For the captain of the Azamara Journey, Magnus Davidson, it was a very special moment when the ship sailed into Lerwick harbour earlier this week.

The reason is that this is where the 30-year-old Magnus grew up. In his 15 years on board cruise ships he had never had the opportunity to cruise into his home port.

Magnus said “It's the first time in nearly 15 years on cruise ships that I've had the chance to sail into my home town and have my family on board the ship.”

He added that to see Shetland through the eyes of his passengers made him proud of his old home town. Although the visit lasted only six hours, he enjoyed a leisurely lunch on board with his family and they had the opportunity to explore the ship.

Magnus loves cruising – in fact he cannot stop talking about his life on board a cruise ship. This trip, he says, he had the privilege of spending a night in Copenhagen during the city’s Jazz Festival; he also explored the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, cruised into the Baltic through the Kiel Canal and watched the F1 Grand Prix while in Monaco.

On his next trip in November he will sail up the Amazon River, see the fireworks on Copacabana Beach at New Year, experience the splendour of Antarctica and the South Shetland Islands in January and arrive in Rio de Janeiro in time for the Rio Carnival in February.

After the visit to his home town, the Azamara Journey, with Magnus at the helm, headed off towards Iceland.