Video: Carnival Cruise Ship Rescues Sailors in Gulf of Mexico 

A Carnival Cruise Line ship honored one of the oldest traditions of the sea diverting from its course to come to the aid of a sailboat in distress in the Gulf of Mexico. It is the second time in a year that a Carnival cruise ship has been called on to provide assistance.

According to Carnival Cruise Line and passengers who were aboard the cruise, at approximately 1:00 a.m. on Thursday morning, November 4, the Carnival Breeze received a mayday call. The 130,000 gross ton cruise ship was returning to its home port of Galveston, Texas after a five-night cruise to Mexico. 

The U.S. Coast Guard also dispatched a helicopter to search for the small sailboat, which according to its report was approximately 70 miles outside of Galveston. The captain of the sailboat reported that he had injured his back and required assistance. There were also two passengers and two dogs on board the sailboat.

 

 

After locating the boat, the crew aboard the Carnival Breeze lowered one of its lifeboats and maneuvered it alongside the sailboat while passengers watched from the deck of the cruise ship. The three people aboard along with their dogs were transferred to the cruise ship, where the ship’s doctor provided medical assistance to the injured sailor. 

All of them were taken to Galveston where they disembarked with the passengers yesterday morning. The U.S. Coast Guard is warning mariners that the sailboat remains adrift in the Gulf of Mexico.

It was the second time in a year that a Carnival Cruise Line ship had undertaken a rescue. In November 2020, the Carnival Ecstasy responded to a mayday while departing the Bahamas. A crewmember aboard a motor yacht was injured and the cruise ship was determined to be in the best position to respond. They took the injured person aboard providing care until the person could be evacuated by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter the following morning.

 

Sailboat seen from the deck of the Carnival Breeze (Carnival Cruise Line)