Taste of the med... shot 30th Aug 2010

Life at anchor

Bonsoir my friends!!!

Oh how I miss you, and miss being in the real world! I know what you’re thinking….. about bloody time you updated your blog miss Kelly! Yeah yeah well my ears have been burning and I thought I had better not leave you in suspense any longer… I've been typing this for a week now and will get it posted once the yacht is facing the right angle for us to get our internet!

Well a lot has happened since my last blog and most of you will know I got a job on a super yacht and have been working my sweet ass off as a stewardess for over three weeks now. Really I am a glorified French maid as I’m the little cleaner of the boat, and I have learnt a LOT about how the things work on yachts, and everything from how to get any kind of stain out of any kind of material through to toilet paper origami and how to clean a yacht interior to a ridiculous level of cleanliness, oh and I can IRON!!!! I can iron like a super woman!!!!!! I have come across all sorts of amazing cleaning products, although most of the labels are in French you kind of pick up the basics - haven't ruined any Armani babywear as yet tsk tsk.

The madness started on 28th July when it was a normal morning for me, I decided to try a new yachting agency I hadn’t been to yet and a few hours later I had a call from a chief stew who had seen my CV and wanted me to start that night as they were about to do a guest trip and one of her stews had to leave. I had a lot of questions and wasn’t sure at first but she gave me an hour to think about it and I decided to go for it! I met my friend Kate that arvo who just arrived in Antibes, we only had time for a beer then I had to get back to pack and then get a train to ville Franche where the yacht was anchored. Such a mission travelling with all my gear, but managed to get to the water’s edge and I was picked up on a tender and taken to the yacht. The rest is just a whirlwind of moving into my cabin, getting my uniform (black shirt and skirt for evening; white polo and grey 'skort' for day) on and welcoming all the guests on board for a charter, and had my little ear piece in attached to my radio so I could hear what the heck was going on! In fact we were travelling all through that night to get to a certain spot in Italy by dawn (my first night sleeping on board was somewhat sketchy as I really did think I was going to fall out of bed due to the swell that was swishing us about all night, don’t think I slept much!)….…

Anyway so talk about being thrown in the deep end! I had a lot of help given to me from the 2nd stew and chief stew, who are French and American, and the rest of the crew are pretty sweet (a deckhand, mate, engineer, chef and of course the captain), although later I found that most of them were suffering the effects of working long hours for a boss who never shows appreciation (the owner of the boat seems to spend all his time yelling and ensuring we are all running around after him, while his wife sits in her bathroom smoking! I could sense a bit of tension among some of the crew and there were a few moments of drama, but can only expect that when we live, work, eat, sleep, etc in such a small space.

The boat isn’t bad to look at as you can see in the pic! It’s 40m with three decks, which for me means three levels of interior to keep clean (including 7 guest bathrooms & 4 crew bathrooms), and I mean CLEAN! It is worth 30 million apparently, which is hard to comprehend when you’re living in it! There are some pretty expensive things inside too like four vases worth 14000€ each! They always take top priority when it gets rocky and we have to secure everything! We work pretty well together as a team and I’m into the groove now but my first week I was dealing with some severe sea-sickness due to high winds causing some serious swell, learning a new job from scratch with new people and also learning guest etiquette (the owner and his wife and two young kids, nanny, and four others). Plus I was working 16 hours a day and then just falling into bed exhausted. Also getting used to being on the top bunk in a moving bedroom – haha you get used to the sway of the ocean after a while believe it or not…. But believe me I’ve had a few moments of imbalance!

This week our Captain and Chief Stew (a couple) are leaving, which says a lot about the owner (the reason they are leaving). It will be sad to see them go but I’ll probably be here just another week anyway as the season will be over after this weekend most likely. I was offered a permanent position but I decided not to stay on this boat so I’m here till the boss decides the season’s over. It’s mainly cause the owner is such hard work and he has often given us just 10 minutes that he’s coming on the boat and wants this that and the other… we had to throw a b’day party for his daughter with just two hours’ notice to set up, the chef to make party food, the guys to get out all the water toys, and us to have the interiors ready…. It was slightly manic! Also think most of the other crew have had enough and are moving on too and it doesn’t help that we are not allowed even one glass of wine on board – I could have done with a few glasses of Stoneleigh and I’m dreaming of a nice summery cocktail! Because the owner is on a no-booze detox and his wife is known to drink a little too much so the rest of us are not allowed a drop of the stuff. So instead I’m on the ice teas and the odd handful of M&M’s to get me through! Anyway we went to some beautiful places on the guest trip, although I didn’t get off the boat at all except for in Elba, which is an island in Italy famous for gelato and its signature perfume ‘Acqua’ that can only be bought there. We also visited Corsica, Portofino and saw a lot of the Italian coastline. The travelling was done at night a lot so we didn’t have to work while the boat was at sea (good for me at the time as I was worried about getting sea sick). All of a sudden after about 10 days all the guests left the boat and went to the owners Villa, so we’ve been anchored in the bay there ever since and they have only come back on for day trips so far. This means we work a standard 8-5 day and have the evenings off. Sounds good but it also sux cause time can go quite slowly and we can’t get off the boat at night. With limited internet and sky tv depending on the signal I’ve often just watched a movie from my laptop or we’ve got a few dvds to watch together in the crew mess. We watched the blind side last week which I really enjoyed.

So it’s been a long three weeks for me, and I’ve been realising that the simple pleasures in life are what makes it so good, as well as the people you love. I’m missing friends and family (yes, you!) so much, and just being able to meet for a coffee or go shopping would be oh so nice. However on the plus side I haven’t spent a cent apart from topping up my mobile and I get my first pay soon which will be nice!

I have to start thinking about what to do next – I just want to have a bit of a break before getting on another yacht I think. The 20th Monaco Boat Show is on in Sept so I’d like to go to it or maybe even pick up some work there. I could do some networking there perhaps, and I’ll most likely go for a larger charter yacht. In the meantime I’ll just be either working on typing from my little bunk bed and looking out to the sea views around me. My other option is to fly to fort Lauderdale (Florida) to pick up some work for the Caribbean season – however I might find a yacht here that is going to the Caribbean but then I’m not sure about doing the Atlantic crossing – having to work when I’m sea sick is nearly impossible, although I think I have my sea legs now! Either way, the sea is my oyster ;)
Today’s the 18th Aug and I’ve been writing this blog a few days now! We just farewelled our Captain and Chief Stew who have left for Florida and a new adventure. They are going to work on a boat that is currently being built in NZ! It was sad to say goodbye as they are a really lovely couple. Their replacements started this week and we’re just getting to know them. The Captain gave me a great reference so that will help with getting my next role. Since, the 2nd stew who I share a cabin with has also resigned! I'm going to stay till end of the season which will likely be early to mid September - I've already told them I'm not interested in staying and I ensured my contract was temporary rather than ongoing, as there's no way I'm spending a winter stuck in a ship yard having to be in the same routine every single day with no guests on board - that would literally drive me insane! I need adventure baby so I'll do my best to find it!

Well I can tell you now I like our new captain! He decided to let us each have a night off the boat because he knew the boss had dinner reservations and therefore wouldn’t come on the boat. I got to go last night, we got taken to shore in one of the tenders (we’re currently anchored in St Jean Cap-Ferrat) and we could stay out as late as midnight and were given ‘permission’ to have one or two drinks (it is in our contracts that it is gross misconduct to be under the influence blah blah blah). I was sent off with our deckhand, and while it was a quiet Friday evening, there were a few dock side bars to choose from. We had already eaten dinner as our chef had put on a good spread earlier in the evening so we just wanted to have our couple of drinks (and it had been 23 days since I had last even sniffed a glass of wine!). We decided to start with a mojito and then hopped on to another spot where we considered the wine list and deckie decided we should get a bottle of Rose. Predictably, one bottle of Rose turned into two and another mojito to top it off….. oopsies… but we made sure we were at the dock waiting before midnight and had our most serious faces on when the captain picked us up, and all was well! Tonight some of the crew are going out and I’m doing my first anchor watch tomorrow at 4.30am so wish me luck!

Just a little vent about our boss, he thinks he is sooooo important just because he is rich arghhhhh. I shouldn’t say but I really do think he likes to wind people up. I’ve seen him have yelling matches with nearly everyone including the captain and chief stew in front of his guests! Tonight he rang us at 5ish and requested to be picked up immediately from the dock with 8 guests. All us crew went into states of panic to get our correct uniforms on and ear pieces in and ensure everything ready as there’s all sorts of preferences we have to have just right for his arrival each time. The fresh lemonade was ready on a tray, we were at the platform ready to take the guests shoes, the guys were ready to set up any outdoor requirements…. Anyway we see him approach and then he goes straight past us and waves! Then 10 mins later returns without his guests (can only assume he threw them overboard?) and drank his glass of lemonade, said a few words, and then left again. More dollars than sense in my opinion. I do a good Russian impression if you ever want to see it, although It is best applied after Mojito.

Life is full of simple pleasures – and it is these that make life worth living….. being on a yacht 24-7 helps you realise this, and also realise how different the yachting world is to the real world…. I’m probably just suffering a bit of cabin fever (despite my brief encounter with real world last night) but it feels like I’m in a bubble and time does not exist, except for the time my damn alarm clock goes off every morning!

Anyway I’d love to hear everyone’s latest goss so please send it all thru for my evening reading – and pleasse make sure you enjoy the simple pleasures in life (like coffee or a walk in the park with a friend) with those you like to hang around cause that's real life and it's easy to take it for granted! It seems I've had a lot to say over the last week or so and it's turned into a novel but hope you enjoyed the read!

Loads of Love

kb.
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pics:

sunset in italy

my home, ocean mercury.

yachtie gal

Phrase of the week: Parlez vous anglais? Ou se trouve la gare?

Another week has gone by and so much to say! Been working on the tan but also on getting a new job :)

Thanx to everyone who has emailed me, nice to hear from you :) If I don't reply straight away I will get back to you eventually :) Oh and wishing my lil brother a happy 24th l'anniversaire!

Oh now this is a pic of Antibes on the left here or it might be above when I post this. Been walking this dock to ask for work in 35 degree heat - hot work! It's been so incredibly hot here, day after day of perfect weather but it's a curse when you're running around in a shirt and shorts trying to find a job!

Had some fun at the crewhouse I'm at, good people and good times. Many afternoons lying on a sun bed taking in the sun and drinking a beer! Yes I know I never drink beer but there's something about the heat here that makes you crave it - it's the only thing that quenches the thirst! However for those Frucor people reading this I have had many a can of orangina, and have bought countless bottles of water, prefer evian but there's so many different brands. Some of the mineral water here is horrible, far too much magnesium so the water tastes like metal - yuck! Anyway I'm digressing already. There are four pet rabbits living here, which is quite hilarious cause the hop around the back yard all day. Have keep doors closed or the hop inside. There's also a little dog, I have no idea what his real name is but I've named him moppy cause he looks like a mop with a smile haha. The beach is walking distance but it's stoney not sandy, but it attracts a surprising amount of people that rock up there everyday with their inflatable loungers and rings - all the rage. I think I've just about got used to the driving on the right hand side of the road.... funny to have to actually think to look right first before crossing the road - no near misses yet :)

Well I don't wanna right a novel here so here's a few highlights for ya

• Night out in Antibes and Juan Les Pins last weekend - got access to a vip area and had a ball on the dance floor - we got the train home at 6.30am ;P




• Went to Cannes on monday and had a look around (it's beautiful) before heading to my medical appt (have to get a special med certificate to work on yachts) and it was a lot further than I thought - got a bit lost but I made it there - but had to walk back to Cannes as there weren't any more buses back - grrrr




• Had my first job interview with the chief stew of a 54m motor yacht.... but missed out on the job unfortunately, but good experience to have the interview




• Met up with my friend Nic who is on a massive 94m yacht. Had a few beers at the hop store - the place to meet in Antibes.... oh had a few G&T's too :) Nice to see a familiar face and catch up with her after a few years.




• Got day work through one of the agencies for the next day on a 34m charter yacht that had one day between charters to get the boat ready. Got picked up by the skipper who drove us to Cannes and I was hanging onto my seat as he was cuttin sum serious corners - mind you, everyone here drives crazy. Got to the dock and the captain picked us up on the dingy. He was a Kiwi... from Wellington! haha classic. He thought I was an experienced stewardess though so was a bit surprised to hear it was my first yacht (agency's mistake I think). Because the boat was anchored it was swaying quite a bit and I'm sad to say it only took about 20mins before I was sea sick throwing up in the bathroom, and freaking out that I wasn't going to be able to work. Luckily the stew gave me some wrist bands and seasick pills, as I felt so sick! Luckily it passed once we were cruising and we docked at Nice thank god! Worked 9 hours and basically polished every inch of the interior, vacummed and did some detailing (i.e. cleaning with a cotton bud, 'polished' the magazines etc)..... that's the thing about yachts is they always have to look so incredibly pristine that that shine and a finger print shall never been found. They put on a nice lunch for all the crew and I ended up working till 8pm so I can't have been that bad for them to keep me on late. I cleaned the galley for the chef and had to watch live lobsters being put into boiling water - it seems so cruel and they certainly put up a fight!




• Ok that was a ridiculously long bullet point above but it still makes me feel like this is less of a novel




• It was my first time in Nice yesterday and it ended up being a half hour walk from the boat to the train station and I was sooooo tired but made it home and had a swim and a rose before bed

So there's another taste of life over here. Now time to update my CV with my new experience and find some more work! However going to take the weekend off and probably going to Italy for a night - look out italian stallions!

Miss you all lots XXXXX

Kel

p.s. Have to say, the the french and italian men are the total cliche, and let's say they are not shy. I had to laugh when one italian on a scooter stopped on a busy road just to talk to me and kiss my hand.... but I have no idea what he was saying hehe.

Heat WAVE!

Hi all


Well it's been a week now and I've seen a lot in a week! But the heat wave here is pretty crazy, especially coming from winter for me.


Spent a lot of time walking aroun antibes lately and I'm quite amazed at how it manages to transform itself so efficiently. The Provencal markets are set up each morning and sell everything from fruit and vege to fresh flowers, cheeses and spices, and yet each afternoon they are packed down and the area is transformed into el fresco dining for the various restaurants. Every day! That's a lot of hosing down pavements :) Also I have often found myself thinking I'm walking down a new street but then realise it's the same street but has been transformed into a market/concert/restaurant/bar. So have confused myself a little but think I got my head around it now! It was Bastille Day on wednesday, which is the french national day. An amazing fireworks display was put on that lasted about 20 minutes. That day I took le petite train (a miniature train for tourists) to Juan les Pins which isn't far away and went for a swim there. Must say the water doesn't seem particularly clean there either, no wonder they have showers on the beach! Some good shopping to be had there although I didn't buy anything myself.



I've had meetings at most of the agencies in the last week, think I've been to at least six! No job interviews yet but have had my cv sent forward for some so here's hoping. I am most likely going to have to go dock walking next week to get some day work. It's just sorting the logistics of it as I'll probably have to get a train to a different port as Antibes doesn't have many yachts in port at the mo. But have to get there early enough to ask for work in the morning or catch them when they dock in the late afternoon, but also have to be dressed ready to work.... I'm sure I'll sort something out :)



In other news, I've moved out of the apartment and into a crewhouse in east antibes. Really nice to meet some others in the same boat as me, excuse the pun. A crewhouse is a place where yachties stay while they're looking for jobs. The lady who runs this place is a real sweetheart, very accommodating. I've got a room to myself for now with own kitchen and bathroom. There are about 15 staying here currently, we had a bbq and vino session last night so got to know them a bit and hear a few stories. There's a pool here so be nice to cool off although I think it's more the temperature of a warm bath! Lots to explore around here, but just hard to be out all day in the heat so may or may not venture out..... may even go to Monaco for some exploring there.



Been missing home slightly, but I think that's normal. I just realise how bored I get when I'm not working. It's a catch22 I guess, as when I'm working I'll just wish I could be relaxing. Anyway, go the all blacks and the warriors - I look forward to finding out the scores!! Hope everyone is well and enjoying reading this - please do write a comment or send me an email, not that I'm checking my emails every 5 minutes or anything :)

p.s. I'm missing the snow! If anyone's been on a snowboarding trip then please give me all the details!
XXXXXX

The surreal first few days in France

Bonjour, or Bonsoir to those in the Sthn hemisphere

Well it's been four days in France now and obviously I've been having far too much fun to write on my blog! I'll try to think back to the beginning and give you an overview :)

Last morning in Akl was a little hectic when I realised how much stuff I really have hoarded, really cursed the hoarding genes of my mother! Had about six boxes of stuff to give to charity and luckily my friend Amy took them off my hands for me when she picked me up, as I didn't know how I was going to get them to charity without a car. The other thing was that I never did a practice pack, and while everything did fit into my pack it was insanely heavy but I wasn't sure exactly how heavy. I was also trying to clean up my mess at the flat and was all quite a rush. Anyway was at the airport by midday and said farewells to Amy, it's always sad to say goodbye to your closest friends, but I think also the adrenalyn is rushing about the journey ahead of you! Well this may not surprise you but my bag weighed in at 32kg. Ouch!!!! They said I had to get it to 25kg (not 20kg as specified, thank god!) so had to throw out some stuff :( Also took maximum carry on luggage. Haha! I'm sure I'll learn once I've carted my gear around a few yachts and realise the need to travel light....

The first flight was pretty good, enjoyed flying cathay pacific except they ran out of the meal I wanted :( Met up with Sophie in Hong Kong (who I met on the stcw course) and we had a walk around and then I went to the showers to freshen up. Next flight was delayed a little so I watched a movie on my laptop and then we were boarding before I knew it. Took a sleeping pill that knocked me out as soon as I was in my seat! Was a bit dazed when I woke up but at least 13 hour flight went fairly quickly. Arrived in Paris at 6.30am as scheduled, got luggage and headed through customs with my british passport which was stamped by a cheekily grinning customs dude :)

Had a few hours in the airport before my train so looked around and was feeling quite nautious, maybe from the heat and wearing too many clothes! Was realising that yes I am in Paris and I don't speak much French, but still managed to get around. I figured out where my train was, stopped in for la mcchicken which made me feel much better so must have just been hungry (little did I know that was all I ate for next 24 hrs), and before I knew it i was hauling my luggage onto the TGV and finding my first class seat. I had a nice window seat with a table opposite a french lady who looked like the queen. We established she didn't speak english but she gave me a mentos every few hours! I wanted to stay awake for the 6 hour journey but started to get very tired after the first few hours of french country so think I dozed off for a few hours. Had a mix of french and canadians in my carriage, some of whom I chatted to. Got really excited when we got to Canne (i.e. Canne film festival) and saw how beautiful it was, with the train going past the coast line I could see all the people enjoying the beach and lots of yachts too. Then next stop was me, welcome to Antibes!

Since arriving in Antibes I've been well introduced to the town and the way of life here. I had heaps of sleep when I first arrived and managed to get over the jetlag really quickly before my friend Leah arrived. I'm staying in her apartment in old antibes, which is lots of quant streets where the windows have shutters and the streets are narrow and cobble paved. The french cliches are everywhere, so I've been finding it very surreal but wonderful! I can see the water from my bedroom and hear people walking past. Leah was here for the weekend and was a fabulous tour guide. She taught me how to order in french at bakeries, restaurants and gelati bars - although it's so touristy you can get away with speaking english. However I enjoy my morning "Bonjour, Je voudrais un pain au chocolate sil' vu plait" (Hello, I would like one chocolate croissant please"). The morning markets are full of fresh produce, I'm loving the raspberries and the olives. We've walked down to the quay where all the yachts are, big and small. We have walked to the beach which is only 5-10 mins walk but we've been dying by the time we're there it's that hot!

The last few days I've done a lot of walking around, eating out with friends, and swimming. We had a flashy lunch by the beach on saturday with some of Leah's friends, and the waiter somehow opened a 4L bottle of wine for us! That is one massive bottle! Ended up being quite expensive but we had fun. You can hire beach side beds there but we decided to lie on the beach instead. The water was so nice and cooling from the 30 degree heat, but I gather it's not the cleanest water. There are showers right down by the water's edge where everyone seems to rinse off when coming out. Leah's friend got a call to hear he got a job that afternoon so he bought a bottle a veuve for us to polish off - jolly good! The evenings are very balmy, no need for a jacket when out, and sleep with the fan on all night and one sheet if that! A few friends have their yachts docked near me and might have some day work for me so I could be working in the next wee while. I'm going to visit some agencies today too and do some more exploring!

I didn't mean to write a novel but there's been so much to write back about.... I hope you enjoyed the read! Love to hear back from you.

mademoiselle kelly xxxxxx

Au revoir NZ

bonjour blog readers!!

well it's my last night in NZ, hard to believe! it's nearly midnight and I'm still packing up, typical. It's a strangely good feeling to get rid of so much stuff and start afresh, but hard to let go of anything remotely sentimental! Anyway tomorrow I fly away to Paris in the early afternoon and then jump on a 6-hour train to antibes. I don't think it's hit me yet but it will be so sad saying final goodbye at airport. My dear friend amy is taking me to the airport so will be nice to have one more car ride and chat with her before I'm on my own. Very exciting things lie ahead and once I've said my goodbyes etc I'm sure I'll start to feel it! Stay tuned for all the details on the trip over..... Mwah, love Kelly. p.s. try not to be green with envy :)

Two weeks till the dream becomes reality

Well it's two weeks till I will be on a plane to Paris.... then it's six hours through France till I get to a delightful place, Antibes. I've put my HR career on hold and sold nearly everything I own to be able to set off an epic adventure to the south of France to work on super yachts.

Today I've got a meeting with a yachting agency based here in Auckland. Then I drive up to Warkworth for the STCW 95 course. Get to come back for the weekend then spend all of next week on the course.

Heaps to do before I leave so better fly but will write more soon. Have to spend some time registering with yachting agencies in Antibes as I want to start working by mid July. It's exciting to think of all the places I'll see and the rich and famous I'll be mixing with.... don't get me wrong though, I'll be working my sweet as$ off as a stewardess!