Captain Chris Turner retires

[frankc98376]

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2160441380660969&id=255433271161799

 

Video from Volendam- Captain Turner has retired.  One of our favorite Captains- great guy with a great sense of humor

Edited January 20, 2019 by frankc98376

[taxmantoo]

Very nice captain.  We were invited to his table once for dinner on the Zuiderdam and then he escorted us all to the Black & White Gala evening.  A very memorable evening.

[RuthC]

Sorry to see him go. I wish him a long and happy retirement; he's earned it.

[prescottbob]

A wonderful & personable gentleman.

We were fortunate to join him twice for Captain Table's dinner's when he was assigned to the Prinsendam several years ago.

Enjoy you retirement Captain Chris & be well!

Bob & Judy

[kazu]

Sorry to hear this but very happy for Captain Turner 🙂 

 

It’s a well deserved retirement.  I hope he enjoys it for many years to come happy and healthy 😄 

[ski ww]

We also had the pleasure of been invited to join him for dinner on the Prinsendam on a cruise to Cape Town.

 

[VMax1700]

Chris Turner officiated at one of our Renewal of Vows ceremonies.  He is a wonderfully personable man.  Wishing him a long, happy and fruitful retirement.

[Despegue]

Have very nice memories sailing onboard Zuiderdam, while under command by Capt. Turner on our first HAL cruise.

 

Godspeed Captain, enjoy your well deserved start of a new journey,  and know that the Sea is never far away.

 

ps. It is often more difficult for the wife to adapt now the husband is home all the time 🤪😉🤣 

[Krazy Kruizers]

Never had him on any of our cruises.

 

Wish him a long and happy retirement.

[SeaDog-46]

Had the pleasure of sailing with Capt. Chris Turner on Zaandam during repositioning from BA to YVR in 2017.

He mentioned retiring & sailing a canal boat in UK.

Well done "old man" you did a good job.

 

[St Pete Cruiser]

Captain Turner was a favorite of mine.  In English formal tradition, he blew the horn at noon, exactly, on sea days, and made his noon report.  

[Copper10-8]

Enjoy your retirement Captain Turner and thanks very much for signing my book! 

[Colakid]

Congratulations on his retirement. Sailed with him twice both times on the Zuiderdam. He had a book signing session in the shops and got his signature and photo. Not sure where either are at this time.

[sailingdutchy]

We had the pleasure of sailing 4 times with Captain Turner on 4 different ships , a wonderful personable gentleman and a great Captain . We wish the Captain a very long and well deserved and Happy Retirement . Thank you for some great memories ! 

[Copper10-8]

Just now, sailingdutchy said:

We had the pleasure of sailing 4 times with Captain Turner on 4 different ships , a wonderful personable gentleman and a great Captain . We wish the Captain a very long and well deserved and Happy Retirement . Thank you for some great memories ! 

 

Nice pic Mr. Dutchy! I especially like the officer's hat and stripes which, btw, are not HAL because the Nelson loop is missing 

[sailingdutchy]

Hey Copper where is the stache , you are looking so young now !  Or is this you in your Amsterdam days a long time ago ? Nice pic !

Edited January 24, 2019 by sailingdutchy

[rafinmd]

For several years (until quite recently) Crystal Serenity had a live aboard, Mama Lee Wachsteader and I'm reading her memoir "I may be homeless but you should see my yacht".  She lived for several years on the Prinsendam, I think moving to Crystal when HAL stopped having dance hosts on every cruise.  In her opening chapters she shares stories on unusual events and one chapter is on Piracy.  She includes a letter from Captain Turner as master of the Prinsendam; I hadn't realized that ship was in his past.  Does anyone know how long Captain Turner served on the Elegant Explorer?

 

Roy

[Copper10-8]

4 hours ago, rafinmd said:

For several years (until quite recently) Crystal Serenity had a live aboard, Mama Lee Wachsteader and I'm reading her memoir "I may be homeless but you should see my yacht".  She lived for several years on the Prinsendam, I think moving to Crystal when HAL stopped having dance hosts on every cruise.  In her opening chapters she shares stories on unusual events and one chapter is on Piracy.  She includes a letter from Captain Turner as master of the Prinsendam; I hadn't realized that ship was in his past.  Does anyone know how long Captain Turner served on the Elegant Explorer?

 

Roy

 

 

You have to go way back to 2008 for that Roy. At that time, Capt. Chris Turner commanded P-dam along with Capt. Hale Thon Gundersen. Capt. Turner then moved to Zuiderdam in 2009 and was replaced on P-dam by Capt. Albert Schoonderbeek

[rafinmd]

38 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

 

You have to go way back to 2008 for that Roy. At that time, Capt. Chris Turner commanded P-dam along with Capt. Hale Thon Gundersen. Capt. Turner then moved to Zuiderdam in 2009 and was replaced on P-dam by Capt. Albert Schoonderbeek

Thinks.  I think the advanced piracy measures were taken in 2008.  I don't know the itinerary but guessing Grand Africa.

 

Roy

[Copper10-8]

25 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

Thinks.  I think the advanced piracy measures were taken in 2008.  I don't know the itinerary but guessing Grand Africa.

 

Roy

 

 

Those anti-piracy measures, including mandatory daily notification of course, speed and other info to a combined naval/maritime center in the UK, by cruise ships entering the zone identified as "high risk" have been in effect for a while. Any time a cruise ship exits the Red Sea via the Bab-el-Mandep, the Persian Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz to turn south-west, Sri Lanka to head north-west, Mozambique to go north, routes that have been part of HAL's Grand World Voyage, anti-piracy measures (still) go into effect

 

 

[sail7seas]

10 hours ago, rafinmd said:

For several years (until quite recently) Crystal Serenity had a live aboard, Mama Lee Wachsteader and I'm reading her memoir "I may be homeless but you should see my yacht".  She lived for several years on the Prinsendam, I think moving to Crystal when HAL stopped having dance hosts on every cruise.  In her opening chapters she shares stories on unusual events and one chapter is on Piracy.  She includes a letter from Captain Turner as master of the Prinsendam; I hadn't realized that ship was in his past.  Does anyone know how long Captain Turner served on the Elegant Explorer?

 

Roy

 

 

"Mama Lee" ?" 

 

 

I am thinking "Mama Lou"    ;-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5 hours ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

 

You have to go way back to 2008 for that Roy. At that time, Capt. Chris Turner commanded P-dam along with Capt. Hale Thon Gundersen. Capt. Turner then moved to Zuiderdam in 2009 and was replaced on P-dam by Capt. Albert Schoonderbeek

 

 

 

It  Was  Captain Jack on  Zuiderd dam  and I think i t was from Zuiderdam that  fine gentleman retired.   We liked Captain Jack very much.  He acutally was the first HAL Captain with whom we sa.led first   our  HAL cruise, long ago and far  far  away on the  which was  Noordam prior to the  current,  very special, very beautiful Noordam.

[Copper10-8]

46 minutes ago, sail7seas said:

 

 

"Mama Lee" ?" 

 

 

I am thinking "Mama Lou"    ;-......................

 

Yes S7S, Mama Lou was a HAL icon. She passed a couple of years ago and is, no doubt, now permanently sailing on her big cruise ship in the sky. The HAL crew, especially the Indonesian Housekeeping staff, loved to have her sail with them. Here's her story

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/blog/topics/cruise-diary/cruise-diary-more-about-mama-lou/

 

 

Having said that, Roy is correct in that there is also a Mame Lee Wachtstetter

 

https://travellingboomer.com/living-cruise-ship-endless-voyage-mama-lee/

 

 

 

Edited October 11, 2019 by Copper10-8

[Copper10-8]

30 minutes ago, sail7seas said:

 

 

It  Was  Captain Jack on  Zuiderd dam  and I think i t was from Zuiderdam that  fine gentleman retired.   We liked Captain Jack very much.  He acutally was the first HAL Captain with whom we sa.led first   our  HAL cruise, long ago and far  far  away on the  which was  Noordam prior to the  current,  very special, very beautiful Noordam.

 

 

Capt. Jean "Jack" van Coevorden officially retired on December 6, 2008, after 45! years with HAL, when his last ship, the Statendam (the "S"-class ship that later on was internally transferred to P&O Australia as Pacific Eden and today sails as  Vasco da Gama for German operator TransOcean Kreuzfahrten) pulled into Pier 26 at Port Everglades. After his retirement however, he did come back for the next couple of years on short relief contracts. The attached pic shows him as 'take-out' captain of Zuiderdam on December 14, 2002 in Port Everglades, along with her godmother, Joan Lunden, HAL then president/CEO Kirk J. Lanterman and Carnival's Micky Arison 

[Sir PMP]

Happy retirement Cpt, sailed with him on the Prinsendam, nice pic of Cpt Jack, Cop...

[rafinmd]

Wow, 2 live aboard Mamas is quite confusing.  I don't think I ever met Mama Lou although she was likely on the Ryndam when I sailed her final HAL New Years cruise out of Tampa.  I did share a table with Moma Lea once, I think in 2011.  Here's Captain Turner's letter.  The date is cut off but it's dated April 30, 2008 from a Grand Africa voyage.  I haven't yet gotten far enough in her book to know when she switched from HAL to Crystal:

 

 

 

Roy