I DECIDED TO LIVE ON A SHIP

"I DECIDED TO LIVE ON A SHIP"

EVER DREAMED OF SELLING UP AND MAKING A SHIP YOUR HOME? LORRAINE ARTZ DID JUST THAT AND HAS NEVER LOOKED BACK, SAYS JILL FOSTER PHOTOGRAPHY BY LEON CSERNOHLAVEK

Somewhere in a tranquil corner of a cemetery in California, lies an unassuming tombstone with the epitaph: ‘If you don’t mind, I’d rather be cruising’.

It belongs to Joachim J Artz - Joe to his friends - a professional dancer and successful businessman who passed away five years ago.

One day - hopefully many years from now - the empty plot beside him will have its own memorial stone. And it will read: ‘Me too.’ Lorraine Artz, Joe’s 81-year-old widow and owner of that neighbouring space, giggles as she recounts this anecdote. Today, more than 30 years after she first stepped onboard a cruise liner, she can’t imagine anywhere she’d rather be than at sea.

From Helsinki to Harwich, Portugal to Portofino, Lorraine is Princess Cruises’ most travelled passenger. To date, she has spent an astonishing 4,575 days of her life on the ocean. She is the ultimate queen of cruising - and has no plans to stop until she joins Joe in his final resting place. “We had such a wonderful life together,” says Lorraine, speaking from her cabin onboard the Royal Princess, somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic. “Joe was the love of my life. We had 46 great years together and he enjoyed cruising as much as I do. Whenever we got home from a trip, he’d always say: ‘When are we going back?’

“When he died of prostate cancer in 2002, I decided that I would live on the ship for ten-and-a-half months out of every year. And there really is no better place to be.”


Lorraine spends
ten-and-a-half
months of every
year on the high seas; Before living on the 30,000-tonne Royal Princess, Lorraine spent several years on its sister ship, the Sea Princess. The Royal Princess can carry 710 passengers. It has a swimming pool, gym and spa, but Lorraine says it is the people who make the ship so special.

“There are 350 crew members onboard this ship and they are like family to me,” she says. “They’re away from their families too and we enjoy each other’s company. Tonight, for instance, I’m going out for dinner with two British hairdressers and two Australian dancers. I always have someone interesting to talk to.”

It was in the early 70s that Lorraine and Joe first fell in love with cruising.

“Back then, the only trips available – other than liners going from the UK to New York – were cruises to Mexico from LA, Alaska from San Francisco or to the Caribbean,” she says. “So Joe and I used to go back and forth from LA to Mexico and we just loved it. I’ve always loved the sea. I grew up in the UK and often went fishing with my father on the rough Irish sea so I developed my sea legs at a young age.

“In the 80s, when European cruises were introduced, Joe and I started spending more and more time onboard. We were still working on our real estate business so we were forced to go home from time to time. But today, my son Matthew takes care of the business and I am free to go whenever I choose.”


with former
Royal Princess skipper
Captain William Kent Last year Lorraine sold her home in Los Angeles and got rid of most of her belongings. “It broke my heart but I even threw out most of my photo albums,” she says. “I travel very lightly. Recently a cousin came to stay with me on the ship and she said: ‘Lorraine, you only have three pairs of shoes yet I’ve come on a 12-day trip and have nine pairs!’ But why would I need more than three pairs?”

Life on the Royal Princess may be simple, but it’s certainly not basic. Lorraine lives in one of the ship’s luxury suites, which has a living room, bedroom and balcony.

“My cabin has got all the home comforts, a television, a DVD and telephone,” she says. “And I’ve got a bathroom with a bathtub. That was my only one big need – there are 10 bathtubs on the entire ship and having grown up in Britain, I like a good bath.”

A typical day involves getting up early and going for a morning walk. “I find that if I don’t exercise first thing, I tend to forget about it,” she says. “Then I’ll have a cup of tea. After that, there’s a whole choice of things to do. I could sit by the pool or on my balcony or join in with any of the activities. But I prefer to read, do crosswords and jigsaws and chat to the crew. I like to keep my brain active.”

Waking up to a different view every day is another delight. “The most memorable thing I’ve ever seen is the Chilean Fjords,” she says. “Most people don’t even know they exist but they’re beautiful beyond belief. I was on the bridge at five o’clock in the morning and I couldn’t take my eyes off the cascading water crashing down the icy slopes. The ice is so blue and it’s totally non-commercial. You won’t see another boat in the water for miles.”

Of course, there are downsides to being at sea. Lorraine misses her children – Matthew, 50 and Cassandra, 57 – but speaks to them regularly. “Besides, I like to let them live their own lives; I’m not an interfering mother,” she smiles.

“I’ve lost count of the countries I’ve been to but I’ll never grow bored,” she says. “Some people say everywhere is the same but that’s not true. When I look back on my life, I’ve been so lucky. I miss my husband, of course, but I don’t look back and cry – you have to celebrate every moment.”

Jill Foster is a freelance writer based in London

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