Former Superyacht Stewardess Reveals Wild Reality of Billionaire Guests at Sea
Raissa Bellini, a glamorous Italian model now based in Miami, has lifted the veil on the secretive world of superyachts, exposing the surprising and often chaotic behavior of the ultra-wealthy when they set sail. In an exclusive interview, the 37-year-old detailed her five-year career as a stewardess on luxury vessels cruising the Mediterranean, from Italy to Ibiza, where she witnessed billionaire guests letting their guard down in isolated waters.
The Unseen Antics of the Mega-Rich
The wildest part of working on superyachts isn't the luxury, it's the things that happen when extremely wealthy people think no one is watching, Bellini reveals. She recalls one charter where a billionaire guest attempted to tip a stewardess five thousand dollars just to sneak him into a crew cabin while his wife sunbathed on the deck above. Another incident saw a party spiral out of control, with guests fighting and throwing furniture on the upper deck at three in the morning, forcing the captain to quietly turn the yacht around and end the charter early.
While much of the misbehavior was drunken and cheeky, Bellini also experienced darker moments. Once, a guest became so aggressive toward a junior crew member that security had to stand guard outside the cabin corridor all night to ensure her safety. At sea you're isolated, and these people are paying hundreds of thousands a week, so the crew often have to manage situations very carefully without creating a scandal, she explains. That's the side of the superyacht world people rarely hear about – the extreme luxury on the surface, and the very intense, sometimes chaotic reality happening behind the scenes.
A Career on the High Seas
Bellini began her career in 2016 on a 42-metre Ferretti before advancing to mega yachts and superyachts by 2019. Her voyages took her to glamorous hotspots like St Tropez, Monaco, Mykonos, and Montenegro, with final trips around Spain from 2018 to 2019. She typically worked seasons from April to October, living in tight quarters surrounded by water, crew members, and powerful guests.
She notes that the reality TV show Below Deck is a toned-down version of real yacht life. People always ask if real yacht life is like Below Deck. In some ways it is, the long hours, demanding guests, and crew living in tiny cabins below deck are very real, she says. But the show is still a toned-down version of what can actually happen when you're isolated at sea with extremely wealthy people.
Wild Parties and Lost Treasures
Bellini describes charters where guests treated yachts as private floating nightclubs, partying until sunrise for three nights in a row, with some jumping off the upper deck into the sea at 4am. In one memorable incident, a guest dove into the water after a long night of partying and only realized upon climbing back on board that he had lost his Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711 watch somewhere in the Mediterranean. The crew even tried to search for it, but it was impossible to recover. I remember thinking that watch alone was probably worth more than most people's cars, she adds.
Another time, a famous businessman insisted the yacht sail in the middle of the night just so he could wake up in a different country for breakfast, requiring the entire crew to reorganize the vessel while guests partied upstairs. You're dealing with big personalities, huge egos, and very little sleep all while floating in the middle of the ocean, Bellini continues.
Compensation and Crew Life
Bellini reveals that pay in the superyacht industry is highly inconsistent, ranging from modest earnings to life-changing money. On a 42-metre yacht, she earned around €2,500 per month over a five-month season, with an extra month's salary as a bonus from the owner. However, tips were limited, totaling about €7,000 for the crew across the season, as private guests rarely tip.
When she moved to 100-metre-plus yachts, her base salary increased significantly to around €7,000 per month. On larger vessels with busy charter seasons, crew can make anywhere from €30,000 to €50,000 or more in tips over a season, depending on their position. It's one of the few industries where you can make almost nothing on one yacht and life-changing money on the next, she explains.
Benefits include covered accommodation, food, and travel, but crew are essentially on call 24/7 during the season, with very little personal time and limited leave. Bellini notes that some owners are extremely generous, giving luxury gifts like Cartier watches or even cars and apartments to crew, while others struggle to pay their staff fully.
Life After Yachting
After five years navigating the high seas among the world's richest people, Bellini has traded yacht life to build her own brand online. Her experiences highlight the stark contrast between the perceived glamour of superyachts and the intense, often unpredictable reality faced by those who work aboard them.
