Royal Caribbean Ship Rescues Sailors in Distress
The most "heroic" thing most cruise ship staff members get to do is carry a buffet tray for an elderly guest or bring a smile to a child's face with a towel animal. But occasionally a ship's crew gets the chance to exercise their true emergency training -- as was the case with the crew of Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas, who made a difference in the lives of three men just last week.
On February 16, the ship was steaming toward the Caribbean from Cape Liberty Cruise Port when it picked up a distress signal. The entire bridge team was on hand to search for a disabled craft. Within an hour, they spotted a sailboat adrift at sea. Despite heavy swells, a small rescue boat from the Explorer managed to reach the sailboat and rescue the three men onboard and their luggage.
Apparently, these men had set sail from Baltimore to Key West on a 39-ft. sailboat. A week into their voyage, they encountered high winds and heavy seas, which destroyed the boat's sails, mast and radio antenna. When the engine failed and the boat started taking on water, they issued their distress call.
Cruise ship rescue missions are not entirely uncommon (in 2006, Holland America's Noordam picked up 22 people after their boat capsized in the Aegean Sea; the year before that, Ryndam plucked three people -- and a cat -- from a sailboat caught in rough seas off the coast of Mexico). However, Royal Caribbean went above and beyond the call of duty for these men. After being checked by the Explorer's doctor, the men were given cabins, food and clothing. When the ship reached San Juan, Royal Caribbean paid for the men to fly to Key West, their original destination.
The most "heroic" thing most cruise ship staff members get to do is carry a buffet tray for an elderly guest or bring a smile to a child's face with a towel animal. But occasionally a ship's crew gets the chance to exercise their true emergency training -- as was the case with the crew of Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas, who made a difference in the lives of three men just last week.
On February 16, the ship was steaming toward the Caribbean from Cape Liberty Cruise Port when it picked up a distress signal. The entire bridge team was on hand to search for a disabled craft. Within an hour, they spotted a sailboat adrift at sea. Despite heavy swells, a small rescue boat from the Explorer managed to reach the sailboat and rescue the three men onboard and their luggage.
Apparently, these men had set sail from Baltimore to Key West on a 39-ft. sailboat. A week into their voyage, they encountered high winds and heavy seas, which destroyed the boat's sails, mast and radio antenna. When the engine failed and the boat started taking on water, they issued their distress call.
Cruise ship rescue missions are not entirely uncommon (in 2006, Holland America's Noordam picked up 22 people after their boat capsized in the Aegean Sea; the year before that, Ryndam plucked three people -- and a cat -- from a sailboat caught in rough seas off the coast of Mexico). However, Royal Caribbean went above and beyond the call of duty for these men. After being checked by the Explorer's doctor, the men were given cabins, food and clothing. When the ship reached San Juan, Royal Caribbean paid for the men to fly to Key West, their original destination.
posted by The Cruise Cafe | 8:02 PM
1 Comments:
My husband and I were on the Explorer of the Seas when they rescued the three men. Wow, it was amazing. It was sad knowing that the captain of the sailboat, The Tumbleweed lost everything he had on the boat. But is was great knowing that they were safe and sound. The entire ship cheered when they were rescued! Best wishes to Gene, Nate and Steve (I think)! Kudos to Royal Caribbean!
Adele and Andy :-)
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