Cruise Ship Rescues 6 From Disabled Yacht In Atlantic

ATLANTIC OCEAN (CBSMiami) – Six people, all from Miami, were rescued at sea by a luxury cruise ship after their yacht encountered mechanical trouble in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

According to Norwegian Cruise Line officials, three men and three women on a sailing yacht called the "Avenir" had lost their rudder and their ability to steer.

The Coast Guard received a distress signal around 8:00 a.m. Tuesday and asked the Norwegian Star to help because the disabled yacht was only 54 nautical miles away from the cruise ship.

The Captain of the Norwegian Star immediately diverted course to rescue the six people aboard.

The Norwegian Star was sailing from New York City to Bermuda and continued on its route and was scheduled to arrive in Bermuda Wednesday morning.

According to the Captain of the "Avenir", the group left Bermuda on June 24, 2012 and was delivering the "Avenir" to Bristol, Rhode Island.