Around 100 souls were injured when the cruise liner SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY was caught up in a storm and veered dramatically during a safety manoeuvre. Most of the injuries were described as minor by cruise company Saga, but five people were taken to hospital when the ship docked in Portsmouth on Monday 6th November.
One passenger said some of those on board “feared for their lives”. “People were writing texts to their loved ones in case we capsized,” and the tone of voice in our captain… he was physically scared. We had crew crying. We had many passengers in awful states of fear.
The liner left for a 14-day cruise around the Canary Islands on 24th October with around 1,000 souls on board. A decision was made to return to the UK early due to worsening weather, but on Saturday 4th November the vessel encountered a storm in the Bay of Biscay – where vessels often encounter notoriously rough seas.
It was here that the ship’s safety system kicked in, causing the vessel to veer suddenly to the port side and effectively stopped. A Saga spokesperson said most of the injuries occurred during this sudden movement. The ship was subsequently held in position until weather conditions improved.
All images goes back to January, 2020 during her maiden call to Valletta, Malta.
