Shipyard Activities

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And just like that, another Med season is done & dusted.

 

Most yachts are either getting ready to cross to the Caribbean or I’ve heard of several heading to the Maldives (you lucky people!) or maybe you’re settling into a winter on the dock.

When I started yachting, the thought of sitting on the dock all winter sounded like a nightmare. I wanted to move around as much as possible and maintain a level of busyness. That changed a few years in & I started to really appreciate the occasional quite winter on the dock.

My first winter on the dock was also my first winter as Chief Stew. I kept wondering, how the heck am I going to keep this team busy & excited when we won’t see guests for 4 months? So I created a small schedule to follow for the Interior Team  & wanted to share it with all of you!

 

Monday is always an intense Laundry & Crew Mess day, so thats usually the focus!

 

Tuesday – Table Settings

Give the girls 2 hours to create as many settings as they can using what is onboard. Use this time to
pre-create date specific tablescapes, such as Easter, July 4th or plan theme nights for Charter guests! Curious as to how I plan out my table-settings? Click here for my 7 step checklist!
This activity also helps when revamping the Deco cupboard. What key pieces are you missing? Do you have an overwhelming amount of white deco and missing more colourful pieces? It’s always best to have everything onboard ready to go before the season even begins.

 

 

Wednesday – Barista Training

Go through latte’s, cappuccinos, macchiato, flat white, café con leche…the list is endless. I usually google the Starbucks menu and start working through the list onboard. Make it just before tea break so the entire crew gets a yummy barista made coffee!

 

Thursday – Service Training

Create a list of elements to go through. From cigars to caviar & silver service, create a training worksheet for each stewardess. As the girls get more comfortable, give each team member a topic such as High Tea and allocate them time during the week to research it and then have them teach the team.

 

*Before anyone freaks out about the plastic water bottles – these are guest bottles (a specific request) & had expired the week prior. So it was either the girls drink the water & recycle the bottles or the water got poured out and bottle recycled.

 

Friday – Cocktails 

Start by making the classics, margarita, bloody mary, old fashioned etc. Following that, give each team member a specific day to go through 4 cocktails they would like to learn. Make them behind the bar as if guests were onboard, have every team member make at least 2 of the drinks, test them out – are they too strong? do they need more sweetness? Tip: Call the deck boys to be testers as well, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind finishing 30 minutes early to “help” the stews curate the perfect cocktail menu.

 

 

I hope this list encourages you to get creative during the Winter Months!

Gem xox

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