Topic: RNLI Help Poorly Princess Passenger

We all think that 'it's' never going to happen to us and i bet that was what the Princess passenger thought!

The RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) is the charity that saves lives at sea! On the official RNLI website they say "Volunteers are the heart of the RNLI. We rely on more than 40,000 volunteers - on lifeboats, at stations, on beaches, and in fundraising. Some crew members and most lifeguards are full time. They work with other staff to ensure comprehensive safety coverage around our islands. The RNLI is an independent charity with a board of volunteer trustees."

Without these people Princess Cruises wouldn't of received the help from them for one of their passengers. Lochinver RNLI lifeboat was on it's way to Stornoway slip-way for her clean and paint, which she has every 6 months, when she was diverted to assist the evacuation of a passenger.

A passenger on board Princess' ship 'Crown Princess' needed urgent medical attention and needed to be taken to hospital. The lifeboat helped to successfully transfer the sick passenger and his partner at approximately 9am. The lifeboat took the patient to Stornoway where an ambulance then carried on the journey to hospital.

Has anything dramatic ever happened to you on a cruise?

Barely an hour after leaving Southampton on Navigator of the Seas some 4 years ago an elderly passenger was casevace'd by helicopter . We viewed it all from the Viking Crown Lounge and had to admire the skill of the pilot and his winchmen. The ship didn't slow or change course, just kept to its schedule and let the helicopter do all the hard bits.
Another occasion was when rough weather caused a bottle of gin to slide along the dresser, fall on to my partners polycarbonate suitcase lid, bounce and land right in my outstretched hand. I poured us both a large one, even though it was only early.

QUOTE:

Barely an hour after leaving Southampton on Navigator of the Seas some 4 years ago an elderly passenger was casevace'd by helicopter . We viewed it all from the Viking Crown Lounge and had to admire the skill of the pilot and his winchmen. The ship didn't slow or change course, just kept to its schedule and let the helicopter do all the hard bits.
Another occasion was when rough weather caused a bottle of gin to slide along the dresser, fall on to my partners polycarbonate suitcase lid, bounce and land right in my outstretched hand. I poured us both a large one, even though it was only early.

Hi Seadog
I was on a ship last year when they tried to helicopter a heart attack victim off.
The Captain said he was inceasing speed as it was easier/safer for the helicopter to be going forward than hover in the high winds + high swell.
Alas the swell/wind was to great anyway and a boat was sent from shore to take him to land.
The ships medical center looked after him until it arrived,which was all night.
The Captain gave the passengers an update everyday,and thankfully the guy was OK.
JC

We were in Alaska 15 years or so ago when a passenger took ill on the way out of Glacier Bay. We were in the bar at the top of the rear of the ship and had a grandstand view of a US helicopter flying parallel with the ship whilst a winch man was lowered to take the ill man to the helicopter. It was an amazing site and the skill of the pilot was unbelievable. Unfortunately we never knew what happened to the passenger

On another track this year we were in Cairo when the uprising took place. Luckily we did not know what was going on and safely returned to our ship before news was announced.

The last Medevac by Helicopter I witnessed was on a MSC ship. As there was no Helipad the crew had to remove/dismantle all the steel rigging ropes from the mast to the bow of the ship so that the winchman could be safely lowered, and all of this at night.

We were on P&O ship when at 2 am the lifeboats were lowered down they were under our balcony..
Helicopter came overhead with search light. We could see in the distance a small liferaft, from the beam of light.
It was a spanish fisherman he had hit some rocks & his boat was smashed. They had to go over & rescue him.
He spent the night on board & departed at the next stop..This all lasted over an hour..
I got all of this on my video camera. The captain told us next morning what all the comotion was last night.
My 80 yr old mother was in the next but one room, asking whats going on is the ship sinking, She said i put my teeth in just in case.

"wouldn't of..."? Good grief!

In 2001 on board Orians we went to the aid of three Norwegian sailors in a liferaft. Off the coast of Portugal a new yacht which they were delivering began to sink and so they took to their liferaft; a Portugese recconaisance plane circled overhead and Capt Fearnyhough put the Oriana between the liferaft and the wind, had a rescue boat ready to slip and allowed the liferaft to drift towards the Oriana. A grass (floating) rope was thrown and the three sailors eventually caught it and were brought aboard and the liferaft picked up as well.
Job well done we all thought.

We have just returned from the Baltics on Celebrity Eclipse. The Captain announced that the ship was going to slow to 6 knots as helicopter was coming on board to deal with a poorly guest. A Danish coastguard helicopter arrived but was a little heavy for the landing pad so just put the wheels down and kept in a hover to keep the weight off the ship. A paramedic was left on board for about 20 minutes checking over the passenger the helicopter left during this time and then returned and removed the poorly guest together with partner to hospital. Unfortunately the ship never heard what happened to the guest. The pilot's skill was exemplary as was the crew assisting.

There was a helicopter rescue whilst we were on the Independence of the Seas Cruise Ship November 2009 Canaries Cruise... At the time I did feel guilty filming the incident but wanted to highlight the amazing work the crew and rescue team and efforts they go to... Link to video below via youtube....

http://www.youtube.com/user/reebokbl...10/Civ-B0-pCL4