Drama off Cap

 Had I still been in Quebec I would have had a front row seat to a dramatic medical evacuation from the cruise ship Zuiderdam.

The ship sailed from Quebec City on October 13 and was bound for Charlottetown, Sydney and Halifax. During the night, when approximately 90 miles down river off Cap-à-l'Aigle, the ship rendez-voused with a local Canadian Coast Guard auxiliary vessel "1276" . Using the ship's side door and water level embarcation platform, they evacuated a passenger needing medical assistance. Conditions were reported to be very windy with rough water, but the passenger was safely disembarked at the Cap-à-l'Aigle wharf and handed over to EMTs. He (or she) was then transferred by ambulance to the excellent hospital in La Malbaie, a few minutes away.

An account - in French - of the operation may be found a: https://www.lecharlevoisien.com/2024/10/15/evacuation-dune-passagere-dun-bateau-de-croisiere-au-large-de-la-malbaie/

The Coast Guard Auxiliary crew, consisting of three local volunteers, was scrambled in short order, and the whole operation took fifteen minutes. I believe the "1276" is a Rigid Hull Inflatible Boat, of the Zodiac type.

As an indication of how severe the weather was, the ferry service between nearby St-Siméon and Rivière-du-Loup with the ferry Trans St-Laurent was cancelled the evening of October 14. There was also heavy wet snow on the road to Quebec City, between Beaupré and Baie St-Paul with several vehicles off the road. The road was impassible for about an hour until a plow got through. (If the evacuee from the ship required major medical treatment the nearest regional hospital is in Quebec City and transfer by ambulance would have been needed.)

As usual with such incidents, there has been no official follow up on the condition of the evacuee. The Zuiderdam continued on its way and was in Halifax today, October 17.

It sailed this afternoon (photo) for Portland, Maine then Boston to conclude its seven day tour from Quebec City. The location of the water level embarcation platform is just aft of midships and is marked with a white symbol. The platform is usually used by the ship's tenders when lightering passengers ashore.

This is the ship's last call in Halifax this year as the cruise season winds down. Built by Fincantieri, Marghera in 2002, the Zuiderdam is a 82,820 gt ship with a capacity of 2272 passengers (maximum) and 842 crew.

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