Sailor rescued by cruise ship to return as passenger

After saving the life of a stranded sailor, one US Cruiseliner may soon be welcoming him aboard as a passenger.

American navy veteran Phillip Johnson sustained cracked ribs and fractured vertebrae after his 48-foot yacht was knocked over in a freak accident 700 nautical miles off Hawaii’s Big Island on October 6.

Celebrity Century, which was carrying 1,800 passengers and 800 staff, came to the rescue, reaching the 62-year-old in just 12 hours after the US Coast Guard in Honolulu put out an SOS call.

Passengers on the ship, which had been on its way to Hilo, watched nervously as Konstantinos Patsoulas, the captain of the 815-foot ship, rescued Johnson.

“They saved our lives,” Johnson said. “You simply can’t say enough thankyous.”

"Everyone was so wonderful. The doctors ... the nurses. The captain told me 'There's 2,000 people aboard this ship that want to say hello to you.'”

While some people who’d lived through such an experience may be put off water for life, he plans to continue pleasure boating and even wants to book a Celebrity Century cruise to Hilo.

“That was just a freak accident that happened,” Johnson said.

If you get a flat tyre, you don’t say you’ll never drive again.

"I just want to take a cruise under a stress-free situation... For me, sailing is really relaxing. It's therapy for me to be at sea.”

Johnson had been taking a yacht from San Diego to Hawaii with his nephew and a friend when the boat began experiencing glitches with its generators and batteries.

"Occasionally, a wave would coincide with a swell and would bang against the side of the boat," he recalled.

"Suddenly, a gust of wind laid the boat over pretty hard. It must have knocked the boat over 30 degrees, and I flew across the galley, from the right to left side and hit against the galley stove. It bent me over in pain, and I couldn't even straighten up."

After calling the US Coast Guard on his satellite phone, they alerted all ships in the area. Johnson’s boat, which had been left without power, was afterwards abandoned at sea.

If the keen sailor wants to start the New Year with a grand voyage, there are a number of cheap cruises that Celebrity Century is offering.

For example, their 16-night San Francisco Stay and Hawaiian Cruise leaves on March 20, which includes three nights in San Francisco and starts at £1,399.

Other companies offering Hawaiian getaways include Princess Cruises. Their Golden Princess package, a Hawaii round-trip, leaves on Jan 17. The 15-night trip starts at £1299 per person.

The perfect time for Hawaii cruises is from October to March. However the island experiences 80F temperatures most of the year. During the summer the weather is dryer.

For those who want to get away sooner rather than later though, be rest assured that many liners also offer last minute cruises, such as Golden Princess’ 14-night Hawaii cruise departs Los Angeles on December 7.