NEW CAPTAIN INTRODUCED

19 March 2023

Today’s big event was at 7:00 PM when the Cruise and Travel Director, Ian, introduced the new Captain:  Frank van der Hoeven, on the World Stage.   Capt Frank spoke for about twenty minutes before offering a toast.   He paid respects to his predecessor, Capt Friso, and acknowledged Capt Mercer as the finest Capt to sail the Grand World Cruises.    

Captain Frank van der Hoeven,

PROJECT LINUS

20 March 2023

We are completing our second sea day en route to Angola.

Ian’s guest at Coffee Chat this morning was Marty, who, along with his wife Gail, is leading the Project Linus effort on the Zuiderdam.  Project Linus operates throughout the USA, Canada, and the UK and coordinates volunteers who make blankets for critically ill children.  You can read more about Project Linus HERE

Marty and Ian at Coffee Chat

Project Linus has been a significant volunteer activity on Grand World Voyages for over 15 years.  Marty’s first World Cruise was in 2017, his first exposure to Project Linus.  The previous Project Linus coordinator, Malvina, could no longer continue cruising, and in 2019 Mary and Gail took over leading Project Linus on the Grand World Cruises.

Volunteers show off some of the special Project Linus blankets.

Marty untangling yarn

Getting ready for Project Linus on a World Cruise requires extensive preparation.  Marty and Gail used to buy the yarn at retail outlets but now purchase the Caron-branded acrylic yarn directly from the manufacturer, Spinrite.  For the 2023 World Cruise, they bought over one million yards of yarn in various colors.  Project Linus only accepts blankets made from acrylic yarn as it is easily washable.

The yarn is delivered to their home in Jacksonville, FL, sorted, boxed, and cataloged.  They rent a U-Haul truck, load it with over 60 boxes of yarn, and drive to Fort Lauderdale, where it is loaded on the Zuiderdam and stored for retrieval during the cruise.

One of two pallets being delivered in Jacksonville

Sorting the yarn in Jacksonville and getting it ready to ship to the Zuiderdam

Every sea day during the cruise, Marty and Gail decide on the quantity and colors required for that day. They are retrieved by crewmembers and delivered to the Ocean Bar, where the yarn is made available to the volunteers – called “Blanketeers”.  About 140 passengers, or about 10% of the passengers, have participated in this cruise making blankets.  In addition to the Blanketeers, about a dozen volunteers are in a core group who help wind yarn and instruct passengers on how to crochet a blanket.  This is the first time for many people to do any needlework.  Marty expects the Zuiderdam “Blanketeers” to complete over 800 blankets during this cruise.

Busy Blanketeers