Thunberg had intended to remain in the Americas in order to travel overland to attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP25) in Santiago, Chile, in December. However, it was announced at short notice that COP25 was to be moved to Madrid, Spain, because of serious public unrest in Chile. Thunberg refuses to fly because of the carbon emissions from air travel so she posted on social media that she needed a ride across the Atlantic Ocean. Riley Whitelum and Elayna Carausu, an Australian couple who had been sailing around the world aboard their catamaran, "La Vagabonde", offered to take her, assisted by professional yacht skipper Nikki Henderson. So, on 13 November 2019, Thunberg and her father set sail from Hampton, Virginia for Lisbon, Portugal. Her departing message was the same as it has been since she began her activism: "My message to the Americans is the same as to everyone – that is to unite behind the science and to act on the science."