Ep. 267 – Master Captain Carl Smith started his sea-going career in 1989 with Shell oil tankers as a deck cadet. His apprenticeship lasted for three and a half years and consisted of 4 contracts at sea and 2 full college years. he continued to work in various cargo ships until he had sailed several years in the role of the chief officer, which is second in command. He became a master of Azamara pursuit in March 2018. In this episode, Carl describes his career journey at sea, which started decades ago, and the milestones he’s made.
Listen in to learn the role of a cruise ship’s chief officer and what it takes for him to ensure everything is running smoothly. You will also learn how Carl used his bad experience with his first-ever captain to become the best boss to those who look up to him.
Key Takeaways:
- How to use a bad experience as a serving lesson for you to be better in the future
- How to take personal responsibility for conserving the environment
"You learn from all of your experiences, the good and bad ones." - Carl Smith
In this episode, you will learn:
Why Captain Carl is described as the most inspirational person to work with at Azamara [1:40]
He explains where his love for teaching comes from, which he does great [3:34]
Why he left the big oil tankers plus sailing general cargo ships before moving to passengers [4:17]
Why he ran away from home at 15 years to start his career, plus his life as a family man now [5:34]
Carl on the passion he has for his job and why he loves working at Azamara [8:11]
He describes his success story as his ability to see his students further their careers [9:15]
How Carl’s first experience with a captain shaped him to want to become a better boss [10:18]
How he transitioned his farm boy hardworking background to his sea career [11:33]
Carl describes his work description which consists of leading in almost everything [13:58]
He explains in great detail all that is needed to facilitate a successful cruise ship sailing [15:22]
The conservation work Azamara is doing to stay ethical and keep the environment clean [18:49]
The refitting work they did with the Azamara ship and his role in overseeing the work [20:01]
Why the high level of regulations in the industry is a huge obstacle [22:08]
Why he wouldn’t advise any young person to pursue the same career path [22:40]
CAREER
Master Captain Carl Smith finished all of his exams at age 15 and considered going into the petrochemical industry because I was good at math and science.
Shell Tankers had an exhibit at a conference I attended. Even though the money was low, they said you could qualify as captain in ten years and get paid to go to college.
He worked for Shell for seven years and qualified as second in command. He wanted to live closer to home, so he went to a local ferry company, and then to a boat that carried general cargo and bananas.
At age 25, he earned his captain's license and joined his first passenger ship as a junior second officer.
He was promoted to third in command which usually takes 8 years to attain.
He learned to love the navigation side of it.
He sailed for Celebrity and now sails for Azamara.