Heading North on Floating Luxury

The motor yacht Blue Moon has been quite an adjustment from the normal 9 to 5 job and lifestyle we’re all used to. My day’s have consisted of scrubbing decks, polishing stainless steel, cleaning windows, and doing it all again the next day. I work in the ‘deck department’ with 3 other deckhands, one from South Africa and two from England. Our team’s main responsibility is the exterior of this 198’ Feadship yacht. We handle the lines and fenders when docking and transport the guests to and from the yacht when we are at anchor. The other toys, which include a 32’ ChrisCraft tender, a 1972 classic Riva Aquarama, scuba equipment, jet skis, kayaks, and fishing gear are also our responsibility to keep in top shape.

The job doesn’t start at 9 am and end at 5 pm. Nor do we go home to the comforts of our personal space and sleep in a sturdy bed. Working on a private yacht is unlike any other job I’ve ever had! I work AND live, 24/7, with 13 crew members from the US, South Africa, England, Australia, and New Zealand. They are easy going, fun, and a delight to work with. With crew this diverse and energetic, there’s never a dull moment on board.

As my first job on a yacht begins to get easier, I still find myself overwhelmed by the sheer beauty and magnificence of the Blue Moon. There is technology and electronics on board that I never knew even existed! The crew quarters are not what I expected, with flat screen plasma TV’s in each cabin and larger one’s in the crew mess. The endless supply of movies on the audio system keeps us entertained for hours during down time. We enjoy fabulous meals together prepared by our crew chef and comfortable lounges for relaxing. It’s quite an adjustment, to say the least, but I’m already seeing the perks and benefits.

Leaving Charleston, South Carolina on June 1st, we sailed north to New York City, and arrived on a foggy morning at Surfside Marina, Chelsie Piers. This Western Manhattan neighborhood was within walking distance to Central Park, Times Square, and some world renown restaurants. That’s just what we did for the next 4 days. My cousin Allison lives in North Manhattan, so we met up and enjoyed an evening on the town. Work these days consisted of morning wash downs and afternoon detailing. On the way out of town, we sailed down the Hudson River with Manhattan on our port side, around the Statue of Liberty, passed the Queen Mary ship, under the Brooklyn Bridge, next to the UN building, and up the East River. The views were spectacular, especially from the water, as we all took postcard perfect photos. The Blue Moon headed northeast into the Long Island Sound.

That night, we anchored off Greenwich, Connecticut and the guests brought some friends to the yacht for dinner. The next day, we continued northeast in the Sound to Old Saybrook, a small town where the guests had met family. We spent around 2 days taking advantage of the pool and spa available for our use at the marina and ventured around town with the crew bike.

Our next destination was up the coast to Newport, Rhode Island. This small, affluent yachting community is home of the America’s Cup World Sailing Championship. I fell in love with this town as soon as we pulled to the dock. The main drag was full of restaurants and bars appealing to a younger crowd of New England summer enthusiasts. Just a block away from the boat, we were in the middle of it all! A short walk from the dock, we discovered the beach, and popular Cliffwalk between the Rhode Island Sound and the famous mansions of Newport. Time had come to disembark from Brown and Howard Marina, and sail north into the chilly North Atlantic.

Currently, we are in the Gulf of St. Lawrence after passing through our first lock in the Strait of Canso in Nova Scotia. The 45 degree air greeted me this morning on my way out to do the morning wash down on deck. The Canadian hills full of green forests and patchy villages consumed the landscape. Since leaving Newport, we have sailed past Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, Boston and Cape Cod, Maine, and the Island of Newfoundland. We are headed for the St. Lawrence Seaway which will take us to the Great Lakes. In the past couple of days, we have seen endless amounts of seals, few whales, dolphins, and unidentified fish… and phenomenal sunsets and sunrises.

Life at sea is an everyday adventure with new experiences to discover. Whether we visit new ports of call, or glance at the ever changing horizon beyond the polished chrome of the bow, I realize how unique this job really is.

See More Photos At http://picasaweb.google.com/cooknh34

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