The Lamb of God Headbangers Boat charter cruise, organized by Sixthman in partnership with Norwegian Cruise Line, faced a tragic incident when a 41-year-old passenger went overboard on Friday (3rd), near the Bahamas. Despite a nine-hour search by the U.S. Coast Guard and the Royal Bahamas Defense Force, the passenger couldn’t be located. The Norwegian Pearl, hosting the voyage, resumed its course to Miami after the search was canceled due to adverse weather conditions. Guests onboard, informed of the pause in the program until 1 p.m., remained understanding, acknowledging the challenging circumstances. The cruise line and the Coast Guard are collaborating to investigate the incident further. At this time, our thoughts are with the passenger’s family and friends, and we will provide updates as soon as we have more information.
A spokesperson for Norwegian Cruise Line issued the following statement:
“On the early morning of Friday, Nov. 3, 2023, Norwegian Pearl was notified that a 41-year-old male guest went overboard while the ship was sailing near the Bahamas on its way to Miami. The authorities have been notified and the United States Coast Guard search and rescue operation is underway. The investigation is ongoing, and we will share updates as appropriate. Our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones during this difficult time.”
Lamb of God issued a separate statement:
“We’re deeply saddened to have learned that a member of our community was involved in a tragic incident. Sending love and light to their family and loved ones.”
According to Cruise Hive, Frank Godla, CEO of Metal Injection and Metalsucks, commented on the night of the search:
“Around 3:30 a.m. I was woken up by some really choppy waters and the boat making a hard u-turn that left me wondering what’s going on. Roughly 20 minutes later, the captain made us aware a passenger went overboard and a search and rescue mission has begun. An hour ago, the captain had to make a very sad announcement to all onboard that after 9 hours of searching, they have no choice but to conclude the rescue mission and resume course to Miami.”
Headbangers Boat co-host Riki Rachtman shared a video message via social media, stating:
“I’m just gonna start by talking about this because it’s something that weighs heavy on our heart and all the bands and all the people that were on the cruise. Unfortunately, somebody went over. There was a man overboard. And I know what I’ve heard and I’m not gonna share anything until it already comes out. But somebody went off the ship at about four o’clock in the morning. Everybody was devastated when we were woken up by the calls, and then they spent nine hours trying to find this person with the Coast Guard. And I get sentimental when I say this, but at about nine o’clock in the morning, they made the announcement that the search was called off. And when that happened, it was devastating and it hurt everybody when you walked around the ship. This metal community, and I don’t talk about this ’cause you know I love so many different genres of music, but the metal community, especially the people on this boat, is just that — it’s a community — and we lost one of our own. My thoughts and prayers are for the families and friends, and it was just so tragic.”
