Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas carried out a dramatic rescue on Friday, November 15, saving a family and their black Labrador after their sailboat became disabled off the coast of Marrakesh, Morocco.
The sailboat suffered severe mechanical issues, including engine failure and a complete loss of its mast. This left four adults, two children, and their pet adrift over 100 miles off the coast of Africa.
The rescue occurred during Voyager of the Seas’ 16-night transatlantic sailing from Barcelona, Spain, to Port Canaveral, Florida.
A guest told Cruise Radio, “This was luck! Due to bad weather, our scheduled stops in Malaga and Madeira were canceled. While en route to Gran Canaria, the captain received a distress call, and we turned around.”
Initially, engineers from Voyager attempted to repair the stalled sailboat but determined that it was beyond repair. The crew then safely transferred the family and their dog onto a Royal Caribbean, leaving the sailboat behind.
Once onboard Voyager, the rescue team and rescued passengers were met with cheers and applause from guests observing the event from their stateroom balconies.
Some more footage of the aid given to a yacht in distress by @RoyalCaribbean #VoyagerOfTheSeas
— 🆃🆁🅰🆅🅴🅻 🅹🆄🅽🅺🅸🅴 🛫🚢🗺🎢 (@ThisIsAshley_G) November 15, 2024
(Love the kids bikes!)#cruise pic.twitter.com/9Cj9UospGT
The rescued family remained Voyager until its next port of call in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands. Royal Caribbean provided the family with food, medical care, and temporary accommodations onboard.
The transatlantic itinerary has already seen its share of challenges. Earlier in the voyage, severe weather forced the cancellation of scheduled stops in Valencia, Malaga, and Funchal, Portugal.
As a result, Voyager of the Seas‘ passengers were given extra time in Gran Canaria before continuing to Santa Cruz de Tenerife and onward to their final destination in Port Canaveral.
This is not the first time a Royal Caribbean ship has aided those distressed at sea. Harmony of the Seas rescued a man and his dog earlier this year in the Caribbean.
