The only Manxman to currently captain a cruise ship brought his vessel to Douglas at the weekend stopping off to enjoy some time in his homeland.
Captain Carl Smith was born in the Isle of Man and lived in Peel before beginning his career at sea.
He captains the Azamara Quest, which our chief photographer, John Maddrell, went aboard on the morning it arrived and was treated to breakfast.
A number of shore excursions were arranged, some of which were accompanied by Captain Smith as he introduced his passengers to his former home.
The captain even took part in the tin bath races in Castletown on Saturday afternoon, cheered on by some of his passengers, after travelling south on a specially chartered steam train.
‘The cruise was marketed by Azamara Club Cruises as ‘Captain Carl’s Homecoming Cruise’,’ said Laurence Skelly MHK, the Department of Economic Development’s member with responsibility for tourism.
‘During the ship’s stay here, the passengers on board were served Manx lamb, queenies, local ice cream and a range of Manx cheeses,’ added Mr Skelly.
‘The Azamara Quest is one of 18 cruise liners booked to visit the island in 2013 which represents an increase of 50 per cent on 2012.
‘In line with the current tourism strategy which was launched last year, the department has been working hard to develop the cruise market and it is encouraging that there are already 11 cruise liner visits booked for 2014,’ said Mr Skelly.
Carl was born and bred in the west of the island and lived here for most of his early life.
Having secured an apprenticeship with Shell Oil Tankers at 16, he made a career for himself on the high seas, working for a number of nautical and marine based companies before joining Azamara Club Cruises in 2007 as captain.
Carl has also captained the Azamara Journey cruise ship.
The Azamara Quest is 592 feet in length, has a cruise speed of 18.5 knots, and has 408 officers, crew and staff.
The ship’s previous port of call on the cruise, prior to Douglas, was Reykjavik in Iceland and, following its visit to the Isle of Man, the ship headed on to Dublin.
For more information on the cruise ships visit www.azamaraclubcruises.co.uk