New Website

I’ve spent weeks working on redoing my website and finally after scraping everything and starting over a couple times, I’ve finished. Check out my new and improved website all pimped up with flash. Let me know if you have any problems with it or have any suggestions for making it any better.

www.katiedamien.com

Katie

Snowing in spring!

It’s snowing in spring! I can’t believe it. Here I thought that I was getting away from the cold and coming back just in time for the lovely warm weather. No, it’s snowing all the time now. It doesn’t stick, but it comes down in icy flurries. I braved the cold to go take some pictures as proof. Our outside dog, Honey, doesn’t mind the snow, in fact I think she likes it. Our two insides dogs stick close to the fire. That’s right we have another new dog. Rebecca got a little pug puppy named Silvia. She’s sweet and cute and full of energy. The only time I can get a decent picture of her is when she’s sleeping. I can’t wait for warm weather.

Katie

Self Portraits

The last self portrait I did was too somber for my tastes. I’m trying to get a new happier picture of me, so one afternoon I went out during magic hour and shot all these pictures on a hill at the end of the road I live on. Tell me which one you like the best.

Katie

The Oscar party

The Oscar party was a smashing success. I wasn’t able to include everyone’s photo, but here are some of my favorites. There was me posing as the official Oscar poster for this year. Dad was a gay cowboy from Brokeback Mountain. Mom was a Geisha from Memoirs of a Geisha. Tricia came as Rita Skeeter, the journalist from Harry Potter. We had a pair for smooching Penguins from March of the Penguins. And last but certainly not least Rebecca made an appearance as Dolly Parton. It was a great night, there was good food, good drinks, good friends, and good times.

Katie

Goodbye to the Zudierdam

My uniform with Holland America was great. It was just black pants and a black shirt. I took a picture of myself on the ship in St. Thomas so you could see. There's also a shot of the very back of the ship at sea. And a shot of the Zuiderdam docked in St. Thomas.

After a short flight, I find myself safely at home again in Asheville. This contract just flew by. Four months was perfect, I wasn’t tired of working on ships, but I’m glad to be home. The only thing I miss is Igor…I might miss the chocolate cake they served too, and having someone clean my room for me, and scuba diving, and midnight margarita parties…well the point is I miss Igor and the rest of my friends on the Zuiderdam most of all. Still it’s nice to be back on dry land and to see all my family and friends again. I still have a few more chronicles from stuff I did on the ship so I’m going to send them all now so that you’ll be caught up for the Oscar Party Chronicle which is happening tonight.

Katie

Flaming Spanish Coffee

Flaming Spanish Coffee, it sounds exciting and it is exciting. I saw that they were serving this drink in one of the lounges one evening on the Zuiderdam. I called a few crew to go try it with me. They all said, ‘that sounds great, but what is it?’ And I told them, ‘I have no idea, but if it doesn’t involve fire, I’ll be really disappointed.’

Well I wasn’t disappointed. It was so neat to watch the bartender make it. I decided I had to learn how. I asked the bartender all kinds of questions about what he was doing and what the ingredients were. So on Saturday in Ft. Lauderdale when I got to be the first one to see Aunt Janny’s new townhouse, I made her and Jessica Flaming Spanish Coffee.

I had to smuggle a bottle of 120 proof rum off to do it so Aunt Janny started calling me Katie the Rum Runner. Jessica took these cool pictures of me making the coffees. Aunt Janny didn’t want her picture taken, but she was a hand model holding one the finished drinks. I’m taking the bottle of rum home with me so anyone who would like to have Flaming Spanish Coffee served to them at the Oscar Party, just ask me and I will be happy to make it for you too.

Katie

Last Week Onboard

Only one week to go and still so much to do. For whatever reason the office sent my replacement two weeks early. Usually a handover lasts only a few days. This last week was like a vacation for me. I’ve already done most of my training and handover so this week will be even more relaxed.

Last week I went to the beach in St. Marrten with Igor and the other photographers. Then in Nassau we went to a European style café. They all has these little really strong coffees and I thought they looked so funny with the tiny cups so I made them hold out their pinkies for a picture.

Janelle was having so much fun she stayed on one extra week. Tim and Lisa left on Saturday to go to a different ship, but before they all went we got a picture together with Carsten, Janelle’s boyfriend, who also worked on the Century and Igor. It was a fantastic week.

Katie

Snorkeling with Sharks in Nassau

When we were in Nassau in the Bahamas last, it was a chilly day. Some people canceled their snorkeling tour so they had some extra room. Though most of you know how I abhor cold weather, I just couldn’t let that stop me from getting the chance to snorkel with sharks again. This time I went with Nyron the shore excursions manager.

We had such a good day. The water was incredibly clear and we went to even better reefs than we did the last time I went, plus there was a smaller group since most people had canceled. The place we went to offered us wetsuits, but I didn’t want to be a wimp. So I didn’t get one. Of course after I was sitting on the boat in the wind with my wet body huddled under a towel with my teeth chattering, I kind of wished I had wimped out and gotten one. Still the day was great and at one point one of the sharks got curious and came really close to the group, maybe only 6 feet away, and the shark must have been at least 6 feet long. I got a shot as it was swimming away. It was a very exciting day.

Katie

Josiah’s Bay, Tortola

Janelle was a dancer on my first ship, the Century. She was also an actress in one of the mime series movies. Her boyfriend, Carsten, is working on the Zuiderdam with me and she came on for a couple of cruises to visit him. Carsten wasn’t able to get off in Tortola, but Janelle, Igor and I were able to get out to the beach together. We went to Josiah’s Bay, which is the same place that I went surfing before. We had a great time playing in the surf and on the beach.

Now I know I have had plenty of pictures with various great looking guys who have always been just friends, I find it’s best to keep it that way when you’re on ships, but I just couldn’t help myself with Igor. Yes, we are dating.

He’s a Cinematographer and he worked as an assistant camera operator in broadcasting during the war in Bosnia, hence the exciting war stories. He had some really bad experiences during some recent productions so he went to work on ships as a photographer to get away from it all and see some of the world. And just for you, Rebecca, his birthday is May 17th. He’s only just starting his first contract and I am about to end mine. He’s from Bosnia, I’m from the US. I don’t know what will happen when I go. I don’t know when I’ll see him again. I only know that I want to.

Katie

Biking Ft. Lauderdale

Last Ft. Lauderdale I was able to get off and go biking with my cousins Jessica and Albert and his wife Corey (I guess that makes her a cousin in-law.) We biked along Ft. Lauderdale beach and went to the photo lab so I could take care of my pictures. Then we had lunch together and biked back to the ship. It was so nice to see some family and get away, even if it was only for a few hours.

Katie

Road Trip Tortola

On a dark and rainy day I went out in Tortola with the ship’s photographers. We rented a car and drove around the island stopping where we wanted. We went to Pusser’s landing and got some food then went to a beautiful beach and had a little pick nick in the car while we waited out the rain. When it stopped we went body surfing and enjoyed having the beach all to ourselves. So even though the weather wasn’t the best, it turned out to be a nice day. Igor, the Bosnian photographer and videographer, is featured in most of these photos. He has great eyes and he tells very exciting war stories.

Katie

Scuba Diving in St. Thomas

Sometimes once just isn’t enough. I had a second opportunity to go scuba diving in St. Thomas. This time my underwater camera worked without a problem. It was the assistant shore excursions manager’s first time and she and I had a great day. The water was even clearer and the current was calmer than the last time I went. This time I saw even more fish and coral. It was amazing and if I hadn’t waited so long to start I might have gone after my certification, but my contract is nearly over and I don’t want to risk being stuck on the ship with work and not being able to finish.

Katie

Swimming with Dolphins

There are a few things that one must do in one’s lifetime. Travel outside your own country, go skydiving, zip lining, wind surfing, add scuba diving to that list, whale watching (Don’t support Sea World either go see the real thing in the wild) hike up a mountain or two, go snow skiing, and before you die, swim with dolphins.

I had the opportunity to swim with dolphins in Tortola. I had been once before in Mexico, but this time was even better. The encounter that I did was not just standing in a row and petting them as they passed and getting your picture taken. There was also one point where the whole group went out to the middle of the holding area and the dolphins swam up next to you and did different tricks or swam by and let you touch them. Amazing as that was, that wasn’t even the best part. The best part was when you went out one by one in the water and waited while the trainer signaled the dolphin to go get you. They swam up next to you upside down in the water and waited for you to grab their two fins. Then they swam back to the trainer dragging you with them. It was the coolest thing ever. You could feel the dolphin swimming under you as they pulled you along.

I have had such an amazing trip this cruise, but this week has to be the highlight of my contract. I got some amazing underwater pictures of the dolphins when they were near. It was hard to get a shot because the water was a little murky, but when they were right next to me, I got a few good ones.

Katie

Scuba Diving

I got to go scuba diving for the first time in my life and I loved it. I got on a tour for a non-certified scuba dive in St. Thomas. We did a one tank shallow dive preceded by an overview of scuba basics with an instructor who led us on the dive. What an incredible experience. I was a little nervous at first. Scuba diving is just one of those things that I thought wasn’t for me, but after doing it, I can’t wait to get out and try it again.

First they gave us our gear then we stood in shallow water with the instructor and went over how to clear your mask if you got water in it and how to equalize. Then we got to put on the mouthpiece and breath the air from the tank. Once the group was comfortable with that we had to all sit on the bottom and just breath. The other woman in the group and I did perfect, but the guys had a little trouble. Once we were all sorted we went out following the guide.

I saw some incredible things in the reef we did the dive at that I can’t share with you. Unfortunately my camera didn’t work while I was on the dive. When I got to the surface I found out that the battery had come unseated in the camera and I was able to put it back.

I went back in the water real quick and got one picture of a long fish on the surface of the water and I had someone take a picture of me with the tank on standing on the beach and that’s it. I might be going out again next week with one of the shore excursion staff who has wanted to go, but didn’t want to do it alone. I graciously offered to accompany her.

Katie

Nevis

Nevis is a marvelous secluded island in the Caribbean. There’s one large mountain in the middle and it looks kinda Hawaiian to me. They have one Four Seasons Hotel and that’s where all the fancy pants people go. The island is about twenty miles around, which is about the size of St. Thomas. Nevis however, is much more unspoiled and has maybe a quarter of the population of St. Thomas.

Large ships never really go there. The island is not set up to accommodate big ships, there’s one very small dock so we had to tender. To top it off the seas were very rough that day so it was difficult to get guests into the tender boat from our ship. Getting to shore was so slow that they didn’t let crew get off that day unless they were working. So how did I get off? I was so incredibly lucky to get to escort a shore excursion so that they let me and only a couple other crew set foot on the island.

The tour I did was a hiking and biking tour up the woods and down and around on a bike. Nevis is part of the French West Indies and it’s right next to St. Kitts, which we unfortunately didn’t stop at, but I suppose if I had been able to go on a beach tour I might have been able to swim to the island, it was that close. And just beyond St. Kitts is St. Barts, which was our next port of call for the special jazz charter cruise….

Katie

Surfing in Tortola

The other day I went surfing in Tortola. I loved it. I had a small board, which made it harder to balance and the waves were pretty rough. I didn’t go out very far and I still got caught in an undertow. I did manage to stand up one time, but not for very long. Mostly I rode the waves in on my knees.

I went to a small beach on the North side of the island with some of the crew. Stephan went surfing with me. He’s Dutch and works on the bridge as a cadet. I also got a picture with Jonathan the masseuse after I was done getting pounded by the surf. Jonathan went surfing too, but he was more experienced than Stephan and me. He went out so far I couldn't get a good picture.

Katie

Willie T

Okay you guys, these are the only Willie T pictures you will get. Here’s the T-shirt I got for jumping. We are just finishing up a smooth jazz charter cruise. Special groups can get a bunch of people together and book the entire ship and that’s what this smooth jazz group did. There are all different kinds of groups that charter cruises. In a few weeks we are going to have a religious group on. Basically the group can make their own schedule and do whatever activities they want.

This group picked a different Caribbean itinerary from our usual one. We went to St. Barts, Nevis, and San Juan. They have also had really great concerts with some big name smooth jazz people. I didn’t know who any of them are, but they are all great musicians.

I like Euge Groove best, he plays the sax and when he comes out everyone yells his name, at first I thought they were booing. Wayman Tisdale is a gigantic bass player, he used to play basketball and he must be seven feet tall. Richard Elliot emotes too much for me. Brian Culbertson is an incredible pianist and trombone player. I think he’s the best showman of them all. Jeff Golub is a crazy guitarist who always asks for screwdrivers during the show and someone in the audience always buys them for him. Brenda Russell and Bobby Caldwell are the only ones who did songs that I recognized. The Canadian sax player Warren Hill, who I think is supposed to be the most famous of them, hosts the whole thing. It’s been an interesting week. The guests have all been great.

I’ve had to mix video for all the shows. It’s such a pain, I’ve been so busy, but you know I’d never let that get in the way of seeing some new places. I’ll show you the islands we visited in the chronicles to come. Stay tuned.

Katie

Tortola

As many times as I’ve been to Tortola already, you would have thought that I would have seen the island before now. But every time I’ve been there, I have either been too busy with work or I’ve gone to one of the other islands near by. I went to Virgin Gorda to the bolder filled beaches and another time I went with some of the crew on a catamaran to Norman Island and in particular to a bar called Willy T’s.

Apparently this bar/boat called the William Thornton is famous in the sailing community. It’s a boat that is anchored in a bay off Norman Island near Tortola and is only accessible by boat. There is a restaurant on one side and a bar on the other, but people go for more than just the food and drinks. It is reputed for having women jump naked off the top story of the bow. If you jump naked, Zeus, the bar tender gives you a T-shirt and yes, I collected myself a T-shirt. I didn’t take any pictures, though some of the dancers had me take pictures of them jumping. I’m sure there are pictures of me floating around somewhere, but I haven’t seen any, and even if I did I don’t think it would be appropriate for a Chronicle. So here are some pictures of Tortola from a driving tour I did around the island.

Katie

Dominican Republic

We were in the Dominican Republic one time only for Christmas Day, and I don’t feel bad about not going back. It reminded me of the Mexican Rivera. I’m sure there must have been nice places around there somewhere; I just didn’t really see them. The port we were in was small. If you wanted to take the short walk to town, you literally had to go through a hole in a chain link fence and go over some railroad tracks. Even though there were emaciated horses and wild chickens running everywhere on the small dirt roads, the people were all very friendly and I didn’t feel as unsafe as I thought I would.

Katie

St. Maarten

We were on the island of St. Maarten as a special stop for our holiday cruises. I went on a hidden forest hike on the largest private reserve in the Caribbean. It used to be a sugar cane farm and the current owners are now letting the forests grow back. Our guide, Phillip, took us on a steep hike to the top of a mountain where we had a great view of the French side of the island. St. Maarten is also the only island in the Caribbean that is peacefully shared between two Nations; France and the Netherlands.

Katie