{"id":1089,"date":"2013-07-15T21:58:28","date_gmt":"2013-07-16T02:58:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/woayv2.flywheelsites.com\/?p=1089"},"modified":"2013-07-20T20:08:46","modified_gmt":"2013-07-21T01:08:46","slug":"yacht-stewardess-confession-dayworkinging-with-a-toothbrush","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.workonayacht.com\/index.php\/yacht-stewardess-confession-dayworkinging-with-a-toothbrush\/","title":{"rendered":"Yacht Stew Confession: I screwed up my first time day working (and I even took my toothbrush!)"},"content":{"rendered":"

A sample \u201cConfession\u201d from The Insiders\u2019 Guide to Becoming a Yacht Stewardess: Confessions from My Years Afloat with the Rich and Famous<\/a>:<\/em> When Julie was learning the ropes of what “detailing” (a.k.a. hardcore cleaning) meant in the yachting industry, she had no idea<\/strong> just how<\/em> detailed they meant… Nor what key weapon she would need in her arsenal…<\/p>\n

I Must Confess…<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

I screwed up my first time day working\u2026(and I even took my toothbrush!)<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n
\"Toothbrushes:<\/a>

A Yacht Steward\/esses’ Secret Weapon
Photo Source: iStockphoto.com<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0When I first started looking for a job in the luxury yachting industry, I accepted an offer for day work. I was hired by a 140-ft. yacht to help the full-time stewardesses get the vessel ready to exhibit at the Miami Yacht & Brokerage Show<\/a> coming up a week later. The boat was going to be shown off to potential buyers and charterers, so it was essential that every inch of the interior be spotless.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Nervous for my first day of day working (or working on any yacht, period, for that matter), I turned to the more experienced crew staying in my crew house for advice. There was one thing everyone agreed upon as for how to make a killer first impression:<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cTake a toothbrush,\u201d I was told.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0That\u2019s right, a toothbrush. And no, it\u2019s not because I was to expect a last minute invite to an onboard slumber party. Rather, I was advised to use it as a cleaning tool. One experienced stewardess I lived with referred to it as \u201ca magic weapon,\u201d and another called it, \u201ca stew\u2019s best friend.\u201d As silly as I felt (are they playing a joke on me?<\/i> I wondered), I showed up for my first day-work job with my trusty toothbrush in tow.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0My assignment on the first day was to clean the master cabin and its accompanying bathroom (the most elaborate \u201chead\u201d on the yacht). Well, I got right to it\u2026 I scrubbed, and I cleaned, and I polished, and along the way, I came to understand what the stews back at my crew house had been talking about. What better way to get into every possible crevice when cleaning something than to use a toothbrush? Ridges in the ceilings, build-up around tiny faucet fixtures, discoloration in the grout surrounding marble floor tiles\u2026right down to the toilets! The only cleaning utensil that may give the toothbrush a run for its money as far as attacking those hard-to-reach places would be a cotton swab.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In the end, I thought I did what would be deemed an impeccable job. (But thought <\/i>is the key word there.)<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I still remember the disappointed look on the chief stewardess\u2019s face as she scanned the results of my labor. Surveying my mirrors and floors, and all around the knobs and door handles, she scrunched up her nose the way people do when the smell of something is not to their liking. She was obviously not happy with my work.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0As she turned to me to comment, I swear she took on the image of Miss Hannigan in the musical <\/a>Annie<\/a>,<\/i> when she shouts to the orphan girls, \u201cYou\u2019ll stay up \u2019til this dump SHINES like the top of the Chrysler Building!\u201d Or maybe it was the movie Mommy Dearest<\/i> and the \u201cNo more wire hangers!\u201d routine.<\/p>\n