Um... this is too perfect...

Okay, so I'm on the way from Savannah to Miami with the crew of Blue Moon. I arrived onboard Wednesday night, started work on Thursday, and have positively fallen in love with the crew. When I arrived, the two stews I'm working with had stayed up to welcome me! How sweet!

Thursday, I woke up to a beautiful morning with the crew mess bustling with people... around twelve or thirteen crew members scrambling to get breakfast. I had seen pictures of everyone, but that doesn't compare to seeing them in reality. It was quite overwhelming to meet them all, but quickly, I got comfortable. Of course, it helped that the bosun joked around with me -- telling me that I should deliver his coffee around seven thirty every morning, and that I didn't get breaks. That morning, one stew and I polished every mirror on board. But, we didn't flip on every light and spray the Windex. Oh no! Quite the opposite... we worked in the dark with flashlights ("torches" she called them) and dry, lint free rags. Let me tell you! It's amazing what you can find in the dark! We must have worked for a good two hours. Of course, mirrors on board aren't just limited to the bathrooms. There were mirrors on the ceilings, walls, and doors. They are just as much for decoration as function. That afternoon, we finished laundry and vacuumed. FUN! Really, the first day is quite a blur. I just remember it was a good one.

Friday morning, we polished MORE. Gold this time. I know you're thinking, "Surely that didn't take a long time." Heh. Think again. I didn't realize that just about EVERYTHING metal on this boat is plated in gold--outlet covers, door hinges, door knobs, faucets... My question is this: why in the WORLD would anyone want to put a metal that tarnishes on something that gets touched ALL the time?? Hence the need to polish it all the time. Friday afternoon, the three of us drove over to the crew house to finish cleaning it before the crew moves in once we return from Miami. The kitchen was DIS-GUS-TING!!! It looked like the previous tenants had a molasses fight or something because brown gunk was dried all over the place. I did my best to get it off, but we only had so much time. Ugh.

Friday night the crew threw a braai (South African bar-b-que). It was SO much fun! The food was great, and the crew is fantastic, so we had a blast! I drank too much wine and had a slight headache the next morning, but I laughed more than I have in a long time...

Saturday I laid low -- slept late, read a bit of my novel, and hung out in my cabin most of the day. NIIICE!

Sunday, we took off for Miami, 30 hours underway. The girls had 4-hour watches inside, while the guys had navigational watches in the bridge. Basically, the boat turned into a ghost ship. Everyone not on watch tends to gravitate toward their cabins. I tried to help the girls, but they wouldn't help me, so I just got out of the way and hung out in my cabin for the day. I have two portholes beside my bed, so I watched the water go by for a while, until I got queasy, and then I turned on my iPod and listened to Ender's Game, one of my all-time favorite novels.

This morning, I slept late but made my way up to the bridge for a breath of fresh air. I was able to talk to the captain for a few minutes -- his way of interviewing me, I suppose. We talked about how I got into yachting, what I did before, why I left teaching... and he told me that they were interviewing two other girls for my position, and they would let me know if they wanted to hire me or not in a few weeks. I wasn't sure if that was a good sign or not, and I really wish that the chief stew had told me that I was only riding with them to Lauderdale. But, oh well. I'm sure all will work out as it should. I just wish I hadn't left my guitar in Charleston. Cest la vie.

Anyway, the plan for the week is to work like crazy getting the boat ready for the party on Wednesday evening, then I need to be off the boat by Weds night so that they can leave early Thursday morning. They welcomed me to stay aboard with them back to Savannah, but I meant to come back down here. But, you have NO idea how devastating this is for me. I don't WANT to stay in Lauderdale! I don't WANT to come back to this hell-town only to not be sure if I am going to get a job or not... I WANT THIS JOB!! I WANT TO STAY HERE!