Nieuw Amsterdam Performs Nighttime Rescue Mid-Atlantic of Two Sailors


Saturday, May 4, at 6:50 p.m. (UTC-2), Nieuw Amsterdam received a call from the U.S. Coast Guard Rescue Coordination Center at Norfolk, Va., regarding a mayday signal it had received from sailing yacht Embla, which was disabled and adrift. Nieuw Amsterdam immediately diverted from its course and arrived on the scene at 9 p.m. local time.

The ship then initiated rescue of the sailboat’s crew, two males aged 29 and 61. The men were taken aboard Nieuw Amsterdam following a security check and provided food and accommodations. They will disembark in the next port of call at the Azores.

When it received the call, Nieuw Amsterdam was approximately 600 miles east of Bermuda on its trans-Atlantic crossing to Europe, and sailing yacht Embla was approximately 35 nautical miles south-southwest of the cruise ship, according to the Coast Guard. Nieuw Amsterdam is expected to arrive at Horta, Azores, Wednesday, May 8, on schedule.


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We never made it to Horta. The seas were too rough to safely operate the tenders. So, they stayed aboard until Ponte Delgada the next day.