than she was, but how hard could it be? She was going to be a glorified cook and chambermaid; as long as they didn’t ask her to drive the boat, she’d be fine. ‘This is all new –’ she waved a hand at the kitchen ‘– but I’m a quick learner.’ Her words were deliberately evasive.
‘Most of it is easy …’ He paused. ‘But they didn’t want to pay for any more crew, so you may need to help me from time to time.’ He grinned. ‘The sails, we don’t use. It’s mainly engine. But you’ll have to learn how to drive the launch.’
‘The launch? Great,’ she said, as if she was asked to do this sort of thing all the time. That was the little boat that had been roped to the side of the big boat?
‘Yes, with a trip like this, it’s difficult to moor in some of the popular places, especially Hvar, so it’s easier for us to drop anchor just outside and drive the guests in and out. A water taxi.’ He shrugged. ‘They call when they want picking up. And some celebrities like the privacy.’
‘Ooh, celebrities?’ Maddie’s eyes widened and her dark curls bobbed as she shifted on the spot. ‘Do you know who’s going to be on board?’
Ivan threw back his head and laughed. ‘Not until they get here. One year my friend had the big shock when Beyoncé and Jay-Z turned up on the boat he was skippering.’
She whistled, not having given too much thought before about who might be on board.
‘I do know they have lots of money. This boat costs over six thousand euros a day to charter.’ His eyes narrowed with sudden authority. ‘But I’m the skipper. I’m in charge. Me, I drive the boat, navigate. I’m the boss. You are the …’ He frowned, his English failing him. ‘What they want, you provide.’ Although his eyes twinkled, she got the impression that what he’d just said was non-negotiable.
‘So what about the quarters?’ asked Maddie, wondering about sleeping arrangements and keen to see her own bunk.
‘This gulet has eight cabins.’
‘Gulet? I thought it was a yacht.’
‘A gulet is just a type of yacht, usually two or three-masted, with several decks, typical of Turkey and Croatia. This has two masts.’ Maddie nodded as if she had any idea what he was on about.
Ivan gave another one of his quick charming grins. ‘This trip will be easy. Only six guests. The gulet sleeps many more.’
‘Gosh, six people on this huge boat.’
Ivan rolled his eyes. ‘Some people have money … Why they chartered a boat this big?’ He shrugged. ‘But it makes our lives easier. Especially yours. Not so many mouths to feed. Not so many rooms to clean. Not so many beds to make.’
‘Easy-peasy,’ said Maddie, thinking of home, with two brothers, two sisters and a mum who was disorganised at the best of times. Cooking, cleaning and tidying up after six people was the norm.
‘There is a manual for crew.’ He leaned down, opened a drawer and pulled out a royal blue ring binder with the charter company’s logo on the front. ‘Rules, regulations and guidance. The hours are variable …’ He lifted his shoulders in a fatalistic shrug. ‘You’re supposed to get some time off, but one of us is on call all the time from breakfast until the guests go to bed. It depends on the people. Some like to stay on board, others like to explore and take day trips. Today we have peace and quiet. Tomorrow, it will be busy when they arrive. I’ll show you to your quarters.’ He glanced at the big chunky watch on his wrist. ‘This evening I go home to Split. You like to come?’
Maddie unpacked her duffel quickly, a frisson of excitement running through her at the thought of being in sole charge of the boat. She must start calling it a gulet; that sounded far more professional.
Her cabin was on the upper deck, along with Ivan’s cabin and two guest cabins and, she giggled to herself, she had her own bathroom. Talk about real luxury, even though she’d figured out it was possible to pee and shower at the same time. Waiting for her on the bed were a couple of freshly laundered pale blue T-shirts with the company logo on the front. Uniform of sorts, she guessed. She’d been told to bring navy shorts (which had been impossible to buy in the quick turnaround) and navy trousers (would leggings do?) to wear when she was on duty, which, from the sound of it, could be all the time. Although being out here in Croatia on this gorgeous yacht didn’t feel the least bit like work. Well, not yet.
When she pulled shut her door, clutching the manual under her arm, she crossed to the rail to look out over the marina, tilting her face up to the sun. Not a cloud marred the sky and, at four o’clock in the afternoon, it was still very warm. This morning’s grey skies in Birmingham seemed a world away and her cramped three-bedroom home would fit on this yacht five or six times over. Ivan might have described her cabin as small but, compared to sharing with her sister Theresa, and having her own bathroom, even with the shower and toilet combo, it was luxury.
A couple wandering along the nearby promenade skirting the marina paused, staring at the yacht. Maddie pretended not to see them and for a moment imagined she was a guest on the yacht and enjoyed their envious gaze. She couldn’t begin to imagine what the man who’d chartered the boat did for a living to earn enough money to spend such an enormous sum renting this boat.
And this one wasn’t even close to being one of the biggest in the marina, although it dwarfed its nearest neighbours. Over on the other side of the port were some seriously swanky boats. Ivan had pointed out Roman Abramovich’s yacht, a sleek, sophisticated six-decked affair with so many satellites and gizmos on it that it looked more like a warship or a small cruise liner, and another not quite so large one that was reputed to have been chartered by Dua Lipa for the summer.
Beyond the marina was the town of Split, a collection of terracotta roofs huddled together in the narrow strip of land, bordered by a range of grey scree-covered rocky hills which rose steeply and ran in a sharp line parallel to the coast as far as the eye could see.
With a little skip of pure happiness Maddie dragged herself away from the view to explore the deck area. On this level, there was a small covered dining area at the rounded back end of the boat – there was probably some nautical term for it. Bow? Stern? She ran a hand over the bottles of a small, well-stocked bar tucked to one side. Beyond it, steps led up to the top deck, which she skipped up. Ooh, lovely. A collection of luxury wooden sun loungers with thick padded cushions in the now familiar navy blue were arranged around the small central deck, one of which she immediately decided had her name on it. Yes, a little G and T up here would be very nice.
Ivan had told her the guests couldn’t check in before five-thirty tomorrow and he would meet them at the reception desk at the marina before bringing them to board the yacht. That gave her a one-off opportunity for some sunbathing before everyone arrived.
On the main deck, as well as the four cabins, there was an indoor lounge area with low-slung white leather seats, covered in expensive-looking blue and white cushions in an ikat print, and black marble-topped occasional tables which opened out to a shaded area with a big table. She crossed through the lounge and out to another deck and let out a low whistle – a Jacuzzi and plenty more sun loungers. A further flight of stairs took her down to the lower deck with six more cabins.
Having explored her little kingdom with utter delight, Maddie decided to treat herself to that G and T and to start reading the crew manual before heading into Split to meet Ivan who’d already gone to see his family. He’d circled a point on a tourist map for her and told her to ring him when she got there because she’d never find the family apartment.
