Hours before the scheduled departure time, she received an email from Carnival stating the vessel would leave late because of a propulsion problem.

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Media had gathered in Portimao, Portugal, at her scheduled departure time of 1200 GMT on Saturday, but there was no sign of Ms Dekker or her vessel.

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More than a day late, many coffees, and very little sleep later, the third time finally proved to be the charm -- more than 24 hours after our scheduled departure.

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