Freedom of the seas dramatic rescue

[debandbill]

 

Here is a small pic of the little tiny vessel and the RCI rescue vehicle.

[Loves_Dogs]

The homemade looking boat with immigrants still on board.

 

FOS crew going out to rescue the people.

 

Another of FOS crew on the way to rescue.

 

And another.

 

Picture of the boat.

 

Shot of the TV showing our location at this time. As you see we are very close to Cuba.

[bo_monroe]

Great pics. I saw this float by the ship. all in all, great cruise.

[Loves_Dogs]

Another shot of the boat.

 

A storm was brewing at this time.

 

Sorry but at the time they transferred the people 2 at a time from immigrant boat to FOS rescue boat we switched over and were filming instead of taking photos. The camera is a 2 in 1 so could not do both at the same time. After the people were moved to FOS this is a pic of the crew marking their boat. Captain said on the speaker that this is per procedures for Coast Guard.

 

Another of crew marking the boat.

 

And another.

 

Shot of the immigrant boat.

[Loves_Dogs]

The boat.

 

Another boat shot.

 

And another.

 

And another.

 

U.S Coast Guard arrives.

 

Another shot of the USCG.

[Mike&Nancy]

Awesome, awesome pics. Wow, what an experience. Nothing exciting ever happens on our cruises. I'd be torn between choosing to watch the storm, or the rescue. Great job! Thanks for sharing them. :)

[Virtopia]

How far did they think they were going to get in that contraption?

 

Nice to see the rescue though.

[gcvt]

Fantastic photos!

[Loves_Dogs]

Another of USCG. Once again, when the people were transferred from FOS to the USCG we were taping so I do not have any photos of the transfer. USCG used a fast little zodiac boat to ferry the people from FOS to their USCG Cutter.

 

Another of USCG.

 

And believe it or not, as all this was happening we witnessed a water spout off in the distance. What a lot of action on the sea that day!

[Desertbelle]

Thanks for the great photos! Well done!

[Coralc]

Another of USCG. Once again, when the people were transferred from FOS to the USCG we were taping so I do not have any photos of the transfer. USCG used a fast little zodiac boat to ferry the people from FOS to their USCG Cutter.

 

Another of USCG.

 

And believe it or not, as all this was happening we witnessed a water spout off in the distance. What a lot of action on the sea that day!

 

WOW! Great photos LovesDogs! :D We (Voyager) were docked with you (Freedom) on Wednesday in that nasty wind. We had a medical rescue the following night...but nothing as exciting as what you experienced. Thanks so much for sharing the photos.

 

That does look like a pretty unstable thing to try to sail very far in.

[alaska_planner]

so if they're being sent back to Cuba, i guess to have been picked up by a boat called the "Freedom" is somewhat ironic.

 

The taste of freedom but for a fleeting minute. (and what a taste it is on a luxury cruise ship)

 

Sad.

[BillB48]

so if they're being sent back to Cuba, i guess to have been picked up by a boat called the "Freedom" is somewhat ironic.

 

The taste of freedom but for a fleeting minute. (and what a taste it is on a luxury cruise ship)

 

Sad.

 

That truly is bitter irony and even sadder. Guess we can only hope those people don't suffer for their actions.

[Loves_Dogs]

Thank you everyone for the compliments on the photos - and you are very welcome. I have to give credit where credit is due. My son, knowing what a good photographer I am NOT :D actually took the pictures from our balcony. I will be sure and tell him that they are being enjoyed!

 

And yes, that boat (and I use that term loosely) did not look too seaworthy to me.

 

We enjoyed watching the rescue even though it ruined all the plans we had for that afternoon. We just couldnt tear ourselves away from the show going on right outside our balcony. Very good cruise though!

[LeeBe]

Yes Loves_Dogs please add my thanks to your son as well. I sent this page to a friend who doesn't do cruisecruitic (imagine that;)) who was on this voyage. They were telling me about it when I picked them up at the port yesterday. Thanks again.

[BillOh]

A storm was brewing at this time.

 

 

Great shot. I live in Columbus with you and if I saw this cloud I'd be very worried and watching. I am one of the storm spotters in Central Ohio that is qualified to call in severe weather sightings. Great picture of the water spout as well.

[Aquahound]

Guess we can only hope those people don't suffer for their actions.

 

They don't. They will spend anywhere betweeen a week and 30 days in jail, but are monitored by humanitarian groups in Cuba. There have been threads in the past that claimed they are tortured, etc, but none of that is true.

[Tonka's Skipper]

They risk much......and still they come to America

 

They biuld a *contraption*........and still they come to America

 

They risk all they have.......and still they come to America

 

They risk life and limb in stormy seas......and still they come to America

 

They will end up in jail and abused....and still they come to America.

(sorry I put no faith watch dog groups in Cuba under Castros thumb)

 

 

Makes you stop for a second and remember how lucky you/we are to be in America!

 

 

Just food for thought!

 

 

AKK

[Ocean Boy]

Thanks so much for the pictures. Your efforts on this thread are very appreciated.

[Aquahound]

They will end up in jail and abused....and still they come to America.

(sorry I put no faith watch dog groups in Cuba under Castros thumb)

 

The watchdog groups are multi-national, not Cuban. Once again, the abuse claim is a myth. I am loosely connected to these issues through my career, so I know a little about it.

[LeeBe]

Aquahound, can you give us any insight as to what their disposition might possibly be? Somehow I have a feeling they won't be hailed as a returning hero like Elian.

 

Thanks...

[SnowshoeCat]

How sad. They must have been truly desperate to try the crossing. Although for a homemade boat, it wasn't too bad looking. I wonder if they were glad to see the CG or not, knowing they'd have to go back.

 

The NCL Gem picked up a few sailors (and their dog) in March whose sailboat became disabled in a storm. They were drifting for about 3 days before their rescue in very rough seas. I guess these things happen more often than we realize.

[Aquahound]

Aquahound, can you give us any insight as to what their disposition might possibly be? Somehow I have a feeling they won't be hailed as a returning hero like Elian.

 

Health was good except one with seasickness. Raft was taking on water, so their rescue was welcomed. They knew they wouldn't make it. The rest of the evolution has not taken place yet, so I cannot comment on the operations, but they will be repatriated to Cuba.

[goouchjac]

They risk much......and still they come to America

 

They biuld a *contraption*........and still they come to America

 

They risk all they have.......and still they come to America

 

They risk life and limb in stormy seas......and still they come to America

 

They will end up in jail and abused....and still they come to America.

(sorry I put no faith watch dog groups in Cuba under Castros thumb)

 

 

Makes you stop for a second and remember how lucky you/we are to be in America!

 

 

Just food for thought!

 

 

AKK

 

And you are so right:):)

[bobmal99]

Yes indeed, great pictures.

Thank you for sharing them.