What life is REALLY like below deck: Yacht stewardesses lift the lid on the very unglamorous reality of working on luxury boats – from mopping the CEILINGS to polishing FLOWERS
- A fleet of yachties have shared behind the scenes clips of life at sea on TikTok
- The stewardesses reveal that cleaning is major component of their jobs
- One yachtie says stewardesses start on about $2,100 to $3,250 per month
Netflix’s hit show Below Deck sheds light on the less glamorous side of super yachting and a fleet of yachties have been busy on TikTok sharing fascinating snapshots of their lives too.
Candid video clips reveal what it takes to work on a multimillion-dollar vessel, with the chores ranging from intricately folding toilet rolls to cleaning the ceilings with a vinegar-and-water solution.
In one clip Caitlin, who works as a stewardess and uses the handle @superyachtgirl, also reveals that people in her profession generally start on about $2,100 to $3,250 per month, depending on the size of the boat.
To learn more secrets of what happens below deck, float your way down to see if the salary still appeals after reading.
On a roll! Stewardess reveals she’s tasked with making intricate toilet paper art
Emery, who is known as @thatyachtiegirl, reveals that folding toilet rolls is a key part of her job as a stewardess. In one video, she showcases one of her expert folds
STEW TIP TUESDAY ?⚓️ #stt #yachtie #thatyachtiegirl #juststewit #stewardess #belowdeck #yachttok
Emery, who goes by the handle @thatyachtiegirl, reveals that folding toilet paper rolls is a key part of her job as a stewardess.
In one TikTok video, she showcases one of her expert folds.
The yachtie explains that she first takes off a single piece from the the roll. After folding it horizontally, she then makes tight folds back and forth to make a miniature fan.
Next up, she takes the main roll and folds each corner of the hanging sheet ‘to the opposite side to make a triangle.’
She continues: ‘Then you’re gonna want to flip [the triangle] up not once but twice.
‘Now take that top right corner and fold it down to the center and of course do the same to the other side… then fold it down.
‘So now you have this little pocket and that’s where your fan goes.’
You can see her demonstrate the technique in her TikTok video above.
While the folding technique looks a little tricky to master, Emery says that it’s ‘super easy’ with a little bit of practice.
One viewer said ‘this is kinda fun’, but another said in jest ‘then somebody literally wipes his ass with your hard work.’
Spick and span: Round-the-clock cleaning
Caitlin, who uses the handle @superyachtgirl, reveals one of the to-do lists onboard the yacht (left) before she gets stuck into cleaning the walls (right)
The yachtie reveals how she cleans the ceilings of the yacht using a Swiffer stick covered with a rag sprayed with vinegar water
Alicia Doel, who goes by the handle @yachtstewlife, reveals how she uses an iron to make the yacht beds look perfect and @everydayangelika can be seen in a clip steaming the curtains
Many of the stewardesses say that cleaning is one of the main components of their jobs.
In one video shared by stewardess Caitlin, who uses the handle @superyachtgirl, she reveals one of the to-do lists, with some of the chores including deep cleaning the coffee machine, descaling the kettle with vinegar, and polishing the sink.
In follow-up clips she is shown doing a post-lunch task, which involves wiping the walls from the crew mess to the crew entrance.
She then reveals how she cleans the ceilings of the yacht using a Swiffer stick covered with a rag sprayed with vinegar water.
Explaining her clever cleaning technique, she says: ‘The stick helps to clean those hard to reach places and yes, ceilings can be very dirty.’
The stewardess says white vinegar mixed with water is ‘so good for cleaning,’ but it’s always a good idea to do a patch test first.
When it comes to laundry, Caitlin explains that the stewardesses have to wash all of the crew’s laundry along with the guests’, so the basket is ‘rarely empty.’
Asked in the comment section if Below Deck is a true reflection of her job, Caitlin replied: ‘Kind of. It’s definitely dramatized a lot to get more views. It’s usually pretty chill with nice guests and most crew get along in my experience.’
Continuing on the cleaning theme, a video posted by @relatable_stews shows a member of crew carefully polishing orchid leaves and hoovering the ceiling ahead of guests arriving.
Meanwhile Alicia Doel, who goes by the handle @yachtstewlife, reveals how she uses an iron to make the yacht beds look perfect, and @everydayangelika can be seen in a clip carefully steaming the curtains.
The latter jokes in an overlaying TikTok caption: ‘I didn’t want to work a nine to five, so now I work a 24/7 as a super yacht stew.’
Eating on the go… including guest leftovers
In one video Caitlin, aka @superyachtgirl, reveals what she eats in a day as a superyacht stewardess, which includes a platter of breakfast leftovers
Given their hectic schedules, some of the yachties say that they have to eat on the go.
In one video Caitlin, aka @superyachtgirl, reveals what she eats in a day as a superyacht stewardess.
She starts her day with a 6am coffee, followed by half a smoothie and some water because ‘health is wealth.’
At 8am, she films herself tucking into leftovers from the guests’ breakfast platter because she was busy.
But Caitlin highlights that the leftovers weren’t too shabby with the medley including ‘fancy bread’, a selection of cheeses, and fruits ‘flown in from France.’
To wash it all down, she had a glass of orange juice.
At 12pm Caitlin stopped for a sushi lunch and went in for seconds because it was ‘too good.’
Then to round out the day, she had dinner at 6pm. While there was grilled lamb with mint yogurt on the menu, she said she only ate ‘veggie and bread cos I didn’t feel like eating meat.’
For dessert, she had a slice of her birthday cake about 8pm.
TikToker @thatyachtiegirl also made a video to show what she eats while on charter.
She explains in overlaid captions that ‘a lot of chefs feed the crew what the guests are having,’ and the camera pans to a tray of lobster meat and juicy hunks of beef.
She continues: ‘Last charter we were spoiled with crab, lobster, steak and sushi.’
One commenter mused: ‘Soooo u have the perfect job?’
While another added: ‘This is literally my dream.’
In the red: Testing immersion suits
TikToking yachtie @maddiesheaaaaaa posted a video of herself participating in a safety drill, which involved her having to put on a bulky immersion dry suit
Injecting a little fun into her safety drill, @canadianyachtie went about performing and filming an ‘immersion suit jiggle’ with her crewmates
Yacht crew drills don’t have to be boring! ⚓️ #yachtie #yachtieworld #belowdeck #canadianyachtie
TikToking yachtie @maddiesheaaaaaa posted a video of herself participating in a safety drill, which involved her having to put on a bulky immersion dry suit.
The clip shows her and her fellow crew members struggling to get into the bright-red waterproof onesies.
To make the suits completely watertight, a hood with a face seal must be pulled on over the head.
Once everyone is suited and booted, the clip cuts to the yachties jumping into the water in a bid to test the all-in-ones.
They then group together and swim on their backs in a formation as part of the test run.
One commenter said she looked like a ‘dancing lobster.’ Another yachtie commented on the comical video and said she had to practice putting on one of the cumbersome suits while she was in the dark.
Injecting a little fun into her safety drill, @canadianyachtie went about performing and filming an ‘immersion suit jiggle’ with her crewmates.
She explained in the caption: ‘Yacht crew drills don’t have to be boring!’
Artistic license: Constantly creating intricate table displays
Some of the standout table layouts come courtesy of Caitlin, also known as @superyachtgirl. In a video montage she reveals some of her best table layouts
Having an artistic imagination, the yachties say, is a big plus when working on the high seas.
Many stewardesses have uploaded clips of themselves crafting intricate and very imaginative table displays.
Some of the standout table layouts come courtesy of Caitlin, or @superyachtgirl.
In a video montage she reveals some of her best centerpiece designs.
One setting appears to have a pirate theme, with a treasure chest in the middle of the table, complete with an eyepatch-wearing skull, gold coins, strings of pearls and a map.
Another setting follows a literary theme, with a collection of books carefully arranged, and pages used in the napkin rolls, while another of Caitlin’s exploration-themed creations features a small ship and a globe in front of the placemats.
In the video caption, the stewardess says table layouts are a ‘small part of my job, but a fun part!’
She also explains in the comment section that it keeps her creative during long, ‘tedious’ trips. However, sometimes they can take their toll and on one trip she was coming up with three different table settings a day.
Along with the menus giving her food for thought, she says she also scours Pinterest for ideas.
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