A month of Monday's

I started December as a volunteer at the boat show for mega yachts. The boat show was pretty hectic, but included fun events such as a yacht hop. The boats where all decked out on a theme and it was a festive occasion hopping from one to the other. And of course, I got the opportunity to dress up in black with splash of pink for the gala event. The only thing missing was a handsome gent by my side . . .

On the last morning of the boat show I got a phone call out of the blue. That Christmas charter I had been hoping for suddenly came through, and of course they needed me asap. Very unceremoniously a new era was heralded in my life. Quick goodbye to all and off I went.

Pretty short notice! With a huff and a puff I reached the airport. They where boarding early so I did not even have time to grab the nice lunch I was looking forward to. Once through customs had to proceed to the gate immediately so I grabbed a cinnamon pretzel as that was the stand closest to the gate. Food did not get better over the next few days.

Juliana is obviously a beautiful airport - but the same cannot be said for the smaller Caribbean airports. Off to Antigua for a long wait for the next connection - Grenada. Arrived at around 11pm, found a taxi to take me to a a la cheapy hotel. They did have internet though, and just as well. For in my inbox was an email telling me the boat owner had changed his mind - he wanted to stay in St Lucia a little longer, could I fly there. After a brief rest on a hard and uncomfortable mattress off to the airport again. Managed to get a ticket for the ten thirty flight to St Lucia.

The friendly young South African captain met me at the airport and filled me in on details of the boat and owner during the taxi ride home. At least I got a good look at the beautiful countryside before falling straight into a pretty hectic schedule. I got to bed between midnight and 1 am most nights - someone had to be up to pour the owner his J&B's on ice and empty his ashtray (chain smoker that does not like a dirty ashtray). And of course hollering occasionally: "Can you switch on the TV", or some similar menial task.

A week ago the owner left for ten days - and we have had a breather. We sailed down to Grenada, so am getting another chance at seeing more than just Grenada's airport. We are still busy on the boat, but with a more relaxed atmosphere and more reasonable hours.

A few days ago I was surrounded by a mountain of laundry that needed ironing. Not my favorite task I confess. However our Turkish deck hand put some haunting Turkish music on. Thus my mind could happily travel to distant places while my hands ironed. I remembered crossing the border into Jordan on a cool desert evening - with the haunting prayer calls echoing through the night air. I walked down narrow cobblestone streets in Istanbul, or visited a busy market in Egypt with all its smells and sounds and sights. And in between I looked up and saw the reflections of the sun playing on the water and remembered the beauty of the here and now - despite the pile of laundry. At the end of my workday I sat at the sky bridge writing e-mails and watched a stunning sunset. Several crew members have picked this spot to sit with their laptops, so we have jokingly dubbed the sky bridge the "Internet Cafe".

I actually had a day off the explore the island with some of my crew mates. We where quite a multicultural expedition. An Israeli, a Turk, and naturally myself. Unfortunately the day was rainy and foggy, meaning we missed out on some of the more exotic hikes to waterfalls and rain forests. But for a day, I was a tourist. Just the driving around the island and seeing the lush green hills was a great break from the boat.

In a few hours the owner will be here. I have been preparing their rooms, shining up the brass and all such last minute touches. Naturally the Internet cafe is being dismantled as we all prepare for "owner mode". So - I will continue my tales when he leaves again and the Internet cafe re-opens.