Holland American Cruise Line’s Zaandam

Posted on 06/03/2016

The announcement of the opening of Cabot Cliffs golf course in Cape Breton attracted the attention of Kalos Golf, a cruise line specializing in golf tours. The company has decided to not only call on the Sydney port but on a number of ports in Atlantic Canada.

The Silver Explorer will set sail September 19 for an 11-day itinerary that includes calls to Newfoundland, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and PEI.

The tour is sold out, as is the one planned for 2017.

Necropsy complete

The juvenile male whale that was discovered on the bow of Holland American Cruise Line’s Zaandam last Sunday has just undergone a necropsy to determine the cause of death. The details are not being revealed yet, but the information that came of the procedure is valuable to marine specialists to learn more about these endangered species.

A private Alaska veterinary pathologist working with NOAA Fisheries, Kathy Burek Huntington, was the lead pathologist. She reported that samples were taken to test for exposure to harmful algal blooms. Samples would also enable pathologists to determine the whale's current and historical diet, genetics to determine stock, contaminants and pre-existing conditions. Earwax plugs would conclude age and exposure to a wide variety of chemicals.

Julie Speegle of NOAA Fisheries said there are three choices for disposing of the carcass. It could be towed back to open water, which is cost-prohibitive.

They could "let nature take its course" and leave the carcass to scavengers, or they could bury it on the beach and dig up the bones later for re-articulation and display.

San Diego Rescue

The US Coast Guard was called to evacuate an 81 year old woman off the coast of San Diego on Tuesday after she reported experiencing symptoms of a heart attack. The woman, her husband and a nurse were transferred from the Carnival Imagination to a rescue boat and then taken by paramedics to Scripps Mercy Hospital in Hillcrest.

The Coast Guard's flight surgeon chose against sending a helicopter for fear it would exacerbate her symptoms. The woman’s condition is unknown.

Quite a cut-up

An altercation in the galley of the Celebrity Constellation resulted in the arrest of a 31 year old cook on Monday in Salerno. The Italian maritime border police reported that a Jamaican crewmember allegedly stabbed the head chef of the ship in the abdomen.

The suspect faces charges of "attempted murder aggravated by petty reasons” and tested positive for alcohol.

The Italian media reported that the chef was listed in critical condition, and came close to losing his spleen.

The ship continued on its itinerary.