Interview with Captain Jeroen van Donselaar, Part Two

Capt. Jeroen van Donselaar

Today we continue with blogger and Carnival Cruise Lines Senior Cruise Director Jon Heald’s interview with Captain Jeroen van Donselaar, master of Eurodam.

John Heald: So much of a captain’s job these days is spent not just on the bridge, but in other tasks as well. Can you describe as best you can what some of those non-navigational jobs are, for example, during the first few weeks of the ship’s life what will be some of the tasks you will undertake.

Jeroen van Donselaar: This is very true indeed. These days the job of a captain is more like a process operator versus the old-fashioned seafarer. I am always on the bridge during arrivals and departures when either I or the chief officer handles the ship. Other circumstances where my presence on the bridge is required is during heavy weather, zero or reduced visibility and traffic situations.

I spend a good three to four hours per day on paperwork, making sure all new operational directives are properly implemented as well as catching up on business e-mails. Other than that I like to manage by walking around and making myself as visible as possible both to guests and crew.

In particular on a new ship it is important to check that the operation is up to standards in all respects. This varies from observing crew performance, dealing with newbuild inspections, public health inspections, flag, port, state and class inspections, and quality control of the cruise product.

JH: I have been at sea a long time myself and have seen many ships’ captains with their own superstitions while they are on board. Do you have any that you can share with us?

JvD: Well I used to have them, but I have thrown them overboard — well not literally! Being appointed captain for the first time is an occasion that no one can prepare you for. One has a lot of responsibility as chief officer, but you always have a higher authority on board you could seek advice from or who would make the tough decisions. The first few months as captain are a bit of a shocker and you could find yourself believing old superstitions, but you grow out of it quickly and gain confidence.

One of the stranger superstitions that I can think of is the one of the ship’s bell. This bell could never be removed from the forecastle or else it would lead to terrible misfortune for the ship and her crew. During the recent New Year’s Eve celebrations on board the Zuiderdam we took the bell from the forecastle and put it on stage in the show lounge to ring in the New Year. The bell was not returned until the next morning and I am happy to report that we made it through the night! So much for superstitions!

JH: How does Captain Jeroen van Donselaar relax while on board and while on leave?

JvD: I do go ashore, but not that frequently. Whenever I do and come back on board something will have happened — it’s Murphy’s Law. I enjoy swimming and diving on one of our newer destinations, Grand Turk Island. Other than that I make use of the gym and like walking laps around the wraparound deck.

I play electric guitar — a Fender Strat — and find this a great way to blow off steam. I’m not sure if others around me actually enjoy my music. Unidentified individuals have on occasion shut my cabin door — while I was playing inside!

During leave I am never bored since my wife Pam and I recently bought a new home on Long Island. Let’s just say I have my work cut out for me until long after the Eurodam sails! I like to carry out home improvements by myself and this keeps my days off well filled.

One of my major interests is trains, both live and scale models. One of these years I hope to revive my 1:22.5 scale LGB trains layout in our basement. I thoroughly enjoy the railway preservation scene that exists in the U.K. Once a year I take a trip by myself to enjoy some scenic railway in the U.K. My favorites are the North Yorkshire Moors railway, the Settle to Carlisle Line and the Heart of Wales route.

One day I hope to have covered all of the existing network in the U.K. Weird as it may sound I also enjoy walking abandoned railway tracks and discovering disused stations. There’s thousands of them in the U.K.

Join us tomorrow for the last installment in the series.

Interview with Captain Jeroen van Donselaar, Part One

Capt. Jeroen van Donselaar

Our colleague in the blogosphere, John Heald, senior cruise director for Carnival Cruise Lines, has an ongoing series on his blog in which he interviews cruise ship captains. He recently interviewed the master of Eurodam, Captain Jeroen van Donselaar, and has been kind enough to share it with us here at Eurodam News Blog. It is an in-depth interview, so we’ll be posting it in a series this week. Here’s the first installment.

John Heald: Captain, please can you tell us about your career at sea so far.

Captain Jeroen van Donselaar: I just completed my 21st year with Holland America Line. I started in 1986 as an apprentice officer aboard Noordam. After completing my studies at the De Ruyter Maritime University in Vlissingen, the Netherlands, I became fourth officer on the Nieuw Amsterdam. I continued to rise through the ranks until I was appointed captain in 2002. Since then I have been the master of several HAL vessels, the flagship ms Rotterdam, its sister Volendam and the last four years on the Vista-class ships Oosterdam, Westerdam and Zuiderdam. I also was in charge of the nautical supervision of the building of Zaandam in 1999.

I was born in Kampen, The Netherlands, and have always admired the sea. As a teenager I was invited onto the bridge of a ferry sailing across the North Sea and that experience made such an impression that I decided to pursue a seafaring career.

JH: The Eurodam will be a special vessel and I am sure you must be excited in being the Master of Holland America Lines flagship. What involvement have you had so far and what will your priorities be once you walk on board?

JvD: Well I just came off the Zuiderdam last month and am now enjoying my time off at home on Long Island, New York. I will be joining the vessel relatively late at the yard on April 29th. The main reason for this is scheduling. Since the inaugurals of the ship will not be just the main event in Rotterdam, but rather a series of events lasting all the way until September in New York, HAL management wanted me to do a longer term rather than be relieved shortly after delivery, which is the way captains were scheduled on previous newbuilds. In other words, my involvement has been relatively limited. Based on my four years of Vista experience, I have submitted a series of suggestions for improvements for the Signature class, some of which I know have been incorporated in Eurodam.

When I walk aboard my first priority will be my own familiarization as I will be a couple of steps behind and closely followed by the preparations for the various inspections the ship will have to go through before it can enter service, and the inaugurals of course.

JH: We have all been reading the Eurodam blog and it has been fascinating watching her “come alive.” As her captain, what would you say will make this ship that extra bit special?

JvD: The name Eurodam in itself is special already. It signifies our European heritage and Holland America Line’s commitment to European deployment of its ships. As the first Signature-class ship, the Eurodam will be the largest ship Holland America Line has ever operated and it is also the largest passenger vessel ever to fly the Dutch flag.

The ship also will have some wonderful new amenities that none of the other HAL vessels have.

This ship truly deserves all the attention it will be getting. But what makes the ship very special in my opinion are the crew and officers. I have seen some names already and I know we will have a fantastic team.

JH: So, the naming ceremony is over, the ropes are let go and you take Eurodam away from the pier. Can you tell us where you will be navigating the ship to and are there any destinations you are particularly looking forward to sailing to?

JvD: The ship will be deployed in the Baltic out of Copenhagen for two months, after which she will make her way across the Atlantic to New York via the British Isles, Iceland and Newfoundland. New York will serve as the homeport for the Eastern Canada/New England season with some very exclusive New York to Quebec cruises, including a two-day stay in Quebec. We then sail to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for seven-day eastern Caribbean cruises.

In particular I am looking forward to returning to the Baltic, an area in which I have enjoyed sailing tremendously while on the Maasdam and Rotterdam.

Check back here tomorrow for the next installment of John Heald’s interview with Eurodam’s captain.

Atrium Art Installation

Chief Engineer Frank de Vries sent us this photo of the atrium art being installed. The flowers are being affixed to the sculpture to give the appearance that they are floating down from the ceiling.

As we mentioned back in December, the impressive work of art was designed by Vincent Jansen for VFD Architects, and it is being executed by a Dutch company called Transtech. Carolijn Nelis from VFD told us that while the flowers look like glass, they actually are made from material approved for use on cruise ships by the International Maritime Organization. The flowers will change color depending on the time of day: bright colors during the day and warm colors in the evening.

Take a look and compare the actual piece versus the rendering.

Card Art: Zijldyk

An alert reader (and you know who you are) alerted us that there are two more paintings by Stephen Card that will be displayed on Eurodam, even though we’ve shown you all the images we’ve managed to collect so far.

So here is Zijldyk, about which we know very little beyond the fact that it was a cargo ship (hence the -dyk suffix) that was part of the Holland America Line fleet from 1909 to 1928.

If an alert reader (and you know who you are) has additional information on Zijldyk, please share it with us and we’ll share it with everybody.

UPDATE: I just knew someone in The Netherlands was paying attention. Check out the comments on this post for more information on Zijldyk from a couple of our alert readers. Thanks guys!

Look at All the New Stuff in the Warehouse

Chief Officer Andre van Schoonhoven sent us this photo of just some of the thousands of items that are arriving at the yard as part of the owner’s supply to make the ship operational.

He said the material includes “flammables lockers, ropes, pilot ladder, luggage X-ray machines, you name it — and that is just the Deck Department stuff.”

Of course, along with all the cool new stuff comes lots of paperwork. Third Officer Aafke Bergsma is shown here checking purchase orders and cross-indexing them with the invoices.

Eurodam Begins Sea Trials

Frank de Vries, our favorite chief engineer, just sent us these images of Eurodam during its first sea trial. The trial was conducted off the coast of Italy the evening of March 29 and during the day March 30. The top image is looking forward, and the bottom image is looking aft with a view of the Tamarind Restaurant. During the trial run, the ship performed a “crash stop,” which is a test to see how long it takes to stop the ship in the event of an emergency, as well as steering tests, causing the ship to turn quickly. According to de Vries, Eurodam performed well in all tests.

Currently the ship is in dry dock in Trieste so the hull can be cleaned and painted, as well as do some other necessary work. This Saturday Eurodam will set out on the remaining part of the sea trials — including the important speed tests — which are considered the “official” sea trials.