The whole ship woke up to a sunny and sweltering Mexican day with not a cloud in the sky. We could thank our lucky stars that we were the only ship in port as that reduced the tender time considerably. A long and hot tender ride to start the port day is something nobody likes. As most ports do, Cabo also uses a pecking order to assign the anchorages. Contrary to Alaska where seniority rights are part of the equation, in Cabo it is all about size and frequency.  Ships that call every seven days get the best anchorage. If there is more than one ship that calls every seven day on the same day, then the biggest one will get anchorage number 1 as it has to transfer the most guests to and from the port.  The 2^nd ship or sometimes even a 3^rd ship is then going to anchorage 2 and 3.  Ships who call less often and ships like our Nieuw Amsterdam which is making a single call, will be given the anchorages not used, or have to stay on the engines.

Thus we were lucky today, as were all by ourselves, something to be expected as we came in on a Saturday. The seven day ships that sail from Los Angeles either leave on Saturday or on Sunday, and cannot make it down to Cabo until Monday or Tuesday. If they call on the way back then they will visit on Thursday or Friday. As a result the weekend is often the quietest for cruise ship calls. Except during the spring and autumn migration of the ships to and away from Alaska, then the pattern falls apart a little bit. So we could have had another “migrating bird” with us but luckily we were alone.

Thus the Captain dropped the hook at anchorage number one under the watchful eyes of the local pilot. There did not used to be a pilot here, it is not really necessary, but since one or two cruise ships did not adhere to the schedule given to them by the authorities …………. E.g. they pinched a better anchorage…… it has been decided to put a pilot on board. So while in most ports the pilot’s main job is to navigate the ship into port, here the pilot’s main job is to represent the government. Not a bad gig, Fresh coffee and fresh rolls every day for breakfast and getting paid for it as well.

A busy day with three anchorages full. Me with the ms Veendam some years ago drifting on the engines in the lee of the rocks.

Apart from the anchorages, there is also the option to stay on the engines. Something we do if the swell is from the wrong direction and we cannot make a good lee while being at anchor. I have done that quite a few times in the past, drifting just south of anchorage number one. Here you can take advantage of being in the lee of the Los Arcos rock formation and you reduce the tender distance to the absolute minimum. Guests on board do not always appreciate how special a treat this is, but I know that on other ships, those at the regular anchorages, the guests were not amused as they were facing a longer tender service and that blasted Holland America Line ship drifted there just outside the port entrance.

This is Cabo San Lucas Marina from above. We dock with our tenders at the big T pier in the middle. (Thank you Mr. Google)

Today the Nieuw Amsterdam did not need to do this as we had anchorage number one and with six of our own and 2 shore tenders running, a very efficient service was conducted. So efficient that the Cruise Director had to beg guests to go ashore as nobody was in a hurry and many guests did not even go. They had been there, had bought the T shirt (2 for 10.95 if white) and opted to stay in the cool air of the ships A.C.

Sailing into the Marina of Cabo San Lucas. The view of the tender driver.

I did the same as I am concentrating on refresher training at the moment for the crew. With the multiple teams we have on board, constant training is needed and I like to take over from the training officer so the crew involved gets a fresh face in front of them and a bit of a difference as I elaborate on the company’s standard curricula. I like to do role play as it hits home much harder than “death by power point” so to say. And it is quite hilarious and good fun for everybody when we act a scene where the Laundry guys have to try and get an angry guest back to the cabin. The Laundry crew is part of the deck clearing team; they remove deck chairs and everything else from the open deck so the guests can stand under their lifeboat stations. In an emergency there might still be guests there and they all have to move. Most will but there is always one……………….. so we train these guys who are seldom exposed to the guests during their regular work, in how to effectively get a non-cooperate guest to leave without resorting to turning the chair upside down.

Tomorrow we are in Puerto Vallarta where we are scheduled to arrive at 10.00 hrs. We will have another ship in port; the real “Apartment of the Seas”. The weather will be the same. Mid to high eighties and very little wind. But the forecasters have spotted a rain cloud so things might cool down a little bit.

It is only a quick hop from Avalon to San Diego. The main part of the operation is to sail safely by the approaches to Long Angeles and Long Beach and then go straight south until we can make the turn and line up for the entrance into San Diego Bay.  This is a very sheltered harbor hence the navy has established a major base here with enough space to get the big carriers in. While we were there, there was one at the dock on the opposite side, completely stripped of everything, so I assume it was going through one of these refurbishment programs for repair and updating with the newest gadgets.

The NOAA chart of the Bay of San Diego. as you can see it is quite a big one and goes on forever to the South East. We stopped right next to the airport, always handy.

We were in port together with the Disney Wonder which was docked to the north of us. With 700 guests leaving and coming it was a bit of a mixture day of regular port call and embarkation day.  That gave housekeeping a bit of a challenge as it uses the Guest lifts to transport the suitcases and with another 1300 guests having a regular day, you cannot simply block everything off.  But with a little bit of extra traffic control to keep the guests out of the blocked off lifts it all worked out just fine.

The day turned out to be warmer than expected and on the outside decks it was a nice and warm, not a hot day, but a nice and warm day. So I grabbed the chance to be outside. I have blogged about it in the past but also here on the Nieuw Amsterdam I am carrying out a structural inspection for the Captain of the ship. The ship is now 7 years old and our crew can sometimes be very creative in utilizing spaces everywhere and not always the space that they favor is the right space for what they favor it for. Plus the ship goes through storms and basically moves all the time and that takes a toll on ceilings and insulation as well. You can see it when there is an earthquake, how many houses develop cracks and have ceilings come down. A ship experiences an earthquake = storm about every two or three months. It is built for that but it does take its toll.

So I am doing a sweep of the whole ship. It being a big ship with many lockers and compartments, it will take me about 10 days to get everywhere while still doing my other work as well. Holland America instigated this program about two years ago and the great advantage is that you might come across something now that only needs a little bit looking after instead of having a real problem a few years down the road. A lot of walking is involved but on a nice sunny day it is not too bad to walk around a beautiful ship and to see that everything is in good order.

Overview of the USS Midway and the cruise terminal next to it. (Photo courtesy, US Navy)

With the Disney Wonder on our port side, we had the USS Midway on our starboard side. I always try to encourage the crew to go and have a look there as it is nowadays not easy to get on board the large Navy ships anymore. When I was a junior in the 80’s, it took no effort what so ever to get on board, as long as you were in uniform, (or the group had at least one uniformed person with them) and it was not during meal times. Most Navy people are very proud of their ship and try to show you all of it and with an air craft carrier that can take quite a while. Once I had it that a Provision Officer had been assigned as tour leader of my little group of Deck and Engine officers and a gaggle of Ladies from the Shops and Casino.  While we were going around it turned out that he was using us as an excuse to take us to areas which were normally off limits for him. Most of the crew that we passed found it very interesting to see girls in high heels and miniskirts stepping through watertight doors and poking their noses everywhere. So we had no shortage of experts willing to explain how everything worked.

But things are more complicated now and also more regulated and you have to wait for Navy Days or Fleet week to get somewhere. But the USS Midway is right on our door step and as crew you get a VERY GOOD discount.

For the coming two days we will sail along the coast of California first for a short time the USA part and then for two days the Mexican part until we arrive in Cabo San Lucas. Weather looks good, sunny and with following winds.

For a few years now the company has been calling at Catalina Island as a short stop while on a re-positioning cruise to and from Alaska. If there is no reason to call at Los Angeles, then this is a very nice call to make. The only concern here is the weather as the anchorage and the small ferry port is very exposed to swell and wind. But today we were lucky it was a bit wobbly during the tender ride but it was a pleasant day for all. From officially 14.00 hrs. in the afternoon to 23.00 hrs. in the evening. Of course the Captain tried to arrive earlier to give the guests as much time ashore as possible and thus we were able to get all the guests ashore with our tenders within 90 minutes time. Not bad when having 2000 guests on board and not all of them as agile as could be.

I had never been to this place so I hopped on the tender to have a quick look and to see at the same time how the tender drivers were performing. They did very well and that means I do not have to embark on a whole string of refresher courses. Avalon has a ferry connection with the main land and the tender dock is part of that ferry setup. As a result the guests have a very professional landing to use for arriving and leaving with the tender.

Avalon Marina as seen from the ferry terminal.

Because the place is somewhat off the beaten track, the ship is not being cleared locally but this is done in Los Angeles. The Port Paper Officer, the person who does all the paperwork to comply with port requirements, had to fly with a helicopter across to make sure she got the stamps and approval before the CBP office closed and then came back with the local ferry. Off the ship with the first tender and back again by 19.00 hrs.  to ensure that we could sail as well. The most important thing that she had to obtain was “The Clearance”. This is a sort of certificate (and in most countries it looks like it; not unlike a share certificate) with a stamp which has to be presented in the next port. So tomorrow in San Diego, the CBP will ask for The Clearance, to ensure that we sailed from the last port legally and did not conduct any naughty business. I experienced it a few times in my career that for reasons unclear this piece of paper was not delivered to the ship and then we had fun and games in the next port, relying on faxed copies and trying to placate upset Immigration Officers.

This is the sort of setup we like. Room for two tenders a wide platform and a long ramp. Not all ports can offer this, but today we were very happy.

The Vista Class and the next version of it the Signature Class to which the Nieuw Amsterdam belongs, have a very good tender system. There are lifts which come out level with the tender platform so also Guests with Special Needs can quite easily get on and off the ship. Today with a low swell running, the ship was at anchor but the Navigators used one Azipod to keep a good lee side against the westerly swell so there was hardly any movement when getting on and off. On the other side the tender dock was a floating pontoon and thus always on level with the tender opening. Then a long ramp to get to the road not a bad setup at all. The port of Avalon is located right under a large out cropping of a mountain range which dominates the island. So once you are off the tender things get a bit steep unless you stay on the road around the marina.

We have sailors on the platform and the dock to tie up the tenders and we have Bar Lounge and Deck staff to assist the guests where needed. Then we have security all over the place to ensure that only those who belong get back on board and to ensure that everything goes orderly.

The port is basically sheltered from all sides, except the north, and guess where wind and swell was coming from.

For the Captain and his officers it is not the greatest stop to make, mainly because of the short period between leaving Avalon and arriving in San Diego. It calls for a short night. Anchor up by 23.00 hrs., the Pilot again by 05.00 hrs. For San Diego we have to arrive early; to be on time to disembark about 700 guests who are only with us for the Coastal voyage. So we have luggage to deal with and to do the final storing for our Trans Canal voyage to Fort Lauderdale where we are scheduled to arrive on October 21^st. luckily the weather looks great, sunny and not too warm.

Sailing into San Francisco is quite a complicated business. Because the traffic going in is coming from the North, the West and the South, ships are approaching under three different angles. Then there is the outbound traffic from the Golden Gate also descending upon the pilot station and so you have ships from four sides; and all in a hurry. In the weekend the problem can be exacerbated by six pack navigators milling around as well. The bay and approaches to San Francisco are not for the faint hearted to sail, due to the changing winds and strong current so most of those who sail around are very competent: but on high days and holidays we always come across sail boats whose skippers have had more focus on “Miller Time” than on the Rules of the Road. As fog can be quite regular over here it does not stop the majority of sailing boats from going out. They all hang a radar reflector in the mast and think that solves the problems of collision. Then they hear a fog horn and decide to go and have a look. On the radar of the big ship, it then looks as if a fleet of super tankers is descending on the ship as these reflectors give a big response.  For a small sailing boat a passing distance of 100 feet is a lot, for the commercial ships it is not. Now any ship over 300 tons has AIS and that helps identifying if a ship is big or small, but you are never sure as a ship might have the AIS turned off (navy ships are very good at doing that) or a small sailing boat might have that as well. Quite often with the latter the AIS has then wrongly been programmed and that gives challenges as well.

Most of us love to go to San Francisco but at the same time we always have some trepidation while doing it. Today we had two major advantages: a. it was a Tuesday which eliminated the presence of small boats almost completely and b. we had very good visibility as it was relatively cold weather.

Approaches to San Francisco. Thank you NOAA for the chartlet.

The approach to the pilot station starts out far, far away. To regulate the traffic, the maritime authorities have instigated a very elaborate Vessel Traffic Separation Scheme (VTS or VTSS). From almost 40 miles away, the ships are already lined up when coming towards the San Francisco sea buoy and those going out from the port will have to stay in the system for a long distance as well. No corner cutting and no bypassing. It also forces ships that do not call at SFO to stay further out, as otherwise they have to comply with the system. Altogether it makes it a lot safer.

Apart from human tin cans floating around, we also have extensive mammal life in the area and recently the lanes have been extended taking into consideration as well the normal track routes of the whales. The whole thing is monitored by a calling in system, which tracks the ships and provides navigational information of what the other ships are doing.

The pilot boat can be anywhere in this precautionary area but sits normally somewhere near the San Francisco Light Beacon. Depending on where the ship is going, it will come closer after the ship will have made a lee.

The area in front of the approaches to the Golden Gate is called the Gulf of the Farrallones and it is basically one big traffic zone. In the center is the precautionary area which means that you should not be there if you do not have to; the Rules of the Road might be reduced in direct application while taking over the pilot and you should be extra alert for other ships as they have to align themselves with the inbound or outbound tracks around the precautionary area.

Once the pilot is on board, the VTSS is reduced to an inbound and outbound lane leading under the Lions Gate Bridge and into the bay. Then it splits up in a route going to the port of SFO on the South side of the bay and to Oakland on the north side of the bay. We went to the South side, to pier 27, which is the cruise terminal of the port. In the past we always docked at Pier 35 (which is closer to Fisherman’s wharf) but that one was today occupied by an Apartment of the Seas and thus we went to 27. A functional but very bare and stark building which looks like a shed and has nothing of the old elaborate terminals from the ocean liner days of the 1930’s. But it can handle the turnover of large size cruise ships.

View from the Bridge. Wonderful day for a walk if you do not mind a bit of climbing.

The guests had a glorious day to see the sights and those who wanted to walk only had to cross the street as Coit tower on Telegraph hill was towering right above us.

We stayed until 17.00 hrs. and thus the guests could see themselves sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge before dinner started. We like to plan things properly. Tomorrow we are in Avalon for an afternoon and evening call. It is a tender port, so we are all praying for calm seas.

We had the wind in our back, gale force winds, and with that extra push, made good time to the Columbia Bar pilot station. From there it is about 2 hrs. until being docked. The river itself is really a Canadian river as its source water comes from the Rocky Mountains in Canada. And thus a sort of export of potable water in bulk instead of by bottle across the border. And it is a lot of water that makes its way of 1234 miles down to the open sea. As a result the estuary is nice and wide and the approach channel has ample space for ships to pass each other. It is just the swell that rolls over the Bar (the sandy bank where the river deposits all its debris) that can made it quite dangerous as the ships can violently roll here. But by charging full speed up the river and keeping the stabilizers out we did not have any problems today.

The Gale force winds had one complication and that was that the pilot arrived by helicopter instead of by pilot boat. The water was simply too choppy to make a good lee and it is also better for the ship itself to continue on the planned track than having to slow down and turn into the wind, or away from the wind and getting one side of the ship out of the swell.

This was arrival with the pilot landing. As you can see the deck has been completely stripped.

For pilots that are coming by helicopter it is always amazing to see what an organization it takes on a cruise ship to get him or her on board. On a cargo ship one crew member might show up, with an extinguisher, if he really feels in a safety mood. On a cruise ship there are between 30 and 80 crew involved to do it the proper way and the safe way. There has never been an accident with a pilot transfer on any ship but they say that Murphy also has a pilot’s license, so we had be better be safe than sorry.

Captain Jeroen van Donselaar is conducting the briefing for the Navigators about how it is all going to take place. I was on the aft deck supporting the Safety Officer who was in charge of the transfer operation.

Our main concern is for the safety of the ship, read the guests. In situations like this the guests are the biggest danger to themselves. They have no idea what is exactly going on and they all want to stand there and take photos.  Flashlight photos are dangerous for the pilot, and our equipment on deck and firefighting plans can be dangerous for the guests if they would be milling around. And our guests are extremely good in milling around. Arrival on board and departure by the pilot today was in daylight and that alleviated the problem of flashing lights but the rest of the dangers remained. So we enacted our trained battle plan. On the Signature Class (Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam) the outside aft pool deck (Seaview Deck) is the best place to conduct a transfer as it has the least obstructions. On other ships it is the bow but these Signature ships have “the bubble” there, the raised deck number 5 with railings which stick out and can get somebody entangled.

The two fire teams in position, one with a water hose and one with foam hose.

Security blocked off all the aft decks from funnel down to pool deck and posted sentries at all the doors. The starboard aft deck is also the smoking corner and security was quite busy keeping the smokers out as the craving to be in the vicinity of an ashtray seems to make people quite impatient. The deck stewards cleared away all the chairs and tables and lashed them to the railings as a helicopter which comes very low can create an under draft of up to 60 knots of wind pressure. The Bo ‘sun took away the dressing lights and the halyards so the aft deck was completely clear of any obstructions.  The fire support troops then rolled out the hoses, tested and charged them up and rigged up foam. Foam comes in drums and is mixed through the water hose to create a protective layer on deck in case there are any fuel leaks from a crashed helicopter. Foam will seal off the fuel and without oxygen it cannot burn. The chance that a helicopter crashes is remote and if it would happen then a pilot would always try to ditch the helicopter in the sea and not on top of a ship.

And away he goes. Either going home or to a next ship to take back in again.

Once the helicopter was within 5 minutes of the ship, the fire teams went on air, switching on the SCUBA and then took position. If something goes wrong, then they can be in 10 seconds near the helicopter and provide a protective screen of water and foam between the helicopter and the ship. And hopefully also save the sea pilot and the helicopter crew. Of course nothing happened and everything went as it should go. The whole evolution for landing or taking off of a sea pilot takes less than 2 minutes and goes in a way much faster than transfer by boat.

We stayed in Astoria from noon to 1800 hrs. just enough time to explore the nice city. Then it was back down river and to open sea where we sail all day along the coast of California until we reach San Francisco. On departure the wind started to die down and that will help a lot with the movement of the ship if it does not pick up again. We are now in October and that is the time for the autumn storms along the coast and some haziness at times as well.

Nearly all the crew took a depth breath and then gave a deep sigh, when we sailed into Vancouver. The Alaska season has finished. How beautiful Alaska is and can be, the season is long, especially on the seven day run; the weather varies greatly and after 10 times Ketchikan, you have seen it. This was my 249 visit to Ketchikan and the total number would have been even higher if there were not a number of cancellations due to the bad weather. I started counting about 20 years ago when the company asked me to report how many days, weeks, and years we had spent in BC and Alaska as part of a pilots dispute in relation to the experience of the navigators on board. The issue was shortly settled afterwards but since then I kept the count up.

We had a drizzly day in Vancouver but it did not dampen the spirits as sunny times are awaiting. We were also the only cruise ship in today and that make life also easier. Canada Place is a beautiful terminal but with 3 or 4 ships alongside it gets crowded, very crowded. When the terminal was built in 1986 as part of the Vancouver Expo, it was well ahead of the times. Then through the 1990’s it fulfilled all our needs but then the ships increased in size and during high season, when the count goes over 5000 guests going out and coming in, it is getting tight. A number of years ago the pier was extended but it did not solve the internal flow issue. But today no such issues, the Nieuw Amsterdam was by itself and the 2000 guests rolling off and 2000 rolling on, posed no problem what so-ever.

Macleod in Vancouver. This shows only a small section of a vast two story antiquarian bookshop. It looks chaotic, it is chaotic but it works and it is heaven.

I managed to run into town quickly and indeed found a book. There was probably much more of interest but Macleod on West Pender has so much that you can hardly look at the shelves; you have to move boxes and sometime dig through a low mountain of books to get to the lower shelves. Upstairs it is full, downstairs it is overfull. And Maritime Subjects are downstairs so a shovel might be handy, if you could handle books like that. I prefer gloves and then it is all time consuming. I go book hunting everywhere in the world and know some nice places, but this is the holy grail of book lovers.  I will be there again if I come to Alaska next season and will ensure more room in my suitcase.

The good ship Nieuw Amsterdam is now gearing up for the Trans canal and our first port will be Astoria on the Columbia River. As we will be back in the USA then; I had to go through USA immigration in the Vancouver terminal to prove that I am still a respectful traveler and still have a green dot behind my name in the CBP computer. As luck would have it, I have been approved again until Fort Lauderdale.

As it dried up in the late afternoon we had a large crowd on the top of Canada Place Forum to see us leaving including a large gaggle of school children all nicely in school uniforms. Either they had come from school or they were on an outing in downtown Vancouver but it was interesting to see this huddle of school uniforms assembling in front of the ship among a riot of other colors and less uniformed and well less dressed tourists. I just do not know if they were there for us or for the hop on hop off bus and other sightseeing buses which stop right there.

Bye bye Canada Place, it will be quiet here until next season.

We left at 17.00 hrs. and then sailed under the Lions Gate Bridge. We now have a high speed run towards Astoria. Disembarking the Canadian pilot around 22.00 hrs. and coming out of Strait Juan de Fuca around 01.00 hrs. tomorrow morning. Then it is a race down the coast to be at the pilot station of the Columbia River at 10.00 hrs. for a docking by noon time. The pilot is supposed to arrive by helicopter so that will be interesting.

We are looking at an overcast but dry day and temperatures of around 13oC and 55oF. The town of Astoria is a little bit away from the dock but there are all sorts of transport out there. For the crew a shuttle service has been arranged not to town but much more important, to Fred Meyers and Costco to stack up for the Trans canal voyage

Sometimes I have the feeling that there is a sort of curtain between Alaska and Canada when it comes to the weather. Although I cannot really prove it as it can rain tremendously in Vancouver and Seattle as well. But yesterday was one of those days where it really looked like it. With every mile the ship sailed south the weather improved. From the remnants of Ketchikan misery in the morning, to a sunny afternoon in the Inside Passage. A very nice ending of the cruise for the guests as their whole voyage had not been that great weather wise.

Slack tide at Seymour Narrows this evening was is at 20.25 hrs. what we call an early tide. This implies that we have to be earlier than what our average schedule calls for and then sail with a very slow speed towards Vancouver. If we have a late tide than we sail slowly towards Seymour Narrows and then have to go full speed to Vancouver. A normal tide (anytime between 23.00 hrs. and 00.30 hrs.) means we can sail with the average cruise speed. Normally there is a window of about an hour on each side of the slack tide and this gives some leeway in setting the transit time so not all ships are there at the same time. Thus the captain had to bring the ship fairly early towards Seymour Narrows and thus we collected the pilot at Pine Island at 13.00 hrs. instead of around 3 or 4 pm. Pine Island is located at the North West side of Vancouver Island  and we use that pilot station if we want to sail without Canadian Pilots for the first leg of the voyage. Something we have to do if we want to make the early tide. If we go all the way inside, which is preferable during inclement weather, then we board the B.C pilots at Triple Island. Located just outside Prince Rupert at the USA border.  Coming from Ketchikan there is not much reason for contemplating to go inside when the weather is nice as it is all dark, so we cannot see the scenery and nobody is there to look at it as all the guests are in bed.

Arriving early afternoon at Pine Island is a good time as it gives all the guests ample time to be out and about, especially if the weather is nice. Plus nobody has to worry about packing as there is enough time for that as well later on. Thus we sailed through Blackney Passage for looking for Killer Whales, then through Race Passage looking for the racing current through there and finally transiting Seymour Narrows at slack tide.  No line of Ocean Liners or cruise ships going through this time, we were nicely by ourselves and tomorrow we will be the only cruise ship at Canada Place as well. The season is ending and most cruise ships are already on their journey south back to the warm weather.  The ms Volendam will be closing the season for us in Alaska as they will visit Alaska one more time while starting their crossing to the Far East. They are hoping for some nice weather as they have Dutch Harbor on their list and by October you really are in “bad weather alley” so you need a bit of luck.

So what do we do if we only have to make slow speed to Vancouver. There are various options and it varies from sailing on one propeller or one pod, to sailing minimum speed on two Azipods and with a minimum number of engines on line. Except for the Prinsendam, all our ships are now Diesel Electric and the speed made depends on the number of engines providing electricity. So we can sail with a speed which is too slow for a number of hours and then bring another engine on line to catch up again. In that way the engines on line are always ran on their optimum power which is the most fuel efficient. Squeezing an engine down to 70 or 65% of its normal output is not good for the engine and not very fuel efficient. Much better to have them at their regular capacity of 85% and then bring another engine on line also at its most fuel efficient setting and catch up again.

At sea we normally run with a minimum of two engines, so if one stops, we still have the other one and then when entering port a configuration of two or three engines is set depending on the power that is needed. Especially in windy weather when we might need all the horses we can get to push the ship alongside and much more than two engines are needed. And sometimes we have 4 out of 5 going to make it happen.

Tomorrow we are in Vancouver and we will be leaving the Alaska season behind. Although not completely as there is supposed to be chance of rain. I hope to get to my favorite 2^nd hand bookshop on West Pender with a small hope that there is something which I still miss in my collection.

The ms Nieuw Amsterdam when new. (Holland America Line Stock Photo)

And thus I went from the “old” Amsterdam to the Nieuw Amsterdam by flying from Seattle to Ketchikan. As expected the plane was half empty while going up and very full while going down, as all fishermen, shopkeepers and other seasonal persons are leaving around this time of the year. And I cannot blame them as Ketchikan lived up to its reputation today as it was rainy and quite miserable. When I arrived, the Eurodam was also in port and thus we had the two sisters at one dock together. A bit strange to see as the Eurodam already has the new logo on the funnels while the Nieuw Amsterdam is still awaiting the change. That will come in dry dock next year. Then the ship will also get the “Koningsdam” revamp by installing the Music Walk. The casino will be reduced in size to make room for Billboard on Board with the two pianos, the Northern Lights disco will be removed and replaced with the very successful Gallery Bar and the Explorers lounge will be adapted to receive the Lincoln Art Centre for classical music. But that is still far in the future.

The ms Nieuw Amsterdam is under the command of Captain Jeroen van Donselaar whom I know since his day one as 4^th. officer with the company and who I last saw when I had my Navigator Class on the Noordam two years ago. He will take the ship two days from now on the Trans Canal cruise down to Fort Lauderdale after which it will start first with a short charter cruise to the Dutch Islands in the South Caribbean and then cruises to the East Carib. How the latter will work out nobody knows as it will all depend on how far repairs have progressed. The Americans are in Puerto Rico and St. Thomas, the Dutch are in St.Maarten and the British are in the British Virgin Islands.  Although we all want to know what we are going to do, the company can only but wait to nearer the date to see what is possible.  If all those islands are still off limits then the whole cruise industry has to revise its operations as there are only a limited number of ports with a limited number of berths as an alternative. Uncertain Times.

I will be making sure that the ship has no uncertain times with me and I have embarked on my regular program of inspections and training’s to support the Master and the ship as best as I can. At the end of the Alaska season, there is always a larger crew change and that includes a number of new- new crew members so I will not be bored. New – new crew members are those who are new to the ship but also new to the company. With the arrival of the Nieuw Statendam just over a year way, the company already starts to gear up for crew alignment for that ship and to find a 1000+ crew out of the pool of 14 ships to go there.

Thus the fleet will absorb a 1000 new crew, plus replacements for those who are wishing to continue their career outside the company. Holland America is blessed with a very low turnover in general but it becomes more and more the norm that crew born after 1995 do not tend to stay that long. I think they call them the Millennials and they are moving around much more than my generation. Even if you want to stay sailing, the cruise industry is booming and there is space everywhere. When I started sailing in 1981 for Holland America; switching company was considered switching allegiance and was very much frowned upon. You did not do that, it was considered a weakness. Now it is considered the norm and good for building up experience. ………But if they keep sailing, they always tend to come back to us.

We will now be sailing from Ketchikan to Vancouver. Yesterday the ship had some bumpy weather with an over coming frontal system, hence the rain today, but tomorrow it should be nice and quiet. Then in Vancouver we will catch the last of the rain, but after 13.00 hrs. it should be sunny. Temperatures not bad for the end of the season: 14oC or 58oF.