Canadian Class Afloat Ship Sinks

I love tall ships and couldn’t believe the story that unfolded with the Concordia when suddenly met with heavy seas the crew, high schoolers had to abandon ship and await rescue from life rafts afloat in ocean. I agree with the sea-fever.org blog in that everyone may not be a fan of the Class Afloat program but I believe it is an incredible program that gives opportunities to kids to learn and experience something new. I wish I would have gotten my hands on a program like this when I was kid because I can now only dream of having this type of experience. While there is a some level of danger I would be willing to let my son enter a program like this because it maybe a life changing event. The sea-fever.org blog has a good description of how a Microburst potentially toppled the Concordia. This sounds like the best possibility. We’re glad to hear everyone is safe and we look forward to students and staff returning to their studies and families.

Below is an excerpt from the Canadian press about the sinking:

McArthur, who was a staff member aboard the SV Concordia, said she was teaching a biology class Wednesday when it became apparent that the ship was in serious trouble.

She said her students quickly dressed in immersion suits and all were able to get into life-rafts as the vessel quickly rolled onto its side.

“It was pretty intense, but the students and the whole crew were very focused and they all did an excellent job by helping and supporting each other,” said McArthur.

She said everyone remained calm and knew “what they had to do and where they needed to be.”

“Instinctively the students and the crew knew what to do . . . and I think that’s one of the reasons we were all able to get out of there safely.”

McArthur said it wasn’t very long before the life-rafts moved away from the ship and “we were able to watch it go down.”

Read the entire article.

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