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Sailing: Volendam & WesterdamSailing: Volendam & Westerdam
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Sailing: Volendam & Westerdam

May - June 2025
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Sailing with the Volendam from Iceland to Greenland, Newfoundland, and down to Boston. Then, sailing with the Westerdam from Seattle to Alaska & back to Seattle. Read more
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  • Sailing: Volendam & Westerdam

    Dutch Harbour, Amaknak Island, Alaska

    June 17 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C

    It was good to step ashore to get some fresh air, to feel the earth beneath our feet...

    We are docked out of town, and there was no shuttle available. So, a few people got a taxi while many others walked. The nearest place was a World War II Museum, to which many people made a beeline. The next closest thing was a supermarket, and then further walking was required to get to the small town and another museum.

    Paul and I went to the WW II Museum to get a permit to walk up Mt Ballyhoo. There are a few forts on the mountainside. The route we chose started near the small airport. We soon discovered that the track was steeper than it looked from further away. It was a 1:3 gradient. Also, we didn't see any forts or fortifications as we walked up, even though - according to the map - we were literally walking past or over them. They might have been dismantled....

    Anyway, we got 3/4 of the way up to the top of the mountain when we decided to walk back down. We are not as fit as we should be, and the steep path was no match for our knees.

    There is another path that starts closer to the ship, but we don't know what that would have been like, nor if there are visible forts either.

    Once back at the road, we walked towards the museum and to the supermarket. From there, we took a slightly different route back, which brought us back to the coastline and near the airport. An aeroplane was about to take off, so booms went down across the road, preventing drivers from entering or leaving the industrial area.

    We got back to the ship, rather footsore, and had a very late lunch. We were just glad to sit down to ease our steaming feet!    Read more

  • Sailing: Volendam & Westerdam

    Sea day, heading towards Dutch Harbour

    June 15, Gulf of Alaska ⋅ 🌬 8 °C

    Apart from doing a lot of reading, we attended 3 lectures.

    One was "Breaking the Ice Ceiling - Pioneering Women of Alaska." It wasn't what we expected as it had nothing to do with women in Alaska many years ago. This was about 3 modern-day women in Alaska. One is a small aeroplane pilot, another a fisherwoman, and another woman in the Alaskan Coastguards. Their stories were interesting but by no means pioneering!

    Another talk was "War Comes North," which was about World War II in Alaska, surprisingly enough. It was very interesting.

    The last lecture we attended was "How Glaciers Carve Landscapes." It was interesting and well illustrated, from snowflake to the formation of glaciers and their erosion down to their final end destination.

    It helped the day go a bit faster. Admittedly, we still haven't walked "a mile" on deck nor seen the inside of the gym. We do need some exercise!    Read more

  • Sailing: Volendam & Westerdam

    Valdez, Alaska

    June 13 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    We got off the ship today. It was good to step ashore and go for a nice walk.

    Our walk took us through town and up a river, down the other side, and back into town. We visited a museum, and instead of heading back to the ship, we ended up doing a circular walk at Dock Point, a very small and narrow peninsula. By the time we walked back to the waiting tender, we had walked a nice 12.5 km.

    We are now feeling rather footsore!    Read more

  • Sailing: Volendam & Westerdam

    Sitka

    June 11 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    Paul was not allowed off the ship again, so we sat in the Crow's Nest again and spent the day reading. We had a good view of Sitka and observed the tenders taking guests ashore.

    It was overcast and around 12C, so it didn't bother us that we didn't get off the ship. We have also been here in previous years. Usually, it is better to go off on a tour. The shops are still the same, selling touristy things and jewellery.

    Paul got a haircut in the salon this morning. He needed it!

    There were quite a few bald eagles flying around. It is a good sign that they are able to get food.    Read more

  • Sailing: Volendam & Westerdam

    Ketchikan

    June 10 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    We are in Ketchikan today and hoped to go for a nice walk somewhere.  Unfortunately Paul got stopped at the gangway and wasn't allowed off. 

    A sailor has to have been through a foreign port before an i95 permit can be issued to step ashore in the USA.  Paul was issued an i95 at the first USA port of call in Portland while on the Volendam.  Immigration was satisfied with it when we arrived in Boston and permitted him to fly to Seattle to join the Westerdam.  The Westerdam says that it is not valid and that it is only ship specific.  Paul will have to wait until the Westerdam sails to Canada (right at the end of the cruise) before he can be issued a new i95 permit to be allowed to step ashore.  However, Paul's i95 permit doesn't have a ship's name - which Paul pointed out to the crew office and the H.R. Manageress (which they acknowledged).  He asked that this situation be looked at, at a higher level because, in his eyes - he has a valid i95 which was not taken from him when he went through immigration on arrival in Boston.  They are going to contact the documentation manager on the ship and the CBP.  I hope they will get back to him as soon as possible otherwise it will be sad that he cannot step ashore for almost a month. 

    So, we've been sitting in the Crow's Nest today, catching up on paperwork and correspondence.  We managed to get a window seat with a view of a large ship in front of us, Ketichan pier to our right, and the rest of the harbour to our left.  There were 3 other ships at the pier, and the Noordam was at anchor nearby with her tender services running from ship to shore.  Town must have been extremely busy with so many ship passengers visiting.  It has been a pity that Paul couldn't get off because the weather has been beautifully sunny and not hot at all.

    Our cabin steward is a bit of a "dragon" and I doubt he and I will see eye to eye. He wasn't happy that I returned to the cabin while he was cleaning. Well... he had stepped out of the cabin to deliver laundry to another cabin, and saw me going in. Our cabin door was open. He rushed back and told me in a rather angry tone of voice to return later as he wasn't finished. All I wanted to do was fetch some mini marshmallows. I grabbed the bag and told him that was all I wanted, and l left.

    Tomorrow is another day....    Read more

  • Sailing: Volendam & Westerdam

    Sea day, heading towards Ketchikan

    June 9 in Canada ⋅ 🌬 12 °C

    We have been relaxing and reading this morning.

    In the afternoon, we attended a lecture about the battle of Sitka, where the Russians fought against the Tlingit people.

    Paul had to attend a meeting, so I stayed on to listen to a lecture given by the Captain of the Coastguards.: "Today's Pirates and Smugglers." It was an interesting talk.Read more

  • Sailing: Volendam & Westerdam

    On board the Westerdam

    June 8 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    We finally arrived at the port, and the H.R. manager was at the port terminal to meet Paul. He could go via the crew entrance, but after a phone call, I would have to wait with the passengers to board. The manager ended up telling Paul he could stay with me and we could board together and later meet with him to collect our room keys.

    We had to wait quite a while before the check-in process started, and then there was an even longer wait until we could board the ship. The H.R. manager was nowhere to be seen, nor was he answering his telephone. In the end, Paul decided we should go to the ship's reception desk to see if someone could issue me a room key. As it turned out, the H.R. manager had left Paul's keys with the reception desk, and I was issued with a key.

    Having found our cabin (an inside cabin on deck 8 - small with no window), we went for lunch and had a walk around the ship before going to the Bridge so that Paul could meet the Captain and his team.

    The Westerdam has about 1,800 passengers and is about the same size as the Noordam- one of the first ships I've sailed on with Paul. Admittedly, I feel rather "lost" because it is so big and has many passengers on board. It is sensory overload with noise and activities. No doubt I will settle in and get used to it.    Read more

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