Kiwi Aesha Scott has become a fan favourite on the Below Deck franchise, which follows people working on super yachts. Photo / Supplied.
Kiwi Aesha Scott has become a fan favourite on the Below Deck franchise, which follows people working on super yachts. Photo / Supplied.
Aesha Scott has rapidly become one of New Zealand’s biggest reality TV exports.
As one of the popular stars of the Below Deck franchise - most recently appearing as chief stewardess on Season 9 of Below Deck Mediterranean - Scott has amassed an international following and been behind some of the franchise’s biggest headlines.
But, speaking to Lorna Riley on the new season of Trip Notes, the Herald’s travel podcast, Scott said her entry into working on board superyachts was a complete fluke.
“I actually did a double science degree in uni, and my whole plan was finish, move back to Tauranga, get into some sort of geotech job, and just settle down. I was more than happy to be the person that never left their hometown and because I love it there.
“[But] then I went home, I couldn’t find a job in what I wanted to do. I was managing a retail store and when one day, my sister called me and she’s like, have you heard about this yachting thing?
“Half an hour sales pitch, I was absolutely sold. We both hung up the phone, handed in our two weeks notice. Two weeks later did the course and then two weeks after that flew to France and started walking the docks.”
While it may seem like she fell into this life, Scott said that Kiwis are highly sought after in the yachting world because of our reputation as hard workers.
Below Deck’s Aesha Scott on the reality of luxury yachting. Photo / Supplied
“We’ve got that no nonsense kind of attitude and nothing phases us. So, you know, the manager might come up to a Kiwi and say, ‘Oh, unfortunately, we’re going to have to work another three hours till we get this done’, we’d all go, ‘sweet, what do we need to do?’ and roll up our sleeves. But not every nationality takes it that way.”
And hard work is the key to this life. Scott rotates through seasons in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean, and while there are certainly highlights to the lifestyle, anyone looking to pick up this field solely for the partying and the glamour will need a reality check.
“I remember I used to do three months straight without stepping off the boat. It’s just 16-hour shift, 16-hour shift. You drop off one guest group at 12pm, you’ve got to turn the boat around to get the next group on.
“So don’t do it if you think it’s just going to be a party holiday because you have to work your cute little tush off.”
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Scott said that the hustle of yachting life means that you do miss out on big events, such as weddings and birthdays, as it is constant work.
It’s one reason why she is eyeing a shift away from the yachting life now that she is in her 30s, telling Trip Notes she is looking for more of a balance between travel and settling down to start her family.
She’s recently purchased a home in Tauranga, and is planning her wedding with her fiance at the moment.
One thing Scott has learned from her years on superyachts is that the lifestyle of the mega-wealthy is not for her.
“It truly is like the richer they get, the weirder and the sadder they get. And that’s not a fair statement to make for everyone because I know that’s not for all.
“But in my time working for them, I have not had one super-wealthy guest that I have envied or wished that I had their life. I always look at them and go, gosh, I’m so glad that I’ve got my life.
“I don’t know if it’s a mix of not trusting people, or the weird interactions you have with people when they know that you’ve got so much money ... but I truly just feel so grateful that I’m, you know, normal.”
Trip Notes is an NZ Herald podcast hosted by Lorna Riley, a keen travel writer and enthusiast and host of Coast Days. New episodes are available every Tuesday. This season is sponsored by AA Travel Insurance.
