Schools Boston Harbor Cruise Ship Crashes, Newton 8th Graders Aboard The 8th-grade party continued after the cruise ship they were on malfunctioned and rammed into several sailboats in the harbor. Reply NEWTON, MA — A cruise ship with around 320 people on board, mainly eighth graders from Day Middle School in Newton crashed into multiple sailboats in Boston Harbor, Thursday morning. No students were injured in the crash, but the cruise ship had to be towed back to the dock, according to officials. Around 11:30 a.m. the Coast Guard was called to the Boston Harbor with reports that the Boston cruise ship "The Odyssey" had crashed into several moored sailboats. "The cruise ship is back moored at its pier and the Coast Guard is investigating," Coast Guard Petty Officer Nicole Groll told Patch. The crew is still trying to figure out what happened. One witness told Patch that he watched as at least one person had to abandon ship as the cruise ship barreled down on the sailboat he was working on. Don Symmington owner of Boston Harbor Boat Rentals was transiting across the harbor and slowed down when he noticed the Odyssey backing up. "What caught my attention was the five blasts of the horn, which indicate danger," he told Patch. "I turned to look and realized, 'oh they're not warning someone else they are warning that they themselves are the danger.'" He watched as the cruise ship backed into a sailboat from the sailboat club and a worker who was on the boat had to scramble to jump off and into his launch and sped away to get out of the way of the ship. And the boat kept going backwards.<doc-sep>A cruise ship in Boston struck a number of boats docked in the harbor when it lost control Thursday. The Odyssey reportedly lost propulsion leaving the dock in Boston Harbor and hit at least five sailboats in the afternoon. The Coast Guard was on scene investigating the incident. More than 300 people were on board the ship for a party, according to CBS Boston. No injuries had yet been reported. It was unclear how much damage the boats involved sustained. This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.<doc-sep>BOSTON (CBS) – The Coast Guard is investigating after a small cruise ship with hundreds of students on board hit moored boats in Boston Harbor Thursday morning. As they set off for the cruise, the eighth-grade class from Day Middle School in Newton quickly realized there was a big problem. “I thought we were turning around and then we started getting close to all these really small boats and I realized something is definitely wrong,” said student Dani Kingsley. About 300 students and teachers were onboard the vessel, The Odyssey, for a pre-graduation field trip. Excitement turned into fear. “There was a man in a boat very close to us who was jumping from boat to boat to try and save his life pretty much,” Kingsley said. That man is Vernon Fritch – an instructor at Boston Harbor Sailing Club. “It was coming straight at me about three knots,” Fritch said. He was inside one of the cabins when he heard The Odyssey’s horn. “When I come up there was this big stern coming at me,” he said. “I was startled, I was surprised.” The ship pushed the small sailboats together only causing cosmetic damage. Fritch managed to jump out of the way and escape injury. Dani sent a text to her mom. “The boat just crashed, we don’t know what’s going on, but thank God everyone’s OK,” said Sarah Perry, describing the text she received from Kingsley. The Odyssey’s crew says they experienced a brief loss of throttle and the Coast Guard says the captain quickly regained power. The party continued on the boat – though without the excitement of a cruise. The students were moved to a lower deck and continued their event with lunch and music until their scheduled 1 p.m. dismissal. “They always say you should go out of school with a big bang and a bash but we didn’t think it would be so literal,” Perry said. No pollution to the harbor resulted from the incident. Several of the sailboats were left with scrapes following impact. Odyssey Boston said in a statement the issue with the ship has been identified and will be fixed. Our marine crew have identified the cause of the malfunction and are making the necessary repair to ready the ship for its return to service. We expect to be sailing again shortly. While these types of incidents are rare, we are fully prepared and equipped to handle them. As a company, we take the safety of our guests and crew very seriously, and operate our vessels to the highest marine safety standards. The company has an exemplary record, and has served millions of guests in over 30 years cruising Boston Harbor.<doc-sep>
BOSTON (WHDH) - A Boston Harbor cruise ship with more than 300 passengers on board struck six sailboats after losing control in Boston Harbor Thursday, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. A mechanical failure caused the captain of the Odyssey ship to lose control of the vessel around 11 a.m. before hitting the boats, officials said. Several students from the Day Middle School in Newton were on the ship for a field trip during the incident while a separate party was taking place. Vernon Fritch, an instructor with the Boston Sailing Club, was forced to jump from one boat into another to avoid the oncoming ship. “It actually backed into us,” he said. “It pushed both boats back about 100 feet into the moorings. Don Symington, the owner boat rental business on the harbor, heard the Odyssey’s horn sound five times as it traveled through the water in reverse. “Somehow they were not able to get it out of reverse and the boat just kept going with seemingly no way to stop it,” he said. “The people on the boat were screaming.” The party went on as planned after the ship returned to the dock, officials added. No injuries were reported. The captain of the ship was tested for possible alcohol consumption. “The Coast Guard, Massachusetts State Police, Massachusetts Environmental Police and Boston Fire Department immediately responded to ensure no one was hurt,” said Captain Claudia Gelzer, Sector Boston Captain of the Port. “We are investigating the cause to prevent future accidents.” The Coast Guard is investigating the incident. Boston Fire on the scene after a Boston Harbor cruise ship, the Odyssey, lost control and reportedly struck several boats in the harbor according to the Coast Guard. There are school children on board. No injuries reported. pic.twitter.com/srzTeH0FUB — Jonathan Hall (@JHall7news) June 21, 2018