VODAN YACHT STEWARDESS ACADEMY

With a lot of practical experience and some theory, this academy provides the basic knowledge/skills that are needed when working as a boat stewardess. It is a one week course on a sailing boat where future stewardesses, together with the instructors, have an opportunity to experience the nature of this job in almost the same conditions as if they are hired professionally. Having finished this kind of a course makes the first step much easier because you are pretty much familiar with the “life on a boat” and consequently the nature of the work.

Practical parts of the course:

  • getting familiar with the “life on the boat”
  • accomplishing “in real” all the duties of the boat stewardess
  • communicating constantly to benefit the better quality of the service
  • going through activities of getting/storing the groceries in a practical way
  • preparing/serving the meals and cleaning afterward
  • keeping the interior of the boat tidy ( kitchen area, saloon, cabins, toilettes)
  • getting familiar with the rational/economic/practical sides of “living on the boat”
  • basic marine skills to be able to help skipper during the maneuvers (ropes, fenders, berthing, getting out of marinas, anchoring, VHF…)

The theoretical part of the course:

  • the tasks/duties/responsibilities of the boat stewardess

  • going through the subject of “How does the daily working routine looks like?”
  • how to communicate with the guests/skipper in order to keep the service on a very good level
  • how to keep the (constant) flow of the services that are needed
  • how does the check-in/welcoming/briefing look like
  • organization/suggestions of the itinerary
  • extra services/working hours/free time

  • “pay attention” segments and many others

Participants are provided with the written material that will help them in future work like the topics of a briefing, what cooking utilities are necessary to make the work easier, provisioning lists, recipes…

Number of participants: 3

Number of meals prepared on the boat: approx. 15-17

Since the course for the boat stewardesses is organized together with the skipper academy, the meals prepared by the stewardesses are served to all the skippers/participants that are included in the costs of the food. In that way we enjoy the academy by spending our time together, having fun, working, learning, sailing, sharing the same interests, starting the new friendships, helping and supporting eachother…and this is the best part of the academy, learning, and enjoying together.

Instructor: Ivana Cicarelli, an experienced boat stewardess, professor of English and Italian language.  When she is not on the board, she works as a “5 rhythms” dancing teacher. Passionate “mover” and a mother of a 16-year-old girl, that transformed “the hard part” of this marine work into the “challenging adventure”. She is happy to be a part of the academy and to share her experience not just as ” a hostess”, but also as “a human being” with its integrity, passion, love, humor, stories, advice, knowledge, recipes…

Boat stewardess onboard information
by. Ivana Cicarelli

General:

  • The main task of the hostess is to do her best to make guests’ vacation more memorable and pleasant
  • Hostess helps the guests upon their arrival on the board to settle in
  • Hostess makes sure that the guests are provided with everything they need while on board
  • When required, the hostess will help the skipper during manoeuvrers (coming in and out of marinas, dropping anchor, refueling etc.) and then finish her other duties
  • Beside captain, the hostess can also help the guests choose the most suitable restaurants for the dinners, advising them on places of interest where they can visit the local sights, exploring the island or shopping
  • However, the hostess has an important role in communicating with the guests transparently
  • Hostess is more than aware of the fact that the boat offers a very limited space and she will provide enough privacy for her guests

Remember: Safety on any boat always comes first

Tiding up:

  • Hostess is responsible for keeping the interior of the boat tidy. Rooms and toilets are to be cleaned when necessary ( if the weather and other circumstances provide, that is usually after the breakfast, before leaving to some other destination)

Preparing meals:

  • Hostess will provide you with delicious meals
  • Hostess will prepare and set the table, serve the food and drinks and clear after the meals
  • Your help is always welcome especially if we need to hurry up a bit towards another place
  • Hostess is also responsible for the groceries and a good quality food. The shopping is usually done in the morning, if possible,  due to a hostess’ inclination to use fresh and local as much as possible
  • Guests are welcome to join the markets, if interested…but set up your alarm clock for the early birds
  • Hostess will do her best to provide a varied Mediterranean menu, full of local food, rich in fresh vegetables and fruit, seafood, olive oil, different sorts of cheese, local herbs…
  • Hostess will also discuss with the guests if there are any special wishes concerning the food, special events (like birthdays, anniversaries…) or check if there is some sort of the food that has to be avoided because of the possible allergies
  • The guests are gently asked to have in mind not to keep themselves too long in the kitchen for it is a small area and the hostess needs enough space to prepare everything
  • The hostess will discuss with the guests when is the best time to have meals and that should be in accordance with the itinerary plan and captain’s decisions. Please, have in mind that at this point there are always possible changes (due to a weather forecast or any kind of unpredictable condition)
  • Cooking on the boat is a bit simplified but definitely not less tasty

FAQ about the preparation of meals onboard

with Ivana Cicarelli

Is it correct that there will be two meals daily organized on board (breakfast and lunch/dinner)? Will it be possible to organize additional snacks on some days? What if the guests decide to have the third meal on the board?

Hostess/cook usually prepares 2 meals on board ( breakfast and lunch/dinner) as well as the additional snacks. On our guest’s request, we provide the third meal as well. In that case, one of the main meals (lunch or dinner) is usually the „lighter one” which means serving variety of salads, cold cuts, cheese, fruits…and the other meal is the richer one (starter, main course (fish or meat), side dishes , salads and the desert). Cooking the third meal on the board is an extra service and it will be mentioned in a briefing. However, the guests usually spend evenings out on the shore. In that case, the crew usually suggests/ arranges the dinner in some of the best traditional restaurants with Mediterranean food, if it is wished so.  Snacks (like nuts, dried fruits, chips, cookies, bread, cheese, salami or fruits…) can be served in between some meals when the guests feel like it. Please have in mind that we can discuss the variety of food and preferences on our briefing upon the arrival on the boat.

“No one so far has been left hungry on my boat!” 🙂

How is the cooking organized? Does the cook offer some dishes to choose in advance or otherwise?

The cook usually discuss with the guests about the food which is mainly cooked in Mediterranean style and that includes fish or meat, salads, vegetables, side dishes (combinations of some carbohydrates and vegetables), soups, seafood risottos, fish/meat stews or fillets/steaks…with olive oil, herbs, garlic, extra dressings…For a desert, we can serve ice-cream (that is what everybody likes), different cakes made on board, fruit salads, different creams/puddings in combination with seasonal fruits, „boat-made” raw chocolate bars…

The guests would like to have only local fruits and vegetables. Is this possible?

Concerning the term local, I would refer to term Croatian fruits and vegetables and that is possible as well. A lot of fruits and vegetables are from the area of middle and south Croatia as well as from the coast area ( olive oil, honey, tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber, figs, peaches…)

If necessary, can we discuss the preference list in advance?

Yes, you can contact the charter agency before the arrival and ask for the preference list.

See you on the board,
Ivana Cicarelii