Winds of change

Once again the winds of change are blowing in my life. Outside the sky is grey and rain is falling intermittently. And within the hour, we are due to depart from Majorka.

This heralds a big change. It means that my tranquil winter is over. Our summer work season will start as we cast the lines off and leave this island behind. In winter we worked normal hours and a relaxed schedule. It was a time to catch up on general maintenance with no guests on board.

Knowing how cooped up we felt last summer I made the most of this time. Weekend’s I went exploring and generally I took the time to attend special events and get off the boat. I have told you of many of the fiestas and fun provided by the island. Even in these last few weeks there where a few, including a sheep and goat festival in my favourite little village of Calvia. Yes, it did actually have sheep and goats, and for good measure a few piglets too! The usual assortment of stalls with food and nick knacks abounded.

A week later I went for a drive in the countryside with a girlfriend. Palma is actually a large European city. So the rolling hills in the rural areas with the quaint little villages make a marked contrast. After escaping the city traffic the winding roads had few cars on them. To our amusement we where held up by traffic of a very different nature. Suddenly ahead of us there where half a dozen horse and buggies. Smilingly they showed us when to pass safely around the tricky curves in the road.

Many cyclists travel along this meandering mountain road too. Since we stopped often to take pictures, two guys became a familiar site, passing us several times. They smiled at the two girls out for a drive and we would wave at one another with a laugh.

Now those quiet weekends is a thing of the past. In English tranquil is a word, but in Spanish it is a way of life. As I have a crazy season ahead of me, I hope to take something of the Spanish culture into my future. When this crazy summer is over, I look forward to slowing down and just enjoying a little tranquility in my life, taking some time to enjoy the here and now, and spending time in creative endeavors.

As I stand on the side deck watching Palma get smaller, my mind is already traveling to that future I am hoping for. I see a warm sandy beach down under, and I am burying my toes in the sand.

But for now, it is time to enjoy the new adventures as they unfold. Turkey here I come!

surprising monday

The only thing blue about this Monday is the color of the sky!

After a busy few weeks I realized we had the unexpected blessing of a public holiday.

This I felt was a good opportunity to escape the confines of the boat and go for a walk on the waterfront.

A crisp wind caused a choir of snapping halyards and flags as I passed the miles of boats in all shapes and sizes. Yet despite the breeze it felt good to have the sun on my face.

My sentiments seemed to be shared by the many people walking, cycling and rollerblading down the boardwalk. A pleasant atmosphere prevailed.

An elegant cafe caught my attention. Pleasantly sheltered from the wind, but still in full view of the sunshine and boats, I enjoyed a quiet lunch and used the time to sit and write a while. I was enjoying the present and the past while going through old letters and diaries.

After whiling away a few hours in the pleasant atmosphere, I noticed that the wind had dropped somewhat. Good time to resume my walk. Not much further along I realized that there was obviously a special event I was totally unaware of.

The holiday, Balearics day, was being celebrated. Hundreds of stalls lined the streets, with a bewildering variety of locally produced items. the stall keepers where dressed in traditional clothing. And yes, there was also a stall selling the traditional clothing . .

What a pleasant surprise! Rows and rows of pork sausage hanging from lines, barrels of olives and heaps of cheese. Pottery and beautiful hand crafted toys. My eyes where feasting in the colors and textures as I walked, I passed fragrant hers and spices. The smell of fresh wood shavings as a boat builder demonstrated his craft. The smell of fresh baked bread coming out of the wood fire oven. The disheveled hair and hand prints of flour on her apron gave this stall keeper an authentic air as she busily took loaves out of her oven.








Food stalls provided amply to the crowd. Not only was local tradition celebrated, but also that of the many other cultures represented in the community.

I sat on the edge of a fountain to enjoy a lovely shwarma. Around me people where still wearing their winter coats, but there was a sense of exuberance in the air, most vocally expressed by the happy children.

Carnival in Calvia

Once again the island was getting ready to celebrate. Carnival arrived. This time, instead of looking at the big city celebrations as an outsider, I joined a group of friends at the smaller village of Calvia.



The rustic rural village of Calvia became the focal point of festivities for the whole surrounding area. My friends and I settled in on the porch of the local restaurant Rosita's. The normally quiet streets where teeming in anticipation of the parade. Of course, in true Spanish style, it started two hours late. But, from our comfortable vantage point we where having a good time socializing. Muy tranquil as the locals would say. Thus, in true Spanish style, we did not care about the delay.

It was quite a crisp and cold winters day. we where all bundled up in coats and scarves. This of course, makes the parade quite different from the risque shows of flesh in carnivals like the one I saw in Trinidad many years ago


The advance guard of police vehicles and the noise behind them indicated that the parade was finally underway. the local villages came up with innovative costumes and themes. They varied from delightful home made ones to the more glossy store bought ones. So many people participated that the floats and paraders literally took hours to come past us.



From mad cows to matadors . . .Bewitching little ladies, floating flowers. Cute little Nemo's between a shark or two. and if there was any damsel in distress, she could decide if she wanted to swoon in front of the pint high zorro, spiderman or superman.


Oh, and look, is that Brittney Spears by any chance? In miniture?



A fun day, all the more so for being shared by good friends.

Fiestas and fun, san Sebastian

Around here you do not have to wait long for a reason to celebrate.

The last two months has been filled with fiesta's. First in the line up was the island wide celebrations of San Sebastian, the patron saint of the island. Apparently he was most well known for his demon slaying abilities. Strangely, today the celebrations only reflect the demons - or demones as they are locally known. San Sebastian himself is nowhere to be seen . . .

This is one of the biggest annual celebrations and with special events island wide all week long. It is a very sociable occasion, and demons and all, the whole family seems to come out and celebrate. I had no idea so many people lived on this island!

For those who do not know, Palma is actually quite a large European city. Miles and miles of boats stretch along the waterfront, and the town center has beautiful cobble stone streets and old world buildings. Like most older European cities there are lots of town squares and plazas.

On Wednesday, large bonfires where lit on every square. Smaller ones where dotted all over the place. The tradition is that you bring your own meat and grill it on these public barbecues. Every square also had a live band playing - and believe me, there are many squares! Strangers, friends and family stood shoulder to shoulder. The whole city became a living, jovial and teeming mass of people. Smoke from the many fires drifted throughout he city.


I started off with a few friends but we soon drifted off in different directions. The streets where filled with thousands of people from absolutely all walks of life. I became part of this mass of humanity, continuously moving, from one square to the next, from fire to fire, one band to the next.

The music also came in many varieties. In some squares there where traditional folk music and dancing. Parents walked with kids on their shoulders and older couples smiled wistfully and tapped their feet to the music. But in the larger squares one could also find rock bands, rap techno and almost every kind of music you can possibly imagine - all with a Spanish twist of course.

Naturally the party only really gets into full swing at midnight and then carries on to the early morning hours.

As I stood listening to a band with a U2 like flavor, I enjoyed being part of this community get together. Yet I felt acutely aware of the fact that I stood alone, surrounded by groups of friends and family circles. A stranger, an outsider. I have a fun and fulfilling life, yet at times like these I miss the companionship of a relationship, and look forward to the time when I will be sharing these special moments.

As the fires died down and the smoke cleared, the city was prompt in cleaning up and getting ready for the next round of celebration.

Saturday was the grand finale with the demones spectacularly running thorough the streets in a parade that culminated at the cathedral with big fireworks. I thought that there were many people on Wednesday, this time literally tens of thousands lined up the streets along the route of the parade and mulled together at the fireworks display. The parade itself consisted of hundreds of people dressed as demons carrying huge sparkling fireworks.


Locals run under the fiery shower of sparks, not something I would recommend if you where wearing a good coat! It seems a miracle that people do not get hurt or burnt. I watched with grave concern as those mischievous devils and their flying sparks came close to mothers with babies in strollers.






For this event I was not alone. I was grateful for my friends company, and even more so that he is tall. I could daringly snap pictures of the approaching demones, and then jump behind him to hide from the flying sparks. Despite that I still had to take my coat to the dry cleaners by the end of the week between Wednesday's smokey fires and all the fireworks!



The fireworks display was a fitting exclamation mark ending to the week long celebrations, and I would let my pictures tell the story here . . .

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas . . .

The year is coming to a close and here I am again in airport terminals. On the move again. Perpetual motion. Waiting for the pendulum to stop swinging. Waiting to live a quiet, predictable life. To do the things “normal” people take for granted. But, apparently, not quite yet for me . . .

It has been quite a year for me. It started with an international move and change in career, with a long wait in South Africa for it all to come together. I left my much loved little apartment in St Maarten, beach, sunshine and friends behind to go for the new opportunity that was offered. I had been given a full time position as a stewardess on a mega yacht that would now be based out of the Mediterranean.

Things where however taking their time to come together. I had to wait for the boat to complete a major refit that kept taking longer than expected. The upside was three wonderful months visiting my mom.

In May I finally boarded a plane and headed north to my new beginning. I joined the boat in Toulon, south of France. But on my very first day I received shocking news from home. Mom had just been diagnosed with breast cancer. My mom so full of youth and vitality? No, that just happens to other people . . .

But she’s a trooper, and a pillar of faith. She faced the unknown with great bravery. I could not compare my woes to hers, but I did have a difficult summer. Living on the job in close quarters with my fellow crew members was not always easy. One crew member in particular caused tremendous strife. The job was relentless. We worked long hours and seven days a week for months on end.

It was not all doom and gloom. We did see beautiful new places, even if often just through the porthole. And on the rare times we had off we often went out together and had memorable dinners and parties from Venice to Dubrovnik and Naples. My photo album records the laughs and fun moments . . .

We literally danced a jig when the guests left for the last time in the season. We where finally headed back to our home port, Palma Majorca. All the stress of summer fell away as a very quiet and peaceful winter season started. For us winter is our down time, just catching up with a little maintenance.

I was fortunate enough to go home for Christmas. When I just arrived in South Africa seeing mom was a shock. She had lost a tremendous amount of weight and was not feeling well. Her chemotherapy had recently ended. Walking hunched over she looked her age, and normally she looks ten years younger that she is! But, it was such a good feeling to see her reviving in the last month. To see the grace and miracle of God’s healing hands in her life. She regained her strength and by the time I left she was the busy little bee I have always known. I took her clothes shopping. Wearing clothes matching her much reduced size made her look good instead of like a drowning rat. And with her positive bearing and energy she regained her youthful appearance again. And just before I left, she had started growing a darker fuzz on her head - only a mm or so, but evidence of hair to come. Seeing her so much more her old self made the parting much easier.

Christmas day was spent quietly with cold meats and salads for lunch. Amazingly though, we ended up with a white Christmas! No, I am not going entirely batty. :-) The late afternoon thunderstorm became a hailstorm. I suddenly laughed when I saw the lawn covered in white, thinking they will never believe me when I get back to Spain, so I took pictures proving I really did have a white Christmas! This was the wettest December we could all remember. So coming back to winter here up North was not even a big shock. And the weather was kind to me. The week before was not only very cold in USA, also in Europe airports where closed all over the place. But this week, just in time for my travels, the weather eased up. Even my lay over in Zurich was mild and I walked in a T Shirt today here in Palma. Next week however, the cold should be back with a vengeance, but at least I'll have a little time to get used to it.

I was surprised to find myself looking forward to coming back to the boat and Spain. All December long my head has been spinning and I have been on a mental roller coaster ride as I tried to figure out my plans for the New Year. This is a pretty profound New Year for me. I have big decisions to make over the timing of my future plans. I am anxious to settle down, but for many reasons it may behoove me to commit to one more summer on the boat. This time I know exactly what I am in for. It seems a vast lonely stretch ahead. Naturally, I have been lifting this big issue up in prayer. God knows the desires of my heart, but He also knows the big picture that I cannot see.

A lot of people find being alone at Christmas depressing. Fortunately I was home for that. But to a degree I find New Years on my own far more daunting. It sort of really brings home that I am single and likely to remain so for a long time if I commit to summer. I am feeling a strange mix of dread, apprehension, and excitement at the prospect of taking the bull by the horns, whichever way it takes me . . .

return to earth . . .

Like a spaceship on course back to mother earth the boat is gliding along a flat sea back to Palma. I have for most of summer felt like I was far far away, on a different planet. Cut off from my friends all over the world. Perhaps, like ET, needing to stick my finger my finger out and wistfully say "ET call h . o . m . e . . ."

Life in this ulterior universe was also a little strange. Uniformed people living in small cave like cabins served the inhabitants of this planet. I am of course referring to the guests on the yacht. Sometimes, it could be as few as two or three, but other times we had as many as nine guests. There was a relentlessness to it. For most of the last three months we worked seven days a week, often ridiculously long hours. It seemed a never ending stretch of making beds, cleaning bathrooms, serving meals, laundry, ironing . . . All of course done with a smile.

Living in close proximity with your colleagues, never actually leaving the job, is a recipe for potential tension. And that cauldron certainly did bubble over many times. One crew member in particular caused unnecessary tension between all. But eventually, as we knew that there was an end in sight, tensions subsided and we all looked forward to our return to mother earth and normality.



I can't honestly say it was all bad. We certainly did get to travel to interesting places and had a good bit of fun in between. We left Palma for our first port, Brindisi, Italy. From there we took our first guests to Croatia. It was my first visit to the magical coastline of Croatia. It is a rugged, rocky coastline with many little island. The little village like ports had an old world charm with cobblestone streets and terra cotta tiled rooftops. As we where at anchor in isolated locations more often than not we cherished those rare opportunities of a few hours on shore. We would wander around the touristy little shops and buy little trinkets.






After two weeks we returned to Italy. Venice turned out to be everything I have always imagined. I think one can easily spend a month there exploring the little lanes and canals. Taking random bridges and making new discoveries. Enjoying the large well known plaza's and lesser know alleyways. Taking a million pictures. Unfortunately we only had half a day to explore the beautiful city. I used it well and walked miles on end. Taking pictures, watching the gondoliers with their striped shirts, straw hats and beautiful boats navigating the canals. I popped into the stores and like a good tourist came home with small venetian glass ornaments and jewelry. I even bought watercolor paintings from an artist on the square. By sheer happy coincidence there was a fabulous fireworks display one evening during our stay in Venice. I saw enough to hope that I can go back and see more of Venice and Italy one day.



But all good things must come to an end. New guests arrived and we where back to serving mode, soon departing once again for Croatia. Another month and a half we sailed up and down the coastline from one remote anchorage to the next. Of course cel phones and internet did not work in these remote anchorages, and we seldom had the opportunity to get off the boat apart from the occasional afternoon swim. The water was however beautifully warm and crystal clear. It was a great release after feeling so cooped up on the boat.



My favorite time was early in the morning before the guests woke up. There was a general quietness on the boat and I could enjoy the morning air on the deck as I was setting out the silver for their breakfast with my little white glove. Their seems to be a special, different quality to the light that time of day in this part of the world. The sun already out, but the light soft, dancing on the still morning sea. The distant mountains would be a soft hazy blue. A lone fisherman would quietly throw his fishing net out rhythmically, plying the shoreline systematically and not seeming overly interested in the expensive yacht anchored nearby.

The rhythm of life on board continued relentlessly. The two little worlds operating separately but side by side. In one world the guests, with their luxurious cabins, and delicate care and service. Behind a door they where not welcome to go through, the other world. Our crammed little cabins. Much less formal meals around a u shaped table in the crew mess. An area where we could banter with one another, watch telly or just plain hang out. So, between these two worlds we would endlessly travel. The more mundane tasks like laundry and ironing of course being done in our world, and venturing often into theirs to make sure their every need and whim is being fulfilled. But outside these two worlds we seldom had the opportunity to venture. We where stuck. From this the sense of being cut off from the rest of the world.

The chef managed to break the routine in a humorous way one afternoon. I was on the aft deck, serving lunch to the guest when my eyes where drawn to a rather unusual sight. The guests turned too, and saw the chef, standing in his full uniform, hat included, on the boats surfboard. He was gracefully steering it like a gondolier. The guests actually abandoned the table to go and take pictures with their cellphones. I think even they found his hilarious stunt a welcome relief from the routines on board.

We saw off the guests in Croatia and returned this time to Naples, Italy. We stopped at Lepary islands and the crew got a much needed breather. We swam, some went diving, wake boarding, just generally relaxed in our own respective ways. Naples in many ways was disappointing to me. It is a city with an air of neglect. However, the deck hand and myself did take the opportunity to go and explore the ruins of Pompeii. The opportunity to get off the boat for the day was in itself worth a lot. But it was also truly interesting to explore the ruins of the village. Since we had taken the time to visit the museum that housed many of the discovered artifacts and art a few days earlier, we could imagine the buildings and temples in their full splendor. Occasionally we would end up behind an English speaking tour guide and get bits of fun info. The gentleman was describing the brothel he was about to show to the assembled tourists. Standing behind this group, the deck hand vocally pointed out the the brothel was apparently operating to this day as he pointed to a female tourist emerging from the building. He did get a few giggle's.

Alas the guest returned one last time. The last two weeks where the longest of all the summer. We had been resigned before that there remained a long summer ahead and plodded along. But, now, knowing the end was in sight, we chafed at the bit. We would return to "our world" and quietly murmur to one another how many days where left. The workload itself had decreased, but so had our communal energy reserves. Where where running on fumes.

And then, magically, the day came that we waved goodbye to the Mercedes taxi containing our last guests for the season . . . That evening we uncorked some champagne and did a happy dance on the deck of the boat. My quality of life improved instantly. I had permission from the captain to move to a guest cabin the moment they left. I took him very literally to his word. Their taxi had barely left the marina before I was carrying the first basket of my possessions from my cramped quarters to my new, more spacious abode for this winter. Right now, I am comfortably snuggled in my bed, laptop on my lap. Within a day, God willing, we will be back in Palma. And I can send greetings with this letter to my fellow earthlings to tell them, I'm back!

Palma and beyond

From Nice I the captain picked me up and took me to Toulon where I joined the boat and crew. I only knew a few of them ahead of time - but immediately got a positive feeling from all. Later, I realized my first impression was spot on - I truly feel blessed to be working with this group. It is an unusual life where we all live on the job, so getting along is extra important.

We all went over to the ship that had transported our boat, and was on board to experience the amazing offloading. These ships are designed to only transport boats. When they are loaded, the ship is actually pumped full of water until it is under water and the boats simply motor on. Underwater divers weld cradles on the decks securing the boats. Water is then pumped out until the ship is above water. We witnessed the reverse procedure on the other end. We where standing on the boat, looking over the side rails at the ship below, as the ships decks gradually sank under the water being pumped in. The cradles had been removed ahead of time and just lines secured the boats. Finally all the boats where floating and motored off in organized sequence like little ducks. We where off to Palma . . .

As we approached Palma she was shrouded in mist. For early May day it was a little cold and dreary. It was hard to get an impression of my new home. While the weather cleared up the next week was a blur. We had one week to prepare for our first charter and it was pretty hectic. Fortunately the chef knew the island well, so he took me in tow as together we did the shopping in preparation of our charter. I gazed at tree lined streets and beautiful old buildings while trotting behind him at 100 miles per hour as we shopped for essentials such as fancy soaps and shampoos and designer coffee for the guests. After having lived on a small island with probably a population of around 120 000 people total, Palma was a little overwhelming at first. The city alone has a population of around half a million people.

Our first charter that included both owners went smoothly. As crew we got to know one another, the boat, and the owners. While it was hectic it was great preparation for the upcoming season.



Those ten days flew by and soon we where back in Palma. The weather obliged with beautiful sunshine for our return and I could clearly make out the now familiar outline of the cathedral. The pressure was off and we had a whole month to prepare for our next charter. And I had time to explore Palma and the rest of the island.

And explore I did! I drank in the sights sounds and smells of the island. On weekends I took our boat bicycle and cycled along the beautiful bicycle road that stretches alongside the coast. I could not believe the incredible amount of boats of all sizes stretching for miles on end. Then after the marinas The bicycle path just stretched endlessly, and one Saturday I followed it for about twenty kilometers. Once out of downtown Palma and all the marina's I passed a long lonely stretch of rocky coastline with the salt air whipping me from the side. I continued through several little villages until I reached the touristy Playa de Palma. I often stopped to pop in the hundreds of little shops and finally found a nice little restaurant to have lunch at four in true Spanish style. After the lovely sole and my glass of white wine the way home seemed a lot longer. I do confess to being quite worn out when I finally reached the boat.

What ever spare time I had I would wander all over the city, taking random little streets just to see where you would end up. I found art galleries, lush gardens and parks. Old town alley ways with flower bedecked balconies. And yes, laundry proudly flapping from these same balconies. I wove in and out of shops of every imaginable kind. Sometimes incongruously, an expensive designer shop would be flanked by a cheap little nick knack store. I sat in terasse cafe's sipping cappuccinos and people watched. I went to the fascinating aquarium. I went to a circus. Sometimes I did my exploring alone and on other days with a friend. We found a festival in one of the squares one day and I joined in and danced barefoot on the pavement until I had blisters on my feet.




On a different weekend I ended up renting a car with a friend and we set off to explore the west coast. We may as well have been in a totally different country. The rugged green hills stands in marked contrast to the touristly flat beaches of the east side. The little villages seem out of a picture book with their cobblestone streets and narrow allyways. Everywhere against the walls are colorful flowers in pots. We walked up and down winding lanes, and between the buildings the amazing vista's of the hills where visable. It felt like we where walking through a painting, ourselves being another little splash of color added by the artist. For this reason I was not surprised to find many delightful art galleries of local artists.


During the month in Palma we prepared the boat for our next charter, but slowly the hour glass ran empty and it was time to for us to leave. Right now every one is still rubbing their eyes and having coffee. Soon we will be leaving the dock and on our way to Italy. The leisurely pace of the last month will be replaced by working seven days a week and long hours as the owners join the boat. We will be cruising with them on the Italian and Croatian coast for a month and a half. We, however will not be the ones sightseeing. For us it will be heads down and working.

From Italy we will then depart to Turkey where the owners will once again join the boat. In three months from now we should be heading back here to Palma. So for now, I have to say goodbye as we prepare to leave . . .