Houston – What was supposed to be a three-week sailing trip turned into an unforgettable journey for Houston native Angela Harger Thompson.
In March 2020, Thompson boarded a sailboat in Panama, expecting an adventure across the Pacific. Just one week into the voyage, the world shut down as COVID-19 spread across the globe, leaving her and her crew stranded at sea for months with no country willing to let them come ashore.
Thompson joined Houston Life to share the remarkable story behind her documentary, Quarantine at Sea, which captures the uncertainty, isolation, and resilience of living through the early days of the pandemic from the middle of the ocean.
“It was surreal,” Thompson said. “Countries were saying, ‘You’re not a citizen of our country. You can’t come on land.’ We really didn’t know what to do.”
Although she originally planned to document the sailing trip itself, Thompson said the unfolding global crisis quickly transformed her project into something much bigger.
“I just kept the camera rolling,” she said. “Then this worldwide virus hit, and I realized we had a story.”
After eventually reaching Hawaii following weeks at sea, Thompson began turning the footage into Quarantine at Sea, now streaming on Apple TV, Prime Video, and Tubi.
But the documentary is only one chapter of her story.
Thompson’s new memoir explores the emotional journey behind the voyage, including recognizing an abusive relationship and the personal growth that followed. She also shared that years before the sailing trip, she survived a sexual assault shortly after moving to Los Angeles, an experience that ultimately shaped the work she does today.
Through her organization, The Storytell Initiative, Thompson leads storytelling workshops for trauma survivors, including survivors of sex trafficking, helping participants process difficult experiences by putting their stories into words.
“It takes so much courage to put pen to paper,” Thompson said. “Every chapter I wrote healed another part of my heart.”
She believes storytelling can help people move forward, no matter what challenges they’ve faced.
“I’m not special just because I was stranded in the middle of the ocean during COVID,” she said. “We all have a story that’s worth sharing.”
Today, Thompson says her goal is to help others find healing by reclaiming their own stories, just as she did.
Quarantine at Sea is streaming now on Apple TV, Prime Video and Tubi. Her memoir is available now, and more information about Thompson’s workshops and The Storytell Initiative can be found HERE.