Soon the alarms were going off. The captain announced that the crew was to
report to their stations, but the guests did not have to do anything at this
point. This was not a drill. So, I dressed. I got my medicines together for a possible evacuation
(that’s part of the drill they put us through during the journey). And I waited for more news.
Soon, another announcement was made that there was a “fuel
spray.” The area was being contained,
and the captain named the areas and groups that were to report to the emergency.
Another announcement was soon made, and the problem was
corrected. It was less than 30
minutes. However, it did get the heart of
most passengers pumping early this morning.
Later in the day, there was a presentation on the engines of
the ship. The ship’s engineer showed us
what happened and how the problem was quickly contained with the proper reaction
of the crew. The “fuel spray” was caused
by a blown gasket that allowed fuel to spray in one of the engine areas of the
ship. The officer on duty quickly closed
the room, and water jets were sprayed to keep down the possibility of any fire. The problem was corrected and we were
underway in the Atlantic Ocean.
Tomorrow will be the final port of call in South America (we
have three additional ports of call in the Caribbean on the way to Fort
Lauderdale). We will spend the day on Isle
Royale (part of Devil’s
Island of “Papillion” fame) in French Guiana. The three islands were part of the prison
used by the French. Devil’s Island was
for those being punished in “solitary” by being sent there from Isle Royale.
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| The final port of call in South America is in French Guiana. The day is spent at the French penal colony of Devil's Island. |
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| There's no formal excursion, but we were given a walking tour map to check out the main island tomorrow. |
