Dear All,
I have been quiet for much too long for which my apologies. However in the past period an un-expected and exciting development took place with the result that my career is making a partial turn. Not that I will leave the sea behind but I will be at sea in a different way. I will be employed by the company as a travelling trainer.
Since last year the company and I have been discussing the idea to use my long years of experience for training, auditing, reviewing and implementing new projects. That means that I will go around the ships as a travelling trainer captain, supporting the captain(s) old and new on board with refresher courses and implementing new things that are being introduced.
This will not mean that I will be leaving the sea. On the contrary I will be spending the same amount of time at sea as before. It just will not be on the same ship. I will be visiting all the ships in the fleet one by one.
When the decision making process was going on in relation to this, I refrained from blogging, although I had a lot prepared for the history side of it.
This new function brings an exciting new angle towards the blog. Instead of creating blogs about the same route for weeks on end, there will be now different ships and different routes.
Also there will be tantalising glimpses of what a renowned and well established company such as Holland America does, to keep its Ships safe and Staff up-to-date in the modern cruise environment.
I will start blogging again from now on and as soon as this new travelling trainer captain function has been fully developed, there will be a sailing schedule and I will take you around ALL the ships, all the cruises and around a larger part of the world as well. (*)
In the beginning it might not be every day, although the uploading of historical stuff will recommence as well, but as time progresses, I should be able to get back to a daily routine.
(*) no doubt this will include a lot of insights about airport waiting areas.
Best Regards
Captain Albert
March 20, 2014 at 5:46 pm
Congratulations on your new position! We wish you great success for the future and look forward to reading about your new adventures as travelling trainer captain.
Liz and Jim
March 20, 2014 at 6:15 pm
We’ve enjoyed your blog so much and hope to run onto you on one or the other DAM ships at some time in the future!!
Congrats!
March 20, 2014 at 6:39 pm
Welcome back! This sounds like an exciting change and one for which are very well-suited. I look forward to “visiting” all the ships via your blog.
March 20, 2014 at 7:15 pm
So pleased you are back! Congratulations on your new job. Looking forward to finding out about all the ships, people and itineraries of Holland America Line 🙂
March 20, 2014 at 7:28 pm
Congratulations, Captain Albert! Although we will miss you on the Statendam, April 15, I am sure the ship will be in good hands! We look forward to reading the new direction of your blog. Thanks for all of your past tips and tidbits!
Tom and Julie
March 20, 2014 at 9:40 pm
Will we still be subscribed to the email updates if we were on the list in the past? Congratulations. Look forward to your posts and to seeing you aboard some Dam ship. Regards to Leslie.
March 21, 2014 at 5:33 pm
Good morning,
thank you for your comment
you might have to sign up again as with the “re-arranging” of the blog site last October, a lot of links seem to have been lost.
Best regards
Capt. Albert
March 20, 2014 at 11:30 pm
So happy to see you reporting in! We’ve missed you through a very long winter. Congratulations on the new post, and will look forward to reading much more in the future.
March 21, 2014 at 2:30 am
Bravo Zulu, Captain! This new position immediately seems like an ideal match for you and Holland America Line! And, your writings here will be more exciting than ever as we maritime enthusiasts (and, of course, loyal HAL passengers) follow you across this beautiful fleet of ships and professionals.
March 21, 2014 at 7:35 am
So glad you are back. Looking forward to hearing about your new adventures. Sounds like your new position will be interesting for you and a great benefit for Holland America.
Julia
March 21, 2014 at 7:58 am
Congratulations on your new position. Will your roving photoghapher get to still come along on some trips Happy sailing!!! Sarah
March 21, 2014 at 9:36 am
Congratulations , Captain ! I am excited to read your blogs again, I always miss you when you are on your vacation months, and now we have new things to look forward to with your blogs, so,it makes your return even more enticing…. You truly have a gift for writing and as I read your blogs I become even more anxious for that “next” wonderful cruise… it will be great to have you back !
March 21, 2014 at 10:40 am
What a great idea! We were hoping we hadn’t heard the last from you, and now we can look forward to “running” into you on some DAM ship. The Errickson’s
March 22, 2014 at 3:51 pm
Congratulations! I’ve enjoyed reading your blogs and being a ‘fly on the wall’ on your ship, and now, it looks like you’re taking your readers along to more ships 🙂
I will keep my fingers crossed that your schedule will allow you to post a blog about docking at the cruise piers 90/91 (the docking should be much less ‘interesting’ since they cleaned up the last of the U.S. Navy munitions that fell overboard ‘back in the day’).
Thanks for the tip about re-signing up again for the email notifications.
March 22, 2014 at 4:59 pm
I should clarify– piers 90/91 in Seattle. 🙂
March 23, 2014 at 11:10 am
As we leave the Veendam this morning I’m so happy to see you back online; you’ve been missed. What an interesting, wonderful opportunity you have! Congratulations, and we hope to sail again with you on more Dam ships.
March 23, 2014 at 3:02 pm
Welcome back in the blog!
We began to get worried that something was very much out of the “OK” range, when first the long silence, then a strange e-mail about following you in some other set-up. –Your new assignment sounds VERY interesting, but also quite exhausting with much flying. But it appears to afford you again a much broader area of sailing, as well as being “heard” in Seattle with ideas, suggestions, assessments, and being able to hand on your considerable experience. Great !! I am sure your many readers would love to see your schedule, time as well as ship assignments. If you can !!
Hope you both are well and that your “roving reporter” can accompany you on many of the assignments.
Regards !
K. and A. Ewing.
March 23, 2014 at 7:15 pm
Welcome back, Captain ! You will be giving your readers a healthy workout going up and down the gangplank with you as you change from ship to ship 🙂 Of course, lots of congratulations with this exciting and new assignment.
I have been wondering how you go around it as to not confuse the crew with the presence of two Captains on board per ship ?
Will you be wearing a special uniform or will you now be on board in your “civies” and “comfies: ?
March 24, 2014 at 7:03 pm
I will be in my civvies as I will not have a executive function on board as such. Maybe I should think about a disguise…………..
March 24, 2014 at 7:31 pm
I echo all of the previous comments. So happy that you will soon be back with your always informative and entertaining blogs. Your new assignment sounds perfect for you and for HAL.
March 25, 2014 at 3:17 pm
Welkom terug. Your new job sounds interesting. Looking forward to you new postings on the blog again. Too bad you will not be on board Statendam in Puerto Vallarta this winter.
April 1, 2014 at 2:24 pm
Very glad to hear from you again….in whatever capacity.
Your knowledge, warmth and superb writing make for great reading…and learning.
Thank you very much.
Don
April 3, 2014 at 4:53 pm
Please advise how to get on the email list for future Captain Albert blogs.
Thanks!
April 3, 2014 at 5:07 pm
Good morning,
My apologies on behalf of the company. There is a glitch somewhere and they are working on it.
Captain Albert
April 4, 2014 at 11:21 am
Sounds like an excellent match of man and job. I hope you will enjoy (at least almost) every day of your new assignment. Perhaps they will let you educate passengers as a guest lecturer on the P’dam or Amsterdam….
May 20, 2014 at 9:18 am
Please inform us on how to stay included on your e-mail list.
Good luck and thank you!
July 21, 2014 at 12:47 am
Hello Capt. Albert, I have been deleted off your email list and I cannot find how to get back on again, I need help! Congratulations on your new position and look forward to the blogs. Phil in Vancouver, BC, Canada
July 23, 2014 at 12:15 am
Good morning,
the automatic link is currently not working, for reasons unknown to me as well. Try this linkL http://www.hollandamericablog/albert. It brings you directly to where all the blogs are archived after having been posted.
Best regards
Capt. Albert