OK. That means we have a lesson from 11:00am to 12:00pm which becomes 1:00pm and the game at 2:00pm. A one hour break. We can handle that. At about 10:00am another announcement was made. “This is your captain speaking. We are changing course and heading for Virginia. As soon as we are in Virginia waters a Coast Guard helicopter will land and take three persons aboard for the trip to a hospital. Our arrival in Port Liberty will be as originally scheduled.”

We held our final lesson at the appointed hour and, to our pleasure, received a standing ovation from the 24 attendees. Since the bridge room was at the very top of the ship and had windows with the best view of the rescue attempt, people started pouring into the room. Soon we could see a Coast Guard plane and a helicopter circling the ship. Looking over”my room” it was obvious the people crowding into the front row were blocking the view of everyone behind, so being naturally authoritative, I announced that there was a lot of people who wanted to see and that if those in the front would “schooch” down a little everyone could watch. Most everyone cooperated. The front row was mostly children kneeling, the second row was mostly adults in chairs and the third row was adults standing.Now everyone in the room was able to watch the rescue. Only two women refused to cooperate causing a bit of consternation from the people behind them.

We watched as the helicopter edged its way down to almost ship deck level then inched its way between the various outcroppings of the ship. Remarkable! The helicopter disappeared from sight behind a wall, then after about 10 minutes, backed out inches above the deck and lifted up to a soaring level. Everyone in the room clapped and people began to leave. Since our game was to start soon, we remained in the room. The helicopter remained outside the ship. What was going on? They should be hurrying to the hospital. 

The first landing of the helicopter was repeated two more times. It seems the helicopter dropped off a nurse and equipment the first time, picked up equipment the second time and picked up the three passengers, a woman suffering from extreme diabetic complications including internal bleeding, her husband, and the nurse the third time.Now they were ready to make the trip to the hospital.

The excitement over, we held our game with 28 participants getting a resounding ovation again.. 

Day 11: We awoke in the morning to find the ship anchored at Port Liberty and went through the usual proceedings for disembarking. The lines were long but the process was well organized and there was never a wait. Get off the ship, go to our designated luggage area, find the line of people getting taxi service to the Newark Airport.

We were ushered to a cab with about 11 other people, all headed for the airport. The cab seemed to be having a heck of a time backing out into traffic. Something was holding us up. We finally got into traffic after two stretch limos had passed us, and I saw the culprit. It was not something but someone. Our little French lady, Arlette Rosenthal, (you remember her from a prior episode?), was in the middle of the road directing buses, taxis, shuttles, and every other type of vehicle out of the way so her limos could pull up and into a parking space. Way to go, Arlette. A woman after my own heart!

However, Gerry and I only had an hour to get to the airport, check in and get to the gate. We were sitting right behind the driver so brought to his attention that our flight was tight. The others, groups going to two different terminals, had over three hour waits. The driver had planned his route to go to the closest terminal first, then the second closest then the third. Our terminal was the third! There was no way he was going to alter his route as he knew he would get us to the terminal in time. We dropped the party off at the first terminal, traveled on and dropped off the second party and traveled on. We noticed the driver craning his neck to try to see a sign on the road that had just forked off. “Yep,” he said, I thought that was the ramp to the Delta terminal.” We’d missed it.Lost with a taxi drive in the Newark Airport! As Leo Durocher would say “It’s deja-vu all over again.” Only this time I didn’t have my Mapquest Map.

We left the airport and wound our way through several narrow new Jersey streets. Finally we saw the sign directing traffic to the airport. The driver was right, he got us there in time. Barely! Thanks to the help of an airport employee.Imagine a “dyed in the wool” Irish New York cop. This was our “Angel of Mercy.” A huge man with a twinkle in his eye to go with his Irish brogue, he took our luggage and escorted us all the way through the airport to the plane which had already started loading. We thanked him, tipped him handsomely and made our way to our seats. One stop in Atlanta, then on to Tampa where Jack was waiting to pick us up.

Oh, did I tell you that Gerry had a change of heart? On day ten, she began talking about what we were going to do on our next cruise. She was going to see her doctor and get whatever pills he recommended to keep her from being ill again. So, thank you to all of you who offered to take her place, but I won’t be needing you.

A note to Fumie and Joan who will be accompanying us: Don’t worry. Your personal information is safe. This is my first and last travelogue.

The End