It seems just about every second local has escaped this winter to some balmy Pacific isle, but one Raglan woman’s done the polar opposite – literally.
Cafe operator Emma Bassett arrived home recently from a holiday with a difference: a two month-long Alaskan cruise aboard a 62-metre sailboat surrounded by seals, otters and myriad other arctic wildlife.
And unlike lazing around some resort pool in Rarotonga, hers was a working holiday and not all cruisy as such. In fact “we hit the ground running,” says the 39 year old.
Emma – a familiar face these days behind the counter of the hole-in-the-wall cafe The Hut in Rangitahi – is a one-time chief stewardess in the glamorous world of superyachts, and as an old hand she grabbed a freelance opportunity and launched herself back into that world for a bit.
Her task was “to help one of the stews into a chief steward role” on a privately owned luxury yacht. But she got more than she’d bargained on when her young protégé had to leave only a week into the voyage because of a family crisis, and Emma herself had to assume the top job.
With 10 crew and up to 12 guests on board while cruising and kayaking in Glacier Bay National Park – a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its magnificent glaciers and incredible wilderness scenery – she found the working holiday a hectic one.
It entailed everything from housekeeping and managing other stewardesses to ordering uniforms and flowers or buying food and wine for guests, she says.
But the itinerary had been a big selling point, she adds, and in all her 11 years of working on superyachts in the past it was this trip – sailing up the Inner Passage from British Columbia to Alaska then cruising the glaciers – that turned out to be the best. “I would do it all again,” she says.
At Glacier Bay their yacht was surrounded by seals, dolphins and many otters which lolled in the water to the delight of those on board. “One did a full lap on its back around the boat,” Emma recalls.
They also saw whales multiple times a day, she adds, with humpbacks and orcas frequently breaching and bubble-feeding. “It was quite mesmerising.”
Other highlights included kayaking with guests through the glaciers to where salmon spawn – and where bears, not usually seen in packs, fed on the salmon. “It was incredible just seeing them in the wild,” Emma says.
Meantime others on the cruise would fish from a tender – taking care to keep some distance from the seals with their young – and provide fresh salmon for the daily menu.
Emma admits the experience has made her a little nostalgic and that she wouldn’t be averse to doing more occasional freelance work if it comes her way.
She actually took her first freelance job – a voyage to Tahiti – only last year, and has since updated her qualifications with the possibility of more exciting adventures in mind.
“It’s a great way to earn good money, travel and see the world,” she says. “It sets you up for life.”
By Edith Symes
