Wedding cruise plunged into terror after pleasure boat hits rocks as newlyweds and 82 guests celebrate their nuptials

A young couple’s idyllic wedding cruise turned into chaos when the ship’s captain became “disoriented” in bad weather and sent the vessel headfirst into a breakwater.

Alex Buckman and Katrina Thompson departed with their 82 guests aboard the Vista Star from Duluth, Minnesota, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday night.

Three hours later, the groom’s grandmother was dangling from a lifeboat after the captain defied warnings of stormy conditions and sailed toward the open waters of Lake Superior.

“There was no way to slow down, he was in great shape,” said his daughter Kristine Buckman. “We didn’t just hit him, we hit the breakwater.”

The bride and groom happily posed for photos on deck after boarding the boat earlier in the evening as their guests arrived.

“It was a wedding, so we celebrated and had dinner and as the evening went on, things started to change,” Buckman’s aunt, Beth Elstad, told northernnewsnow.com.

The ship was to leave the port and head out onto the lake before returning to the port under the aerial lift three miles to the north.

By 5:40 p.m., the Duluth Fire Department had issued a warning about dangerous swimming conditions, and Elstad said guests assumed the ship would remain in port if conditions were too rough.

But at some point, the boat left the harbor and ended up in open waters where guests began to feel the effects of the five-foot swell.

Guests taking in the air on deck then watched in horror as the ship plowed violently into the breakwater next to the Superior Point Entrance Lighthouse.

“We were heading straight toward this breakwater wall for several minutes,” said guest Ryan Wendlandt

“Myself and a few other passengers on the upper deck had seen it coming for some time, but we assumed that the captain must have seen it and was planning to turn back.

“We hit that wall without changing gear or making any effort to turn and/or avoid it. How the hell the captain didn’t see it coming, I’ll never know.”

Video filmed on board shows guests being thrown onto the dance floor and struggling to stay upright as the ship rocked from the impact.

“There was a sharp turn,” Elstad said. “One of the speakers in the corner fell over with glass on the table and almost hit one of the guests.”

“That was the first clue and we all wondered, ‘What’s going on? Are we going around in circles?'”

Passengers said staff did little to help them and that passengers were left screaming and to their own devices as they tried to understand what was happening.

“Guests and family members handed out life jackets,” Elstad said. “My family and guests were treated and assessed for injuries.

“We asked ourselves: how do we choose who will leave here?

“Truly, that’s how I felt and no one should ever find themselves in that situation. It was completely avoidable.”

The crew declared an emergency and a St. Louis County Rescue Team boat rushed to the scene.

Passengers told KBJR that the crew did not know how to open the hatch to see if the ship was sinking, and that a colleague of the groom at Fraser Shipyards had checked the ballast.

Stunning footage shows the waves hurling the lifeboat into the hull of the stricken vessel before bouncing off as Buckman’s grandmother is hoisted precariously aboard before being taken to hospital with head and hip injuries.

Owner Justin Steinbach said the captain sailed toward the open lake before deciding to turn back due to rough conditions.

But as he turned the boat, he “must have become disoriented at the entrance opening.”

“He got too close to the rock wall and that’s what we hit.”

He said the captain was shaken by the collision and rescue crew members brought him back to port under his own power after confirming he was not taking on water, eventually allowing the traumatised passengers to disembark.

“Once the two captains took control, everything went much smoother and less chaotic,” said Kristine Buckman.

“But probably half the passenger list was either vomiting out the back or the front.”

“This boat will need a good bath.”

Guests were determined not to let the chaotic scenes spoil the happy couple’s big day and posted messages of support on their social media pages in the days following.

“All those Gilligan’s Island jokes may have been tempting fate,” wrote Jenny Dillon.

“Katrina Thompson, this will be a day no one will ever forget!! You kicked this union off with a bang! Literally.”

“We collided with the breakwater and the coastguard had to come and try to rescue us. Last night was definitely a night to remember,” added Pez Davila.

The captain tested negative for drugs and alcohol, and the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office said it does not currently plan to file criminal charges.

Steinbach defended the crew of the boat he has owned for 13 years.

“Our goal has always been to create great experiences,” he told Fox21.

“It was an unfortunate experience. It happens. You know, in the marine world.

“We’re sorry about what happened. But again, the way the crew responded to make sure the boat was safe, the crew was safe and, most importantly, the passengers were saved.”

His explanation failed to appease the groom’s aunt.

“I hear the boat owner say that safety is paramount and they have procedures and protocol,” she spat.

“No one was executed.”