What a difference a day makes…remember that song of the past? Well that kept going through our minds today, as it was not a regular day at sea. Far from it. Before we headed off for breakfast in the dining room, an announcement was made throughout the ship requesting a lady to dial 911 on any phone. A message such as that coming into the staterooms at 8:15am was most unusual. When the same request was repeated a short time later, we knew something was really wrong. Someone was missing.
This was confirmed when during breakfast, Captain Mercer announced publicly that it was possible the woman went overboard sometime during the late night. And as a result, the ship was being turned around, and we would backtrack becoming part of a larger team of a rescue attempt. This occurred at 8:45am. All we could do is hope for the best that the Marine Rescue Coordination Centers of Ireland and the UK would have some positive results.
No one could believe this was happening, and none of our crowd knew this lady. However, she had a relative onboard, and we hope she is able to deal with this. At 2pm, the Captain announced that the Amsterdam was released from further search and rescue attempts, realizing too much time had expired for a rescue. We were turning around, and heading back the way we came. Sadly, there were no positive reports concerning the search efforts of the other teams. By 2:10pm, we were heading southwest once again, and it would take 4 hours to reach the point of the turnaround this morning.
In addition, a letter was delivered to everyone concerning the sad events of the day, adding that members of the clergy would be available for any of us that feel the need of counseling. The Captain added that many of the passengers had become close over the past four months, and some would be deeply affected by this event. He is so right. His best advice was to keep her friends and family in our thoughts and prayers. Consider it done.
One concern was about reaching Ft. Lauderdale on time. So at this point, they did not anticipate any delay for arrival on May 16th.
Nothing that occurred today on the ship seemed important enough to report, considering the circumstances. But this one thought of the day rang true: Do it now….the future is promised to no one. –Kushandwizdom-
Bill & Mary Ann
