11:00 - After the little interlude with the sailing vessel lost and
abandoned at sea, another event changed the plan somewhat. Captain Gunderson
announced over the loudspeaker, that we will make an 'intermediate landfall'
because one passenger needs immediate medical assistance, more than the ship
can provide, and has to be transferred to a land based hospital.
Nearest Land: Bermuda. Scheduled time of arrival 22:00, or 10 p.m. in land based language,
and we will steam at top speed (22 knots) to arrive at the rendevous 11 hours
later. However - it will not be quite a 'land-fall' as the passenger will
be transferred, under way, at sea, to a pilot boat. On the strike of 22:00
under a star lit night sky - we are there. The scheduled transfer time happened
to co-incide with the previously planned Captain's Welcome reception, which
- of course - took place as scheduled - but WITHOUT the Captain attending;
he was rather busy on the Bridge at that time. The 'party' took place with
the obligatory champagne and toast, headed by the hotel manager who is in
charge of most of the 471 crew (as compared to 597 passengers). NONE OF THE
CREW so much as touched their champagne. They raised their champagne glasses
and then replaced them untasted back on a serving tray. None of this 'party-blotted'
captains or crew on THIS ship or this shipping line - ever! The reception
was scantily visited as well. Many of the passengers lined the outside deck
to watch the evacuation, on a rather lumpy sea stirred up by a stiff breeze,
with the lights of Bermuda blinking in the distance.
The procedure: A pilot
boat, loaded with the de-rigeur immigration officials, doctors etc as well
as pilot and crew had arrived from Bermuda and closed in, and almost nuzzled
the big ship - which was still underway to give stability - at the pilot
door, which is located in the side of our large ship at water level. Excellent
teamwork and outstanding boat handling and seamanship skills between the
two ships, the pilot boat and the Prinsendam, kept the little rescue pilot boat practically glued to the mastership, but without lines attaching them to each other.
(As a side note, this Captain is a true master of the vessel. I was on this same ship with the very same captain a few years ago, when we met with a couple of rogue waves in Drake Passage of Antarctica...and Prinsdendam was handled through all that giant upheaval with admirable expertese and skill. Maneuvring in close quarters around the drifting vessel yesterday was another proof of his outstanding professional skills.)
Floodlights lit up the scene of action down near the water.
Split second timing, and the patient, strapped to a stretcher and wearing (Yes!) a life jacket, was slid from Prinsendam onto the Pilot boat in one rapid slither. Officials and doctors, which had jumped aboard Prinsendam earlier, followed. Patient, doctor and officials disappeared into the pilot-boat's cabin. And - low and behold - hand luggage and suitcases belonging to the passenger duly followed onto the pilot boat as well.
A quick wave from the pilot's boat crew and it distanced itself from Prinsendam and charged off into the darkness towards the near by shores of Bermuda, strobe lights flashing like an ambulance.
Back on course for us, full speed until we make up lost time. Back to land and needed medical care for the patient, a woman travelling by herself.
09:00 the next day....something in our cabin toilet got stuck.....in the open position... and the water did not stop to flow...over the top of the bowl! Something like the sorcerers apprentice gone nuts. Not a good thing, if there is no drain in the cabin's bathroom and the water level is RISING. Every towel to the rescue - no sandbags in the cabins. Bags stored under the beds made it quickly on top of the beds. The hems of long gowns, sweeping the floor, were quickly flipped up over the clothing rails. A quick phone call mobilized the front desk with a request to stop the deluge...
And there we were, the occupants of this little cabin, in our miniature walk-in closet, changing from nighties into something 'decent' to await the arrival of the ship's plumber (usually burly males), whilst the front desk lady, on her knees, placed more towels on the sill of the bathroom door to our cabin.
A closet on a ship is not quite roomy enough for two women struggling into clothes...
Luckily is was 'fresh' water and not sewage innundating our little room. The plumber duly arrived within minutes, flushed the offending bowl again....and the water stopped running. AHA - Eureka, moment of enlightenment. Stuck gasket on a vacuum valve. The burly polumber replaced the offending rubber part, and we are back in business.
Of course, fresh water or no fresh water flood, the entire cabin will be desinfected etc etc etc, so we will probably have the very cleanest cabin on the ship.
Well,it's a boat, after all, and things go wrong....
On a note, the lady being transferred to a Bermuda hospital is in great shape! The rescue was a thorough success.
