WHEN your cruise ship has hit an iceberg and is taking on water, romance is likely to be the last thing on your mind.
Now add sub-zero temperatures and the possibility of freezing to death before being rescued.
Danish tourist Jan Henkel, 42, had all this to worry about and more, as he sat in a lifeboat with his girlfriend, Miss Mette Larsen, 29.
They were among the 154 passengers and crew members on board the Canadian-chartered MS Explorer, which struck an iceberg while on an Antarctic cruise on Friday.
Hours later, the vessel sank beneath the waves, taking with it all of Mr Henkel's luggage, as well as his hopes of proposing to Miss Larsen when they arrived in Antarctica.
The couple feared that an icy grave awaited them, but they managed to make it to a lifeboat, reported the Daily Mail.
And as they sat there shivering in the cold, Mr Henkel remembered that while his clothes might be on their way to the bottom of the ocean, the proposal ring was still with him.
He took it out and showed it to Miss Larsen without saying a word.
Mr Henkel said: 'When she saw the engagement ring, she said, 'Yes, that would be really great.'
'I feel wonderful, very pleased to be alive. Everybody was afraid to die, I think.
UNDER CONTROL
'There were some very frightening moments but the crew was very professional and the captain very good and had everything under control.
'On the honeymoon, we will go to a warmer place, I think.'
All the passengers and crew survived the incident.
They were picked up by a Norwegian tourist ship four hours after the accident.
The rescue was made easier by the unusually calm water in the area.
Seventy-seven of the survivors, including the newly engaged couple, were later flown to southern Chile by the Chilean airforce.
Many of them could still recall their horror soon after the ship collided with the iceberg, and water started pouring uncontrollably into a cabin on a lower deck.
UK teacher Mr Hackett, 40, said: 'I remember the moments just before the impact. I was talking with the captain when everything happened.
'I've been through a difficult experience but at the time I didn't panic, I believe we had good leaders.
'This was a powerful experience, but I'm thinking of going on a tour of this area in the future.'
Source :
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/st...49046,00.html?
