Wednesday - April 20, 2005

QM2: Tragedy on the High Seas

We awoke this Wednesday morning to the sound of the Captain making an announcement that we have lost a man overboard during the night.

The Captain went on to explain that they are quite certain that this elderly gentleman specifically boarded the ship with suicide in mind. When the crew were able to ascertain that he was definitely not on board the ship, the Captain contacted the man's wife in Germany. She searched his desk and found a note that he had written before departing. Apparently, the Captain turned the ship around and they conducted as much of a search as they could, but to no avail. So all other ships in the area have been alerted to keep a watch for his body, and we are now carrying on to New York.

We have been having a rocky crossing, with high winds, rain, and heavy seas a good part of the time, so it is not the most comfortable trip to begin with. Thankfully, I have my sea legs so have not been bothered much by the motion of the ocean, but a number of other people, including a guest speaker, have been suffering. To have something as tragic as this happen casts an even bigger black cloud over the voyage.