I dropped out of uni to live the Below Deck dream – but I have to put up with crazy requests from millionaires
- Brooke Ransome, 19, from Newcastle, gets paid £1K a month to travel the world
- Read More: Superyacht chief stewardess lifts the lid on the ‘real’ Below Deck
A teen gets paid £1,000 a month to travel the world on millionaire’s superyachts – and says it’s often just like reality show Below Deck.
Brooke Ransome, 19, from Winlaton Mill, Newcastle, ditched university to work in bars and dance schools to pay £3,000 for the three-week deck steward training course.
She then flew to Palma, Mallorca, to hand out her CV in dockyards – and got a spot as a stewardess on a 252ft luxury superyacht docked in Equatorial Guinea.
And after four months sailing in Africa she jumped ship to a 290ft superyacht touring the Mediterranean, stopping in France, Italy, Monaco and ‘every Greek island you can imagine’.
Brooke said standards were high – and she had to handle each glass with gloves and take photos of the window to prove there wasn’t a single smudge left behind.
Brooke Ransome, 19, from Winlaton Mill, Newcastle, gets paid £1,000 a month to travel the world on millionaire’s superyachts – and it’s often just like Below Deck
And she had to comply with unusual requests like serving a single banana on a silver platter and cleaning the boat from top-to-bottom every single day.
But it meant she got to explore ‘glam’ islands like Napoli and Mykonos, polish statues worth £200,000 and drink from £300 glasses during meals.
She gets paid £3,000 – plus tips – per season, which usually lasts three months.
Brooke said: ‘I’ve got my dream job – I’m literally getting to see the world through a porthole.
‘It’s really helping me grow as a person – and you don’t need any qualifications to join.
‘I decided not to go down the traditional route of uni – I wanted to travel more and live while I’m still young.
‘I was doing a lot of housekeeping – as a stewardess, everything has to be perfect.
‘There can’t be any specs of dust anywhere, and I had to take pictures of things like glass panels as soon as I’d cleaned them, so my boss could make sure it was done to a high standard.
She ditched university to work in bars and dance schools to pay £3,000 for the three-week deck steward training course
She then flew to Palma, Mallorca, to hand out her CV in dockyards – and got a spot as a stewardess on a 252ft luxury superyacht docked in Equatorial Guinea
She gets paid £3,000 – plus tips – per season, which usually lasts three months
‘Every drinking glass has to be handled with gloves – we even had one guest who liked a banana every morning for his breakfast, and it had to be delivered to him on a silver platter.
‘We cleaned the deck every day – as well as the water toys, like jet skis, which was a mission in itself.
‘In fact, I think I gained about a kilo of muscle mass just by doing that!
‘A lot of people ask me whether life on a superyacht is exactly like Below Deck,’ she added. ‘I want to say it’s not – but it is quite similar.
‘I can’t say too much, but you get a lot of people trying to climb up on the boat and let’s just say there’s huge variety in crew – the drama can be so similar!
‘One day, a load of the water toys flew away – and we had to hop on jet skis to retrieve them!
‘But luckily, the guests are always so lovely. They’re so kind and considerate – and I’ve never experienced any drama with them.’
After four months sailing in Africa she jumped ship to a 290ft superyacht touring the Mediterranean, stopping in France , Italy , Monaco and ‘every Greek island you can imagine’
Elaborate place settings made by Brooke for guest service onboard the super yacht
While Brooke’s friends were filling out UCAS applications, she decided to work overtime in bars and dance schools to raise money for a £3,000 superyacht training course.
She attended the United Kingdom Sailing Academy (UKSA) in the Isle of Wight – for three weeks in August and September 2022.
She flew solo to Palma, Mallorca, to work on sailboats and hand her CV out in the shipyards.
But it took her six months to find her first full-time job on a superyacht – and in February, she started working as a stewardess on a yacht in Africa.
Brooke says guests and staff were unable to leave the ship unaccompanied for safety reasons.
But she had a ‘great experience’ – and took up lots of meticulous responsibilities while working.
Brooke has travelled around the Mediterranean onboard a superyacht and enjoys her time off exploring wherever they dock
In April, Brooke transferred to a superyacht touring the Med. She says she had a ‘very different’ experience compared to her first job – and all the ‘drama’ reminded her of Bravo’s Below Deck
In April, Brooke transferred to a superyacht touring the Med.
She says she had a ‘very different’ experience compared to her first job – and all the ‘drama’ reminded her of Bravo’s Below Deck.
Guests can afford to regularly fly their friends and family onto ships via helicopter – and everything on board has to be spotless, from drinking glasses to elaborate place settings.
She came home in September and is living with her grandparents while she looks for her next stint of work on a charter yacht
She said: ‘I think, especially for women, you’re often encouraged to start a family first and think about everything else later.
‘But I want to keep travelling as long as I can – I have years ahead of me to settle down.’
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