While most residents were busy securing their homes and stocking up on last-minute supplies last Saturday, Captain Dirk Veldhuijsen faced another dilemma.

The skipper of the Bermuda Islander was glued to the weather forecast as Hurricane Joaquin veered closer to the Island, forcing him to set off to sea as the storm approached.

It was also at around this time that Captain Veldhuijsen and his nine-strong crew got wind of the maritime tragedy that had transpired off the Bahamas where the container ship El Faro sank with all hands lost at sea.

“There were some crew that were nervous about setting off as the hurricane approached, especially because of what happened to the ship down in the Bahamas,” said the 61-year-old, who has captained the Bermuda Islander for the past four years.

“But I quickly explained that getting out before the storm was our only option and we set off on Saturday afternoon at full speed to get ahead of the storm and not get on its wrong side. We would not have been allowed to stay in Bermuda when the hurricane passed the Island anyway and the idea of going east and coming around behind the storm was too dangerous.

“So the decision was made quickly as soon as we saw the storm was heading closer.”

By the time Joaquin brushed passed the Island late on Sunday evening the Bermuda Islander and her crew were 350 miles west of Bermuda, and had managed to avoid the worst of the storms’s weather.

“Once the decision was made we made good time,” said Captain Veldhuijsen, who has worked at sea for more than 45 years.

“We had 20 to 25 knot winds and a three to four metre swell to deal with, but nothing as bad as is could have been. We also had the wind pushing us towards Salem which helped. It was the right decision to leave because we would have been in trouble if we stayed.

“When you hear about what happened to the El Faro it does remind you how dangerous the sea can be, but I still do not understand what that ship was doing when it went down. It does not make sense to me.

“It is very sad. But at the time when I decided that we needed to leave and get ahead of the hurricane’s path I was just concerned with the safety of the ship and my crew.”

The Bermuda Islander arrived back in Hamilton yesterday to deliver its new cargo of much needed supplies and left the Island last night to make up for the knock-on effect of the delays caused by the hurricane.

“Hopefully this week’s return journey will be a little calmer,” said Captain Veldhuijsen.