Deck Tales: Secrets From The Sea. Behind the Scenes Stories from Cruise Ships and Crew Members from Maritime and Sea Life

EP 11: Something a bit different this week, as there was a bit of confusion leading up to this interview, over just how long Shirley actually worked at sea. Basically, I was working with her daughter for a few months and happened to mention what my podcast was about, and she said "Oh my mum used to work on cruise ships when I was a little girl!" Without hesitation I set up a time for us to chat, a...

EP 10: Musician and producer Jay is a serious character, having worked on ships most of his adult life. We worked together on my first contract back in 2006 and have met up since, so this was a great chance to hear all about everything noteworthy that's happened to him over the years. He's a great story teller so I'm sure this one will be a favourite among listeners. Honestly had no idea Jay liked...

EP 9: Ian worked with me as an entertainment host on the Carnival Paradise back in 2009. As the son of a comedian, Ian was known to have a pretty good sense of humour, and having met his dad, I felt for sure he was definitely his son. With only 2 contracts to his name Ian's ship life career was brief but eventful, and he actually got fired for sleeping with one of the guests which I didn't even kn...

EP 8: With over a decades worth of ship experience, singer Rachel Dudt has seen more than her fair share of things over the years. She filled me in on everything she'd been up to since we 'worked' together in 2010, and some of them things I never knew she'd been through, so I'm extremely grateful to her for being so open and honest. Her insights were a stark reminder to me as to why I'm even doing...

EP 7: Former ship photographer Andrew was one of (if not) my best friends on the Thompson Destiny back in 2006. We've stayed in touch now and again, but this was the first time we re-lived the past in all it's glory, and I even learnt the true nature behind his abrupt dismissal all those years ago. Andrew can talk for South Africa, so I had to cut him down from 17 hours to just under an hour 20 mi...

EP 6: Originally from the Philippines and now living in South Africa with his family, Archie worked with me on two of my contracts back in the mid to late noughties. He was the face of the ship in many ways as not only did he work on the reception desk, but he always carried a smile with him everywhere he went, making him one of the most popular crew members onboard the now deceased, Thompson Dest...

EP 5: Jemma and I worked together as entertainment hosts back in 2006 on the last 4 months of my first ever contract. I had worked with another team for the first 6, and was the only member to stay behind to see out the rest of the season. It was sad for me to see them go at first, but Jemma remains one of the nicest people I ever met over the years, and made me forget all about my other team shor...

EP 4: Josh is an aspiring actor I met by chance a few years ago on a film set, where we discovered that we'd both worked on ships, and proceeded to discuss all things cruisy. His cruise ship career has to date been brief, but nonetheless eventful. After only a couple of contracts under his belt, he managed to land the Cruise Director position on an extremely exclusive ship that sailed to Antarctic...

EP 3: Bruce and I met at the gig of a mutual friend, and when we got to talking he mentioned how he'd done a couple stints onboard ships back in the year 2000. He worked as an Electrician, mainly tending to the needs of the entertainment team at first, but then circumstances outside his control dictated he'd have to go above and beyond his regular duties. ABOUT THE HOST Sam wrote the comedic memoi...

EP 2: Jayne used to be my ACD (Assistant Cruise Director) for a brief spell many moons ago, and so it was great having a chance to catch up with her to see what she's been up to over the years, and what some of her most memorable moments were from that time. She has gone on to raise two twin boys, and now works in theatre providing her local community with a sumptuous serving of the arts. Recorded...

EP 1: In this first episode of DeckTales I was talking with Mark Taylor, who worked as a cruise ship photographer in the early 90's before the digital age. Once Mark had had enough of being at sea, he spent 23 years working as a forensic photographer for Scotland Yard, but he still has a soft spot for the cruise industry, and was happy to dive into the past and get nostalgic with me. We met on set...