StormyWildcat
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Posts posted by StormyWildcat
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Good to see Captain Albert blogging. I do enjoy reading it. And I am very much enjoying his journey on the Maasdam. :D
I have never met Captain Jutten. The three times I have sailed on the Maasdam have been with Captain Ane Smit, so I have gotten to know Captain Smit quite well, along with Staff Captain Craig Ravesloot. Maasdam always feels like home to me now. I seem to have a knack for going when Captain Smit and SC Craig Ravesloot are both there though. ;) Very interesting considering their overlap is not very long.
I won't get to visit them much anymore as I am preparing to go to nautical school myself next year. I hope one day to be an officer with Holland America. Although, I do need to come up with some extra money as the good Staff Captain has insisted I return. :rolleyes: I believe he is still onboard at this time and I know he returns in mid December, I will need to plan accordingly. When does Captain Ane Smit return? :p
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The Maasdam made it to Boston with no issues. We didn't feel any waves at all. It was fun to stay on board and watch everyone leave this morning and are enjoying the quiet empty ship for a couple of hours though the crew is working hard to get everything cleaned up. They're also busy putting things that were secured in case of the weather last night back (Looks like the Liquor Store clerk is going to be busy for awhile putting all the bottles back on the shelves. Hope everyone else is safe and those of you joining us are ready for a great cruise back to Montreal.
Thank you very much for the update, glad everyone is well!
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Just a quick note since I don't want to spend too much time reading the thread with the on-board internet :) but thought someone might want to know. We're on board the Maasdam now and will also be doing the return trip to Montreal. We were told this morning that we'd be leaving Bar Harbor by 1 (a few hours early) to try and avoid as much of the storm as possible and that we should still arrive in Boston on time tomorrow. It must have taken longer to get everyone back on board as we didn't leave until 2 but the captain just came on and said the storm is now supposed to be moving further out and it should be calmer than originally expected. They have already taken things off the shelves in some of the shops and all the deck chairs were taken off the Lower Promenade and back pool area this morning.
Out of curiosity, who was the Captain on this trip? I have gotten to know some of the Maasdam's regular crew and was just wondering. Also who was the Staff Captain? Thank you for the update, I wondered about Maasdam all night, glad to hear all is well.
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You may be able to contact her on facebook.
Though I have found a few of the officers that I have met and talked with on facebook, I did not see her on there. I know not all of them use facebook, Craig Ravesloot told me he doesn't use it but would keep in touch by email.
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Hope you get to meet her, a great lady, she is a New Zealander.
We met her on board the Volendam.
Very nice. Maybe I will write to her and send it to the ship up in New England. I need to send some pictures to Captain Smit anyway. I also have some stuff I was thinking of sending to some of my other friends on board. I think I still have the address saved somewhere from last year. :confused:
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It's been a great sailaway season. Thank you, all. A shame Lou and Dave don't have a cam in Boston...guess DH and I have to drive into town to see it "live"! :cool:
Maasdam is still visible on the www.ftlauderdalewebcam.com NE.
I did ask if they were going to get a webcam but they said they could not make any public statements.
I know it is not the same, but Sea Tow has a webcam in Boston.
http://www.seatowboston.com/harborcam.html
Also Halifax has several webcams if you want to see Veendam and Maasdam when they are there.
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Catherine Williams (St Capt) giving orders to pull the crew gangway.
I want to meet her. I am preparing for nautical school and seeing women on the bridge (especially higher ranks) is very inspirational to me. I have sailed 3 times with Maasdam's main Staff Captain, Craig Ravesloot, who along with the Captain, Ane Jan Smit, are already inspirational to me. Maybe one day I will get to meet Catherine Williams. :)
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It was a very good demonstration of superior ship handling. I'm sure there are tighter spots and tougher maneuvers, but that whole business was just about as smooth as glass.
Awesome. I really hope I get to see it. :D
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Whoever is at the helm just pulled off sliding a cruise ship like a sports car into a parallel parking spot.
I was in the middle of my workout routine and missed it!! Think they will put it on video?
(I am preparing to go to nautical school and would love to see this fine handling, haha)
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I remember seeing you on board - good luck with your career!!
Thank you. :D
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I was talking with an officer on Maasdam during my cruise and he said there are a million rumors going around right now but as of right now they are planning on just adding NoNameDam to the fleet and that Statendam, Maasdam and their sisters aren't currently going anywhere.
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I will always love Maasie (glad to see other people call her that too, hahaha). I have sailed three times totaling only 41 days so far.
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I wish I had been able to meet up with those who went but I did not even know I was going until the night before the cruise. It was a special trip for me after a major life changing event last year. I traveled alone, I did talk to a lot of people but it would have been nice to meet up.
My recount of the trip would not fit into a review. Like I said, it was a special trip. After I lost my brother last year (he was only 49) I got very depressed. I had friends working on the Maasdam who begged me to return in October so I went but was in the darkest place I've ever been in my life. Life can change in just an instant. I am glad to say that I am doing well now and I owe it to Captain Ane Jan Smit and the crew of the Maasdam. So, I returned again on the March 28th sailing to celebrate life. I was extremely happy that Captain Smit was just getting on as well. It gave me the opportunity to thank him.
I did not do much in the way of cruising as most people do. I spent most of my time meditating and writing. I am going to be starting nautical school to become a deck officer myself so I spent a lot of time also talking to the deck crew. For me it was the most amazing trip of my life, but that is because I was there celebrating life and the start of a new chapter.
As far as Captain Ane Smit goes... he is a very reclusive man, even the crew hardly see him. Most of the rest of the crew was absolutely amazing. Since I was traveling alone, they always went out of their way to make me smile.
I don't drink wine, I don't do special dining, I didn't do much of the entertainment, although most nights I did hang out in the Mix to watch Piano Man Paul, I knew him from a previous cruise. A part of me is sad that now that my life has changed and I'm going to school to work on ships, I see things in a different light than I used to, but a part of me loves it even more. Unfortunately, that won't help "normal" guests get a sense of the cruise, lol.
Love the Maasdam, will always return to her, really enjoying getting to know her crew as well. Hopefully next time I will have more warning and can meet up with people!
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Here's the funny thing. We were on the Maasdam in 2012. Before we sailed, I tried and tried to get a good photo of the ship leaving port so I could include it in our photo album.
We went down to the pool to try for a ground level picture. We tried from our balcony. We walked down to the water's edge. It was always cloudy or hazy and I never got a decent shot.
Now, when I don't need a good photo, boom! there it is. Maybe I'll just start collecting photos of ships so I have them in stock. :)
That is a good idea!! I have been trying to get pictures of each of the Dam Ships for over a year now. Unfortunately I don't live close enough to get pictures often. And it seems that the same ones are there every time I'm there. Well, having sailed my last three trips on Maasdam doesn't help, I blame the persistent crew I've made friends with who keep "making" me go back to see them. :D
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Toots were very nice (although I still think Craig Ravesloot does it best on the Maasdam).
I would love to live there and watch them every day, I keep forgetting to ask how to get one of the flags some people hang on their balconies, I took a picture of one when I was sailing out a few weeks ago.
They really need to get webcams in other locations so we can watch them during the summer as well.
Fair winds and following seas to all my friends on board the Maasdam. Hugs!!
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I don't know the female officer. I know most of the officers, but never met her. Craig Ravesloot was Staff Captain this morning, looks like he is off now.
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Sounds like Maasdam is ready to go.
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It does sound like a change in Staff Captain since this morning though.
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Ahhh! Captain Ane Jan Smit! Sailed with him on three trips now. Good to hear his voice.
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Always love to see my girl, Maasdam. Watched and listened as she came in this morning.
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Capt. Arno Jutten
SC Craig Ravesloot
Thank you, I thought that was Craig. :)
Have a great picture of him and me together from my last cruise. Great guy.
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Mighty fine tootin MS Maasdam!!
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Safe voyage Maasdam!
(Still would like to know Captain and Staff Captain)
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Yay Maasdam!
Anyone know who the Staff Captain and Captain on the Maasdam are right now?
YesI got to know many of the crew last year and was just wondering who was there.
HAL Jokes?
in Holland America Line
Posted
Can't stop laughing!