Since departing the South Pacific, ms Amsterdam has sailed a westerly course toward Australia. Here is a recap of Captain Mercer’s blog posts. You can read them in their entirety on his blog, www.captainjonathan.com.
On a quiet day in Kristiansand we decided to replace some broken bulbs in the display cabinet of some of the antiques that we have on board. I took the opportunity to make some quick repairs on the ship model in the case. Over the years the anchor had dropped off as well as the… read more of “Captain’s…”
On April 28, the ms Volendam was in Glacier Bay, Alaska. She is the first HAL ship and the second cruise ship to enter Glacier Bay this season. The day started with snow storms in the early morning and strong winds. It can be seen that the ice is on the window wipers on the… read more of “Captain’s…”
Dear readers, my apologies for not contributing for several days. Towards the end of one’s contract, there never seem to be enough hours in a day. What with social functions, endless paperwork, (reports in various guises) and the everyday responsibilities of commanding a cruise ship, time to sit and write to you seems to be… read more of “Captain’s…”
Since we left Fort Lauderdale in January, the Project Linus team has been hard at work. More than 170 blankets, not to mention countless hats and bears, have been made. That is twice as many as last year! (Thanks to Brad Elliott for some of the below photos.)
The oldest passenger I have sailed with so far. Born 1903. Her name is Florence Boggs and she made her first trip in 1922 from Hoboken to Oregon to study. After 4 years and finishing her study she traveled back, followed by a man who she met in college and married. After his retirement they… read more of “Captain’s…”
I know this island well, one might say ‘intimately’, for not only did I call here on the ‘Mail’ run, but I also spent over a week here, after abandoning my ship, along with 83 others, we were brought back here by the tanker which sighted our lifeboats and rescued us. Having nothing but a… read more of “Captain’s…”
St. Helena An island that I once called at regularly on the ‘Mail’ run, little seemed to have changed since my days of calling. Once again, an anchorage port and as we rounded the headlands on our approach, a ship was already there: the R.M.S. “St. Helena”, (the RMS being Royal Mail Ship). She replaced… read more of “Captain’s…”
Another port I had visited during my early years, in those days on cargo ships and loading bags of fishmeal, now I was here on a magnificent cruise ship; I wonder what thoughts would have been passing through my mind, had I seen the Amsterdam arriving during my days as a cadet…… A gale was… read more of “Captain’s…”
Our voyage towards this beautiful city paralleled the South African coast and as we made our way south-west we passed some of the ports I used to call at during the days of my early career. I used to visit South Africa regularly, when I was a junior officer with the Union-Castle line and grew… read more of “Captain’s…”
