Remember the ships on the River Clyde? Here is your look inside as captain talks fondly of Glasgow

Captain Johannes Tysse returned to Scotland last week on the Azamara Quest for the first time since he departed on the cruise liner that was docked locally for 13 months during the coronavirus crisis.

The Miami-based ship was stranded at King George V Dock in Shieldhall alongside two sister vessels from June 2020 after the cruise ship industry came to a halt.

Despite what could have been a bleak time away from loved ones, Norwegian-born Captain Tysse says he will remember fondly the 'welcoming nature' of Glasgow's people.

The Captain, who has been sailing since 1983, told the Glasgow Times: "Having sailed for a very long time, it is not unusual to be onboard a ship for weeks on end.

"Not having the choice to get off was strange - we could get down on the dock and walk about and go and check on the other ships, but that was as far as we could go.

"The Azamara Quest was the first of the three of our ships to leave Glasgow, sailing down the river is an experience I will never forget.

"We were made to feel so welcomed by everyone, people lined the banks with signs to see us off and were cheering and waving.

"There was this electric atmosphere as we honked the horn and waved goodbye."

The Azamara Quest, which can hold up to 700 passengers at capacity, returned to Scotland last week and docked in Greenock as part of a voyage which departed from Amsterdam to Dublin.

Captain Tysse, who lives in America with his wife, says tending to the ships during the pandemic is one of the 'strangest' experiences of his decade-spanning career.

He continued: "The experience was very odd - we went from having a bustling ship full of passengers to a skeleton crew.

"It was eerie seeing all three shops with the lights off, it was like 'ghost ships' had appeared on the Clyde.

"We had just 65 crew members working to maintain the three vessels.

"On normal sailings, each cruise liner would have 400 staff onboard.

"We made the most of our time - there are so many different nationalities onboard, so it was interesting learning more about colleagues.

"We definitely didn't ever run out of conversation."

The Captain says there were 'mixed feelings' as they pulled away after their 12-month stay in the city.

He continued: "It was really bitter-sweet - on one hand we were sad to wave goodbye to Scotland, but on the other, there was this excitement as it felt like we were finally getting back to normal.

"The crew and I will always remember Scotland fondly; we loved visiting here before, but even more so now.

"It's nice to be back under different circumstances.

"However, one thing that hasn't changed is the weather - you always get four seasons in one day!"