazing Halloween party, let us not be discouraged!  We have you covered with some great party planning tips to have the best Halloween celebration yet, all the while safely sheltered on board:

  • Work the isolation factor into your theme – a zombie outbreak, with everyone hiding somewhere to survive. Or take your party to outer space and pretend everyone is in their own spaceship, trying to avoid an alien threat. What is more scary than being alone and not knowing what lurks under the bed or in the shadows?!
  • Have all the crew, friends, or family dress up to match the theme and host an online costume contest with a virtual prize (like a gift card) for the winner.  Don´t forget that facemasks can be worked very easily into your costume with a bit of creative thinking, see these images to get you started!
  • Plan a menu and ask everyone to prepare the same snack or beverage to enjoy together (while apart).

Why not add an extra dimension to your virtual and/or distanced party – Rodney James Piper is a magician who will be hosting his brand-new show live from Salou, Spain and you can join him via the ZOOM App. The show will last just over 35 minutes and is expected to be filled with laughter, suspense, amazement, and surprise.

Private shows also a available, contact tarragona@evolutionagents.com for more information.


2.- CREEPY COCKTAILS!

Everybody on board is set for the virtual party and the only thing left to figure out is: What will everyone be drinking?

Let us help with two of our favorite 2020 Halloween-inspired cocktail recipes (by Town & Country):

OTTO’S 1923

Ingredients

1 oz Johnnie Walker Black Label
.5 oz Kahlua
.25 oz Cynar
1 spoon peanut butter
1 Butterfinger bar

Instructions

Dry shake all ingredients first, then shake with ice and strain over crushed ice. Garnish with Butterfinger crumbles, and half Butterfinger stick.

BLACK CAULDRON

Ingredients

1.5 oz Hornitos Black Barrel Tequila
.75 oz fresh lemon juice
.25 oz sage simple syrup*
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 capsule activated charcoal
Lemon wedge

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a lemon wedge.



3.- HALLOWEEN-THEMED SCAVENGER HUNT ON BOARD

Since trick or treating is not an option this year, how about setting up a scavenger hunt on board? Along with providing a safe alternative to traditional Halloween activities, scavenger hunts are entertaining and very engaging. It does require a little preparation, but it can be socially distanced and adds some mystery and guesswork to your event.

  • Hide Halloween-themed items around the yacht and set your crew off try to find the hidden items either on their own or in socially distancing pairs or teams.
  • Map out the clues to where you hid the items. All teams will get the same list of Halloween items to search for throughout the yacht. If you want to make it a competition, see which team can find them first (and take a photo for proof). The winner team gets a prize.
  • In order to keep contact to a minimum, send out instructions (but not the list of items) to all crew members ahead of time, so you don’t need to gather everyone together closely to go over rules.
  • On the day of the hunt, we suggest delegating one single person to distribute the lists and pens and don´t forget that ghosts and ghouls and witches and weirdos still have a responsibility to wash their hands!

These are just some ideas to show that HALLOWEEN isn´t scared of COVID!!!  Share your costumes, games and parties with us, we would love to know how you end up celebrating! 

Contact your Evolution Yacht Agents office to get more creative ideas and to meet all your needs to organize your Halloween event onboard.

Get your B1B2 visas for crew

Get your B1B2 visas for crew

Although times are still uncertain, many vessels are preparing for a Caribbean season and therefore needing B1B2 visas for their crew. 

Even prior to COVID, there are many horror stories out there of visa refusals, mostly due the lack of information and preparation prior to their interview, which lead the Embassy not to be convinced about the applicants’ purpose for entering the USA.

Add on top of this, the difficulty of the current global situation – with so many changing travel restrictions and fewer visas being authorized, it is of vital importance to have trusted and well-founded advice to guide you correctly through all the steps to ensure a successful application.

US embassies in Europe closed their agendas for a time over the summer and there is now a backlog of appointments – many are publishing the next availability well in to 2021, even as far as August!  Despite this, so far this season, Evolution has successfully arranged over 80 appointments for crew members applying for a B1B2 visas in Madrid, all within a time frame to suit their boat´s agenda despite the calendar posting no availability in 2020.  Some even have been confirmed within a week´s notice and all those who have had their appointments have been granted the desired visa.

Our experience of this process over the past few years guarantees Evolution as your perfect partner to ensure a swift application process and increasing considerably the chances of success.


Let us know if we can assist with your Visa B1B2 appointments at info@evolutionagents.com

COVID-19 onboard testing

Evolution Yacht Agents offers all clients in the Barcelona area onboard or “at home” testing for the coronavirus, both immunity and PCR checks.

  • PCR (Polymerise Chain Reaction): detects the presence of the virus DNA, which can be found early on, even before symptoms have developed. Both blood and nasopharyngeal swab samples are submitted for analysis.
  • Immunity Test: detects antibodies IgG and IgM in the blood which indicate if you have had the virus and have developed an adequate immune response. Blood analysis only.

This combined testing is considered the most accurate and efficient method currently available and it is recognized and certified by the Spanish Ministry of Health.


Evolution Yacht Agents have carried out over 500 COVID-19 tests in Spain for crew and guests this season 2020 with the following results.

In the Barcelona Area (including Tarragona) we have processed 416 COVID-19 tests to date with only 4 results coming in positive, which means less than 1%.  All 4 crew were asymptomatic and just being tested as part of the vessel´s due diligence protocol.  Upon retesting a week later all crew returned negative PCR results.

In the Balearics area, we are pleased to announce that we have done 109 PCR test for our clients and all produced negative results.

The media coverage of the pandemic in Spain is portraying a rather dismal picture, but the reality is rather different in light of our statistics above.

We will be pleased to welcome you to any Spanish port this winter, and can assure you of a safe and healthy environment.


Please also ask about our recommendations regarding flu vaccinations for the winter season 2020-2021. Our team would be delighted to provide more information at info@evolutionagents.com