Latest news with #Franczak
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Couple speaks out after dramatic rescue by Carnival cruise ship crew
A couple is speaking out after a Carnival cruise ship rescued them, their crew and their dogs after their catamaran was damaged at sea in the South Pacific. Dustin Leonard and Helena Franczak had set sail on a journey of a lifetime -- traveling the globe on their catamaran. They were joined by two crew members and their three dogs. 'We've had the dream to try and sail around the world. And we got off to a bit of a bumpy start,' Leonard told 'Good Morning America.' Disney Cruise ship rescues 4 people off sinking catamaran in Bermuda The catamaran crew were heading to Fiji when a violent storm struck, stripping the masts off their vessel and leaving them stranded and battered by towering waves and lightning more than 170 nautical miles from the island of New Caledonia. 'Everyone was quite scared,' Leonard recalled. 'I was like, 'Everybody, calm down, listen to me. At the moment, we are safe. Yes, this is not good. This is actually quite bad.'' After shooting a flare in the sky, the crew noticed a large cruise ship -- the Carnival Splendor -- in the distance. Following a five-hour diversion, Capt. Eduardo Ferrone of the Carnival Splendor and his crew pulled off the daring rescue on May 22. Ferrone compared the dramatic event to riding an elephant through a china shop. 'Approaching with such a huge vessel on a small catamaran, it is really something that you need to do carefully because it takes a little mistake ... and you may sink them,' said Ferrone. 72-year-old who had 4 strokes on cruise ship speaks out after rescue The crew on the cruise ship reached the catamaran and pulled Leonard, Franczak, their two crew members and their three dogs to safety. 'We were on our tiny boat. We saw this floating city just coming at us and then they throw a rope ladder and I looked at it. I'm like, OK, we're gonna have to climb that and it was tricky,' Franczak said. Once on board the Carnival Splendor, the couple said the dogs became instant celebrities among the cruise passengers as they strolled the decks. 'That feeling as soon as you get on the cruise ship, there's all the staff members there and you just kind of felt this massive relief,' said Leonard. Leonard and Franczak have since gotten engaged and joked they nearly got married on the Carnival Splendor. Couple speaks out after dramatic rescue by Carnival cruise ship crew originally appeared on
6 days ago
- Entertainment
Couple speaks out after dramatic rescue by Carnival cruise ship crew
A couple is speaking out after a Carnival cruise ship rescued them, their crew and their dogs after their catamaran was damaged at sea in the South Pacific. Dustin Leonard and Helena Franczak had set sail on a journey of a lifetime -- traveling the globe on their catamaran. They were joined by two crew members and their three dogs. 'We've had the dream to try and sail around the world. And we got off to a bit of a bumpy start,' Leonard told 'Good Morning America.' The catamaran crew were heading to Fiji when a violent storm struck, stripping the masts off their vessel and leaving them stranded and battered by towering waves and lightning more than 170 nautical miles from the island of New Caledonia. 'Everyone was quite scared,' Leonard recalled. 'I was like, 'Everybody, calm down, listen to me. At the moment, we are safe. Yes, this is not good. This is actually quite bad.'' After shooting a flare in the sky, the crew noticed a large cruise ship -- the Carnival Splendor -- in the distance. Following a five-hour diversion, Capt. Eduardo Ferrone of the Carnival Splendor and his crew pulled off the daring rescue on May 22. Ferrone compared the dramatic event to riding an elephant through a china shop. 'Approaching with such a huge vessel on a small catamaran, it is really something that you need to do carefully because it takes a little mistake ... and you may sink them,' said Ferrone. The crew on the cruise ship reached the catamaran and pulled Leonard, Franczak, their two crew members and their three dogs to safety. 'We were on our tiny boat. We saw this floating city just coming at us and then they throw a rope ladder and I looked at it. I'm like, OK, we're gonna have to climb that and it was tricky,' Franczak said. Once on board the Carnival Splendor, the couple said the dogs became instant celebrities among the cruise passengers as they strolled the decks. 'That feeling as soon as you get on the cruise ship, there's all the staff members there and you just kind of felt this massive relief,' said Leonard. Leonard and Franczak have since gotten engaged and joked they nearly got married on the Carnival Splendor.
CBS News
31-01-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Wanda set to make her debut this Sunday for Groundhog Day in Chicago suburb
ELBURN, Ill. (CBS) — Move over, Woodstock Willie, there's a new groundhog in town, and she is ready to make her debut. For decades, Willie has been the go-to weather predictor of early spring in the Chicago suburbs, drawing crowds to his annual appearance. This Sunday, he's got some competition. Meet Wanda, the latest fury meteorologist and an ambassador for Anderson Humane Wildlife Center in Elburn, Illinois. As she warms up for her big debut this Groundhog Day, she's already stealing the hearts of her handlers at the rescue. Wanda's journey to stardom is anything but typical. Last year, she and her siblings were orphaned in the wild. After weeks of rehab, Their release day came. Her brothers and sisters took off into the trees, but not Wanda. Stephanie Franczak said that's pretty unusual since their work focuses on making sure wild animals do not become attached to them in order to survive on their own once back in the wild. "We took her back to the forest three or four times, and every time, she followed our rehabber right back to the van," Franczak said. "She would not survive in the wild. She would have walked up to the wrong person, the wrong dog!" "For some reason, we couldn't get her to be a wild animal again, and she's now kind of bonded with us in a way. So she's great with people. She's going to be fantastic when we take her out to educational seminars and programs all over the area," said Greg Mucha. Wanda won't be the only special guest at the Groundhog Day event in Batavia. Isabel is going to be an imposter, an opossum. She was rescued as a baby. "We crawled under a deck, down into a window well, and we were able to get out her and her siblings," Franczek said. "They were covered in fly eggs and maggots. We were able to clean them up. The siblings did great. They were afraid of us. They grew really fast." But Isabel also decided to stay. Now at a year and a half, she helps teach people about wildlife. "she needs to wreak havoc whenever she can," Franczak said. As for Wanda's big moment, all eyes will be on whether she sees her shadow. "My mission one day is to make everyone want to coexist with animals and wildlife. And I hope Wanda will help contribute to that cause and hopefully give us an early spring, right?" Franczak said. One thing's for sure: the eight-month-old is already a fan favorite. The Groundhog Day event this Sunday in Batavia posted on Facebook sold out in just five days. Will Wanda unseat Woodstock Willie as our favorite local furry forecaster? That remains to be seen.
