The super yacht stewardess
Beverage Service:
Drinking is at the cultural epicenter of every social group on the planet, and a yacht stewardess must be extremely competent at serving all kinds of beverages. The skills that a flight attendant must possess are:
- Knowledge of wine, pairing, winery and wine service.
- Champagne service.
- Port and Cognac service.
- Knowledge of beer and beer service.
- Knowledge, preparation and decoration of cocktails.
- spiritknowledge.
- Service of hot drinks, tea and coffee.
- Knowledge of fine coffee and tea storage.
- Service and storage of soft drinks and other non-alcoholic beverages.
In addition to beverage service, a good flight attendant will also receive information on tobacco and cigar, cigarette and pipe service.
Food service:
Roughly speaking, there are five types of service that a flight attendant must competently master. These are the following:
- silver service.
- American service or flat service.
- English service.
- Buffet service.
- Russian service.
In addition to service styles, a yacht stewardess must be well-versed in table management, table settings, courses, and the order of service. These duties and the success of a beautiful dinner or elegant party fall primarily to the head chef and head hostess.
Internal cleaning:
A super yacht is filled with fine fabrics and expensive artwork, so a yacht stewardess must be extremely proficient in handling such pieces; or you may be required to work under the supervision of the head flight attendant until that level is reached.
- Housekeeping duties will include cleaning the cabins.
- Cleaning common areas on board.
- Cleaning of the officers’ cabins.
- Clean crew mess and other crew areas.
The details of the cleaning will depend on the size of the boat and will be coordinated by the main hostess.
Garment Care:
The most common types of fabrics that a flight attendant must know how to wash correctly are:
- Cotton.
- Silk.
- Microfiber.
- Wool.
- Ray.
- Polyester.
- Leather.
- Linen.
The details and the coordination of the washing will be explained by the main flight attendant and must be executed by the flight attendant. This is an area where a lot of mistakes can happen so extra diligence is required here.
Floral arrangements and plant care:
Flower arrangements and plant care are a fun part of the job. The reason every good flight attendant should know how to arrange flowers is that ‘yes…you’re on a yacht’ and you may not have the access or budget to call a florist every time your flowers or plants need attention.
Personal appearance:
Yes, I’m sorry to say that looks do matter in this industry. It’s one of the things I found difficult to deal with when I was told to hire ‘models’ as flight attendants.
However, there is a light at the end of this (sometimes) shallow tunnel; and that is grooming and presentation. Grooming, personal hygiene, and personal presentation are not difficult to manage. Knowing your colors, what hair style suits your face, and how to wear your uniform can have a big impact on your overall presentation.
Professional etiquette and interpersonal communications:
Professional etiquette and personal communications, in my opinion, are one of the most undervalued assets of a flight attendant. These skills must be learned over a period of time; where a flight attendant will learn how to speak and when to speak (a skill many struggle to master); how to walk on a boat and how to behave in front of very important people. Communication skills are not only limited to verbal communications, but also include non-verbal communications, such as a pretty smile or non-direct eye contact (depending on the culture of the guests). All these little things make all the difference so that your guests have a truly relaxed and enjoyable experience on board.
STCW 95 and Safety Responsibilities:
Finally, a super yacht stewardess must fulfill her security role in an emergency. Her role will depend on her position, the size of the ship, and her qualifications. Her role will be assigned to her by the Captain or Chief Officer (again, depending on the size of the ship) and should be taken very seriously.
