Coast Guard Monitors Sick Cruiser 900 Miles Out, Then Rescues Him
Key Aspects:
An 81-year-old passenger was medically evacuated from Windstar Cruises’ Star Pride on October 26, 2026.
The U.S. Coast Guard received the request two days earlier, while the ship was approximately 900 nautical miles north of Puerto Rico.
A helicopter crew safely hoisted the passenger and a ship’s nurse aboard before transporting the patient to a San Juan hospital.
On October 26, 2026, U.S. Coast Guard crews conducted a medical evacuation from Windstar Cruises’ Star Pride. The 12,995-gross-ton vessel was sailing approximately 900 nautical miles north of Puerto Rico on Saturday, October 24, when an 81-year-old man on board suffered a medical emergency.
Sector San Juan watchstanders received an urgent medical evacuation request from the ship that same day, around 5:00 p.m. However, the Coast Guard did not immediately dispatch aid, instead maintaining continuous contact with the vessel over the weekend.
The Coast Guard did not say why it waited, but at 900 nautical miles the ship was well beyond the range of its helicopters, so watchstanders kept in contact with the vessel and monitored the patient as Star Pride sailed toward Puerto Rico. Commander Scott Verhage, Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen operations officer, explained the difficulty in conducting these long-range operations in a statement.
“Air Station Borinquen and Sector San Juan train relentlessly to mitigate the risks associated with demanding Coast Guard missions like long-range medical evacuations,” said Commander Verhage. “Our ultimate goal is to execute safe, highly efficient operations within a dynamic and unforgiving maritime environment.”
On Monday, an MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter crew was dispatched to the ship around 3:00 p.m. By that time, Star Pride was sailing approximately 150 nautical miles north of Puerto Rico, en route to San Juan.
A video of the medevac shared by the U.S. Coast Guard shows the successful hoisting of the passenger as well as the ship’s nurse onto the helicopter by the crew. The guest was then transported to San Juan and taken to Centro Médico Hospital (the Puerto Rico Medical Center) in Río Piedras for further treatment.
No Reported Impact to Star Pride’s Itinerary
At the time of the medevac, Star Pride was on an 8-night cruise to San Juan that departed from Boston on October 20. That same cruise was also sold as the final segment of a longer 19-night sailing from Montreal that departed October 9, though it’s unclear which of the two offerings the 81-year-old guest was a part of.
No interruption to Star Pride’s itinerary has been announced. Passengers were scheduled to disembark in San Juan on October 28.
The Same Air Station Has Conducted Cruise Ship Airlifts Before
Medical evacuations are not an unusual occurrence at sea. While cruise ships often have medical facilities and personnel onboard, passengers sometimes require medical aid beyond what the ship’s crew can provide.
In those cases, the ship’s crew will call for aid to evacuate and transport the patient. When sailing in and near U.S. waters, that task usually falls upon the U.S. Coast Guard.
Cruise Hive recently reported that the same Coast Guard air station performed another airlift medevac from a cruise ship off the coast of Puerto Rico in September. Five hours after Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas departed San Juan, the Coast Guard airlifted a 32-year-old crew member suffering from severe abdominal pain.
Air Station Borinquen Coast Guard crews are no strangers to long-range rescue operations, having conducted several others in past years. In 2024, for example, crews executed another successful airlift from Disney Fantasy 180 nautical miles northwest of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico.
The identity of Star Pride’s guest has not been disclosed. While he was taken to the hospital for treatment, his medical condition has also not been publicly announced.
Coast Guard Monitors Sick Cruiser 900 Miles Out, Then Rescues Him