FORMER East Lancashire teacher Eileen Eastham's holiday cruise turned into an adventure on the high seas.

She was among hundreds of passengers on the cruise ship Arcadia who watched as two men were rescued from a small dinghy close to St Lucia in the Caribbean.

"We were heading for our next port of call when the officer on watch spotted the men frantically waving red flags," explained Eileen, a Lancashire Evening Telegraph community correspondent.

"Their outboard motor wasn't working and the boat was taking in water."

"It created a lot of excitement on the ship and suddenly everybody seemed to become an expert in sea rescues. They were convinced the men would drown."

The men, who were in their 20s and from St Lucia, were eventually helped on board on Christmas Day.

Eileen, of Milton Close, Darwen, added: "They said they had been adrift for two nights. One of them was very reluctant to leave a receptacle behind, which obviously contained something very precious to him. The boat was abandoned and they were kept under guard in the sick bay."

When the ship docked at St Lucia the rescued men were taken into police custody.

Eileen later spoke to the captain who was convinced the men had been trafficking drugs between islands.

The drama continued on the three-week luxury cruise when force ten winds and tropical storms created stormy conditions on board.

Eileen said: "The trip was wonderful, despite me getting seasick for the first time. I met Tom O'Connor and the fabulous violinist, Gary Lavini.

"The rescue was a bit of an adventure and the two men probably got the best Christmas dinner they have ever had."

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