Cruise Ship Law

Written by Ken Borsuk, Greenwich-Post.com Staff Reporter

Having learned to love sailing as a child, Greenwich resident Hillary Bercovici never expected that a simple trip from Bermuda would turn into a medical emergency for him, necessitating a rescue at sea.

Mr. Bercovici, an Episcopal priest and pastoral psychotherapist, working as a scholar-in-residence at Trinity Church Greenwich, was part of a crew returning the racing boat Misty, a 40-foot sloop, to Rhode Island from Bermuda two weeks ago, after it had taken part in a race just a few days earlier. An experienced sailor, Mr. Bercovici had made the trip before, but this time bad weather and choppy waters led to his injury.

In an interview with the Post on Tuesday, Mr. Bercovici said they were two days into the trip, which usually takes four to six days depending on conditions, when they encountered some rough seas on June 30.

“It was nothing of great concern,” Mr. Bercovici said when asked about the conditions. “We weren’t in a panic or anything. But when we went to change course we were hit by a wave on the side which swung us around unexpectedly. I got knocked over by the mainsheet, which holds in the mainsail. I don’t really remember what happened, but I’m told I was knocked down and my head hit a winch. I got a concussion and it opened up a two-and-a-half-inch gash over my right eye.”

Despite the blow to the head, Mr. Bercovici never lost consciousness and in fact believed he was fine at first.

“Everyone was around me asking if I was OK, and I kept telling them, ‘I’m fine. I’m fine. What’s the big deal?’” Mr. Bercovici recalled. “They told me I was bleeding and at first I didn’t believe them but then I held my hand up to my head and saw it was covered in blood.”

Mr. Bercovici was immediately taken below deck and treated in an attempt to stop the bleeding. It was then that his condition began to worsen. Since they were more than 200 miles from land, the boat had to use the satellite phone to call the Coast Guard and make contact with a doctor.

“Apparently I got a bit on the incoherent side,” Mr. Bercovici said. “I’m told I was getting very confused and the bleeding wouldn’t stop. I started hallucinating and seeing people that weren’t there. I remember thinking there were all these people there in costume like it was a Halloween party or something. It was definitely a very weird experience for me. I had never gone through anything like that in my life.”

The Coast Guard said it would be able to get assistance to Misty, but it would take six hours. That concerned the doctor with whom the crew was in contact. While the bleeding was not a concern, the hallucinations were, and the doctor was concerned it was a symptom of a far more serious injury than a concussion, and required immediate attention. It was then that an alternate idea was put forth by the Coast Guard.

A cruise ship, the Norwegian Dawn, was about 32 nautical miles away and was participating in the Amver program with the Coast Guard. That meant the ship was available for assistance if needed, and it was called upon. Despite the bad weather, with rain and wind gusts up to 33 knots and reported 20-foot swells, the ship was able to locate the Misty, lower a rescue boat with three crew members and get Mr. Bercovici on board.

The ship offered all the luxuries vacationers enjoy, but the onboard physician was what Mr. Bercovici needed most. As soon as he was safely on the ship, Mr. Bercovici was able to get the treatment he needed. The doctor stopped the bleeding and diagnosed his hallucinations. Mr. Bercovici had been wearing a scopolamine patch behind his ear to help him combat some seasickness, and the medicine combined with the blow to the head to trigger the hallucinations.

Once the patch was removed the medicine began to wear off, and after almost eight hours, the hallucinations stopped. Once he was given different medication to help him get his balance back, Mr. Bercovici was able to leave the infirmary. But he couldn’t return home just yet. The Norwegian Dawn had been headed to Bermuda when it picked him up, so he returned to where he started.

Mr. Bercovici said he didn’t mind.

“It sure beat a Coast Guard cutter,” he said. “The company was really good to me. Everyone on board was just incredible.” The Norwegian Cruise Line allowed him to stay as a guest for free. Andrew Gigla, who had suffered shock-like symptoms while taking part in a sailboat race off the coast of Cape Cod, Mass., was also given lodging.

Mr. Bercovici praised the boat’s captain, Trygve Vorren. In order to get Mr. Bercovici off the Misty and onto the Norwegian Dawn, Mr. Vorren had to maneuver the nearly 1,000-foot-long cruise ship against the considerably smaller Misty, and Mr. Bercovici said he did everything skillfully. Both Mr. Bercovici and Mr. Gigla got to know Capt. Vorren during the trip to Bermuda, as they got the rare privilege of being allowed on the bridge to meet the senior crew, including those who had done the actual rescues.

“It was wonderful to meet these guys,” Mr. Bercovici said. “It was very moving.”

Having left his wallet and passport on the Misty in all the confusion, Mr. Bercovici was able to get a loan from the crew so he could get to the airport, where his wife was waiting for him to get him back to Greenwich.

Mr. Bercovici’s injury proved to be a mild concussion, and he is nearly fuly recovered. Because of the concussion, at first he was sleeping 16 hours a day, but now he’s back to normal sleep patterns.

The accident has done nothing to cool Mr. Bercovici’s love of sailing. He and his wife are planning an August trip in their own boat for some coastal cruising.

“I’m getting stronger every day,” Mr. Bercovici said. “I feel like I’m all the way back, but I’m being told not to just rush back... and ease into it.”