Have you ever wondered why the crew are exercised in a different safety drill every week? Well, here’s a good example - stuff happens!
The attached photo and statement were sent to me by Dr. Charles Iliff while on-board the Oceania Marina this summer. It shows the coordinated effort of both ship and shore-based personnel in the successful transfer of a medical emergency.

“On the early morning of July 17, as the Oceania Marina was approaching Leith, in the Firth of Forth, for the Edinburg, Scotland port call, an RAF Sea King helicopter (similar to the type Prince William flies) flew very close to the ship, and hovered for about  an hour. The guest had been brought up to an upper deck (probably it was 14, which is where I took the photos from) on a gurney. A corpsman had come down from the helicopter and assisted the ships medical team. The guest was winched up to the helicopter, which flew off, presumably to a medical facility on shore.”

So hopefully the next time you are inconvenienced by  one of those pesky drills, you will remember the men and women who are constantly training to keep you safe.