Flowers, scent, and the last ten percent

Flowers: low, fresh, in the house colours, never blocking a sightline, never shedding on a dining cloth. If the budget is tight, one good arrangement in the salon beats five tired ones everywhere.

Scent: almost none. A clean boat smells like clean linen and sea air, not a boutique. If a guest loves a particular candle, it goes in the book and it comes out for them, not for the whole week.

The last ten percent is the thing a photo cannot hold: a chilled glass at the right minute, a towel that is actually dry, a tender that has water and sunscreen, a cabin that is the same temperature they asked for yesterday.

I can teach silver service. I cannot teach a girl to notice. Notice is the craft.