We were overnight in the capital city of the Seychelles, Mahe and the weather was set fair - actually rather better than that.  It was going to be a beautiful, warm (hot!) evening: the perfect setting for a party on deck, then.

Before going out that morning, we noticed the preparations had begun with clearing the furniture on the pool deck.  These parties involve a huge amount of work to get everything ready.

When we returned in the afternoon, everything was looking rather different. Tables had been set up around the pool and all the foundations were in place already.  Galley staff had been busy setting up their areas and restaurant staff had arranged all the tableware for the event.

We decided to meet our friends for drinks at the pool bar that evening, thinking that we might find a sweet spot for dinner, with a good view of the "stage".  I took a look around the central area and admired the stunning work that was already in place.  Someone in the galley had been having fun putting their fruit carving skills to great use - how clever is this?

As the sun went down, the ice packs were in place and the sushi trays appeared.  Oh my goodness...I love sushi and this was an absolute feast!

Here too, underneath the heat lamps was another tempting treat served with a smile - though sadly, the crackling wasn't quite up to our usual Sunday lunch standards according to my hero!  

The ice sculptures appeared and were arranged, together with what looked like a mountain of fresh seafood - huge prawns, king crab legs (ooo, my favourite) and the softest, tastiest smoked salmon and tuna, with identical arrangements on each side of the pool.  Where to begin?

Hehe, someone was watching!  Everywhere we looked was another witty carving, a small detail showing someone's exquisite skill or something irresistible to eat.  Best of all, in every case, a proud member of staff stood by their work, pleased to assist and to witness our appreciation.

The restaurant team were in good spirits, firing on all cylinders but not forgetting to have fun as they worked.

The stars of the evening were undoubtedly Chef Michael and his galley team, however.  We don't often have the chance to thank them personally for their great work and to express our appreciation beyond sending clean plates back, so when they gathered together for a photo there was a spontaneous round of applause.

Unsurprisingly, there's a gap in my photographs, for once I sat down and tucked in, my focus was elsewhere! 

As dinner drew to a close, there was time to gather everyone responsible for such a splendid party and offer the loudest round of applause of the evening.

Then, in little more than five minutes, the whole lot was gone.  Such impressive organisation, everyone knew exactly what they were to do, what their role was and how it should be done.  Like a well oiled machine, it swung into action and the deck was cleared rather more quickly than it had taken to put together.  Heaven knows how long it took to sort it all out and out it all away - I can only imagine that a lot of these people had a late night.

The following morning, no one would have guessed that such an event had taken place the previous evening.  

Perhaps it had been a dream?