Eurodam graces the Port of Victoria in British Columbia before returning to Seattle
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Whether Eurodam’s Captain John Scott is home or away he loves an ocean view, so much so that he bought a house in Portsmouth that overlooks the sea.
New Zealander Capt Scott got hooked on the ocean when he was 10, during a sailing to Fiji with his father and he said: “I thought being on a ship was the greatest thing ever – I knew it was where I always wanted to be.”
Capt Scott followed his dream and went on to join the Royal Naval Reserves, where he met his English wife Susan.
Susan often joins Capt Scott on Eurodam and he says they both particularly enjoy being in the port of Sitka, in Alaska. He said: “We have friends there, from Exeter, who are involved with the Fortress of the Bear Foundation and it is probably our favourite town in the region, although when it comes to tours, flying over the Misty fjords by floatplane is fantastic.”
On 2,200-guest Eurodam, Capt Scott has enjoyed returning to Alaska where he first sailed with Cunard in the 1990s. The view is different every day he says, with the weather ever-changing and the many wildlife sightings.
“During the last couple of weeks we have had to slow the ship to allow large pods of whales to pass through – they were following the herring.”
Capt Scott is proud to be master of the ship during Holland America Line’s 70th anniversary year of sailing to Alaska. He said: “Back then those remote ports were mainly focused on trade from the sawmills or salmon canneries – the communities were much smaller back then. There were no floatplanes or helicopters to get in and out so life is very much changed for the people.
"Cruise companies have invested heavily in the ports and the region is now open to far more people. It's much more affordable to take a cruise."
Eurodam’s summer itinerary to Alaska features a seven-day round-trip from Seattle with calls to Juneau, Sitka and Ketchikan in Alaska, plus a stop in Victoria, British Columbia.
At Glacier Bay, during a day's scenic cruising, the 12-year-old ship showed off her capabilities by making a slow 360-degree movement for guests to take in the captivating beauty of the bay where the Captain George Vancouver, of the British Royal Navy, charted the icy waters in 1794.
Capt Vancouver, from King's Lynn, in Norfolk, found the shoreline completely covered by ice and he described the bay as a small five-mile indent in a gigantic glacier that stretched to the horizon. The glacier was more than 4,000-ft thick in places and up to 20 miles wide.
By 1879, naturalist John Muir, from Dunbar, Scotland, discovered the ice had retreated more than 30 miles forming a bay. In 1916, the Grand Pacific Glacier had melted back 60 miles to the head of what is now Tarr Inlet.
Captain Scott said the ice is not receding as quickly as it had in the last 100 years but more rock was showing next to the glacier. He said: "The rock will absorb heat from the sun so the ice will continue to melt."
Acknowledging Eurodam's smooth manoeuvres, he said: “She handles very well and rotates nicely – but she is also smooth and capable of 22-23 knots when we are sailing on the longer runs from Alaska to Victoria.
"Not only that, she is a very pretty ship.”
Indeed, she is, and here are the pictures to show why Capt Scott is so proud of his Signature-class ship.
Whether Eurodam’s Captain John Scott is home or away he loves an ocean view, so much so that he bought a house in Portsmouth that overlooks the sea.
New Zealander Capt Scott got hooked on the ocean when he was 10, during a sailing to Fiji with his father and he said: “I thought being on a ship was the greatest thing ever – I knew it was where I always wanted to be.”
Capt Scott followed his dream and went on to join the Royal Naval Reserves, where he met his English wife Susan.
Susan often joins Capt Scott on Eurodam and he says they both particularly enjoy being in the port of Sitka, in Alaska. He said: “We have friends there, from Exeter, who are involved with the Fortress of the Bear Foundation and it is probably our favourite town in the region, although when it comes to tours, flying over the Misty fjords by floatplane is fantastic.”
On 2,200-guest Eurodam, Capt Scott has enjoyed returning to Alaska where he first sailed with Cunard in the 1990s. The view is different every day he says, with the weather ever-changing and the many wildlife sightings.
“During the last couple of weeks we have had to slow the ship to allow large pods of whales to pass through – they were following the herring.”
Capt Scott is proud to be master of the ship during Holland America Line’s 70th anniversary year of sailing to Alaska. He said: “Back then those remote ports were mainly focused on trade from the sawmills or salmon canneries – the communities were much smaller back then. There were no floatplanes or helicopters to get in and out so life is very much changed for the people.
"Cruise companies have invested heavily in the ports and the region is now open to far more people. It's much more affordable to take a cruise."
Eurodam’s summer itinerary to Alaska features a seven-day round-trip from Seattle with calls to Juneau, Sitka and Ketchikan in Alaska, plus a stop in Victoria, British Columbia.
At Glacier Bay, during a day's scenic cruising, the 12-year-old ship showed off her capabilities by making a slow 360-degree movement for guests to take in the captivating beauty of the bay where the Captain George Vancouver, of the British Royal Navy, charted the icy waters in 1794.
Capt Vancouver, from King's Lynn, in Norfolk, found the shoreline completely covered by ice and he described the bay as a small five-mile indent in a gigantic glacier that stretched to the horizon. The glacier was more than 4,000-ft thick in places and up to 20 miles wide.
By 1879, naturalist John Muir, from Dunbar, Scotland, discovered the ice had retreated more than 30 miles forming a bay. In 1916, the Grand Pacific Glacier had melted back 60 miles to the head of what is now Tarr Inlet.
Captain Scott said the ice is not receding as quickly as it had in the last 100 years but more rock was showing next to the glacier. He said: "The rock will absorb heat from the sun so the ice will continue to melt."
Acknowledging Eurodam's smooth manoeuvres, he said: “She handles very well and rotates nicely – but she is also smooth and capable of 22-23 knots when we are sailing on the longer runs from Alaska to Victoria.
"Not only that, she is a very pretty ship.”
Indeed, she is, and here are the pictures to show why Capt Scott is so proud of his Signature-class ship.
Captain John Scott, proud master of Eurodam
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