A couple who were on their way to Fiji in a catamaran have spoken out after a cruise ship rescued them, their crew and their dogs after their catamaran was damaged at sea.
Dustin Leonard and Helena Franczak with the two crew members had left New Caledonia on May 22 when a violent storm struck, stripping the masts off their vessel and leaving them stranded.
They were about 170 nautical miles from New Caledonia.
After shooting a flare in the sky, the crew noticed a large cruise ship — the Carnival Splendor — in the distance.
Following a five-hour diversion, Captain Eduardo Ferrone of the Carnival Splendor and his crew pulled off the daring rescue on May 22.
The crew on the cruise ship reached the catamaran and pulled Leonard, Franczak, their two crew members and their three dogs to safety.
Once on board the Carnival Splendor, the couple said the dogs became instant celebrities among the cruise passengers as they strolled the decks.
“That feeling as soon as you get on the cruise ship, there’s all the staff members there and you just kind of felt this massive relief,” Leonard told ABC News.
Leonard and Franczak have since gotten engaged and joked they nearly got married on the Carnival Splendor.
