Miracles do happen, and this is yet another example that there is someone who keeps a watch on us and comes to our rescue at critical times. This is about two fishermen of Costa Rica who left Porto Limon and had been drifting since Dec. 1. It seems they fell asleep while their boat kept drifting and when they tried to return home, they discovered that their stock of gas was exhausted. They were fortunate that a Royal Caribbean cruise ship happened to come along and rescue them. It was the Empress of the Seas.
Daily Mail UK reports the Cruise Ship had diverted and gone off-course because of bad weather and its crew discovered the boat between Grand Cayman and Jamaica.
Its two occupants were fishermen and in poor health. One of them was unable to walk, the crew of the ship carried him on board, and both received medical attention.
Details of the miraculous rescue
Royal Caribbean Chief Meteorologist James Van Fleet has provided details about the rescue. The route of the cruise ship Empress of the Seas was different, but it had to follow an alternate route because of bad weather. That was like providence for the two stranded men who had been in the sea for about three weeks.
James Van Fleet explained that the weather forced the cruise ship to proceed to Ocho Rios, Jamaica. The ship taking the new route came as a blessing in disguise to the fishermen. Fleet looks at this as an act of God and considers it a Christmas miracle.
The two of them were at sea for 20 days and were still alive.
They survived against all odds
Sky News adds it was the will to survive that kept them alive. It was another day of fishing for the Costa Rican fishermen when they left. It seems they fell asleep when they were “soaking their nets.” This is a normal action and a time-consuming process that could extend to several hours.
They fell asleep, and when they woke up, they realized winds had blown them away from their gears. They ran out of gas and were at the mercy of the natural elements like the waves and winds.
They had a limited amount of ration that finished within a week. They then resorted to fishing for food and kept hoping for a miracle that did arrive in the form of the cruise ship Empress of the Seas.
The crew of the ship saw the boat and arranged for their rescue. Once on the ship, they underwent a medical checkup and were given food and clothes to make them comfortable. The cruise ship staff also arranged to collect some cash and handed it over to them to brighten up their Christmas.