Man overboard on Norwegian Star

[Laszlo]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/news/7050800/british-woman-fell-off-cruise-ship/

 

So she got drunk, climbed the railing and jumped.......You can't fix stupid, she is lucky to be alive. I hope the searchers send her a bill

[billslowsky]

Irrespective of the circumstances here, Gynboy was only pointing out that a good percentage of those going overboard, do so at the hands of others. Why attack him so aggressive. I wonder if those so quick to ‘bite’ at others on these boards as as unpleasent in real life 🙄 There really is no need FFS!

 

When are you going to respond with any reports supporting that "a good percentage of those going overboard, do so at the hands of others"? Frankly, I can't find any examples. But you must know of some or you wouldn't have made that statement.

[spanishguy1970]

I am glad she was found safe and sound. However, i do wonder, how does someone fall overboard? i have been in Balcony stateroom, walked around the promenade and in order to fall overboard you have to be really drunk or just plain foolish or someone trying to kill you ( have read too many Agatha Christie novels) , climbing the banister, sitting on it etc etc...anyways, hope she recovers well. This just tells you a nice vacation can turn into a nightmare really fast...

Edited August 20, 2018 by spanishguy1970
adding to it.

[Takoyaki]

I don't know. I think that penalty seems a bit overboard.

Please tell me that was done intentionally :')

 

in all seriousness, glad nobody died. but it does seem fishy

[Boatdrill]

When are you going to respond with any reports supporting that "a good percentage of those going overboard, do so at the hands of others"? Frankly, I can't find any examples.

 

Sorry to say that many years ago, a woman was deliberately thrown overboard from a top deck by her new husband. The RCCL ship was off southern California. His defense was a mixed bag of stories - it was windy, a group of men tossed her over, etc. He was prosecuted and put in prison.

The story is here: https://www.cruiseshipdeaths.com/1988/02/13/karen-roston-passenger-cruise-ship-death-aboard-honeymoon-murded-stardancer/

 

And there is this: https://www.cruiselawnews.com/2010/09/articles/disappearances/cruise-crime-husband-arrested-after-throwing-wife-overboard/

[ColinIllinois]

Please tell me that was done intentionally :')

 

in all seriousness, glad nobody died. but it does seem fishy

 

 

Thanks. I didn't think anyone was going to catch that. lol

[old nutter]

Facts:

 

If you fell from the stern of that ship you would do yourself serious damage on the stern kick-out and probably drown.

 

If you fell off any of the decks forward of the rear quarter and you would probably be sucked under into the azipods and drown at least. Fall off the side near the stern and you will fall clear of the pods and with the ship doing about 20 knots you will quickly drop behind and probably be swept away from the wake.

 

The sea is just below Deck 4 so a fall from Deck 7 is about 10-15 metres above. 10 metres is the height of the top Olympic diving board, so fall from there is no problem as long as you enter the water vertically.

The water temperature of 25-30 degrees means max survival time is at least 20 hours.

Apparently females float better than males because they have an extra layer of fat making them more boyant and allows them to float in the high salinity of the Adriatic and a very calm sea makes it relatively easy to float on your back and breathe.

 

Those facts in her favour explain how this lady survived long enough to be rescued. Whether she was lucky or not depends on the motive for the departure in the first place. She certainly had plenty of time to ponder her story in the event of rescue.

Edited August 20, 2018 by old nutter

[billslowsky]

Sorry to say that many years ago, a woman was deliberately thrown overboard from a top deck by her new husband. The RCCL ship was off southern California. His defense was a mixed bag of stories - it was windy, a group of men tossed her over, etc. He was prosecuted and put in prison.

The story is here: https://www.cruiseshipdeaths.com/1988/02/13/karen-roston-passenger-cruise-ship-death-aboard-honeymoon-murded-stardancer/

 

And there is this: https://www.cruiselawnews.com/2010/09/articles/disappearances/cruise-crime-husband-arrested-after-throwing-wife-overboard/

 

So one from 30 years ago (the husband was due to be released last year), and another 22 years later.

 

And the first was likely to not have survived the beatings he had already administered and he threw her near-dead body overboard. It doesn't happen a "good percentage" of anything.

 

Drunks and suicides do this.

[Leejnd4]

Those of you finding this story questionable since you think she a) couldn't have survived the fall/jump, or b) couldn't have survived 10 hours in the water, are wrong.

 

Deck 7 on that ship is not that high at all. Not much higher than a diving board. If she jumped (which some are speculating, and I tend to agree with), she could easily have just jumped out and landed upright far enough away from the ship to have avoided the wake or any injury. People jump off high cliffs and bridges all the time, and if they land upright, no injury. Heck I did it myself - in the small town I grew up in, a teenage rite-of-passage is to jump off the Silver Bridge into the Housatonic. That's a 60-ft drop - far higher than deck 7. I lived to tell.

 

As for surviving the 10 hours - the water was bathwater warm, and the seas were flat.

 

As a sailor and scuba diver, I can assure you that it's quite possible to spend many hours floating in calm, warm seas. Eventually she would have become hypothermic since the water wasn't at her body temperature, but 10 hours was not long enough for that.

 

The most interesting part of this story is that she was rescued at all. I can tell you from first-hand knowledge that once someone has gone in the ocean, it's very hard to spot them. However, the calm waters meant that she remained close to where she went in so the search grid was small. And the flat seas meant that she was much more visible than in rough waters.

 

Yes she's lucky, but in truth, given the apparent circumstances, it's not really that miraculous.

Edited August 20, 2018 by Leejnd4

[Bonnielass]

Whatever happened, if she jumped, fell, was pushed etc, the result is good that she was found. Spare a thought for all those passengers who's onwards journeys have been affected and those trying to board the ship with lengthy delays. Spare a thought for the coastguard team who rescued her, well done to them. I await with interest the statement from Norwegian, none of this adds up you cannot fall off a ship.

[cathi007]

Good news: the passenger was found alive, thankfully!

 

We received the announcement that there was a passenger overboard a little past 6 in the morning, that it occurred overnight and we had returned to the location for search and rescue. Around 8 the captain notified us that he was suspending the search and rescue and heading back to Venice, but the Croatian coast guard would take over. Around 11-12 we received the good news that the passenger was found alive and flown to Croatia to receive treatment. It is now almost 2 but we are finally arriving in Venice.

Great news, thanks for sharing

[Mumsysailor]

I would think as an air hostess she would possibly also know survival techniques for being in water.

 

She is very fortunate to have survived. I have huge appreciation for those who searched and found her.

 

However she ended up in the water she definitely didn’t just ‘fall’.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[_linda_]

Those of you finding this story questionable since you think she a) couldn't have survived the fall/jump, or b) couldn't have survived 10 hours in the water, are wrong.

 

Deck 7 on that ship is not that high at all. Not much higher than a diving board. If she jumped (which some are speculating, and I tend to agree with), she could easily have just jumped out and landed upright far enough away from the ship to have avoided the wake or any injury. People jump off high cliffs and bridges all the time, and if they land upright, no injury. Heck I did it myself - in the small town I grew up in, a teenage rite-of-passage is to jump off the Silver Bridge into the Housatonic. That's a 60-ft drop - far higher than deck 7. I lived to tell.

 

As for surviving the 10 hours - the water was bathwater warm, and the seas were flat.

 

As a sailor and scuba diver, I can assure you that it's quite possible to spend many hours floating in calm, warm seas. Eventually she would have become hypothermic since the water wasn't at her body temperature, but 10 hours was not long enough for that.

 

The most interesting part of this story is that she was rescued at all. I can tell you from first-hand knowledge that once someone has gone in the ocean, it's very hard to spot them. However, the calm waters meant that she remained close to where she went in so the search grid was small. And the flat seas meant that she was much more visible than in rough waters.

 

Yes she's lucky, but in truth, given the apparent circumstances, it's not really that miraculous.

 

 

 

Even so, after a 10 hour drama keeping afloat at night for many hours, not knowing you’d be fine, having fallen from something of a height unplanned, I’m not sure I’d be quite so perky and ready to chatter once on dry land.

[sfaaa]

Of course she looks happy and all smiles. Why wouldn't she? I smell a book deal or big payout from tabloid for her exclusive 'My 10 hours in Adriatic Sea' survival story. Time to cash in and get her 5 minutes fame.

[Leejnd4]

Even so, after a 10 hour drama keeping afloat at night for many hours, not knowing you’d be fine, having fallen from something of a height unplanned, I’m not sure I’d be quite so perky and ready to chatter once on dry land.

 

LOL! I doubt I would be as well, but then the point keeps being made about how "fit" she is. Having spent many hours floating in the sea on dive trips, I can tell you that it's not like she had to exert exhaustive amounts of effort to stay afloat - and being in good shape would definitely have been a great advantage. Had it gone on any longer she would have been exhausted due to lack of sleep, but ten hours is really not long enough for her to have been incapacitated.

 

I'm just trying to forestall any needless speculation that she didn't actually go in the water. She did. There's lots to wonder and speculate about here (fall, jump, drunk, attempted suicide, whatever) but any questions about whether or not this even happened should be nipped in the bud. It did.

 

Of course she looks happy and all smiles. Why wouldn't she? I smell a book deal or big payout from tabloid for her exclusive 'My 10 hours in Adriatic Sea' survival story. Time to cash in and get her 5 minutes fame.

 

I tend to agree with you! Plus, if this really was a suicide attempt (as some are reporting), one can assume she had ten long hours to regret it and re-think her entire life, and come up with lots of reasons to NOT want to die, all the while assuming it's too late now. So when she got rescued, I'm sure she would have been ecstatic!

[goodsailors]

When are you going to respond with any reports supporting that "a good percentage of those going overboard, do so at the hands of others"? Frankly, I can't find any examples. But you must know of some or you wouldn't have made that statement.

 

There was one on Queen Mary 2 Christmas cruise two or three years ago.

[billslowsky]

There was one on Queen Mary 2 Christmas cruise two or three years ago.

 

It wasn't reported that way:

 

A search for a British woman thought to have fallen overboard during a cruise on the Queen Mary 2 ocean liner has been called off.

The woman, aged 74, was on a tour of the Caribbean which left New York on Thursday.

December 24, 2016, The Telegraph

 

A passenger on a cruise ship is believed to have died after falling overboard about 100 miles southeast of Atlantic City, according to reports.

December 27, 2016, Bergen County Record

December 23, 2016, The Independent

None of the accounts even mentions a suspicion of foul play. The ship did not return to port in NY and continued on down to the Caribbean.

[picsa]

you cannot fall off a ship.

 

Of course you can fall off a ship.

 

Just sit on a balcony railing whilst pissed and lean back.

[Markj]

There's a great deal of talk on these boards about disembarkation from ships, times to airports, making flights and so on.

 

Aside from the cost of the ship turning and the coastguard effecting her rescue, who picks up the cost if passengers missed flights or other travel connections as a result of the "fall" (and let's be honest it seems unlikely she was pushed so either jumped on purpose or was fooling around).

 

And then what about the passengers on the next departing cruise - their holiday had also been messed around and plans for boarding had to change and costs would have been incurred for meals or changed transport!

 

I suppose many will have insurance companies to deal with many of these issues - however if insurance didn't cover my expenses or if I was actually the insurance company I would be pursuing this woman for recompense.

 

It will be interesting to see what happens.

 

And yes, I'm glad no-one died, of course.

[PATRLR]

Heck I did it myself - in the small town I grew up in, a teenage rite-of-passage is to jump off the Silver Bridge into the Housatonic. That's a 60-ft drop - far higher than deck 7. I lived to tell.

Well, actually, wasn't surviving the water quality the more significant accomplishment? :)

[Leejnd4]

There's a great deal of talk on these boards about disembarkation from ships, times to airports, making flights and so on.

 

Aside from the cost of the ship turning and the coastguard effecting her rescue, who picks up the cost if passengers missed flights or other travel connections as a result of the "fall" (and let's be honest it seems unlikely she was pushed so either jumped on purpose or was fooling around).

 

And then what about the passengers on the next departing cruise - their holiday had also been messed around and plans for boarding had to change and costs would have been incurred for meals or changed transport!

 

I suppose many will have insurance companies to deal with many of these issues - however if insurance didn't cover my expenses or if I was actually the insurance company I would be pursuing this woman for recompense.

 

It will be interesting to see what happens.

 

And yes, I'm glad no-one died, of course.

These are all valid points. Certainly if I was impacted by this, especially financially, I'd be pretty peeved and would be looking for someone to pick up the tab. And I can understand people being angry at the woman for not considering the negative impact on so many other people of her foolish act.

 

That being said - let's be real here. If someone is trying to commit suicide, they are likely not giving one moment of thought to how their act will affect other people, other than (one would hope) their own loved ones. I highly doubt they would think for one second about how it will affect the other vacationers on the ship. Besides, they assume they'll be dead soon so why should they care?

 

And if it was an accidental fall, then it was clearly not done on purpose so no thought *could* have been given to the impact on others. (Although obviously the person would have to have been behaving extremely carelessly in order to have been able to fall off.)

 

That doesn't mean I don't feel she should be held responsible for the impact on others. But can we not feel at least a little bit of compassion for someone who is in so much despair that they actually try to be dead? If this was a suicide attempt (which is what I expect will turn out to be the case), I do hope she gets the help she needs.

[Leejnd4]

Well, actually, wasn't surviving the water quality the more significant accomplishment? :)

 

If you're talking about the Housatonic - that's probably true! LOL! Although this was a...ahem...VERY long time ago, given that I was a teenager and now I'm...decidedly not. ;p So the water quality may not have been so bad back then. (However, I do believe it's still something of a teenage rite-of-passage in Newtown, so obviously some kids are still braving the icky waters!)

[goodsailors]

It wasn't reported that way:

 

A search for a British woman thought to have fallen overboard during a cruise on the Queen Mary 2 ocean liner has been called off.

The woman, aged 74, was on a tour of the Caribbean which left New York on Thursday.

December 24, 2016, The Telegraph

 

A passenger on a cruise ship is believed to have died after falling overboard about 100 miles southeast of Atlantic City, according to reports.

December 27, 2016, Bergen County Record

December 23, 2016, The Independent

None of the accounts even mentions a suspicion of foul play. The ship did not return to port in NY and continued on down to the Caribbean.

 

You believe what you want to believe, I will believe what I heard from a passenger on the cruise that the husband pushed her over board and was charged with her disappearance.

[SimonaD]

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/7050800/british-woman-kay-longstaff-fall-cruise-ship-croatia/

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[sfaaa]

You believe what you want to believe, I will believe what I heard from a passenger on the cruise that the husband pushed her over board and was charged with her disappearance.

 

She must be a very good actress because she didn't look that stressed out or trumatized in front of TV camera and those pictures in the news article.