The weather forecasts are advising Gale Force winds but by the time that it will start blowing, we will be back inside the Alaskan Inside Passage. With wind around 15 to 20 knots it is a bit breezy on the bow but for the rest it is a very smooth transit of the Gulf. Most guests are busy with trying to sort themselves out after their overland tour and the rest are exploring the ship. Again most of those who came on board are first time cruisers and everything is new and exciting to them. I am busy with reviewing the rest of the schedule for this southbound cruise so that we can finalize all the happenings for the season and lock them into the schedule. That will avoid conflicts in the long run and makes it easier for everybody. We will then be set for the rest of the season until the final departure from Vancouver. Then I will have the challenge to get everybody out of that schedule again. Some routines tend to start living their own lives and it has happened that suddenly in the middle of the cruise a table appears out of nowhere and then we find out that it was because that table was used on Wednesday’s in Alaska; thus it is now also there on Wednesday’s while on the way to Panama. Continue reading

Named after the man who bagged the biggest bargain in history, when he bought Alaska for the USA, the port is located at the end of Resurrection Bay. Our main attraction to go there is that it is nearer than sailing to Anchorage and it has the Railroad Connection. Some other company’s call at Whittier, which is more to the East but a port much more exposed to the weather. So we as captains are very happy with Seward as it surrounded on the East and West side by mountains and partly sheltered from the North. That only leaves it open to southerly winds blowing up the Bay but it is a whole lot better than being exposed from all sides. This morning it was perfect weather. No wind at all when we came close to the dock and I could do my drift in maneuver as I had hoped for. It is always nicer to handle the ship by using 500 hp. instead of needing the 12000 hp available. For me ship handling is the art of exercising the minimum, a gentle touch above brute force. Today was a golden opportunity to do that. Continue reading

The weather gods were with us and the Gulf of Alaska was on good behavior. Visibility was not that great as we could not see the Fairweather Mountain Range but there was hardly any wind and only low swell. There is something brewing in the South East but at the moment it looks like that it will come over the area after we have returned to Glacier Bay in three days from now. Today we only had to contend with the occasional rain shower and confused seas. There were waves from the South and low running swells from the South East and South West. As a result the ship did not roll or pitch it just moved a bit on occasion and not even that much. Still it was enough for some guests to complain about it. Not unusual. While we are sailing in Alaska we always have a higher number of brand new cruise guests who make their first cruise ever……………………… and still believe that a ship with stabilizers will never move, whatever the weather. On our TransCanal cruises we managed to have some times 1100 Mariners on board, this cruise we just barely made 502 altogether. That number included however at least 4 700 days medallion holders (one couple with well over a 1000) and that made up a bit for the balance. They just came to see if Alaska was still Alaska and yes it is. 

Today was filled with the last day activities, crew farewell, Mariners Lunch and the all important last minute laundry and packing. Most of our guests will go into the interior from Seward and that necessitates careful thinking about what to pack and what to hand carry. The luggage travels separate from the guest on the bus and catches up at the first hotel stop. To get that right we have a very extensive and detailed schedule made up that will be the standard for the whole season. During our last call San Diego we had the Shore Operations Manager from Seward on board to talk things through so that all parties are on the same page. That includes me, as I have to adjust my arrival times to be in synch with the luggage offloading.

That means tomorrow morning a very early arrival. Pilot pick up at 04.00; first line one hour later and luggage starting no later than 05.30. First guests will be leaving at 06.30 with the last ones around 1 pm. The first new guests will arrive at the ship at around 11.30 am so there will be a period that there are  leaving and arriving guests on board at the same time. In this port the ship is basically acting as a regular hotel with people coming and going all day long. That has to do with the fact we use the same buses and trains twice. When we arrive the busses and a train are waiting for the disembarking guests and later the new guests will arrive on the return trip. The whole operation is running like clockwork, based on long time experience. Every year there are a few more tours that give a different slant on the whole thing but the basic pattern remains the same.

It started long time ago with the ss Rotterdam (V) which went to Seward for the first time in 1986. Compared to now that was very primitive. We carried on the bow our own luggage conveyor belts, we used school buses in addition to the Westours busses and we did not have any Glass Dome cars yet. Also what the company could offer in the interior was quite limited compared to what we can now. The hotels have been greatly expanded, there are more of them, and the number of additional attractions has increased 10 fold. Varying from cruises on Ptarmigan Lake, to a gold dredge, nature reserves, wildlife centres and with tours now reaching the top of Alaska where the Alaskan oil pipe starts. Since we are now one happy family under the Carnival umbrella, we run a lot of things in conjunction with Princess. As matter of fact the Alaskan land operation of Holland America and Princess now operates as one organization. Although we keep things separated to the extent that HAL guests do not travel in a Princess bus and vice versa.

The weather for tomorrow looks good. Overcast, small chance of rain and no wind on arrival. I will be able to let the Statendam just drift into the berth. I will have to stop on the inch though, so the luggage conveyor will fit in the ship. More about that tomorrow.

You approach Glacier Bay via Icy Strait, named so a long time ago, when Glacier Bay did not exist yet and was completely covered in ice. The Glacier then calved directly into this strait, hence the name. Since then the glaciers have been retreating and now we have to sail about 50 miles up the bay to get to them. That journey starts with entering the lower bay and picking up the Park Rangers. Glacier Bay is a National Park since President Coolidge signed a Presidential decree for it in the late 19^th century.   Thus as long as I have been around the routine has been the same, we pick up the Rangers and then we proceed up the Bay towards the glaciers. The thing that has changed through the years is the number of people that board at the Ranger Station. In the early beginning it was only 2 Rangers. One to make the announcements and the other one to walk around the ship, to talk to the guests. The next step was to bring books and maps on board for sale and the 2^nd ranger would stand at a table in a central point. In our case the Crows nest.  Then an addition to the team was a member of the native tribe who lived in Glacier Bay before the Ice Age of the 17^th & 18^th century dislodged them, but who are still in the area.  Lastly there is now a wild life observer as well, who spends the day on the bow with a range finder making observations. That is, if he/she is not distracted by curious guests of course. Continue reading

 Skagway is in my opinion the most peculiar town in Alaska. At least compared to the other ports that we visit in the Great Land. If it had not been for the gold rush of 1898 the town would have never been there and that makes sense. Every day in the afternoon a funnel wind picks up, blowing from the south through the Lynn Canal and it then whistles through the town where the main street –Broadway- is right in line with it. In the summer time it might be something you can live with but in the winter it must be very unpleasant. When the shops close after the cruise ship season, the town population dwindles to 400 or so (correct me if I am wrong, I am going by the wisdom of the pilots) and I admire the die-hards who can survive the harsh climate. Just a week ago more than 10 inches of snow fell in the upper pass and that meant that several tours had to be cancelled for the ships that were early visitors. If you blot out the Retail shops & Tourism, then I think that Skagway still comes quite close to what people call a “Frontier town”. Continue reading

Also in this port the arrival of the ships are staggered but the only problem is that it is not as easy as in Ketchikan where all the docks are in line with the open fairway called Tongass Narrows. The port of Juneau is basically a big pond, with only the option for smaller ships to go under the bridge and further up into Gastineau Channel. That bridge connects the town of Juneau with the town on Douglas on the West side of the channel. Further down there is the village of “Lucky Me” founded in 1986. I think this makes Alaska so special. This particular gentleman did not agree with the politics of Juneau and decided to pack up and settle down halfway down Gastineau Channel. Now after 25 years he has squatter rights, his house (if he is still there) has improved greatly and some other people have joined him. For somebody like me, who comes from a very well regulated country as the Netherlands is it is just mind boggling that you can do that. But there seems to be quite a few thousand people living in the Alaskan interior that are not accounted for, never missed and sometimes never heard of again. Somebody said it might be as many as 100,000 that simply” disappeared off the map” in this enormous territory but I cannot prove that. Continue reading

The pilot was scheduled for 05.00 hrs in the morning as it takes about 90 minutes get to the dock in Ketchikan. Ahead of us was the Star Princess, one of the shopping trolley Class of Princess Cruises. Most of the ships in that same class have had their observation bar on the stern (that horizontal bar that makes the ship look like a shopping trolley) removed but the Star has most probably not gone into dry dock yet. All the ships have more or less the same pilot station time here and who goes first depends on which dock you are going to. Princess goes to four; we go to two, so the Star Princess goes in first. In that way we do not have to pass each other while approaching the dock. It is all very well organized here in Alaska. All companies have the same agency which has been around for nearly 50 years in the cruise ship business and they regulate and organize everything to everybody’s satisfaction. Occasionally there is a captain who has not been on the coast, or does not understand the routine and tries to go against the flow and then finds out very quickly that that was not such a good idea. Fifty years of experience has to be respected and they really ensure that we are well prepared for the season. If each agent in the world would be like that, the world would be a better place and our lives a lot easier. Continue reading

With a 14 knot speed we pottered through Georgia Strait, north of Vancouver Island up to Seymour Narrows. Slack tide was at 00.40 in the morning and so we aimed for the entrance to the actual area for 23.15. This is called Cape Mudge. From there it is 45 minutes with 12 knots to get to the actual Narrows itself. When we pass Campbell River with its town and pulp mill we have to stay below 13 knots anyway to prevent wake and the pilots and ships together decided a long time ago that it is much easier for everybody if we do the whole stretch at slow speed. So the tradition and routine has become a ‘ you aim for Cape Mudge at a time 45 minutes before the actual Narrows passage time’. The Narrows are so important as it is the only way to get up and down the coast without having to go around the whole of Vancouver Island. For most cruise ships there is no other way of getting to Alaska than by going through. Occasionally there are ships who take the outside route (especially if you are doing Sitka – Seattle) in high summer when the weather is nice. It has the advantage that you get set an average speed, you do not need pilots for the inside passage part and you do not have to deal with Seymour Narrows. Continue reading

With wind still weather but threatening skies we sailed under Lions Gate Bridge. The weather forecast was predicting rain later in the day and it indeed started at 11 am. For engine maintenance I had to dock starboard side alongside today and thus I went early under the bridge. To swing around takes more time than to go straight in. Following us was the Celebrity Summit scheduled to dock behind us, and inbetween the Disney Wonder came in, docking on the other side at Canada Place East. So a full house today. All the ships line up for the bridge about 10 minutes apart so they can all have the first line at 0700 hrs. Docking earlier causes extra overtime for the longshoremen, and thus we are all counting down on the clock until it is 07.01 and then the messenger line goes ashore. In a way a bit silly but rules are rules and contracts are contracts. If one side would start to tinker with it, you will not know where it will end. Now the boundaries are clear and both sides abide by them. It means that we are fully docked by 07.20 then the gangway is connected and the day can start. On departure it goes the other way around; we have to ensure that all the mooring lines are off the dock by 16. 58 hrs. It is always a difficult decision for the captain to decide to wait past 5 pm for late buses and or luggage as there is quite a heavy penalty for the post 5 pm stay. Continue reading

During the night the wind died down completely and the swell which had been subsiding since yesterday afternoon reduced itself to almost nothing. Strait Juan de Fuca was on its best behavior. There was also hardly any traffic around courtesy of the fact that it was Saturday going on Sunday. Cargo ships prefer to stay at sea during the weekend when everything is triple overtime or nothing happens in the ports. Thus the rush will be tomorrow evening with the incoming ships for Vancouver, Victoria and Seattle –Tacoma all trying to enter port and dock around the time when the normal longshoremen shifts are starting again. The biggest exemption to that pattern are the cruise ships which are all now lining up for the start of the Alaska season. As a result it was one of the busiest days of the year in Victoria with four ships in port. When we arrived the Disney Wonder was already docked. She left at 17.00 and shortly after, her place was taken by the Norwegian Pearl. She was followed around 19.00 by the Oosterdam also coming in for an evening call. The weather was holding; dry and windstill and with the sun out as well it made the visit to Victoria a sheer delight. Still the summer it just starting and it became very chilly the moment the sun went down. Not that I minded that, the cooler it is, the less chance of “low hanging clouds”.

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