Vancouver gave us one of its beautiful days again with an overcast sky on arrival but a bright sunny day for the rest. We were docked right on the mark of 7 am. and by 07.30 the first guests left the ship after what had been a very good and……sunny………cruise. I had the plan to…   read more of “30 May 2008,…”

With such nice weather we had a pleasant ride down from Ketchikan to the Pine Island Pilot station. Not the wobbly weather that we had last cruise southbound when I had to cancel Ketchikan due to strong winds. Now we had a nearly smooth sea. The smoother the sea, the easier it is to see…   read more of “29 May 2008,…”

On our way to Ketchikan we pass through Snow Passage, which is a 90 degree turn from Sumner Strait to Clarence Strait. As there is normally quite a bit of current here, this is a standby point for the captain to be on the bridge. If the current would catch the ship and the pilot…   read more of “28 May 2008,…”

We were blessed with another extraordinary day of sunshine and clear skies. For me no fog to worry about as the light breeze kept it all away and for the guests glorious sunshine to enjoy the port and all the tours that were on offer. We were aiming for an early arrival again as we…   read more of “27 May 2008,…”

The season is now really underway. Skagway had a full house today for the first time this season. Rhapsody of the Seas, the Queen of the North, Veendam and Millennium. (The last one has not been in dry dock yet, so it does not have the pre-fix Celebrity yet) All docks were occupied although the…   read more of “26 May 2008,…”

After a quiet night we approached Sitka in the early morning. It was still a bit hazy but we could see it directly; this is going to be a fabulous day. Mount Edgecumbe was visible from bottom to top and that almost by itself guarantees great weather. By the time we had dropped the hook,…   read more of “25 May 2008,…”

We had a very wobbly departure from Seward. When coming out of the bay, there was suddenly this swell that greeted us. It caused the Veendam to pitch considerably. There had been nothing in the weather forecast and only after we had experienced the large swells (up to 16 feet) it finally showed in the…   read more of “24 May 2008,…”

Seward is an early morning arrival. The first guests leave the ship at 6 am. to start their overland portion of the trip, or to be bussed up to Anchorage for the flight home, so I have to have the ship parked by 05.30. The town and the dock are located at the end of…   read more of “23 May 2008,…”