Captain Key West

The U.S. Coast Guard has cleared the way for an emergency stop by a cruise ship this afternoon in order to save a life.
An 81-year-old man aboard the Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Sea is in critical condition with septic shock.
According the U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Adam Chamie, the decision to evacuate the man at Pier B is the only way he will have a chance of surviving.
After consulting with the City, the police, and the harbor pilots, the ship -- bound for Tampa -- will make the quick stop in Key West.
The Coast Guard’s standard procedure, said Capt. Chamie, is to first explore taking the patient directly off the ship at sea via helicopter. However, the ventilator and life-sustaining equipment keeping the man alive cannot be safely operated in the aircraft. Second choice, he said, is to take a smaller vessel alongside the ship, but four-foot waves are too unstable for the patient and the equipment. The decision was made to bring the ship in briefly for the medevac.
“These situations are always about saving an individual’s life,” he said. “We took extra care to look at all aspects, talking with all our partners to be sure it was feasible. We want to be sensitive to the community’s wishes, but at the end of the day, it’s about saving a life.”
“We understand the Coast Guard’s decision,” said City Manager Patti McLauchlin, “and we fully support this emergency if it means the difference of life and death.”

Love me some opening day.