Solstice - Changing Course in South Pacific for Rescue

Captain just announced that a distress signal from a small vessel came in during the middle of the night and that we changed course to head south for a rescue. The vessel was about 160 nautical miles away at that time. He said we should arrive in about 25 minutes (9AM here).

We were scheduled to tender in Lahaina on Sunday morning after leaving Bora Bora on Monday night, but we'll see what changes are made. Please send good thoughts for a safe rescue.

-Jen

Safe rescue, travels and hoping you get to Lahaina. :) Keep us up to date.

Jen - Let us know the outcome. Hope it works out for all. :cool:

WOW -- I also hope that Jen keeps us posted!

The rescue was a success - 2 people on board and in stable condition. It looked like they were on a small reef/island and the Captain sent the rescue boat from the ship to get them.

We are now underway again and heading towards Hawaii.

-Jen

The rescue was a success - 2 people on board and in stable condition. It looked like they were on a small reef/island and the Captain sent the rescue boat from the ship to get them.

 

We are now underway again and heading towards Hawaii.

 

-Jen

Thanks for the updates Jen. Glad to hear the rescue ended well. Have a wonderful cruise !

Great to hear. A little drama that ends well is always fun. :cool:

The rescue was a success - 2 people on board and in stable condition. It looked like they were on a small reef/island and the Captain sent the rescue boat from the ship to get them.

 

We are now underway again and heading towards Hawaii.

 

-Jen

Bet there is a story there!

Cheers!

Please check link to US Coast Guard press release on the rescue.

http://coastguardnews.com/

The captain and officers involved in the rescue will have a Q & A with the passengers tomorrow at 11:30 AM to provide additional details.

Solstice will arrive at our next port of call (Lahaina) only 2 hours behind schedule.

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Thanks for the link to the Coast Guard press release.

Glad they were unhurt and now safe. They also were prepared with the right communication devices.

Looking forward to the report from the Q % A from the Solstice

The two America sailors rescued by Solstice were stranded in Malden Island..

Suggest doing an Internet search on Malden Island.. Very interesting historical information.... including being one of the Pacific Islands where the British did their initial Hydrogen Bomb testing in 1957.

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Thanks for the link... This may be a bit "closer".

http://coastguardnews.com/two-mariners-rescued-from-remote-island-in-pacific/2015/04/16/

More to follow... Good outcomes are always welcome. Kudos to Solstice's command. CHEERS!

Update - Glad the mariners were properly prepared and all worked out OK. Pull up a Google map. Talk about the middle of nowhere! I guess, in my younger days it would have been an adventure.

"...stranding them on a small remote island." You gotta admit it. Gilligan's Island comes to mind.

 

 

 

Looking forward to the report from the Q % A from the Solstice

Very informative Q & A by the ship's Executive Committee... they showed a video of the rescue preparations, the actual rescue and the return to the ship. Captain Taramas then gave a general report on how the events unfolded and the preparations needed prior to arriving at Malden Island. An early estimate on the fuel cost due to the diversion of the ship is about $170,000 USD. At the end of the meeting, the two rescued sailors came out and thanked everyone.

In my opinion, the crew not only did a fantastic job in in planning and executing the rescue, but also did a great job in communicating with everyone on board as the events unfolded. Kudos to Celebrity!!!!

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Suncityga,

Thanks you so much for the "rest of the story".

Amazing the coordination needed to do this rescue.

I am sure the crew train for all kinds of events at sea.

The fuel costs take my breath away.

And still the cost of a cruise has not skyrocketed IMO.

Very informative Q & A by the ship's Executive Committee...

 

Kudos to Celebrity!!!!

 

 

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Just a quick thanks for posting the update.

Very informative Q & A by the ship's Executive Committee... they showed a video of the rescue preparations, the actual rescue and the return to the ship. Captain Taramas then gave a general report on how the events unfolded and the preparations needed prior to arriving at Malden Island. An early estimate on the fuel cost due to the diversion of the ship is about $170,000 USD. At the end of the meeting, the two rescued sailors came out and thanked everyone.

 

In my opinion, the crew not only did a fantastic job in in planning and executing the rescue, but also did a great job in communicating with everyone on board as the events unfolded. Kudos to Celebrity!!!!

 

 

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Thanks for updating! I missed the Q&A session today, but am hoping to catch the recording tonight.

Captain and crew really did an outstanding job.

-Jen

An early estimate on the fuel cost due to the diversion of the ship is about $170,000 USD.

Will these costs and any others associated with the rescue be passed on to those rescued or will it be rolled into the cost of operations and require more cost cutting on cruises or increased fares?

Great to hear. A little drama that ends well is always fun. :cool:

I just wonder what the situation in the Mediterranean will be this year?

Most recent news from the BBC web site:

"Hundreds of people are feared to have drowned after a boat carrying up to 700 migrants capsized in the Mediterranean Sea, the Italian coastguard says.

A major rescue operation is under way after the vessel, thought to be just 20m (70ft) long, capsized at midnight local time in Libyan waters south of the Italian island of Lampedusa.

So far 28 people have been rescued and 24 bodies retrieved."

This is probably the 3rd report of similar instances this week.

"Will these costs and any others associated with the rescue be passed on to those rescued or will it be rolled into the cost of operations and require more cost cutting on cruises or increased fares?"

While $170,00 is a lot of money to you and me, it's not to a huge corporation like Celebrity.

Consider a back of the envelope calculation

10 ships x 52 cruises per year x 2000 passengers per ship = 1,040,000 passengers per year

That's about 16 cents per passenger.

(Yes, some ships cruise for more than a week, some for less, some ships hold more passengers than that, some hold fewer, etc……)

Thanks, suncityga. As said before - "The Rest of the Story", I miss Paul Harvey. The rescue would have been worth the price of admission...

As for - "rolled into the cost of operations and require more cost cutting on cruises or increased fares?" I'm not even going there...

CHEERS!

So glad to know these men are safe and thankful that the Solstice was able to help out. Maybe Celebrity will put the video referred to, on YouTube.

No, we don't "go there" with the bean counters, on one of the oldest, most important, international laws of the seas. Excluding warfare or piracy, any one who knows of a vessel or sailors in distress, is obligated to try to help out. Undoubtedly one of the calculations under consideration, was the amount of fuel available, so the Solstice would not be stranded.

Before we started going on cruise ships and knew about CC, we didn't know of this practice when we just had our small 17' sail boat on inland lakes. Now when others poo-poo cruise ships, one of the things we tell them is the marvelous response to those in trouble by the cruise ships. Thank you Celebrity! We are pleased to be sailing on one of your ships in 2 months.

Remember, there for the grace of God (or the FSM) go thee. Wasn't there an incident just this past winter where one line helped out another in a berth/port situation in the Bahamas or Caribbean ?

I'm sure all the relatives and friends of these two will strongly consider a Celebrity ship in the future.

So, the moral of the story is that if you want a free cruise to Hawaii, get stranded on a remote island in the South Pacific. :D

Will these costs and any others associated with the rescue be passed on to those rescued or will it be rolled into the cost of operations and require more cost cutting on cruises or increased fares?

Seriously? :eek:

There is a little write up about it.

Glad everyone was rescued safe and sound.

http://www.cruisehive.com/celebrity-cruise-ship-rescues-two-sailors-in-pacific/6685

She pulled in bright and early into Oahu this morning. Looking at her now drinking coffee from our condo :)