Cruise ship rescues boat caught in storm

A Mount Pleasant man and three other crew members were rescued by the Norwegian Majesty cruise ship after their boat, Not On Call, was caught in a thunderstorm a few days ago. The Post and Courier reports:

Lighting crackled all around the 24-foot vessel as huge waves crashed against its bow, dumping vast amounts of sea water onto its deck. The water was pooling so quickly that they didn't know how much longer they could keep afloat.

Their only choice was to keep riding into the storm as it came in from the northeast, slowly pushing the boat farther from the setting sun, some 30 miles from shore. The battle went on for hours, nearly draining its 170-gallon fuel tank and all of its two-start motor oil.

The Norwegian Majesty eventually answered the boat's distress call, turning back on its course to Bermuda to pick them up just as the smaller vessel was running out of fuel.