Faye Clarke Talks Christmas Below Deck, And What She's Looking Forward To In 2023
The Holidays are finally upon us - and Below Deck Adventure star, Faye Clarke couldn't be more excited.
We sat down with Faye once again to hear what she's got planned for the festive season, her past experiences spending Christmas below deck, and her highlights of 2022.
Faye Is Christmas, Personified
From the moment our Zoom interview begins, one thing is abundantly clear: Faye Clarke is a Christmas girl, through and through.
Case in point: she's got an entire Christmas village set up on the mantelpiece behind her - and she laughs that that's just a snippet of her decor.
"Wait 'til you see the rest of my house - it's like a show house!"
Given her obvious enthusiasm, we can't help but ask what she has planned for the season.
"So," she giggles, a glint in her eye, "For the first time ever, I have a boyfriend, which is really my Christmas present. I've been single for, like, my whole life!"
On top of spending time with bae, Faye continues that she has a ton of fun activities planned with her extended family.
"I've got my mum and dad flying in from Spain, which is where they live, so they'll be here for three weeks."
As for what, exactly, she has planned for her loved ones, she jokes that she's taking party season seriously.
"Wherever I'm involved in something, there's always parties, food and drink!"
Faye Opens Up About Her Christmas At Sea
Faye may always be down to celebrate the festive season, but she points out that a major reason why she's so excited for this year (aside from her new boyfriend, of course), is that last year, she was working.
"I made a promise to myself that I would be home this year for Christmas, because last year, I was working in the British Virgin Isles and Antigua."
Let's get one thing straight, though: she has no regrets about spending last Christmas below deck.
In fact, far from it, she shares that she had a blast doing it.
"It can either be very, very hectic, or it can be enjoyable ... and this particular one was enjoyable."
So, what made it stand out?
"The owners of that particular yacht were British, so it was a very traditional Christmas. They have a huge estate on an island, and they had about 50 guests, so between the estate and the boat, that was Christmas Day. We had to set up Christmas on both the boat and the luxury villa, so it was full-on, but it was such fun!"
Faye adds that most of her time was spent at the kids' table - in this case, a super yacht filled with teenagers and young adults - and that only added to the vibe.
"All the adults were on the island, in the villa, and we had people around our age, so we just chatted like normal, and we had a great time."
The Year That Was, In Faye's Words
After Christmas comes New Year, and ahead of the fast-approaching 2023, we had to ask Faye about what made 2022 a stand-out year.
As it turns out, the year started out on a high note, and only got better from there.
"I started 2022 working on a beautiful super yacht. We sailed the Atlantic, from France to Antigua, and I lived in Antigua for 6 months, on that boat. After that, I cashed out, and when I came back to the UK, with all the tips I had made on that charter, I bought my own food truck - which was something I'd been planning in my head for about 17 years! I looked around for about 3 months, found the right one doing traditional, southeast London food ... and then my show aired!"
2022 has certainly been a whirlwind year for Faye, and she beams that with the release of Below Deck Adventure, it's ending off on a high note.
"I'm actually sitting with my family, watching myself on TV, and it's amazing."
"Oh," she laughs, with a wink, "And I got a boyfriend!"
What's Next For Faye
So, with 2022 almost under her belt, what's next for Bravo's newest star?
Ironically, not yachting!
"I did have a job lined up on a yacht, and I flew to Miami to join it - but when I got to the airport, I was like, 'I'm not ready for this! I'm not ready to get back on a yacht.'"
Faye takes a moment to put her hesitation into perspective.
"Once you're on the yacht, you're on that yacht. You can't leave - it's a contract. You unpack, you have your certain drawers, cupboards, a cabin mate, and responsibilities, so that job has to be 100% right for you. Otherwise, you're going to tear yourself apart."
For that reason, when Faye landed and started missing her home comforts - "I like getting in my car and turning the radio on, I like walking my dogs, and I'm really happy with that right now" - she turned right back around, and headed home to the UK.
After living abroad for almost 15 years, she smiles, "This is where my heart is right now."
And, it's where she's hoping to stay, for the foreseeable future.
"I'm really going to focus on my food truck, making the most perfect, gourmet food I can, and hit some markets."
And don't worry - she's not ruling out yachting in the future, completely.
"Instead of being permanent, I'd like to do some temporary gigs on yachts, like a month here and there."
Hmm ... something tells us we'll be seeing more of Faye Clarke on the Below Deck franchise, going forward!
Fans can catch all-new episodes of Below Deck Adventure every Wednesday on Hayu.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErZ%2Bippeoe6S7zGicsZucqsCqwsRmoKeslafDqrHWZp2asZVisK2t0aScZqyRobi0ecKhqaKrpKKutHnBnqOor12ZsqS3jLCfmqxdqLWmv4ylpqijmaO0brLOq66aqpRiwbB5yKdka2hiaHw%3D