Islander crew leap into life-saving action in Hamilton Harbour

The sight of men in red suits jumping off the side of the Bermuda Islander is not an everyday occurrence.

But if you were looking over Hamilton Harbour on July 15 and saw such a phenomenon then your eyes were not deceiving you.

It was a case of the crew carrying out man overboard drills.

One by one four members of the crew leapt into the sea and hauled themselves aboard the red dinghy.

It may have looked like fun, and the smiles on the faces of the participants belied the fact that they probably enjoyed jumping into the cool Bermudian sea.

But there was a serious side to the exercise too.

If ever the Bermuda Islander — or any of the containers ships for that matter — lost a man overboard the drills could save a life.

And the dinghies — although they may look like simple vessels — could well prove to be lifesavers.

Before the life raft inflates the craft and all its contents are held in white plastic pod no bigger than moped.

But these little crafts hold enough supplies to support 12 people for weeks stranded out at sea.

The lifeboat itself can float for 30 days and has fresh water, food rations, a sea anchor, a radar reflector and a signal light on board.

The food tends to be biscuits while there is a rainwater collector on the roof of the lifeboat.

There are also fitted with fishing tackle so you can catch your own supper and seasickness pills.

Fortunately over the last few decade there has not been much call to launch the lifeboats – but it is better to be safe than sorry.

Cruise ships

There’s just the five cruise liners coming to Bermuda this week.

The Enchantment of the Seas left Dockyard yesterday and will be replaced by the Norwegian Dawn and Celebrity Summit this morning.

The Veendam arrives in Hamilton this morning from Murray’s Anchorage – off St. George’s.

The Bermuda Islander also arrives in the capital this morning a day earlier than  usual.

The rest of the week is fairly quiet until the Norwegian Spirit arrives in Dockyard on Sunday.