Carnival Mardi Gras Rescues Stranded US Couple at Sea Near Bahamas

by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 4:40 PM ET, Mon August 7, 2023

Carnival Cruise Line’s Mardi Gras rescued a couple from a sailboat that was in distress early this morning.

The couple was stranded about 20 nautical miles off of Castle Island, which is part of the Bahamas. The Mardi Gras, which debuted in 2021, was less than nine miles from the sailboat when the U.S. Coast Guard contacted the ship to provide assistance, according to a statement released by Carnival Cruise Line.

The ship immediately rerouted and spent about two hours searching for the sailboat before locating it. A lifeboat was then lowered by the Mardi Gras to the distressed sailboat to assist the stranded couple, who are both U.S. citizens.

Once aboard the Mardi Gras, the man rescued from the sailboat was admitted to the ship’s medical center for treatment. He's currently receiving care from the onboard medical team. There were no additional details released about the couple's condition.

Mardi Gras was sailing on an eight-day Caribbean cruise that departed from Port Canaveral, Florida when it was contacted to provide rescue support. The ship was en route to its first port of call in Aruba.

The ship is now continuing onward with its planned itinerary and is scheduled to arrive in Aruba on Tuesday. 

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