Was there a way to prevent the boat from rocking so much in the rough sea? And that three-week voyage, could it perhaps be shortened to one?
Each request is met with the same patient, unflappable smile. “Certainly, ma’am. Let me confiscate my time machine and put Neptune on speed dial,” words I could only say, sadly, in my head.
Their demands, namely that a certain type of caviar be flown in spontaneously for lunch and that a champagne party be organised at any time, complete with global superstars, seemed perfectly reasonable.
British supermodel Naomi Campbell and Mexican actress Eiza Gonzalez sunbathe on a luxury superyacht in Ibiza
Daisy Kelliher starred in seasons 2, 3 and 4 of Below Deck Sailing Yacht, which chronicles the lives of the crew aboard a ship
Welcome to the start of the Mediterranean superyacht summer season, the annual takeover by the rich and famous, whose extravagant, bizarre and downright spoiled requests must be catered to by the crew at their disposal.
As the superyacht elite descend on the European mainland for the summer – regular guests include Beyonce and Jay-Z, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas, the Clooneys and Leonardo DiCaprio – prepare to settle in aboard luxurious decks, crew members like me are ready to indulge their every whim.
I am now 37 and have spent the last decade working as a chief stewardess on luxury yachts around the world, as well as starring in the TV series Below Deck Sailing Yacht. As you can imagine, this life has given me more than a fleeting glimpse into the world of celebrity aboard some of the sleekest floating gin palaces.
The confidentiality agreements that all crew members must sign to protect the identities of our guests and their secrets mean that I am forever silent. But what I can reveal is that the celebrities I have encountered include A-list actors, global sports stars and multi-million dollar models, as well as countless high net worth individuals.
There have been many pinch-me moments; once a very famous actress was enjoying a large quantity of fine wine on board and her agent tried to stop me from serving her. But what a guest wants, a guest gets.
In a world where huge egos and huge wallets collide, a typical day on a superyacht is akin to running the most luxurious five-star hotel.
I manage the middle shift, overseeing everything from meals to cleaning the luxury cabins, organizing the guests’ itineraries, and generally being their concierge — it’s all done at the click of a finger. Need to see a doctor? I’ll have one on board in no time. Want a table for lunch at a fancy but fully booked restaurant? I’ll get it. How about a helicopter to meet friends for dinner? Consider it a done deal.
I have worked mainly on boats that are privately owned and the owners’ second (third, fourth, fifth…) home. For three years I traveled the world with a couple and their young son who had built an incredible 46-meter sailboat with four guest cabins and a library.
Grander was still the 180ft £13m motorboat, costing around £1m a year to run. That was my ‘office’ for a year, based in Monaco in the winter and Greece in the summer.
As the summer superyacht elite, including Beyonce and Jay-Z (pictured), descend on continental Europe and prepare to wrap themselves aboard luxurious decks, the crew are on hand to cater to their every whim
Actor Leonardo DiCaprio is a keen user of superyachts – often spending time on them with other celebrities and supermodels. Pictured in St Tropez last summer
George Clooney looks out over the view from a yacht off the coast of southern France. Pictured in 2000
Wild requests from guests are the norm and literally anything goes. I have been to French Polynesia several times and the owners or guests have insisted that we charter a plane to bring in food from America because there simply aren’t enough facilities on these small, remote islands to suit their tastes.
In Europe, of course, it is quite easy to get everything a guest’s heart desires. A common request is for escorts to join guests on board for intimate, ahem, fun. Whether such demands are met depends on the captain and crew. Some say no, others simply do as they are told, make the right decisions on land and then look the other way.
The world of the crew is an incestuous world where everyone knows each other. As the various yachts moor next to each other in the exclusive resorts of Europe, we exchange stories.
A recent top rumor from a friend who is a yachtsman was about a couple of famous models who had danced in their stiletto heels and put numerous holes and dents in the yacht’s seats, costing millions. When they were politely asked to take off their shoes, they refused because, they said, it would ruin their overall look.
Kim Kardashian posted a photo on Instagram earlier this month of herself enjoying the sunset aboard a yacht
A hot topic is what other crew members are doing. While sex with guests is an absolute no-go, it is not uncommon for crew members to have discreet affairs with the adult sons and daughters of yacht guests and owners during their family vacation.
Our season traditionally begins with the Cannes Film Festival in May, where the first wave of celebrities show up, either on their own yachts, chartered boats, or simply invited to party on board. The owner of a yacht I worked on lent his cousin the boat for the duration of Cannes and they partied non-stop with world stars and film directors, drinking more bottles of Cristal champagne than I have ever seen in my life.
There is a real change in mood at the start of summer. Yachting is a competitive scene and the boats, owners and guests battle for supremacy on the waves. Chefs compete in pre-season culinary competitions, aimed at prizes that add praise to a boat’s profile.
Some providers have a photographer on speed dial, so guests who want to document their luxury stay can do so with artfully posed, glossy photos of their superyacht experience.
Fortunately, my experience is that the richer the person, the nicer they are. I work with mostly multi-millionaires and billionaires, most of whom are classy, treat the crew well and reward hard work. My biggest tip was £9,000.
And then there was the family who gifted me and the rest of the crew a stay in their chalet in Aspen – twice – and flew us there on a private jet.
Another guest paid £35,000 for nine of us to party on the exclusive Nikki Beach in St Tropez. But that’s a drop in the ocean when you’ve paid over £200,000 a week to stay on one of Europe’s most luxurious yachts.
The loudest and most poorly behaved yachts are usually those with wealthy, younger guests for whom a life of luxury is less new. They use every jet ski and demand that the crew make every cocktail on the drinks menu.
For some celebrities, only the same yacht every summer will do. For them, luxury is the familiarity of a boat and crew, enjoying water sports, and making memories with family. But for every yacht gliding peacefully across the Mediterranean, there’s another bouncing with guests who want to be pampered and let everyone know.
And once the sun sets on Europe’s superyacht summer season in September, wealthy sailors board glittering gin palaces further afield in search of winter sun – with no less glamour, glitz and gossip.
- As told to Sadie Nicholas