Tender accidents?

[navybankerteacher]

If it is really dangerous, the ship will cancel the tender operation. Most of the time it can be easily done by people with good balance and reasonable mobility. If you have any doubt, stop on the promenade (or other open) deck directly above the tender platform and see for yourself what the conditions are like. You also can change your mind at the last minute if you have second thoughts while on the platform. In most cases it is up to you to decide if you can handle it.

[Silver Sweethearts]

I have seen cruise ships use there own lifeboats for tendering.

 

Unless it is an expedition ship or such where a Zodiac might be used, what else would the ships be using rather than the lifeboats? In our experience, lifeboats become tenders and do double duty.

[spookwife]

Most of the time, it's simply a step onto the tender...not a big deal! If it's rough, don't go!!!!

 

 

Again you are beyond inaccurate. There is a huge difference in ease and safety even on a calm day with the differences in the tide and the number of people on board the tender. Let alone timing the bobbing to coincide with the step.

 

 

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[gooch47]

Unless it is an expedition ship or such where a Zodiac might be used, what else would the ships be using rather than the lifeboats? In our experience, lifeboats become tenders and do double duty.

Some ports use local boats, not the ships'. Belize comes to mind but there are others.

 

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[GUT2407]

One cruise a tender got stuck on a sand bar.

 

One Mrs Gut had a pretty Nasty fall.

 

I've heard of people falling into the water, but only once.

 

I've seen some people decide not to try.

[BlueRiband]

Yes, two years ago a woman died after being crushed against a pontoon while trying to exit a tender on Cunard's Queen Elizabeth. She was 75 and had mobility and balance problems - a case where somebody who probably should not have tried to tender nonetheless wanted to take part in an excursion in Cambodia.

 

After that incident Cunard instituted a tender "mobility assessment" for passengers with disabilities.

[Keith1010]

Yes I have heard of accidents including someone getting a concussion from hitting head on the ceiling of tender.

 

Keith

[MicCanberra]

It's not all that unusual to have a few minor injuries on rough seas.

I have been on a tender when we hit some very rough waves caused by another boat. Some were a bit battered and bruised as they fell off the seats and some of us ended up with what I call 'Tender Loins'.;p

[john watson]

I recall an incident when at anchor in Guernsey where at the end of tender operations the sea got very rough. It ended up with tender docking at the ship being postponed for an extended period. All five tenders kept circling and waiting until conditions improved. During this period one tender ran out of fuel and needed rescuing. On our tender a lady started to get a bit panicky as her elderly mother announced she felt heavy chest pains and a tingly left arm. She said she had a cardiac history and angina but no gtn with her.. Luckily someone had some aspirin tablets and a waiter, as it happens, had a full bottle of mineral water. After another ten minutes we made for the ship's tender platform which was going up and down more than a couple of feet and hit it so hard it terrified people. I think some felt the tender might break up or split and sink. The coxwain left the steering position and found a giant buoy fender and took it to the doorway. This was deployed tethered to the side then he shot back up the ladder to the wheel. My daughter (11) looked a bit shook up and I said well the life jackets are under the seat but we should be all right. Eventually after an hour our re-embarking the ship was complete when we all got off safely, firstly the ill lady then the wheelchair user and chair followed sheepishly by everyone else who could see the tender station going up and down significantly.

 

Regards John

[beachbum53]

Must've been a slow and boring day to resurrect a thread that's 8 years old.

[notentirelynormal]

Must've been a slow and boring day to resurrect a thread that's 8 years old.

 

Grrrr - suckered in again. Why do people do this?

[AmeliaAtSea]

I found it interesting and wouldn't go back 8 years looking for it. I'm glad it was brought back up. If someone started a new thread on this topic, someone would be bound to say, "Don't you know there have been threads on this? You should have searched first." Always someone unhappy.

[sfaaa]

It's not all that unusual .....

 

Did you bump into Tom Jones on your cruise?

[ontheweb]

We were on Corfu which is not normally a tender port, but there were 3 ships and only 2 docks. Our ship was the odd one out and tendered. Leaving the island, a man boarding our tender fell and landed directly on his elbow. IIRC, he did some damage to it.

 

At the time I shuddered thinking what if that had been my DW who had previously fell on ice and broken an elbow. Her pain if she fell directly on that elbow would have been excruciating.

[navybankerteacher]

I found it interesting and wouldn't go back 8 years looking for it. I'm glad it was brought back up. If someone started a new thread on this topic, someone would be bound to say, "Don't you know there have been threads on this? You should have searched first." Always someone unhappy.

 

That's pretty much what CC is all about: if it isn't to complain about cruise-related matters, it always serves as a forum to complain about what others post - positive or negative.

[Blondilu]

We were sitting on our balcony while our ship was anchored at Catalina Island when we heard the "man overboard" call. We jumped up to look and some guy had fallen off a tender. Don't know if he was playing or just lost his balance, but he apparently had been standing on the edge of the open door on the side opposite to the ship. When we saw him in the water he was laughing, so no harm, no foul.

 

As to the poster who is concerned about her sister, I'm sure it can and does happen, even if you're not fooling around. But, in Alaska my mother got on the tender. She had poor vision, had had a hip replacement, and had the worst balance ever. The crew helped and honestly, she was on before she knew it. Of course, the weather was good and sea was calm.

 

A funny story about my Mom along these same lines that happened on the same trip: we were on a whale-watching excursion on a little boat and they stopped for lunch, a salmon bake. To get from the boat to lunch we had to walk down a very long pier. It was a floating pier and I could tell by looking that she was never going to get across it. It bounced up and down in a snaking fashion. I figured we would just wait on the little boat and skip lunch. A crew member called on his radio "I need a little help, I have a woman here who's had too much to drink." So funny, cuz my Mom did not drink. Not opposed to it, she just didn't enjoy it. Anyway, these 2 young men got on either side of her and just teased the heck out of her about being drunk, no doubt to distract her. Got her across in no time with her laughing the whole way. She got to enjoy her salmon lunch. After which they got her back on the little boat the same way.

[lenquixote66]

Just wondering - has anyone ever heard about any accidents occurring as people were stepping from the ship to the tender and vice versa? Surely someone in the history of cruising has somehow slipped and fallen into the ocean... I've tendered several times and usually I feel very secure stepping between the two vessels, feel that even if I somehow slipped the people holding onto my arms would keep me up, but there has been a time or two when the water was rough enough to make the step a little difficult...

 

 

A friend of my wife sustained an injury to one of her feet on a tender .I have only been on a tender once and will never do it again . Returning to the ship it was a very strong wind and I just barely got back on the ship.

[MicCanberra]

Did you bump into Tom Jones on your cruise?

Whoa a whoa whoa.:cool:

[OCruisers]

I found it interesting and wouldn't go back 8 years looking for it. I'm glad it was brought back up. If someone started a new thread on this topic, someone would be bound to say, "Don't you know there have been threads on this? You should have searched first." Always someone unhappy.

 

How true ... totally agree!

[john watson]

Did you bump into Tom Jones on your cruise?

 

Tom Jones is a marvellous singer from Wales and we should not poke fun at him. I have a lovely CD by him with all the classics: Tom Jones Welsh Hit Songs.

 

Regards John

[MicCanberra]

If only I knew.

[BlueRiband]

I found it interesting and wouldn't go back 8 years looking for it. I'm glad it was brought back up. If someone started a new thread on this topic, someone would be bound to say, "Don't you know there have been threads on this? You should have searched first." Always someone unhappy.

 

True, but the member who revived it has a lot of board experience and answered it as if the OP had just posted it. :confused: I've got to admit though, that I seldom catch that a thread is very old and often respond as it it was new.

[sail7seas]

Most of the time, it's simply a step onto the tender...not a big deal! If it's rough, don't go!!!!

 

The sailors on HAL who help us onto and off the tenders are fabulous. l Listen to them. If they tell you to wait, DO SO> they will hold you back if they think the moment you are ready to step offf the gangway is not good. Wait if they tell you to.

[john watson]

The sailors on HAL who help us onto and off the tenders are fabulous. l Listen to them. If they tell you to wait, DO SO> they will hold you back if they think the moment you are ready to step offf the gangway is not good. Wait if they tell you to.

 

If you study the faces of the ship's tender station crew they always look serious and then when certain passengers become next to transfer, elderly, disabled or children etc. they tighten up their act even more. This is taken as a very serious task by the crew.

 

Regards John

[sail7seas]

Was it Jack Jones who recorded "The Love Boat Princ ess theme song? For some reason Ithrink he might have been aboard with us one of our few c ruises on Princess. :)

Edited May 21, 2017 by sail7seas