Today the good ship Eurodam is sailing around the Eastern point of Cuba and heading from there on a South Easterly course into the Caribbean Sea, on it’s way to Grand Cayman. There we should be in position by 08.00 hrs. tomorrow morning. More about that tomorrow.
But for today’s blog I am doing something different as tomorrow Captain Peter Bos of the ms Noordam is retiring after 37 years with Holland America and 44 years at sea. I had already posted his bio in the history section of this blog some time ago, but I am bringing it forward again as it not everyday that a captain retires with so many years of dedication to the company. I know Peter very well, we started to together on the ss Statendam in 1981 and then a sailed together for many years as with him being 4 years longer at sea than I, he was always one rank ahead of me. We sailed out together the Grand Dame of the Seas the ss Rotterdam in 1997 which was for both of us a high light in our career. Then I got promoted to captain as well and our ways split. Luckily with my current function of Fleet Support Master I met him again while he was contemplating his retirement. One day, when the mists of time allow, I will post a few anecdotes. He is with his ship sailing in Australian waters and the last cruise was not an easy one as the Weather Gods gave him a very stormy farewell. Now it is Time To Say Good Bye and wish him a happy retirement and many more years of sailing, golfing and travelling.
Captain Peter Bos was born as Pieter Willem Fernand Bos on 22 March 1954 in Lagos Nigeria. His father was an agent for Holland West Africa Line, a Dutch cargo shipping line, but they also lived in Luanda, Accra and Douala and in 1959 the whole family (now with 2 boys and a girl) returned to the Netherlands as the local political situation in Africa became a little bit too unstable. The family settled down in the town of Baarn located just SE of Amsterdam.
Here he went to school and also fell in love with golf. Having one of the oldest and best known golf courses in the Netherlands on your door step made it easy to become a golf fanatic and to play 2 or 3 rounds a day when on leave and stay out of the way of the weekend warriors.
His mother being one of the first flight attendants for KLM and his sister doing the same later made him get the travel bug listening to their stories and his first move was a glider camp in summer in preparation for flight school. However due to the Ist energy crisis in 1974 the hopes of becoming an airline pilot were crushed and instead he joined the Maritime Academy in Amsterdam (Kweekschool voor de Zeevaart, until its closure the oldest one in the world).
He then tried the Dutch Royal Air force Academy for a year but decided upon a life at sea and became a cadet with Dutch Shell tankers in 1974. SS Katelysia was his first ship an old product tanker. The ship was built in 1954 as part of a series to replace lost war time tonnage. He returned to Shell after obtaining his 3rd mate’s license and sailed on ever bigger tankers.
The ss Katelysia. One of a series of K Tankers which Royal Dutch Shell transferred from British to Dutch Flag.
In 1980 Shell started downsizing and Holland America once in a while borrowed officers from Shell tankers and Captain Bos applied after listening to a glowing report from an engineer who had sailed a contract with HAL. He joined the ss Statendam in October 1981 as a 3rd officer. After that there was the old ss Volendam and Veendam and the old ms Noordam new build in the St Nazaire yard and then the ss Rotterdam from 1986 thru 1997. He obtained his Master’s license in 1991.
The ss Rotterdam V seen here at anchor in Sitka in 1986.
From then on he rotated over all the DAM ships except the old ms Westerdam and stuck mostly to the smaller ships. He was appointed to his first command in 1996 and served on the Noordam and Statendam that year.
The early years of command.
He was privileged to sail the Grand Old Lady, the ss Rotterdam, out of Holland America service in 1997.As with many Holland America Line officers, this was also for him his favorite ship of all times. The ship is now a successful Hotel in the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
In 1990 he met his wife Kathy during a cruise and they settled in the United States moving several times, from Ft. Lauderdale to Minnesota and then back to Florida to Mount Dora, mainly due to his or her disagreements with the local weather.
When he settled down in the States, he realized a boyhood dream, coming from a country where cars had to be small as the roads were not wide. (plus the gas prices did not help either) So he bought himself a 1976 Cadillac Eldorado convertible. Perfect for touring with, visiting family and friends or his wife and the dogs; if there were no visitors for a change.
King of the Road. The 1976 Cadillac Eldorado convertible.
Since 2006 he lives in Bethlehem/Taylorsville near Hickory, North Carolina. There is a lake behind his house for water sports and golf courses nearby so ample opportunity to enjoy his various hobbies.
Over the last 15 years he has been dividing his sailing periods between Alaska and Down Under which are both his favorite sailing areas but he looks back at 2012/2013 on board the Veendam with trips to Antarctica and the Voyage of the Vikings as the nicest cruises he has ever done, better than World cruises. Coming this year April 2018 he will have been at sea for 44 years and has decided to call it quits. On 28 March 2018 he will run the telegraph of his ship to – STOP for the last time and will say farewell to the cruise ships, Holland America, the sea and many friends among guests and crew/colleagues.
First on the Honey DO list is applying for his US Citizenship and then start traveling the USA.
In December 2017 they visited the Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon and next on the list are the 4 famous South Utah national parks, Mt Rushmore and Niagara falls in the winter.
0Sunset in Bethlehem. If you retire to a scene like this, then it can not be so bad.
March 28, 2018 at 1:09 am
We sailed on the MS Oosterdam in Jan/Feb 2015 on a round trip from Sydney to New Zealand, under the command of Captain Bos. Two things I still remember about Captain Bos from that voyage. First, what a nice unassuming man he is. He came over and sat with me and my wife at the Mariner’s Party, talking about so many different things. I told my wife that everyone must be wondering who we were that the captain would spend so much time with us. And second, his dealing with the weather. Likely much like what he just dealt with, every day there was some weather problem that he had to face – winds, rain, high seas. I remember thinking how different this route was from, say, the Caribbean, where, except in hurricane season, there was nothing like this to deal with. And he had to think and plan 2 or 3 days ahead. There was some issue with the pilot boat at one of our departures. The seas were so bad, that the pilot boat could not come alongside, so we had to have the pilot stay onboard with us, but we were moving from the South Island to the North and there was some concern about getting the pilot back to his home base. Just one thing after another. Sorry to have gone on so long. It’s just that I remember Captain Bos so warmly, and wish him many years of a happy and healthy retirement.
March 28, 2018 at 11:36 am
Welkom bij de club pensionades.
March 28, 2018 at 11:39 am
Heb je de koperen boeg van de ss Rotterdam op de schoorsteenmantel staan?
March 28, 2018 at 12:23 pm
One of our favorite captains on the fleet. We were lucky to sail with him many times. Peter Bos will be missed, we wish him a fantastic retirement with his wife Kathy. Instead of cruising the oceans they can now start cruising our beautiful highways! Thank you for all the wonderful memories Peter!
Frits and Froukje Gehner
March 29, 2018 at 10:19 am
Dear Peter,
Finally the time has come to join the old sailors club. I have been a member for 6 years now and I can tell you that I can highly recommend it. Fondly I look back at the days that we worked together. I recall an event that we had an 8 hour wait at a small airport in Hawaii. The ship had to leave early because of bad weather.
You were so kind to donate a white alabaster whale for my whale collection, when I look at it I think of the good old days when sailing was still fun.
Tricia and I wish you many more years in good health,
Hans
March 29, 2018 at 4:14 pm
Beste Peter,
Geniet van je pensioen en vele vrije uren die je nu zelf mag gaan invullen.
Dank voor je gastvrijheid aan boord en je betrokkenheid bij ons werk in de jaren dat we als instructeurs van het trainingscentrum in Vlissingen jou en je bemanningen mochten ondersteunen en trainen in de brandbestrijdingstechnieken aan boord van de schepen.
Heel veel gezonde en fijne jaren toegewenst.
Mede namens de andere collega’s uit Vlissingen.
Jan Crucq
March 30, 2018 at 1:39 pm
Dear Captain Bos,
You are and will always be my favorite Captain. I am very lucky to have had the opportunity to sail with you once more before you called it quits. You will be missed. Thank you for being a wonderful Captain and father to your crew.
My family and I wish you many happy and heathy years ahead,
Leanna
April 1, 2018 at 6:16 pm
Best Wishes Peter! Straight drives and short putts!
April 2, 2018 at 7:17 am
To one of our favourite Captains……best wishes on your retirement.
May your days be filled with new adventures, meaningful moments, good health and happy days.
It’s a tough posting but you’ll soon get the hang of it and wonder how you ever fitted ‘work’ in.
(And………don’t forget to wash your hands)!
September 12, 2019 at 1:31 am
Sailed as guest on Oosterdam dec 2014 NZ and Pacific under Peter Bos command.
A captain create the atmosphere on the ship.
Peter Bos did it a fantastic way.
The most enjoyable cruise I ever did.
Thank you
Hans Jansen West Australia