GETTING MY SH*T TOGETHER #LATERPOST
In New York, a lot of your major life decisions are based around when your lease ends, so when I decided last minute to join the superyacht industry instead of moving to LA, I had a lot of researching and planning to do in less than 3 months.
I started off by reading Working on Yachts and Superyachts by Jennifer Errico
The Insiders' Guide to Becoming a Yacht Stewardess by Julie Perry, to get a perspective of the industry and what to expect when living/working on a superyacht. I also found some blogs and articles that contained helpful information. In the next phase of my blog, I will provide all of the resources that I used.
After doing all my research, I found that I was required to take the STCW course, which is basic safety training that covers firefighting, CPR, safety procedures, etc. And to become a stewardess (or stew), it's helpful for newbies to take an Interior Operations course that includes wine pairing and bartending, food service, table service and silver service as well as other handy information.
Lucky for me, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is one of the largest superyacht hubs in the world and just a 3 hour flight from New York. I booked my courses through MPT (Maritime Professional Training), booked a crewhouse, which is conveniently a 7 minute walk away from the school, and then finally, a one way flight to Laudey. Before I flew down to Florida, I had to sell a majority of my things and had to send the rest of my clothes and random belongings to my mom's house in New Jersey.
Two of the hardest things for me, was one, trying to decide what I was going to pack in the small 2-3 bags I could bring with me (I will add my packing list to the next phase), and two, saying goodbye to my friends and family. I had so many clothes that it was really hard to narrow it down to just a few outfits and leave the rest in storage for however long I decide to do this for. It was really nice to purge though and donate a lot of my clothes to the Malala Fund. Even with my limited wardrobe, I still struggled to zip two 22 inch bags and a small backpack, but I managed to do it!
After a weekend of brunches, dinners, and goodbyes, I left New York with tears in my eyes, looking out of the airplane window at the city and life I was leaving behind, knowing my life was about to completely change.
