They’re either firecrackers or gun shots going off around the apartment. Horns are honking too, so I’m guessing Barcelona won the big match against Manchester United. After three days stuck in a cramped laundry, washing and ironing the uniforms of my boat’s nine crew, winding down in a beauty spa/sauna/steam room appealed a little more than sitting in a smoking bar with a bunch football fans. Walking back to the apartment during the game, even in my zonked state, I did notice the eerily quiet streets - the entire Mallorcan population had moved indoors.
The past five weeks have been spent living in gorgeous Spanish apartment in Santa Caltalina with a bunch of awesome Kiwis (and a South African for the last two weeks). Getting a job has been a huge relief. The anxiety of not knowing whether any offers would come along did get to me at times. Now that I’ve signed my contract, I am officially the third stewardess on a 45m sailing yacht called Klosters. She’s 20 years old but has obviously had a lot of money put into her. A crew member died while free-diving off the yacht earlier this year in the Virgin Islands so, understandably, some of the crew left and I am one of four crew new to the boat. The interior has been left in quite a state, so we have been doing a lot of organizing and cleaning and have plenty more to do before the first guests arrive!
Currently lying in my bikini on the boat’s aft deck under the Italian sun, night four into the passage to Venice. The trip so far has been super calm which, thankfully for my chief stew, has allowed us to get a lot of work done. I had my first watch about two hours out of Palma as the full moon was rising, beautiful calm water complete with half a dozen dolphins riding our bow waves in the moonlight – amazing! First mate Roy who was also on watch said he takes dolphins at the beginning of the trip as a good omen. Yay! The days so far have been spent inside doing more cleaning and ironing than I have ever done in my life. Won’t bore you with the details but being able to perfectly iron and fold fitted sheets is one thing I’m pretty stoked to add to my repertoire. It’s all about the little things these days.
Before moving into the apartment, I had my little brother keeping me entertained and shouting me far too many tapas and drinks! I promised him I would pay him back big time once I got a job, so all going to plan, we’ll be able to meet in Venice in a few days!
I felt sheepish as soon as I agreed to come along with them to the island's famous lamb restaurant. Passing the grazing sheep as we bounced our way up to the remote hill-top restaurant didn’t really settle my vegetarian-leaning stomach either. The windy, narrow road had Dan pulling the rental car into seemingly impossible crannies to make room for cars going the other way. Some were forced to stop and reverse back up the steep hair-pin turns to let the steady stream of cars pass. Once inside, frantic waiters carried plates brimming with lamb, potatoes and salad, returning seconds later with piles of empty ones. Patience began to wear thin while waiting for a table to clear, then for our waiter to return with menus. I think all was forgiven as soon as the fall-off-the-bone, melt-in-your-mouth lamb, apparently roasted for three days in a stone oven, arrived. We finished with a shot of very alcoholic coffee which came flaming in a ceramic pot.
Dan also managed to let me come on his then-boat to Barcelona. A last minute request by his captain to clean the engine room on the morning we arrived had Dan, Kat and I on our hands and knees in the bilges until 3pm. Burning his bum after sitting in the cleaning acid did little to help Dan’s mood but any anger disappeared as soon as the giant and potent shocktails hit the table. I’m sure they helped us enjoy the Spanish top 40 pop concert we went to later on that night! Good times.
