Page 5 of The Second Chance in the Mediterranean
“Now, this here is pretty cool.” Dom flipped a hidden switch on the wall, and I heard a whirring noise above me. I looked up to find a window covering opening up like a camera shutter, the spiraled edges pulling back. I could see all the way up through the ceiling, and straight up one of the masts to the clear blue sky.
“Wow!” I exclaimed. “Gorgeous.”
“Just wait till you see it at night.” He pressed the button again to close the oculus. “Then, over here.” He moved to the forward wall of the dining room and pressed another switch. The wall opened, the opaque glass sliding away to reveal a climate-controlled wine cellar. “We have some of the owners’ best collection housed here.”
“Very cool. You mentioned in the interview that the chief stew is a sommelier?” My work prior toOdysseywas strictly in restaurants. I’d worked under Michelin-starred chefs and was hired for private events, but I was not as adept at wine as I was with food. It was especially helpful to me that the chief steward, the crew member who oversaw the stewards in the interior of the boat, specialized in wine.
“Catarina is, yes. She works with the Boyds’ household sommelier, and she’ll work with you, of course, to source wines and stock the boat. Fortunately, here in the Med, we have plenty of sources of excellent wines. There’s another climate-controlled storage downstairs.”
I nodded. Dom continued to show me more hidden panels and cabinets that revealed storage for the stews.
“How ya doin’?” Dom grinned at me.
“I make no guarantees that I won’t get lost.”
He laughed. “It’s not too bad once you get used to it. It’s only three decks, and you won’t be up top much. Dinner service up here, galley and staff quarters down below.”
“Only one flight of stairs—that’s nice.”
Dom barked a laugh. “All the stews love it. Much easier on the legs.”
“My last superyacht was four flights, and once, one of the stews tripped going up the stairs and knocked out two others. They were unhurt, but unfortunately the desserts were trashed.”
Dom winced. “Ah yeah, that’s tough. This is your first run on a sailing superyacht, yeah?”
“Yes.”
“Accidents happen a lot more often when we’re sailing. Now, unsurprisingly, most charter guests don’t have any interest in us actually sailing, but occasionally we do. And if the weather’s good, anytime Nat and Justin are in, we go sailing.”
Themiscould be rented weekly for an ungodly amount. While I was sure superyacht owners in no way broke even, it helped them offset the costs of their yachts. Almost all superyachts chartered out, and that was where I came in. Feeding the owners, and feeding the guests.
“When are they planning on coming in next?”
“Three weeks. They fly in pretty often, so you’ll get to know them well. And later next month we have the regatta, and they’ll spend a weekend with us.”
“Nice to hear they enjoy their boat often. Remind me about the regatta again?”
“Right, the Boyds’ son, Alex, is a racer. While we do a couple of superyacht races every year withThemis,Alex races much more on smaller craft. Next month is one of those big races. It’s in Malta, andThemiswill be a spectator boat for day one, and then we’ll host the awards ceremony the next night.”
“And that’ll be my big test, I’m guessing.”
“Yes. Lots of fancy people to impress, high budget for food and decor. Basically, Natasha and Justin are using it to show off their new chef.” He grinned. “No pressure, hey?”
“I’ve got some time to settle in. I’ll be ready.”
“Good.” Dom nodded approvingly. “Shall we move along to the rest of the crew quarters?”
I followed behind Dom as he opened an inconspicuous door off the dining room. “We’ve got an upper crew lounge here.” It was a small room with a dining booth and minimal counter space.
“It’s basically a service station for the interior dining room and a separate cafeteria to fit all the crew for meals. Then we’ve got stairs down to your domain, the galley.”
I stepped out of the stairwell and immediately to my left was my new galley, immaculate and shiny. I instantly fell in love.
Four
Three wallsof the room were lined with counters and appliances, while the center had a big island with cabinets overhead. I itched to start unpacking all my own personal gear, but I could instantly see the boat was well stocked already. I walked around the island, letting my hands run over the stainless-steel counters and functional cabinetry. The exterior walls had three big windows over the sink and counter.
Yacht chefs had to lose their vanity. The galleys we worked in weren’t nearly as pretty as the big kitchens I’d enjoyed on land. Space was limited, and well, there were only two of us here to contend with. The galley was small, but I was confident it would be just right for our needs.
