Is the world’s most interesting man actually sailing the world as a cruise ship captain? After sailing in the Adriatic and Mediterranean aboard the Azamara Quest  back in 2011* and meeting Carl Smith, the ship’s main man, I personally began to feel that was a possibility. Unlike other cruise captains I’ve met or seen from afar, Carl was actively engaged in making the shipboard experience unforgettable in ways that are highly visible to the guests–including frequent updates over the ship’s PA, and even leading any passenger who wanted to join for a hike in Montenegro. He is a remarkable man who has clearly found his calling in life, and if while it’s not possible to define the world’s truly most interesting man, Carl is among the ones I’ve met. Here are…

A. When I was leaving school at 15, my science teachers arranged a scholarship with ICI in the Chemical Industry.  I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do though, I loved farming, but there was no future in that, and I had a strong urge to get away from home.  I had seen a careers promotion for Shell Oil Tankers, and was asked to apply to them.  This used to be called getting “press ganged”.  The rest is history.

A. I don’t really remember the “Love Boat”, but I think having a great team here onboard the Azamara Quest, and honestly enjoying my job, helps.  I am very aware of the responsibilities, but being a father makes you accustomed to that!  I tend to be quite gregarious by nature, and am in my element when involved in tricky navigation on the bridge.  Azamara’s itineraries keep me challenged with my work, the guest demographics and time in port allows me to be gregarious, and therefore happy.  When I am in a good mood, I can’t help but share that on the PA!

A. I came to cruise ships relatively late in my career, having worked for 10 years on cargo ships.  Once on cruise ships, it took me a couple of years to gain some knowledge of where we were going, but over the years I watched how different captains handled different aspects of the passage planning, and took what I considered the best parts from each.  Once I made captain, I added little bits and pieces, and read up on places that I had never visited before but looked interesting.  I am very fortunate in working for Azamara Club Cruises, as Larry Pimentel and his team support our efforts to keep you entertained with the navigational aspects of cruising.

A. First of all, I love Stromboli!  Actually, all volcanoes; its the little boy in me.  The most impressive though? Antarctica. Or the Norwegian Fjords in the morning, with sea smoke making it look like we were  sailing through the clouds. Sailing close by Monaco after departure from Nice when we heard about a World Championships in Fireworks being held on Monaco Pier. All of the above, and we ONLY EVER do this for the benefit of the guests, so I make sure that they all get to see what there is to see.

A. It took some time.  Way back in 2007, when I first joined Azamara on the Journey, that did not exist at all.  The team was made up of “big ship” crew, who did not understand the philosophy that we wanted.  During that first six months, we promoted the [employees] who understood what we wanted and those who liked what we were doing, and sent those who did not back to the big ships. The change was dramatic, and accelerated to the place we are today. I have been at sea for nearly 26 years, and honestly, this feeling does not exist anywhere else.

Q. Where’s your favorite late-night port?
A: Ha ha!  Late nights are incredibly different from overnights. On a late night port, I tend not to go out, but go to bed instead!  We have a legal obligation to be well rested when working, so with early arrivals and late departures, we have to think carefully about resting.  Overnight’s are a different matter entirely, where we can go out and enjoy a late dinner, and still get a good night’s sleep.  Favorites though would have to include Kotor in Montenegro, Bangkok, Honk Kong, Rio de Janeiro, New Orleans, Edinburgh, Amsterdam, and Bordeaux in France.

Q. Does departing a port in the dark pose special navigational challenges, and if so, how do you ensure safety?
A. As I said, being well rested helps, but no, no real challenges if the port is well illuminated. Once we have let go all the lines, we then switch off completely the lights on the forward mooring deck, and our eyes adjust very quickly to the night because the Navigational Bridge is in almost complete darkness, with very low levels of illumination on the navigational equipment.  This means that we can see better into the darkness ahead.  That said, whenever possible, we like to turn the ship on arrival in the port, typically during daylight for several reasons, first being that it is always safe to be facing out of the port if something goes wrong, and second there may be buoys in the channel which we need to avoid which are damaged and unlit, therefore difficult to see at night.

A. I thought the tag line we had which stated You’ll love where we take you!  just about summed us up.  Azamara Quest and Journey travel the roads less traveled.  It is rare that you will find us following a big ship itinerary, we call into smaller ports, with less tourists and less infrastructure, and yet huge potential for exploration.  We are the first ship to arrive in the morning, and the last ship to sail in the evening.  Having our itineraries planned so far in advance of anybody else enables us to secure the best berth in just about every port we visit, usually in the heart of town, whereas other and bigger ships simply must berth outside the center in purpose built cruise ports.  Over the years we have taken the Journey and the Quest to ports such as Tower Bridge in London, [to] Antwerp, Bordeaux, Canton, Shanghai (at the Bund), Ho Chi Minh, and my own favorite: Seville in Spain.  All of these ports are a considerable distance up river, five of them around 70 miles inland, and all of them posing challenges, and all of them putting a smile on my face.  To go back to that tag line, I love where we take you!