In a rough Indian Ocean, still making our way towards the Malacca Straits, making 15 knots, except now our first port will be Singapore on the 24th. This to take fuel. To be able to so, we have to be at sea for 14 days, so had we gone to Batam first, the ‘clock starts over’ again and we would have to wait another 14 days……
We are still healthy, (fingers, as always) crossed. I write a journal, so thought some excerpts would be suitable.
12th April. Easter day and only a year ago, my grandchildren, Violet and Lois, had their Easter bunny hats on and were playing ‘hunt the easter eggs’ with Geoffrey in the Lido, how the World has changed. Managed to WhatsApp them though, Lois doing her spelling lessons, perfect. An Easter service in the Main Lounge, the ship’s whistle blown at 10 a.m. to mark 2 minutes silence, in remembrance of a Housekeeping Petty officer from the Zaandam, who passed away in a Miami hospital, from that***** virus, lots of tears. 4100 miles to Batam, still blowing and not making speed. No rush, not going to use more fuel.
13th April. Well, at least it isn’t a Friday. Reading that Batam may be shutting down and closing for 3 months. This is becoming impossible and frustrating. Ironically this is the 100th day of our Grand World voyage, seems like an age away. We will start moving crew into staterooms today, a morale booster. I am splitting my time between my cabin and 7001.
14th April Passing Madagascar, oddly enough we should have been there, had the World not collapsed.
15th April Work on Lodo pool completed, tiles repaired ect. Going to fill and then start on aft Lido pool. Major work ongoing by Technical and Deck departments, we could never have done this with guests on board.
16th April. All change, heading for Singapore now, there for the 24th and after that?? Not sure, most of our crew come from Manila, Jakarta, Semarang and Bali, maybe I’ll be doing a ‘drop off’ at each one? Who knows, time will tell.
We are trying to keep the crew motivated, an event every evening, table tennis tournaments and ‘fussball’ in the lido area. Taking into account Social Distancing as well, (we’ve quite good at lip-reading and shouting).
Due to the time difference between the ship and West coast, my evenings and mornings are the busiest times and then a lull, when the West coast is dark. Weekends of course are quieter.
Hoping you are all well and safe, take care.
Dear Captain,
Thank you for these continuing messages. Sickness or loss of anyone in the Holland American family breaks my heart as I’m sure the other passengers.
My 2019 round the world under your extraordinary tutelage was my second time to have the opportunity to circumnavigate the globe. First time via land. I was surprised to see that everywhere we went locals were now using and “iPhones”.
One of the highlights for me was visiting Jordan. A place making an attempt so it seemed to neutralize a vicious tension in the region that has been festering over the centuries.
You may know that three astronauts return from the International Space Station a few days ago. They had been in orbit for months. I envied them because they had just left a virus free environment. I can imagine they had mixed feelings returning.
In California, we are wearing face masks and staying at least 6 feet apart. The streets, rails and air are empty. Living in this Silicon Valley beehive brings lots of commotion. 43% of our homeowners in Sunnyvale are foreign-born. But now, eerily silent.
My fuzzy crystal ball says this will end with a pharmaceutical this fall and a vaccine early next year. I believe all this talk in the states of massive testing and social tracing is marginally feasible. But it keeps our spirits high.
Please excuse me if I am out of line, but I hope this is not your last command. Your leadership while on the Amsterdam was consistently outstanding! I mentioned to fellow passengers that I thought you had a direct line to the “weather gods”!
Best of continued safety, for you, family and crew!