Crossing the pond, Caribbean’ing it up, Hollywood Schmollywood and Turning 29!!!!

Well Well Swell! I've left Barcelona, crossed the big ole sea and landed with a tremendous BANG in the Caribbean. Christmas, my birthday and new year has passed and I've been working my little socks off!!!

Where to start.... I suppose leaving Mallorca where I left off in the last blog..

After Adios to Europe, a brief offering to the Sea God Posiedon

for luck and a survival suit drill

we headed to our next stop = Gran Canaria a.k.a PIKEVILLE !!! Yuk yuk yuk! I visited it when I was 19 and I can confirm that it is as manky now as it was then! We had a few incidents there, one engineer had to go home because of a bereavement (we turned around 8 hours after departure to get him back!) then the other engineer = Martin = after a seriously excellent night of salsa spins and red cowboy hats,

got attacked with motor helmets and fists by 20 local yuts!!! After lots of blood, hospital visits and a well deserved group bollocking by our captain we left Pikeville, the African coast and all land behind us as we headed directly across the pond Caribbean-bound...

What an experience!!! 10 days straight across the big seas.. Being in this monster of a boat means that really you can't feel a thing - a sailboat would probably be a much more "real" experience, but I made sure I got outside to check out the water - miles and miles of it - and I always managed (thanks to a daily reminder call from the first mate) to see the sunset

they were spectacular coz we were heading West the whole way.

The journey was pretty smooth. I did have my National Geographic moment when a swarm of locusts flew by, en route to Africa. Freaky, surreal but cool!

I was working the graveyard shift 2-6 afternoons and mornings. During the day I basically worked around the interior of the boat. That was helpful, getting to know Callisto and preparing for the work in the coming months ahead. And during the morning, (middle of the night), I hung out on the bridge with the 2 deck crew who were on watch, looking out for oncoming vessels!! (of which there were none 1000 miles off land!!!) we did have a freaky man over board alert call one night - a captain had enough and jumped ship, literally! I thought we were going to have to go to the rescue but as they were 8 hours away someone else did the honours - sort of brought me out of my luxury surroundings bubble and back to the ocean of madness!!! Strange things do happen at sea ....

Being at sea on an 8 hour rotating watch meant it was a “dry” boat - not a problem except it was my birthday about half way through… I turned the glorious age of 29.… No champers I did however get ballons

and a little cake momentKeeping up traditions me and the girls did a bit of break dancing on the bow!!

And proved you don't need alcohol to act the fool!!!

I did try to sleep under the full moon

but it turned out to be a little blowy and sleep proved impossible…

With a promise of a big bday bash in Antigua we arrived n Barbados, I briefly met the owners of the boat- who decided to call me Heidi due to my plaited hair! Nice…
Antigua beckoned....

Callisto is the most expensive boat to charter on the waters at the moment! $485,000 per week (go to http://www.cnconnect.com/charter/yachtdetail.aspx?id=3646 to check out the boat). All the boats that were there, were waiting to see us!! So on our arrival all the girls went out onto the deck and started washing it down - totally styling it out!!!! Ha quite a scene!!

Falmouth Harbour is quite a cool little port

but basically full to the brim of cabin fevered yachties!!! The partying that ensued was Olympic I think I managed about 4 days on the trot with 5 am finishes and 7.30 starts for work!! The rum over here is incredible it puts jumping beans in your shoes!

I danced every single one of the bars and clubs down! Excellente!! We did manage a nice crew dinner courtesy of the boss, where I had my first ever lobster!!!

and a sunset steelband dance which inevitably ended in tears - but luckily for me I was tucked up early that night!!!

We had about 8 days of getting the boat ready for its, and my, first ever charter. We worked and played extremely hard..

As we were working Xmas Day we had our own little celebreations on Christmas Eve and the chefs cooked up a storm!! it wasn't the usual eat forever then lie on the sofa like a beached whale but a good meal was consumed as was some divine champers, red wine and some dancefloor action later! missed my mums xmas pudd but hey there'll always be next year!!

Our first group of guests flew in on 25th Dec - The Hollywood Xmas moment had arrived.. I must admit it was fun but hard work.. The family was great I had my A list moment and the boat got its fair share of A list visitors.. St Barts on New Year was Ok basically the St Tropez of the Caribbean.. Not my scene but very glamorous. I haven’t managed to actually visit any of the islands properly apart from Antigua. I did a moment or two in the water after convincing the kids that they needed me to swim with them - I wowed the crew with my back flips.. Went a little crazy in the water after being cooped up in the laundry for what felt like years! I even managed a Jet ski moment and a go on the “chariot” - toy that gets tugged by a speed boat - Note to self: defintely need a job where I can frolick in the water on a regular basis I love it!!

So our 1st charter has finished! Got the long hankered for tip… bloody good!! And we are currently, as I type, moored off the coast of St Vincent hopefully heading down to Tobago with a new charter, another group of guests , on board. These are English guys and I did smile when one asked me for a builders cup of tea. I have moved upstairs for Breakfast training and am out of the laundry for this week!!!! All this silver service malarky is really good but quite nerve racking for a smashing plates kind of girl like me - especially when the plates are worth half a years salary!!! Hey Ho you gotta learn!!!

That’s me for now getting ready to knuckle down for when the owners come on board(about time I hear a few of you shout!) and wanting to wish you all a bloody happy, lucky and full of fun 2007...

I have a sneaky suspicion this is going to be a great year!!!!!