Uh oh...
3:14AM. After waiting in the ship's lounge for about 45 minutes, the temperature in the sealed fire area was not dropping. The captain directs us to board the lifeboats "as a precaution". The ship has 4 lifeboats in total, two on each side. We are in Lifeboat #4 - Portside, Aft.
3:20AM. The young woman in charge of our lifeboat (Canadian, Nicky) with hotel crew assisting. Boat is quickly loaded with cases of water, soft drinks, and motion sickness bags. Luckily this lifeboat is open and we benefit from the cooling breeze and can see the stars swaying above us as the Wind Song rocks.
Roll is called again cabin-by-cabin to ensure no one in unaccounted for. They did this over and over at every step of the evacuation - very methodical.
An English woman (dark curly hair..the Purser?) came around to determine if anyone did not have their medication that they must take within the next 8 hours for “life threatening conditions” (eg diabetes). Crew members returned to the passenger cabins to retrieve these medicines at risk to their own safety.
Smoke continues to rise from the ships smokestacks. This is the only visible indication of the fire from the rear of the ship where we wait.
The Captain updates us approx every 30 minutes. He thanks us for our patience in our uncomfortable surroundings but reminds us we are “in the safest possible place”. He and the First Officer come around personally to reassure us they are giving us all the information they have. News that a 200-passenger fast ferry is on its way towards us from Raiatea is very welcome indeed.
Approx 4:30AM a brightly lit dive boat arrives and begins to circle the ship. The first physical sign that we are not alone!