Former show biz publicist, Patti Mostyn’s downsizing journey has taken her to some very interesting destinations including Zanzibar, South Africa, Antartica, Florida, the `Med’ and the Caribbean - and that’s just in the last few months.
The famous rock and roll publicist, who once acted as chief bridesmaid when her friend and client, Elton John married Renate Blauel, on Valentine’s Day, 1984, is a devotee of Silversea cruises. Patti and her late entertainment industry magnate husband, Eric Robinson discovered their love for shipboard life in 2008 and they took to it like, well sailors.
After Eric passed away in November 2015, following a long illness, Patti sought refuge on the seas after comforting the couple’s adult daughter, Tara. This is where the effervescent woman feels at home.
“I’ve made some lovely friends from all around the world and the service on board is extraordinary,” she says.
Never mind that while she has downsized her life, she has upsized her luggage, appearing in different outfits every day including special costumes for the themed evenings. And she is also known for her collection of zany hats.
Patti is currently on a Silversea World Cruise, which began in September on the Silver Shadow and will end on the Silver Whisper in late May when she will disembark in Southampton. She’ll return to Sydney in June where she has a beautiful new apartment waiting for her, after selling the couple’s Port Douglas home, The Glasshouse. That’s not the only asset she has sold. Patti has also auctioned off all the precious jewels that had been given to her by her famous clients over the years.
However she doesn’t plan on lingering in Sydney for very long. She has already booked another Silversea World Cruise next year.
No need to worry about maintaining a super yacht when your home is an ocean liner
“Many people see living on board a liner as the perfect way of combining travel with a premium lifestyle,” says Andrew Conway, Editor-at-Large at Signature Luxury Travel & Style Magazine. `It’s like being part of a very exclusive club and it’s a trend that’s increasing,” he says.
One of the newest cruise liners is The Somnio, which is yet to be launched but promises to be the world’s largest yacht by length and volume. It will have 39 private residences on board and 6-star facilities. Think of it as uber luxury apartment block with stunning views that circumnavigates the globe.
So far the ship has cost approximately €500 million to build and is being overseen by The Somnio co-founder Captain Erik Bredhe, previously Master of M/V The World.
Somnio apartment sizes will range from 182 sqm, 2 bedroom apartments - to 963 sqm apartments, which are large enough to include 3 to 4 bedrooms with a living and dining area. Bespoke features can include a gym, personal kitchen and library as well as indoor and outdoor dining areas. The
The entry level prices start at an eye-watering €20 million.
The World liner made it fashionable to be all at sea.
Built in Norway, The World - an imposing wedding cake liner was launched in 2002 with 165 apartments. This includes some studio and other residences spreading out to three bedrooms. (This has resulted in some criticism that it’s a two class ship between the have-lots-of-room and the have-not-very-much room).
The World sails around the globe every couple of years with an average occupancy of between 150 and 200 residents along with 280 staff.
There’s been several well known Australians on board, although their privacy is fiercely protected. However the late astrologer, Athena Starwoman, who died of cancer in her 50s, in 2004, made no secret of the fact that she kept an apartment on The World where she lived several months of the year.
In 2020, it was also reported on a Sydney real estate site that an amazing apartment was up for sale on The World with an asking price of around (Aus) $20.5 million, which did not include annual maintenance fees of up to $2.05 million. The newly renovated apartment was on deck 11 of the 12-level ship and overlooked the bow, however the owner was reportedly downsizing to find smaller apartments for other members of their family. They hadn’t given up on shipboard life.
And then Covid came along..
The Covid 19 pandemic has played havoc with the cruise industry. At its peak, there were ships stranded at sea being unable to dock and passengers confined to their cabins. Then there was the Ruby Princess debacle, which became a super spreader event for Covid in Sydney when passengers, who carried the virus were allowed to disembark without quarantine. But surprisingly the onset of Covid has done little to damper the ardour of long term cruise enthusiasts.
Patti Mostyn was made to walk the plank
The former publicist, now in her late 70s, was ready to embark on The Silver Shadow as soon as she could leave Australia. However this trip has not been without drama. She was disembarked from the Silver Whisper in Ecuador because of the late arrival of a visa. This meant spending a week in Guayaquil hotel, which she was unable to leave as the area was a designated Covid red zone. However the visa eventually turned up and with the help of Mr Fernando Delgado, the Silversea Vice President, who was also onshore, she was given police escort, while travelling in an armoured van to the airport to catch a flight to Satiago, Chile, where she could rejoin her ship.
But even this did not dampen her enthusiasm for shipboard life. Patti Mostyn was soon back on board, deciding which of her crazy hats to dinner.
The way she looks at it, how many other downsizing journeys could boast of so much adventure?
