A party cruise turned to tragedy in Sydney overnight after the ship’s captain suffered a heart attack at the wheel.
Nearly 200 guests were celebrating a birthday onboard the Constellation boat that was set to sail Sydney Harbour Saturday night, March 3.
After the boat departed King Street Wharf, it soon became apparent that all was not well. Others on the harbour noticed the ship’s captain, 67-year-old Howard Bovill, slumped over the steering wheel.
Constellation employee John Anogiankis was onboard the cruise, and rushed to Mr Bovill’s aid. Crew began CPR on the captain and brought the ship under control. Another charter boat helped bring the captain to the wharf.
Howard Bovill was taken to St Vincent’s hospital but later died.
No one else was injured in the accident. According to a Sydney Ferry master if the boat had crashed into one of the ferry wharves it had been heading towards, there would have been “massive casualties”.