the triton 200710
DESCRIPTION
A29 A6 or “bad” owners, just good or bad matches. So here are the 10 things these captains agreed every new yacht owner should know: TAKE A LOOK INTO BENEFITS New technology eliminates bacteria and viruses. No 28 1. They can trust their captain Fun boat show party photos. See BRIDGE, page A18 See LESSON, page A21 Yes 7 U.S. offi cials bumble when foreigners head straight from Cuba. FROM THE BRIDGE LUCY CHABOT REED By Alison M. Rese www.the-triton.com PHOTO/TOM SERIOTRANSCRIPT
www.the-triton.com October 2007Vol. 4, No.7
When I introduced this topic to the assembled captains this month – 10 Things Every New Yacht Owner Should Know – it began as a very short list: Trustthe captain.
The more we got to talking, though, the more levels of the complex and delicate captain-owner relationship we got through. Indeed, many “things” on the list can be traced back to
that edict, but remember, this was a group of captains. (Someday, we hope to gather a group of owners and generate a similar list for captains.)
Something else interesting happened. Before long, what started out as a list for new owners turned into discussion of tips for captains on fi nding that perfect owner, which just reaffi rms my belief that there are no “good”
or “bad” owners, just good or bad matches.
So here are the 10 things these captains agreed every new yacht owner should know:
1. They can trust their captain“We’re the professional,” a
captain said. “We know the systems and how the boat should be cared for. You’re paying us a lot of money to do a job. Let us do it.”
As always, individual comments are not attributed to any one person in particular so as to encourage frank and open discussion. The attending captains are identifi ed in a photograph on page A18.
Everyone agreed that owners need to trust their captains, but it soon became clear that there
See BRIDGE, page A18
By Alison M. Rese
Immigration offi cers remain confused as to which status private yacht crew should enter the United States. At both of The Triton’s immigration symposiums I attended, immigration offi cers clearly stated that the B1 visa is correct.
In New York in May, I was sent to secondary immigration when I presented the required B1 visa. The offi cer concerned suggested I needed a C1/D Visa. When I tried to explain that private luxury yachts were different from cruise ships and commercial
vessels his response was, “boats, ships, yachts – all the same thing.”
He later apologized for his mistake and at least one more offi cer learned the correct method by which to allow a private yacht crew member to enter the United States.
This summer, I was refused admittance to my fl ight from Ireland to Ft. Lauderdale because the customs offi cer concluded after looking at my documentation that “the vessel has been in the States too long” so I therefore required an immigrant visa. (Nevermind that the vessel is compliant on a one-year cruising permit.) Since
I didn’t have an immigrant visa, he suggested I sign away my B1/B2 and apply for one.
I am still in Shannon, Ireland, sorting this out, but in the meantime may lose my position with my current vessel, which is due to leave Ft. Lauderdale this month, weather permitting. Because the yacht did not need me in the yard, and because I thought it best to leave the United States while the yacht didn’t need me, I went home to Ireland to work. I was trying to get back to the boat when this happened.
See LESSON, page A21
10 things every new yacht owner should know
Lesson learned: Don’t stay ‘too long’
FROM THE BRIDGE
LUCY CHABOT REED
A salvage team has begun pulling S/Y Legacy from her sandy perch in the Florida Keys by sucking sand out of her way and dumping it in the trench she leaves behind. Read the full story on page A25. See more photos at www.the-triton.com. PHOTO/TOM SERIO
S/Y LEGACY STILL RECOVERING FROM HURRICANE WILMA
TAKE A LOOK INTO BENEFITS
Does your vessel offer a 401(k) plan?
No 28
Yes 7
Among the perks of working on a megayacht are great pay and a chance to see parts of the world that most people don’t. Is that enough to make up for no health insurance or retirement savings? How does your package measure up? A12-15
MonacoFun boat show party photos.
A22-23
Damn yankeesU.S. offi cials bumble when foreigners head straight from Cuba.
Kill germs dead New technology eliminates bacteria and viruses.
A29
A6
A2 October 2007 www.the-triton.com The Triton
WHAT’S INSIDE
Advertiser directory C27Calendar of events B30-31Classifi eds C22-27Cruising Grounds B20-28Crew News A4-8,B1,C4Columns: By the Glass C12 Captain’s Call B2 In the Galley C1 In the Stars B22 Latitude Adjustment A4 Management C2 Manager’s Time C18 Nutrition C8 Personal Finance C16
Photography B29 Rules of the Road B1 Well Read C14Feature C10From the Bridge A1Fuel prices B5Marinas/Yards A12-14Networking A10,B11News A1,8-9,25,C17Photo Galleries A22-23,26-27Puzzles/answers C21/onlineTechnology B1-9Triton spotter A26Triton survey A12-15Write to Be Heard A29-31
Now that’s a day off, page A26
Who says yacht crew don’t get a day off now and again? Find out what the Intrepid crew did in New York. PHOTO/CHRIS BERG
A4 October 2007 www.the-triton.com The Triton
Capt. Pierre Ausset and Eng. Dean Vaughan on Burger 509 Project announce that the yacht is due to splash in late May 2008.
When she hits the water, the 101-foot yacht will be one of the fastest Burgers ever with a design cruising speed of 23.5 knots and maximum speed of 27 knots.
“Maybe even 30 knots if we are lucky,” Vaughan
said. “Burger are redefi ning the way they build interiors and engineer a boat. This project is the best one I’ve ever been on.”
They are in that stage of the build where they are keeping an eye on weight.
“It’s easier to take design weight out now, then ask for more horse power later,” Vaughan said.
Capt. Ausset has been with the owner for almost three years on his current yacht, the 100-foot Lazzara M/Y Freedom. He splits his time between the Med, the current yacht’s base of western Florida and the new yachts birthplace, Wisconsin.
Capt. David Gaskins promised
to send photos of the new build M/Y Areti I, and he did. She is the fi rst of twin 127-foot tri-deck Burgers and she’s out of the shed. There was about a month of work still to go when he
reported in in early September, so here’s hoping she’ll be in South Florida in time for the boat show.
Areti I will be based in Florida, while the sister ship will head to the Med.
Congrats Capt. Gaskins. Fair winds.
Stewardess Hannah Dissman is offi cially done doing heads and beds. She has stepped ashore for a foray into yacht brokerage with Allied Richard Bertram Platinum Group. She’s work under John Weller, a yacht broker of 35
years.“I am very excited about my new
venture,” she writes.Her husband, Capt. Oliver
Dissman, most recently of M/Y Arbitrage, is looking for a new boat.
Capt. Drew Rutherford helped Capt. John Wampler deliver the 53-foot Cheoy Lee motorsailor Maraya from Key West to Yorktown, Va. Once up there, Capt. Rutherford took command, his fi rst
yacht. Prior to his new assignment, he was a bosun mate third class in the U.S. Coast Guard.
“Welcome to the circus, Capt. Rutherford,” Wampler writes.
And now for something completely different: Capt. Rich and Chef Sandy Williams have taken over a coffee roasting business in Vermont. Long-time yachties, they have grandkids and property in that part of the world, so they wanted something to keep them close to the little ones.
“We bought it about a year ago because we’ve been looking for something else to do,” Capt. Williams said. “We have fi ve grandkids and we’re missing a lot of that.”
The Williamses are on the 92-foot M/Y Southern Star, a 34-year-old Burger. This is their 11th year with this owner on his third boat. If anyone wants coffee roasted by a yachties, e-mail Capt. Williams at [email protected].
Send news of your promotion, change of yachts or career, or personal accomplishments to Editor Lucy Chabot Reed at [email protected].
LATITUDE ADJUSTMENT
LUCY CHABOT REED
Two Burgers: 30 knots or three decks
PHOTO COURTESY OF HANNAH DISSMAN PHOTO COURTESY OF CAPT. JOHN WAMPLER
PHOTO COURTESY OF ENG. DEAN VAUGHAN
Owner’s rep Ted Kavalieros, left, and Capt. David Gaskins celebrate the launch of Areti I.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CAPT. DAVID GASKINS
CREW NEWS: Latitude Adjustment
A6 October 2007 www.the-triton.com The Triton
By Lucy Chabot Reed
Capt. David Johnson is prepared to kill any kind of germ that could do a yachtie harm. Bacteria and viruses, mold and mildew. And even those pesky roaches that love boating as much as we do.
Now before you worry that this is another story about that fl esh-eating bacteria MRSA, know this: Capt. Johnson is ready to kill that nasty bugger, too.
Capt. Johnson has launched Vortech Sterilization Systems with Capt. Roger
Madigan, who recently left boats to get this business off the ground. Vortech is the global marine distributor, dealer and service provider of the Zimek system.
Orlando-based Zimek manufactures a machine about the size of a photocopy machine that disperses an EPA-approved disinfectant in a dry mist of sub-micron particles that permeates every nook, cranny and surface to kill all known bacteria and viruses in the air and on surfaces.
The inventors, David Sparks and Roy Beckett (Capt. Madigan’s cousin),
developed the machine for use in hospitals after widespread reports that hospital-acquired illnesses made hundreds of thousands of people sick, even causing death, each year in the United States.
When Capt. Johnson heard about it, he talked to his boss, who wanted the treatment for his 102-foot Azimut M/Y Texas Star. One thing led to another and within about six weeks, Capt. Johnson launched Vortech.
“Rich people are fanatical about their health,” he said. “And it helps crew, too. We all know that if one crew member is sick, in a week everyone is sick.”
A yacht in South Florida this summer knows that all too well. Two crew members became infected with MRSA and the yacht turned to Dusty Pearsall’s business to diagnose and clean the vessel.
Pearsall launched a company last year to combat the growing concern of MRSA on yachts and has subcontracted the cleaning part out to Vortech.
“I’ve been around the bacteria control industry for 15-20 years and I’ve seen all different kinds of technology,” Pearsall said. “I’m very encouraged by this technology. It creates a solution without creating another problem.”
According to Capt. Johnson and Zimek company literature, there are no toxins or poisons in the mist, no chlorine or ammonia, and it leaves no residue.
It has been tested around million-dollar paintings and there’s been no
damage, he said.
Zimek has about 60 machines in use in hospitals, ambulances, LifeFlight helicopters, NASA, and a school in South Carolina (where student and teacher absences have decreased 65 percent, according to company materials).
“Everyone who has ever tested this system is still using it,” Capt. Johnson said.
Vortech has the only machine in South Florida, and is targeting the industry its partners know best, yachts. Because yacht owners often have planes, Vortech will do that too, and their homes, even RVs if they ask.
While the machine was on display at the Monaco Boat Show (with Peter Allen, chairman of Pinmar Yacht Painting Systems; Pinmar has the European distributorship for Zimek), Capt. Johnson was in South Florida, talking to brokers and builders, making connections and building his business.
Though he said he loves yachting, Texas Star is for sale. When she sells, he’ll continue to work with the owner to fi nd a new yacht and perhaps beyond, but he wants a more stable home life. He is, after all, a newlywed.
“This is another way for me to make a living for me and my wife,” he said. “It keeps me in the yachting industry and let’s me go home at night.”
For more information, visit www.vortechss.com or www.zimek.com, or call Capt. Johnson at 954-610-3263.
Comments on this story are welcome at [email protected].
Capt. David Johnson prepares the Zimek machine for a sample treatment in the main salon of M/Y Texas Star. The dry mist comes out of the circle at the top and would kill all known bacteria and viruses in the room in just a few minutes. PHOTO/LUCY CHABOT REED
Interested in a device that kills all known bacteria and viruses?CREW NEWS: Yacht sterilization
A8 October 2007 www.the-triton.com The Triton
The crew of M/Y Octopus, the 414-foot Lurssen, pulled seven people from icy seas off Port Alfred, South Africa on Aug. 23 after their tug, Douala Tide, sank about 30 miles from shore in rough seas, according to news reports. Two others were rescued by an air force helicopter and one person drowned.
Plans to airlift the people from Octopus were abandoned because of rapidly deteriorating conditions, according to The Daily Dispatch, which noted Octopus tried heading out to deeper water in hopes of enabling a salvage tug to remove the survivors.
Seas were reported at six to eight meters with 20- to 25-knot winds.
The crew of the 37-foot tug had been in the water about two hours before Octopus found them, according to news reports.
Report: Accidents on rise The number of serious marine
accidents is on the rise because crews are operating under ever-increasing pressure and because workforce changes have resulted in lower retention rates for skilled professional mariners, according to a report issued
by marine mutual insurer the Swedish Club.
The Swedish Club report looked into accident claims fi led during 2005 and 2006 that involved collision and contact damage in port approaches and coastal waters.
In commenting on the report, Frans Malmros, the Swedish Club’s managing director, said that in the 1990s, the number of accidents had dropped from previous years, but that recent changes in the workforce are reversing that trend.
“Since 2000,” he said, “there has
been an increase in the number of new recruits to shipping, but this is coupled with lower retentions and faster promotions. People now have less time to get to know their ship. Meanwhile, the paperwork and inspection-related workload continue to mushroom, but the average crew size is static.”
Reprinted with permission from Wheelhouse Weekly, a newsletter of the International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots.
Survey: UK industry strongA survey of the superyacht industry
in Britain, carried out by Superyacht UK, has revealed increasing sales, expanding workforces and high levels of confi dence amongst major manufacturers and suppliers. The sector is worth some £300 million and employs more than 3,000 people. Superyacht UK is a subsidiary of the British Marine Federation – the UK marine industry trade body.
The survey revealed that more than 95 percent of businesses recorded either an increase or stability in their number of employees over the last year and more than two-thirds reported that the export market offers an increased workload compared with 12 months ago.
Panama Canal breaks groundExpansion of the Panama Canal
began in early September to build a new lane of traffi c through the construction of a new set of locks. The fi rst phase: a dry excavation project on Paraiso Hill that begins the construction of the new Pacifi c Locks access channel.
The new channel will ultimately connect the Gaillard Cut to the new Pacifi c Locks.
Burger lays off 41Burger Boat Company in Wisconsin
laid-off 41 of the more than 400 tradespeople it employs on the six yachts under construction at its facilities. Most were temporary workers, the company said in a statement.
New America’s Cup class rule begunAmerica’s Cup designers from
Alinghi and the fi ve challengers attended the fi rst design consultation meeting Sept. 15. The key dimensions were confi rmed as 90 feet waterline length and 6.5m draft with a retractable keel to 4.1m. Other key dimensions, including beam, weight and sail area, have been decided but will remain confi dential until Oct. 31.
In philosophy, though, the boat will be exciting to watch in terms of speed, size and power. It must be physically and technically demanding for the sailors, the Cup said in a statement.
See NEWS BRIEFS, page A9
Octopus crew saves seven off coast of South AfricaNEWS BRIEFS
The Triton www.the-triton.com October 2007 A9
By John Freeman
SAN DIEGO – It’s back to the future for California’s yacht owners and brokers.
A two-year test period during which yacht purchasers were required to stay out of U.S. waters for at least 12 months to avoid state sales taxes is over. A clause that would’ve extended that requirement was scratched during late-August budget hearings in the state legislature.
“The law reverted to the way it’s been for years and years and years,” said San Diego-based maritime attorney Paul Trusso. “The entire industry is looking at this as the shot in the arm we’ve all needed.”
Prior to 2004, the state’s 90-day offshore law held sway for decades on yacht sales conducted within the state. It was a tradition that vessels spent their fi rst three months of new ownership out of California waters, usually cooling their heels in Mexico.
“Yacht people spend a lot of money on their boats and we want that money to stay here,” said Senate Republican leader Dick Ackerman of Irvine (Calif.), an avid yachtsman who led the effort to rescind the provision.
The state legislature had sought to gain more tax revenues from yacht sales. The result, said Trusso, was a sharp decline in California’s yacht industry over the past two years.
“We saw a defi nite slowdown in yacht sales and a squeeze on sellers within price ranges from $300,000 to $700,000,” he said. “It’s been a buyer’s market for a long time.”
California’s non-partisan Legislative Analyst’s offi ce reported a $45 million upsurge in taxes from boat sales during the two years the law was in effect.
“That was an increase in personal watercraft like jet skis and small craft, not in buying larger boats,” Ackerman said. “[Large-boat owners] simply weren’t going to pay the sales tax here. They’d rather go to Washington and Florida than be taxed right away. The state was losing revenue and hurting the boat industry at the same time.”
John Freeman communications director for Knight & Carver YachtCenter. He spent more than a dozen years as a journalist at the San Diego Tribune and Union Tribune newspapers before joining the marine industry. Comments on this story are welcome at [email protected].
“We want this rule to excite designers, sailors and the public alike and to form the foundation of a class that will endure and prosper for a long time,” said Tom Schnackenberg, class rule and competition regulations consultant.
The next meeting is scheduled for Oct. 15 where the design group will discuss the fi rst draft of the rule.
Documentation business closesCapt. Stephan Mort, president of
International Ship Documentation in Ft. Lauderdale, has closed his business to take an executive-level position with the U.S. Coast Guard Inspection and Compliance Directorate (CG-3PC) at U.S. Coast Guard headquarters in Washington, D.C.
His responsibilities will include participating in the development, interpretation and implementation of U.S. and international rules and regulations pertaining to oil and chemical vessel response plans, maritime safety, pollution prevention and marine environmental protection standards.
Additionally, Capt. Mort will audit management system processes at commercial and training institutions and Coast Guard/Contractor facilities.
MCM opens offi ce in PalmaYacht management fi rm MCM has
opened an offi ce in Palma, Mallorca. Ginny Standbridge will be running
MCM Palma. She worked for MCM in Newport from 1996 to 2002, before moving to Palma in 2006.
The new offi ce is located in the marine district, near the Real Club Nautico, on Calle Veri.
MCM Palma will support a range of yacht management services, but with particular emphasis on logistics, parts procurement and local knowledge
MCM has delivered such prestigious projects as the Dubois designed Kokomo and the Hoek designed Adèle to their enthusiastic owners, and then continued to support the owners with MCM’s Yacht Management services.
For more information, contact MCM Palma at +34 9711 425 592 or visit www.mcmnewport.com.
Tow company goes high-speedVessel Assist San Francisco Bay
and Delta, an on-the-water towing company, has taken delivery of a custom-built, 27-foot rigid aluminum infl atable vessel.
The rugged towing response boat built to commercial standards was acquired for its high-speed patrol and rough weather handling capabilities. It is powered by twin 225 HP Honda four-stroke engines.
For more information, visit www.boatus.com/towing.
NEWS BRIEFS, from page A8
California offshore law reverts
Int’l Ship Documentation closes
NEWS BRIEFS
A10 October 2007 www.the-triton.com The Triton
Blue Water Alliance USA is entirely dedicated to the super yacht industry, providing integrated, support services which encourage clients’ to rely
upon effective and efficient assistance confident in the continuity of care and service provided by Blue Water Alliance USA. A full super yacht
support service is offered throughout the US East Coast, Caribbean and Bahamas.
Blue Water Alliance USA is a member of Blue Water Alliance, known mainly as a Mediterranean agency consortium, with offices in Italy, Croatia, Montenegro, Greece and Turkey. Located in the heart of
South Florida, in Fort Lauderdale at the Lauderdale Marine Center. We offer services including berth reservations, provisions, banking transactions, bunkering, travel, freight handling , itinerary planning,
courier arrangements, hotel and restaurant reservations.
Our expertise in Mediterranean Itinerary planning makes your cruise planning more effective with a point-of- reference
now available here in the US.
CONTACTDonna Bradbury
Office: +954-355 4335Cell: +954-895 8393
Email: [email protected]
A Member of Blue Water Alliance
Join us for some low-key networking this month at the expanded offi ces of Kemplon Marine Engineering in Ft. Lauderdale. In the year since they hosted our networking event last year, Jeff Kemp and Colette O’Hanlon have added more staff and expanded into the warehouse bay next door.
Stop by for a visit and see what’s new in marine engineering. Find us at Kemplon’s place from 6-8 p.m. on the fi rst Wednesday of October (Oct. 3) at 3200 S. Andrews Ave., Suite 103, in Ft. Lauderdale.
In the meantime, learn a little more about Kemplon from co-owner Colette O’Hanlon.
Q: Tell us about your business. What does Kemplon Marine Engineering do?
We offer comprehensive engineering services to the marine industry. Our services include machine shop capabilities, welding and fabrication, hydraulic repair, plumbing and pipefi tting, mechanical, electrical, rigging, A/C refrigeration and laser alignment services. Our clients are predominantly yachts larger than 100 feet.
Q: You and Jeff are former yacht crew, right?
Yes, we are. We each worked on yachts for about seven years. We met when we were 30 years old and both wanted to stay on boats until we were 35. We had talked about starting a business together then.
The timeline for our plans accelerated when, one year later, the yacht we were working on sold. The owner was really good to the crew with regard to severance packages, so we decided that was the perfect time to come ashore and see if we could make the transition to a land-based career.
Q: You hosted one of our networking events last year when you fi rst moved into your offi ces. How has your business changed since then?
We just introduced a new laser alignment service. This time last year we had three employees and now we have a team of eight.
Q: I hear you have taken over the warehouse bay next to you. Business must be good.
Yes, we’re in our third year of business and it has been really good. We’ve been fortunate enough to gain repeat customers, maintain strong vendor relationships, and we have an effi cient goal-oriented team of people working here.
Q: When we talked last year, one of the driving forces for your company was a desire to deliver a quality of service that some say Ft. Lauderdale lacks. Have you seen or sensed any change to the service market in the past year?
That’s a tough one. Not being crew anymore coupled with the fact that we don’t subcontract out any of our work makes it diffi cult for us to comment on service standards.
We have heard from other local businesses that the summer seasons have been getting busier and there hasn’t been the usual down time available in recent years. This was defi nitely the case for us this past summer.
Q: I’ve heard more than one person refer to Jeff Kemp, your partner and president of Kemplon Marine, as Jeff Kemplon. It’s cool that he’s so tightly associated with the business. But to set the record straight, where does the name Kemplon come from?
Jeff ’s last name is Kemp and mine is O’Hanlon.
October networking event at Kemplon Marine Engineering
O’Hanlon
Kemp
NETWORKING: Kemplon Marine Engineering
A12 October 2007 www.the-triton.com The Triton
By Lucy Chabot ReedGraphics by Lawrence Hollyfi eld
We started this survey on the suggestion of two captains actively seeking jobs. They weren’t sure what to ask for in terms of benefi ts or even what was considered standard.
They asked us to ask you.Turns out, there is no standard when
it comes to benefi ts. Benefi ts packages for megayacht captains are as varied as the vessels themselves. Toss in tenure and experience and the numbers get really interesting, in some cases having no correlation at all.
Take health insurance, for example. Eighty percent of the 35 captains who took our survey reported that their vessels offer health insurance. (This benefi t shows up in myriad forms,
including premiums fully paid, partially paid, or reimbursed.) The likelihood of a captain having this benefi t increases the longer he is on the yacht (see graphic, page A14, bottom right) and the bigger the yacht (A14, bottom left).
Interestingly enough, newer captains and the serious veterans were more likely to have it than mid-career folks.
With time off, though, experience did play a part. Excepting the anomaly of one captain who received 13 glorious weeks off a year, the likelihood of a captain getting more time off correlated best with his tenure on the vessel (page A15, bottom right) but also with the length of his career (A15, top right). The size of the vessel didn’t seem to matter much (A15, bottom left).
Most vessels (80 percent) offered a continuing education benefi t, but few
(20 percent) offered retirement plans.One interesting result was that for
the yachts large enough to have crew, half of them offered the same benefi ts to crew members as were given to the captain. And benefi ts were offered to all crew, not just department heads, with some effective after the only
determining factor being longevity. And a fair number of vessels offered benefi ts immediately or after a short trial period of 30 days.
We recognize that 35 responses don’t provide earth-shattering statistics, but they are at least a start to understanding what some vessels offer their crew. Another guideline might be these comments from a few of the captains who responded.
Benefi ts will depend largely on the ownership structure, fl ag of the vessel, and where it operates. I have worked for three American owners, and benefi ts seemed to be tied more into their American company benefi ts, and not so much into the yachting industry. I think it would be unusual for an owner without a business to funnel things through to provide 401(k), life insurance, etc.
I would also say that the more offered in benefi ts probably means less in salary. This whole issue is far more complex than fi rst meets the eye.
I have been a yacht captain for over 30 years and have worked on sail, power and commercial vessels from 50 to more than 200 feet. I am licensed by the USCG and the MCA. I have had jobs from a few weeks to many years. I have found that benefi ts come in all shapes and sizes from zero to the full package with written contracts signed on both sides.
I don’t believe that there is a general consensus on benefi ts, nor do I think there should be. Most employment in this part of the industry is on a casual basis, even if that basis carries on for long periods of time. Pay rates for most professional crew are very generous and are more than enough to cover the expenses of what a reasonable person may think of as necessary, such as health insurance, personal travel, electronic toys, etc.
In the last 10 years, I have neither asked for nor expected health benefi ts, holiday pay or airfares. I pay my own way, having negotiated a pay rate to
See SURVEY, page A13
Is continuing education a benefi t offered on your yacht?
Yes 27
No 8
Is personal travel a benefi t offered on your yacht?
Yes 13
No 22
Survey: Nothing ‘standard’ in terms of benefi tsTRITON SURVEY: Employment benefi ts
The Triton www.the-triton.com October 2007 A13
cover what I feel is necessary. I expect to be paid a fl at rate on a daily basis with all expenses paid. The only item that I generally negotiate further is days off in lieu of extra days worked with cash or time given at an agreed time.
We are in an industry where responsibility is paramount and that should cover individual as well as collective responsibility.
With regulations’ ever-increasing scope, documented time off to relieve stress is a growing concern. A normal one month off and the accruement of days worked in a busy season or the set rotation of crew is something to be seriously considered.
I have often mentioned offering more benefi ts to department heads and have always found resistance from the ownership side, but I have never really been able to put a fi nger on why that is. Anyone else have any answers to that?
Benefi ts are created by the captain.
If he doesn’t push for them, he doesn’t get them, for himself or the crew.
From a captain with limited benefi ts:We’re extremely well compensated,
well in excess of the range for the size boat we’re on. Bonuses are annual and larger than any friends we know, so this covers many (not all) of the issues.
All vessel owners want longevity from their captain and crew. Benefi ts become available through your service
to the vessel (like a “real world” company) over time. I see in the job market today that captains and crew want it all right away. This includes an exaggerated salary and benefi ts from the start without proving your worth, which seems to work out fi ne for everyone in the stay-for-six-months, take-the-money-and-run group. I believe in basic benefi ts. You should earn extra perks for your service, not just because everyone else has them.
As captain, I control all benefi ts packages. We have no input from the owners. Since no one is complaining, I must be doing something right.
The biggest benefi t is having owners who are lifetime boaters and understand that happy crew are important in maintaining a satisfying yachting experience.
Comments on this survey are welcome at [email protected].
SURVEY, from page A12 Are crew benefi ts the same as the captain’s?
Yes 13No 14
‘I see ... today that captains and crew want it all right away. This includes an exaggerated salary and benefi ts from the start without proving your worth.’
Time off, crew rotation should be consideredTRITON SURVEY: Employment benefi ts
A14 October 2007 www.the-triton.com The Triton
Which captains get health insurance?
Health insurance offered (percentage) by tenure on current yacht.
3-5 years
Under 3 years
6-8 years
9-plus years
Health insurance offered (percentage) by size of current yacht.
100-119
Under 100 feet
120-139
160-plus
140-159
Health insurance offered.
Yes 28
No 7
10-19 years
Under 10 years
20-29 years
30-plus years
Health insurance offered (percentage) by length of career.
TRITON SURVEY: Employment benefi ts
The Triton www.the-triton.com October 2007 A15
How much time off do they get?
Time off given (average number of weeks) by size of current yacht.
100-119
Under 100 feet
120-139
160-plus
140-159
2 weeks8 weeks
4 weeks
6 weeks3 weeks
13 weeks
Time off given. Time off given (average number of weeks) by length of career.
10-19 years
Under 10 years
20-29 years
30-plus years
Time off given (average number of weeks) by tenure on current yacht.
3-5 years
Under 3 years
6-8 years
9-plus years
TRITON SURVEY: Employment benefi ts
A18 October 2007 www.the-triton.com The Triton
EDITOR’S NOTE: Here’s the letter from a longtime boater and new megayacht owner that inspired this month’s Bridge luncheon discussion. The owner’s name is being withheld upon request.
Dear Editor,I took your advice and placed a
classifi ed ad looking for a captain. You can’t believe the response that I have had. [The boat’s previous captain] interviewed about fi ve of them, great friends down there interviewed two, and we interviewed three while in Ft. Lauderdale. Now we’re fl ying back down to interview who we hope will be our captain.
We have at least 50 resumes and I would say 10 of them could have done the job. I have talked to and e-mailed these captains extensively and have learned so much.
At least half have college educations, most are at least open-water certifi ed scuba divers, many have cooking experience, lots of mechanical courses, and fi rst aid. You just name it, they have done it. I have so much respect for these captains.
I hope we make the right decision. We are getting so confused. I’m learning that until you hire the captain and start working together, you won’t know for sure. I’m keeping my 10 favorite resumes, just in case.
I know we have lots to learn about this whole yachting business, but I look forward to it. Thank you again for all you do.
I think we need a publication for us clueless owners. Actually, I think we already do. It’s called The Triton.
were two types of “trust”: implicit and eventual.
“Leave us alone or fi re us,” said one captain from the implicit camp.
“The boat will be ready when you need it,” another said. “Stop ringing me.”
“I’m the CEO of a fi ve-star, fl oating hotel. Leave me alone.”
A few captains sat quietly during this time, a bit aghast at the bluntness of the comments. Finally, one spoke up.
“You give that man whatever the hell he wants,” this captain said. “It’s his money. Sometimes you take it on the chin. That’s the business we’re in. There are some owners who want to put their fi ngers in the boats. You either work with them or you don’t.”
“I guess we have to deal with being puppets until we’ve been there fi ve or 10 years and they can fi nally trust us,” another captain said.
Then there was a tip for captains.“It’s your job to get them to trust
you,” one captain said. Most agreed that trust comes with
time, and in the meantime, captains must decide if they want to be the one to teach the owner until they get there.
2. Ya gotta communicate Most captains express frustration
when they are taken by surprise with events or requests, such as a subcontractor showing up for work
ordered by the owner, or that today is the day the owner wants to take his family on a trip.
Communication, they agreed, is vital to keeping crew prepared, which in turn means the boat is prepared. They want to provide service, they said, they just need to know what to expect.
And the tip for captains:“You have to think about this
during your discovery so you meet all these things,” one captain said. “It’s not possible with every owner, but it’s our job to help open their eyes to everything. They see people enjoying their boats and to them, that’s what boating is.
“As their new captain, you’ve got to verbally prepare them for this experience, not overwhelm them with
communication.”“Help them identify what they want”
another captain said. “In the beginning, my boss wanted just two crew and said they would cook for themselves. You don’t panic. After they were eating frozen lasagna, they got it. Now we have a fi ve-star chef.”
3. Be available (or grant authority)“When I need something, I need
to speak to the owner, not a handler and do the back-and-forth thing,” one captain said.
Most captains agreed that without full authority, they must have access to the owner. Often spending decisions must be made on the spot.
Attendees of The Triton’s October Bridge luncheon were, from left, Adam Lambert of M/Y Morgan Star, John Wampler (looking), Peter Aglinskas of M/Y Lady Rita, Brit Robinson of M/Y Arms Reach, Les Annan of M/Y Portofi no (behind), Garry Schenck (looking), Scott Redlhammer (looking), Rob High of M/Y Mirage, Len Beck of M/Y Battered Bull, and Tim Straw. PHOTO/LUCY REED
Owner gets dialed in on hiring captain
See BRIDGE, page A20
Want owner to trust you? Earning that is your jobBRIDGE, from page A1
FROM THE BRIDGE: 10 Things list
A20 October 2007 www.the-triton.com The Triton
A few captains had no problem with a handler, mostly because they had a high level of authority (and trust) with the owner.
“I don’t talk to my boss about anything that goes on with my boat,” one captain said. “The owner has a right-hand guy and I work with him. The boss never even knows it goes on. He knows how much money I’m spending, but that’s it. He trusts me.”
4. Let us run the boat“Don’t ask me what kind of radar
should we get, because it doesn’t matter what I say,” one captain said. “He’s got an idea and that’s what he wants. I don’t care, it’s his boat. It would be better to say ‘we need a new radar; here’s your budget.’”
“We work for the boss,” another said. “If they want to know what’s going on, they can know. You have to get from him in the beginning what he expects from his boat.”
“The owner has the last card,” said a third. “He can always fi re you, so all you can do is just do your job.”
And a little tip for captains:“You have to interview them as
much as they interview you,” a captain said. “You have to qualify them in the interview.”
5. Boats cost money“That 10 percent number is not
right,” a captain said of the time-honored tradition of expecting that a yacht costs 10 percent of its value to operate each year. “When a broker tells an owner it will cost 10 percent, they don’t include yard periods. Standard maintenance is key.”
After a bit of discussion, these captains agreed that 20 percent is a more realistic number.
6. Offer benefi tsThese captains agreed that the
industry needed some set of standard benefi ts, including health insurance, bonuses and time off (not just granted but actually allowed). But as our survey this month shows, benefi ts will vary widely with the program. (Read more about that on pages A12-15.)
7. Size matters“Don’t be disappointed when we
tell you you can’t run an 80-foot boat with one person and expect it to look good and be ready when you want it,” a captain said. “Don’t believe the broker.”
“Owners of smaller boats are more realistic, less corporate,” another said.
So what’s the ideal size?“Six to eight crew,” another said, only
half joking.It’s not the size of the boat that these
captains necessarily were concerned with, but rather the size of the crew. That one extra person makes all the difference, not just in workload but in the captain and crew’s perception of the owner’s commitment to the boat.
“It really all depends on the owner,” a third replied. “A smaller boat may be attractive but so could 14 crew, if you had the owner’s ear when you need it.”
8. Set itinerariesMany captains seemed to prefer a
boat with a plan, and an owner who knows what they want to do and when.
“Tell me when you want to use the boat and how long you want to stay and we’ll be there,” one captain said.
When they don’t know, however, is when a captain’s experience comes in.
“When they say take me someplace, you have to ask, what kind of things do you like?” another said.
“Itineraries should be fl uid,” a captain said. “We can make plans, but let’s make itineraries instead. It’s always ‘weather permitting’ and ‘time permitting’. Let us decide if we can go to sea or not.”
9. Let us hire crew“The captain hires the crew,” a
captain said. “There has to be a chain of command.”
And a little tip for the captain:“Never tell the owner about an
argument you had with the crew.”
10. The fi rst year will be hard“The fi rst year is a big year,” a
captain said. “It’s a learning curve. With a new owner, the deciding factor in being a happy owner is who they have running the boat.”
“They should tell us what they want, and then let us do it,” another suggested.
And a little lesson for the captain:“It all comes down to personality,” a
captain said. “You either click with the guy or you don’t.”
Comments on this story are welcome at [email protected]. If you make your living working as a yacht captain, contact Editor Lucy Chabot Reed for an invitation to our monthly Bridge luncheon. Space is limited.
BRIDGE, from page A18
Expenses will keep comingbecause maintenance is key
‘Itineraries should be fl uid. We can make plans, but let’s make itineraries instead. It’s always ‘weather permitting’ and ‘time permitting’. Let us decide if we can go to sea or not.’
— Bridge captain
FROM THE BRIDGE: 10 Things list
The Triton www.the-triton.com October 2007 A21
Why is there not a notation on all Customs and Border Protection computers stating that private yacht crew receive a B1 entry?
Foreign crew contribute substantially to the survival of the U.S. marine industry. We are not a bunch of illegal dissidents attempting to stay beneath the radar and dodge the law. We are hardworking individuals who would all like some fi nite laws by which to abide. And we need the help, protection and participation of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
At the time of my initial research in early 2006, there were 14 miles of new yachts on order. Eighty-fi ve percent of these were potentially foreign-fl agged vessels.
Additionally, 75 percent or more of the boats larger than 100 feet at Ft Lauderdale’s fi ve biggest marinas (Pier 66, Bahia Mar, Hall of Fame, Las Olas Marina and Sunrise Harbor) and three of the largest shipyards (Bradford Marine, Rolly Marine and Derecktor) were foreign-fl agged vessels.
Ft. Lauderdale is the hub of yachting industry in the world and people do go there from all over the world to look for work on boats. More than one immigration offi cer has ventured to tell me – off the record, of course – that not enough is written on the subject of yacht crews, so all they can do is use their discretion and/or interpretation of the law in executing a decision pertaining to our admission. The actual immigration manual I obtained from a senator calls yacht crew a “gray area.”
This is not acceptable, and we yacht crew need to start a petition for change. Ideally, a Y visa specifi cally for yacht crew could be the answer. It would have three categories: Y1, Y2 and Y3.
The Y1 visa would be for foreign crew members working aboard private U.S. vessels. In order to procure this visa, crew would need to provide proof of either a foreign bank account or that of the vessel. As many U.S. vessels do not go foreign for long periods of time, a timeframe for the crew member remaining in the States would need to be fi rmly established. A work permit and taxation might apply.
The Y2 visa would be for foreign crew members working aboard foreign-fl agged vessels. Proof of foreign bank accounts would be required and again, a clearly established timeframe that the vessel is permitted to remain in the States.
Taking the above criteria into consideration, I am proposing the Y Visa work in a similar way to the E1 and E2 visas, that is that they roll over automatically with each entry.
Generally speaking, yacht crew
are looking for permanence in their positions, so this visa could be for fi ve or 10 years, given that the person remained on the same vessel. The Y visa could therefore be given with the following considerations:
The roll-over factor could be conditional to the crew member remaining on the same vessel for a specifi c period of time – say fi ve years. Or perhaps a certain amount of changes could be permitted in this time frame. If a crew member were however to leave a vessel and not be going directly to a new vessel, they revert to Y3 status.
There could be a further requirement that all foreign yacht crew additionally carry a seaman’s handbook and all changes in yachts/employers be listed there. It used to be a requirement that if foreign crew left a vessel in the States, they had to be brought to immigration and physically signed off the boat by the captain. I think it would be a good thing to reinstate this by law.
If they were not going directly to another position, the Y3 visa would kick in. That would give them a one-month, land-based extension to fi nd a new vessel. If they did not, they would be required to leave the country.
There could be is a sector attached to this visa to accommodate recording crew movement. Leaving a vessel without recording the move would constitute an automatic overstay situation and carry the same penalties for the crew member, the captain and the vessel.
A Y3 might also allow a crew member entry to fi nd work. Again, it could be required that paperwork supporting this be in place – required marine certifi cation such as STCWs, culinary certifi cates, licenses, etc. – and presented at the embassy at the time of the visa application.
The United States could follow the successful example of the British Virgin Islands in how they deal with yacht crew. Once it is ascertained which boat a crew member is employed on, the crew member is issued a work permit for that vessel for one year. It is renewable annually and the crew member pays the tax. If they do not enter the country on that vessel, they are not permitted entry. If the taxes are not up to date, they cannot renew the work permit. Simple.
We need to bring proactive change to this industry and the well-deserving group of individuals so crucial to its continued growth.
Alison M. Rese has worked on yachts for 23 years as a chef, stew, mate and captain. Comments about this story are welcome to [email protected]. Read next month for an update.
LESSON, from page A1
Non U.S.-crew members not a bunch of ‘illegal dissidents’
FROM THE FRONT: Another visa mishap
A22 October 2007 www.the-triton.com The Triton THE TRTION’S MONACO PARTY
It starts in Monaco2007 MONACO YACHT SHOW
The Triton www.the-triton.com October 2007 A23
www.verticalyachtclub.com
www.globalyachtfuel.comwww.rossmare.com
www.megafend.com
www.praktek.com
www.boeroyachtpaint.com
www.nautical-structures.com
EUROPE
www.njyachts.com
THE TRITON’S MONACO PARTY
Special thanks to these generous sponsors for making the party possible. Think of them when you need these products and services, and let them know you appreciate their support of The Triton.
More than 500 captains, crew and industry professionals networked at The Triton’s fourth annual kick-off party at Stars n’ Bars in Monaco on Sept. 18, launching the 2007 Monaco
Yacht Show with a blast. Even the mistral winds died down in time for everyone to enjoy the outdoors. For more photos, visit www.the-triton.com.
2007 MONACO YACHT SHOW
Photos By David Reed
The Triton www.the-triton.com October 2007 A25
By Capt. Tom Serio
After almost two years and several failed attempts, the S/Y Legacy is in the process of vacating her sandy surroundings.
Legacy is the 158-foot Perini Navi that Hurricane Wilma blew onto the sea grass beds of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary off Key West in October 2005. Winds of 125 mph and an 8-foot surge pushed her port-side fi rst nearly a mile through the grass, fi nally resting just a few dozen yards from deeper water.
Fifteen months ago, the decision was made to fl oat her out via cofferdam (basically a pool built around the yacht so it can fl oat, moved to one end, lowered, the pool rebuilt further down, and the process repeated), but the work to create the dam failed.
Now, it’s been decided to pull her out along the path she cut when she came in. The concern all along has been to minimize futher damage to the preserve (and likely minimize restitution expenses for the yacht’s owner to the sea grass).
Byrd Commercial Diving of Miami, specialists in marine salvage, is the contractor on site rigging up Legacy to pull her out. Not sideways, though; bow fi rst.
The salvage team began by turning Legacy 90 degrees and pointing her in the right direction. As of press time, it had completed one pull, moving Legacy between 50 and 100 feet. Several people on site, all of whom are involved with the yacht or her recovery effort, asked that their names not be used, at least until the salvage is complete. The Triton is respecting their request.
To pull the more than 300-ton vessel out, a string of connected cables was run from the yacht to Byrd’s salvage vessel, the Helen B, anchored just outside the fl ats. Employing a series of blocks for optimum pulling leverage, the ship will put tension on the cables, while the sandy bottom is sucked out from in front of and around Legacy with a high-powered auger and pumping system.
The team has to go fairly deep because the keel, even when raised, produces an 11-foot draft (extended, the keel gives a 25-foot draft). The yacht is sitting in about 2 feet of water.
The sand is redirected via a return hose, which is buoyed by fl oats so it can be easily directed, to be deposited behind Legacy, fi lling in the void as the yacht inches toward deep water.
The cable is bridled from Legacy with attachment points on both forward sides of the hull, behind the anchor areas. A fl at steel beam has been inserted through the hull and protrudes on both sides. Supporting plates have been welded to the steel hull sides where the beam exits, further supporting the area while dispersing
pulling forces. The cables are attached to the ends of the beam via shackles, then bridled to the main cable.
“She is a major vessel, built like a tank and strong,” said a captain knowledgable about the yacht. “As long as there is no buckling of the plates, she should be fi ne. She took a lot going in and is still together.”
This captain, who asked not to be identifi ed, said he expects to see Legacy sail again.
“Legacy is an exceptionally well-built sailing yacht,” he said. “Even during sea trials, she was problem-free.”
With tension on the cables, sand and bottom removed from the path, and a series of anchors to help keep Legacy upright on her journey until she is fl oating freely, Byrd Commercial Diving estimated in early September that the effort will take three weeks or so, barring signifi cant issues or weather. A recent visit to the site showed operations continuing. The owner prefers the channel to be adequately dredged to minimize the pulling force on Legacy. With that, and the fact that this is a tidal area, may force efforts to take a bit longer than anticipated.
Once freed, Legacy will be shipped to Italy for repairs. Estimates for the replacement masts alone are about $6 million.
Delivered in 1995 from the Perini Navi Viareggio yard in Italy, Legacy was one of the fi ve largest sailing ketches in the world. With a beam of 30 feet, her displacement tonnage is 387 (max.), thanks in part to the 46-ton keel and 11,000 gallons of fuel. Powered by twin 12V MTUs her range is about 4,000 nautical miles at 13 knots. Of course, hang her almost 10,650 feet of sails from the twin 120-foot masts, and she can sail anywhere.
Calls over several days to several staff members of the Florida
Keys National Marine Sanctuary headquarters offi ce in Key West were not returned.
Having seen the yacht up close, it’s evident that Legacy is bruised, but she’s not broken. After a refi nishing, she should most certainly see the yachting activities she was meant for.
By day, Capt. Tom Serio is the directorof disaster management for a majorretailer in South Florida. By weekend, he is a licensed skipper, lover of all things nautical, and a freelance writer and photographer for The Triton. Comments on this story are welcome at [email protected].
Stranded by Wilma, Legacy fi nally on her way back to seaNEWS: S/Y Legacy
A26 October 2007 www.the-triton.com The Triton
The crew of the 110-foot Delta M/Y Intrepid took a day trip from Chelsea Piers in New York City to the U.S. Open tennis tournament. After each match victory, the winner signs a tennis ball or two and blasts them into the crowd.
Intrepid Chef Sylvie Staboli, above, caught one of Venus Williams’ game balls. Williams lostin the semifi nals to Justine Henin, the Belgian who went on to win.
Afterward, Capt. Chris Berg checks out the sights of the city.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF CAPT. CHRIS BERG
John Giraldo on the M/Y Lady Sylvia takes a break at the yacht’s summer home at North Cove Marina in New York. Giraldo is also a member of the Manhattan Sailing Club, which runs out of North Cove. PHOTO/TIM MILLER
Capt. Fred Hammond pauses in front of Radio City Music Hall to take in a little yachting culture with his Triton in September. He and his wife, Julianne, had just seen Tony Bennett’s concert there.
Frequent Triton c o n t r i b u t o r Capt. David Hare took a break from his dive training in September to visit San Francisco, his Triton in hand, of course.
Chef Hal Manly of M/Y Lady Wanda V, an 85-foot Tarab from Argentina, gets his fi rst glimpse of The Triton during YachtFest in San Diego. Hal, buddy, you need to get out more. (Hope you liked it.)
PHOTO/LUCY CHABOT REED
Where have you and your Triton been lately? Send photos to [email protected].
If we print yours, you get a T-shirt.
Triton Spotters
PHOTO GALLERY
The Triton www.the-triton.com October 2007 A27
San Diego’s YachtFest
Capt. Russ Grandinetti and Robin Smith of The Crew Network mingle with David Fraser, the patriarch of Fraser Yachts Worldwide, at the opening night party, sponsored by Platypus Marine.
Capt. Charlie Howard, Chef Sarah Renko and First Mate Bruce Matheison of the 95-foot S/Y Sorcerer II have been sailing the world’s oceans with this yacht’s owner, the geneticist who mapped the human genome. His latest project maps the DNA of microbes from seawater. In the past year, this crew has been in Florida, Virginia, Maine, Bermuda, Panama, Costa Rica, up to Alaska and back. Before that, Capt. Howard completing a two-year circumnavigation with the owner and scientists.“He likes to do passages,” Capt. Howard said. Imagine. “The big picture is pretty cool,” he said. “The science aspect makes it more interesting, instead of it being just some rich guy’s toy, serving him drinks and cleaning up after him.” Though they won’t talk about the science, Capt. Howard did say the owner is proud of the vessel. I’m sure he’s proud of her crew, too.(Read more about the science at www.sorcerer2expedition.org.)
With more than 40 yachts – 31 of them 70 feet and larger – the 8th annual YachtFest in San Diego was a congenial meeting of boats, brokers and buyers (plus a few
media folks like us). Future Shock, the full-day seminar held the day before the show began, pulled together a group of industry professionals who offered lots of
good information, including lawyer Erin Ackor of Moore & Company and Lt. Omar Vazquez of the U.S. Coast Guard. The weather was grand (you won’t feel cool air like
that in Lauderdale this month) but the red carpet on the docks just made us miss Monaco. (Watch for stories about the seminar in next month’s issue). PHOTOS/LUCY REED
Capt. Dan and Mate Mar Dinsmore of M/Y Blitzen, an 85-foot Broward, just fi nished a three-year cruise mapping every island off the U.S. Pacifi c Coast, more than 270 of them. The owner is an avid birder and donated the use of his yacht and crew to his Farallon Island Foundation, which works to preserve and acquire uninhabited islands for preservation as bird sanctuaries.
The crew of the 130-foot Westport M/Y Azucar – from left, Stewardess Stefanie Davidson, Capt. Dan Davidson, deckhand Alex Ross and Chef Megan Carolan – prep at Bahia Mar for a trip to Cat Cay.
PHOTO/TOM SERIO
Chef Tim Filgate, left, and deckhand Ryker Uvila put new zincs on the 107-foot Christensen M/Y Kingfi sh at Platypus Marine in Washington.
PHOTO/SUNNY HANLEY
PHOTO GALLERY
It’s time to dig out a hat and join us at
The Triton’sfourth annual
Boat Show Kick-Off Party.
Wednesday, Oct. 176-9 p.m.
Bimini Boatyard on 17th Street
Industry businesses have teamed up with us to make this the most fun event of the Ft. Lauderdale boat show season.
Wear a hat and you’re automatically registered to win fabulous prizes, including travel vouchers, gift certificates,
fun personal electronic devices and more.
No RSVP necessary but register online at www.the-triton.com and bring your
Triton Point of Access card (or bar code printout) with you to skip the check-in line.
Alexseal Yacht Coatings • Bellingham MarineCrew4Crew • Global Yacht Fuel
Linkscape Internet Services • Lunenburg Shipyard MariTech Services • Maritime Professional Training
MHG Marine Benefits • On Call International
Hats off to our sponsors:
The Triton www.the-triton.com October 2007 A29
If you can fi nd for me – in writing with the U.S. Treasury Department or somewhere in Washington – proof that it is illegal, not allowed or even not advised for a non-U.S.-fl agged yacht with non-U.S. personnel onboard to leave U.S. waters (Key West) directly for Havana (Marina Hemingway) and return to the same departure port, reporting in as required to the 800 number, then I will present you with a bottle of champagne at the Monaco Yacht Show.
The Customs and Border Protection guys I contacted produced a document applicable to U.S.-fl agged boats and U.S. residents only. A week’s worth of phone calls to Washington received no call backs. I look to your superior connections to fi nd this document, which I’m sure must exist.
We were threatened with dire straits the next time we considered doing the direct route, but when confronted with the fact that nowhere was it in writing, they became overbearing and unpleasant.
I should add that upon arrival back in Key West, with the required phone call made to CBP, we were all ordered to report to the customs house, owners included, with all purchases
made in Cuba, the yacht’s paperwork and passports. No visit was made onboard; apparently they don’t do this anymore(?).
The purchases consisted of a few bottles of cheap rum and wine, a few cigars, and some small gifts and souvenirs of a harmless nature. The latter we were permitted to keep (big deal), but the rest were confi scated, with a receipt.
There was clearly no precedent for this and they were caught wrong-footed.
It was embarrassing to watch the offi cials attempting to fi nd some excuse to zap us with a fi ne or other deterrent, but as I say, no paperwork could be produced to back up a verbal admonishment as none of us were U.S. citizens. (The yacht’s owner is English,
his wife is German, the crew all from South Africa with B1/B2 in-date visas.)
Where paperwork, passports and visas are all in order and correct entry procedures have been followed, it’s seriously out of order for U.S. maritime offi cials or homeland security offi cials to treat owners and crew of foreign-fl agged pleasure vessels with suspicion, arrogance and insinuation of potential criminal activity, especially where there are no written rulings applicable.
But it should also be taken in context. U.S. paranoia over Cuba and outdated Cold War communism is hopelessly misunderstood and unjustifi ed these days, as is the counter-productive embargo used by the Castro regime as an excuse for their own economic failures.
Still, you’d have thought that Key West customs would have gotten its act together by now, being only 90 miles away.
Graham St. GeorgePress Offi cer
Professional Yachtsmen’s Association
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Triton has not been able to locate such a document, but welcomes guidance on where to fi nd it.
Foreign-fl agged vessel, crew can’t cross from Cuba to the U.S.? Show us where it’s written
It was embarrassing to watch the offcials attempting to fi nd some excuse to zap us with a fi ne ... no paperwork could be produced to back up a verbal admonishment.
WRITE TO BE HEARD
A30 October 2007 www.the-triton.com The Triton
By Capt. Charlie Kiss
When I was captain of a fi shing yacht in the Bahamas in 1998, I had to replace the mate. A new mate was referred to me and arrived the next afternoon. After placing his personal items on board, the fi rst thing the new mate asked was where he could get a greasy hamburger.
Hangover relief? Maybe, but it did not occur to me at the time. That night he stayed out so late that I thought he was AWOL when I looked in his bunk the following morning. He chose to sleep in the enclosed bridge for fear of waking me up after partying the night before. Needless to say, this new individual was not a performer during the day due to his excessive drinking the night before.
The consequences of using alcohol and not being alert in a fi shing cockpit can be and has been fatal in a few situations. This man’s use of alcohol created a liability not only to himself, but to others on board as well. I terminated him, only to be approached by another captain a month later at a different island stating that he, too, hired and fi red the same mate for identical reasons just after I did.
The abuse of alcohol on board any professionally crewed yacht is a liability to not only owners, guests and crew
members, but to a captain’s career as a professional mariner. I applaud those captains who have a no-alcohol policy in effect and challenge those who do not yet incorporate one.
The position I take regarding the use of alcohol on professionally crewed yachts is clearly stated in my current crew policy:
The possession, consumption and use of alcoholic beverages while aboard the vessel are prohibited. While in the service of the vessel, intoxication will not be tolerated. A 12-hour rule of non-consumption is in place when returning to duty from shore-side leave.
I fi nd myself bridging the gap in experience from the crews of yesterday to the new faces working the docks today. The industry has moved from being predominantly owner/operators with a hired hand on 50-foot yachts to being one that seeks career-minded individuals who identify themselves as professionals to serve aboard fl oating mini hotels.
Today, schools are packed with students with little to no experience at all. Upon receipt of their credentials, they embark into an industry that is unlike any shore-based position they
may ever have. The part that is not taught or embedded into these new recruits is the widespread use of illegal drugs, prescription drugs and alcohol prevalent in our industry, and how it can negatively impact their careers.
The yachting industry is a professional career for many of us, and we have to demand that it be treated that way by those just entering it.
A captain is not only the person who guides the yacht from point A to B, but more importantly, the person
who guides the crew the entire time they are under his or her command. It is up to captains – not owners – to take the lead in establishing what behaviors are to be expected and how responsibilities are to
be accounted for. I have always said to my fellow crew,
“Follow my lead.” Without proper direction, crew will exercise what they know best. Unfortunately, when it comes to winding down, that often means drinking alcohol.
Sometimes, however, abuse isn’t easy to see. It doesn’t always come during wind-down time and captains must be diligent.
In early 2001, as we cruised the
Caribbean, a crew member kept a plastic mixer bottle fi lled with vodka under the galley sink. This individual would feed his drinking habit by preparing extravagant meals for other yacht crew and marina personnel in return for drinks. My crew often had to prepare meals for themselves because the drunk was too busy feeding his habit.
You must be wondering where I was to allow this to happen. In this case, I was on leave; another time, I chose to give the crew member the benefi t of the doubt. Either way, I was duped and taken advantage of. It does not take long for an abuser to show his or her true colors, but in the meantime, this person is a liability to all on board.
Prior to the vodka-under-the-sink incident, I had no fi rm written policy in effect for all who serve aboard the yacht. A policy has since been drafted and approved by an admiralty attorney for all future crew to read and sign prior to beginning service. If more yachts did the same, we could together raise the level of professionalism and safety in our industry.
Capt. Charlie Kiss operates and manages the 130-foot Westport M/Y Constellation and the 86-foot Hatteras M/Y Migration. Comments on this essay are welcome at [email protected].
Your crew can handle a drink? Want to bet your career?
Sometimes abuse isn’t easy to see. It doesn’t always come during wind-down time and captains must be diligent.
WRITE TO BE HEARD
The Triton www.the-triton.com October 2007 A31
PublisherDavid Reed, [email protected]
EditorLucy Chabot Reed, [email protected]
Business ManagerPeg Garvia Soffen, [email protected]
Production ManagerPatty Weinert, [email protected]
Advertising [email protected]
Executive AssistantJulie Lynn
Graphic DesignerChristine Abbott, [email protected]
Abbott Designs
Contributing EditorLawrence Hollyfi eld
ContributorsCarol Bareuther, Capt. Chris Berg, Ian Biles, John Burt,
Mark Cline, Mark Darley, Jake DesVergers, Hannah Dissman, John Freeman, Capt. David Gaskins, Don
Grimme, Amanda Hacking, Sue Hacking, Sunny Hanley, Capt. David Hare, Jack Horkheimer, Chef Mary Beth
Lawton Johnson, Capt. Charlie Kiss, Donna Mergenhagen, Joe Newman, Willem Peetoom Chief Stew Jodi H.
Petty, Steve Pica, Becky Ramotowski, Chef Alison Rese, Rossmare Intl., James Schot, Capt. Tom Serio,
Eng. Dean Vaughan, Capt. John Wampler
Vol. 4, No. 7. The Triton is a free, monthly newspaper owned by Triton Publishing Group Inc. Copyright 2007 Triton Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
Contact us at:Mailing address: 757 S.E. 17th St., #1119
Visit us at: 111B S. W. 23rd St.Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33315
(954) 525-0029; FAX (954) 525-9676www.the-triton.com
I would love to work again on a private yacht, but with a work schedule on a commercial dive vessel of 28 days on and 14 days off, full coverage of benefi ts including 401(k), health, dental, short- and long-term disability and life insurance, along with an extremely high compensation package that allows for a personal life off the vessel, it’s hard to imagine that I’ll ever fi nd the right yacht to work for.
I have talked with many captains and many of them are tired of fi ghting for dollars just to maintain the owner’s investment or for crew or even for themselves, as well as the tiresome struggle for time off that people in normal jobs get. These captains and engineers are willing to look at a commercial job just to have their lives back.
With all the international requirements that govern a vessel
and its operation, many owners don’t understand that this responsibility falls on the one who holds a license (either MCA or USCG) and the insurance companies. So many owners feel it is their decision how to govern the vessel, despite the fact that they have no formal training or a license to protect.
Prior to getting into the commercial fi eld eight months ago, a yacht owner presented me with a 10-page employment contract that stated, in essence, that his word was the only word on the vessel. This owner was unwilling to understand the higher authority that captains and crew must conform to: U.S. and international maritime law. One only has to look at the number of captains who have lost
their livelihoods due to an owner’s request. The owner gets a slap on the wrist, and it’s off to their next yacht.
This is not, however how they run their businesses. In reality, their captain is much the same as their business manager, except in the
business environment you don’t fi nd owners looking for the cheapest person to put in the helm of their company, but rather the most qualifi ed and experienced.
So to ask these questions regarding benefi ts is good, but why don’t we ask owners to support the industry that takes care of them? Most successful owners will tell you that having good people around you makes a successful work environment. So why are so few
yachts providing benefi ts? Why don’t they offer the highest compensation to their crews?
The industry has many qualifi ed people who work hard and it is diffi cult to understand why owners don’t provide quality compensation along with a rotation to allow for time off and a life.
Perhaps some standard should be set that would make that mandatory.
Of the captains and crew I have spoken to over the six years before getting out, many complained of poor compensation, long work hours, and little or no time off or even the opportunity to go home for a holiday.
I enjoy the work and articles that the Triton puts out monthly and feel that you now have a greater ability to infl uence the industry more than ever.
Capt. Robert P. Zavisza1600/3000 ITC Ocean Master
Yacht benefi ts can’t match those on commercial vessels
I was misquoted in the September 2007 issue of The Triton regarding the recent FYBA Charter Seminar and I would like to restate my comments for publication.
Gratuities are expected by crew but are not a mandatory cost to the charterer. Some crew feel that owners don’t pay enough and, therefore, such crew members consider gratuities part of the salary which thinking is incorrect.
Charter manager and charter brokers encourage crew placement agencies to be clear on this issue when speaking to both owners and prospective crew of charter yachts. Gratuity is a gift.
If a broker has received a gratuity in advance pending disbursement at the end of the charter period it is not the place of the charter manager to
disclose the amount to the captain; it is the business of the booking broker to handle as part of her relationship with the client.
Terry Hines
Fraser Yachts Worldwide
As we all know, the yachting industry continues to grow and expand, and over the years it has been moving north of Ft. Lauderdale and Broward County.
Palm Beach Yachts International located in West Palm Beach, Fla., would like to canvas the following question to
captains and crew alike who may live, be based on a yacht or frequent the northern Palm Beaches, Martin and St. Lucie counties and northward.
Do you think that crew training is needed or would you use such courses in the West Palm Beach area?
If yes, what courses exactly would you like to see offered in the area?
What other service would you benefi t from that is not presently in the West Palm Beach area?
Palm Beach Yachts offers yacht brokerage, charters, management and crew placement.
Please let captains and crew know they can reach me at [email protected] or toll free at 1-888-367-2739.
Donna MacPhail
Palm Beach Yachts
I enjoyed Belinda Tew’s piece in the September Triton [“When crewing wasn’t all about money,” page C1]. I wish placement agents could instill that sentiment in every prospective crew member that walks in their door.
Capt. Mark A. Howard
M/Y Huntress
Quote from seminar not quite thewhole story
Why are so few yachts providing benefi ts? Why don’t they offer the highest compensation to their crews?
WRITE TO BE HEARD
www.the-triton.com October 2007Section B
Is it a safety hazard?The ubiquitous radar,
belting out pulse after
pulse of radiation, has
some people worried,
but the World Health
Organization says not
to worry.B9
Tugs, cranes and a safe transportYacht Path International gets
high marks for diligence,
creativity and vessel care by
completing the arduous task of
transporting M/V Thunder from
Ft. Lauderdale to San Diego.
B2
Every card a winnerEven the lowly six
of clubs hits just
the right spot in a
Triton fund raiser
that donated all
proceeds to
Kids In Distress.
B11
It happens. Be it a big accident or a little accident, it happens. It is nothing new to our industry.
The history of accidents at sea transgresses to the first vessel that took to the water. Those familiar with the evolution of safety at sea since the industrial revolution know that the majority of rules and
regulations we have today are a direct result of accidents.
Unfortunately, most regulations are the result of a specific incident versus a proactive initiative. Blame it on human nature, but the old saying holds true: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
In theory, rules development lets us operate the most technically advanced and safest vessels on the water.
A terrible trend starting to become more common is the criminalization of accidents. It has really taken a strong drive by governments the past 10 years. The move appears to have begun in 1999 with the accident involving the oil tanker Erika. In that situation, the ship broke in two off the coast of Brittany, France, while carrying about 30,000 metric tons of heavy fuel oil.
Of that amount, about 19,800 tons were spilled. Immediately following the rescue of crew, the French government arrested the captain on criminal charges. It was only earlier this year, in 2007, that the owner, the captain, and classification society were taken to
Rules of the Road
Jake DesVergers
See RULES, page B18
Criminalizing accidents is a terrible trend
Capt. Bill McGrory is hands-on with the Maverick II project.
By Lucy Chabot Reed
Two 20-year-old Sterling megayachts were being refit in South Florida in September. But the similarities end there.
On Feb. 1, the 138-foot M/Y Maverick II, the former M/Y Ice Bear, tucked into Derecktor’s in Dania Beach for a quick eight-week safety upgrade. Six months later, she was finishing an ABS 5-year survey, a W4 on her engines, and some significant-but-forced-upon her cosmetic improvements.
The 147-foot M/Y Triumphant Lady pulled into Merrill Stevens in Miami last summer fully expecting an 18-month rebuild that had her gutted to the hull. Fourteen months into it, her crew can finally see outlines of the
new Lady.For Maverick II, project manager
Len Bilton of Savannah was hired to manage the job. Since Day 1, he has overseen an orchestra of subcontractors that, in the beginning, they didn’t know they would need.
For Triumphant Lady, Capt. Dale Smith represents the owner and works directly with the full-service yard’s staff and dedicated subs. It was his redesign of the aft decks that inspired the rebuild that began on July 18, 2006, and is still estimated to wrap up in mid-January 2008.
Maverick II
When she pulled into the yard in late winter this year, Maverick II’s new owner had a summer cruise in mind. But as these things so often happen,
one thing in the yard led to another and it would be eight months before she was ready for a sea trial and her future.
Built in 1988, the yacht needed some safety upgrades for its five-year ABS survey (estimated cost $700,000). What she got was an unexpected refit when several critical safety features were too hidden to inspect and upgrade easily. (Estimated cost now is about $4 million.)
A few scuppers had to be replaced, but ABS wanted all 19 inspected, and they weren’t easy to get to. In a few cases, bathtubs had to be removed. Since they couldn’t fit up the stairs, they were cut in half to get out. They were replaced with showers and all
A tale of two refits
Maverick II and Triumphant Lady get new life in South Florida
The work on the Triumphant Lady, overseen by Capt. Dale Smith, should wrap up in January. PHOTOS/LUCY CHABOT REED
See REFIT, page B15
B� October 2007 www.the-triton.com The Triton
After sitting at Sunrise Harbor Marina for 18 months trying to sell M/V Thunder, a 70-foot Delta expedition-style yacht, it came as no
surprise when the owner announced that it was time to get Thunder back to the Pacific coast, the environment she was designed for.
Since the submerge-emerge-and-haul-’em boys were booked for several months, I began shopping
the market to ship the yacht another way.
Neal Esterly of Fraser Yachts in San Diego has had repeat success with Yacht Path International of Palm Beach Gardens. Since Esterly was the new listing broker, Yacht Path became the point company for shipping Thunder to Easterly’s dock on Shelter Island.
The day before the scheduled lift of Thunder onto the mother ship’s deck, I phoned Dennis Cummings, one of Yacht Path’s three sibling owners.
“Hey Dennis,” I said. “I am surprised I have not heard from anyone within your organization as to Thunder’s statistics.”
“No worries,” he assured me. “We got it all from the broker.”
Uh-huh.“You know that Thunder weighs
118 tons in the slings,” I pointed out. I just wanted to be sure because other companies I had called before Yacht Path always seemed to care about that little bit of data.
“No, she doesn’t,” he said. “She’s 56
tons. The broker told me so.”That set the relationship off to
an interesting start between Yacht Path and me. I showed up dutifully to witness that first ship never being able to lift Thunder. I waited five more weeks for a bulk grain carrier named Antares to arrive from the Med. Her cranes were not able to lift Thunder either.
The Cummings family, determined to honor its contract to deliver Thunder to as near to San Diego as possible, came up with a unique solution. Two shore-side cranes were hired to lift Thunder about 50 feet. Two of Ft. Lauderdale’s largest tugs were hired to move Antares from her berth to a
Captain’s Call
DaviD Hare
See CALL, page B4
Hurdles? Sure. But Yacht Path cleared them all
The M/V Thunder, in mid-offload, supported by two cranes. PHOTOS/DAVID HAREKevin Cummings orchestrated the loading of Thunder flawlessly.
SERVICE REVIEW: Captain’s Call
B� October 2007 www.the-triton.com The Triton
position alongside the dock where the cranes had Thunder suspended in the air.
Then, very gently working in unison, the crane drivers lowered Thunder onto the deck of Antares. The six-hour, happily uneventful process was handled by Kevin Cummings, a man of the highest standards and work ethic of ultra precision. His orchestration of the loading of Thunder onto Antares was
flawless.Antares was off through the Panama
Canal with scheduled drop-off points in Golfito, Costa Rica; Manzanillo, Mexico, and Ensenada.
Unfortunately, there are no shore-side cranes in Ensenada that could handle Thunder, so we unloaded in Manzanillo. I assembled my team of Michael Holliday, a colorful San Diego captain/engineer, and Thunder’s Mate Brad Morford and we flew to Manzanillo to take Thunder up the Baja to San Diego.
Our stay in Manzanillo awaiting Antares was restful. The only marina available is at the Las Hadas hotel, famous for the filming of “10,” Bo Derrick’s bathing suit movie of yesteryear. Eerily, the hotel plays the movie 24/7 on one of the six channels in the room. This place is totally frozen in time.
Gabrielle Ramos is Yacht Path’s agent in Manzanillo. Her bilingual skills made working with the agency painless, but she is new to the game so other issues must sort themselves out in time. She phoned Saturday and said we would unload at 3 p.m. Sunday.
At 8:15 a.m. Sunday after the crew had breakfast and broke up to head in various directions for morning exercise routines, I got the call that Thunder was being launched and that we should head straight for the port.
After feverishly getting the hotel staff to start a grid search pattern for my crew, we rounded up the lads and headed excitedly for the port … only to stand around for five hours and then be told at 4 p.m. that the cranes would not be available. We were to return the next morning at 9.
OK. I can be patient and understanding. How about a tour of Antares’ engine room? The captain and chief engineer of Antares, both from the Philippines, were pleased that we were interested in their ship. The old girl has a BMW nine-cylinder engine with a piston throw of 1.9 meters. This is one tall engine.
The tour provided us with a lot of respect for what these guys have to tolerate in their work and living arrangements. We quietly thanked the White Boat Gods over dinner that night for our white boat universe.
After a good night’s sleep and the breakfast routine, my cell phone rang at 7:20 a.m. It was Oliver, Yacht Path’s British unloading engineer (also of the highest caliber) saying that the crane slings were in place, they were ahead of schedule and ready to launch, and where were we?
Again, we raced the 10 miles back to the port, only to find that a solenoid on
CALL, from page B2
See CALL, page B5
Antares’ chief engineer gives the white boat boys a tour of
the tall engine room. From left, Thunder’s Mate
Brad Morford, Capt./Eng.
Michael Holliday, and delivery Eng.
Joel Antoinette.PHOTO/DAVID HARE
Manzanillo: Fits, starts and a 24/7 showing of the film ‘10’
one of the cranes had burned out and a spare was being installed. By 10 a.m., Thunder was lifted off Antares and the same cycle was repeated as in Fort Lauderdale: two tugs held Antares off the dock while Thunder was gently dropped into the water between the dock and Antares – two crane drivers working in harmony.
No pressure here as I had to bring a very dead ship back to life in several minutes due to the tugs holding Antares off the dock. The crew and I had rehearsed the procedure several times verbally so within a couple of minutes, we had Thunder purring along in reverse to get out of the way of Antares redocking.
We headed to the port captain’s dock where we were given a safety clearance to head to San Diego. The next step was Las Hadas marina to load
1,000 gallons of diesel, our frozen mahi mahi and fresh goodies, and then our immigration and customs clearance. By 4 p.m. the day of the unloading, we were blissfully at sea.
The Yacht Path experience was multi-dimensional. The company’s entire team rose to each challenge. The Cummings family, including sister Colleen, was very accommodating and, in the end, Thunder was delivered to Manzanillo without any damage.
Seamless it was not. Cerebrally challenging, it was. But that’s exactly
how I like it.
Capt. David Hare bid farewell to M/V Thunder in August and has been in school getting certified as a dive master. He is interviewing deserving owners for his next adventure. Contact him at [email protected].
CALL, from page B4
Bottom line is a good one: Thunder arrives undamaged
I had to bring a very dead ship back to life in several minutes due to the tugs holding Antares off the dock. The crew and I had rehearsed the procedure several times verbally so within a couple of minutes, we had Thunder purring along in reverse.
SERVICE REVIEW: Captain’s Call
The Triton www.the-triton.com October 2007 B�
Prices for low-sulfur gasoil expressed in US$ per cubic meter (1,000 liters) as of Sept. 15.
Region Duty-free*/dutypaidU.S.EastCoast
Ft.Lauderdale 628/641Savannah,Ga. 623/NANewport,R.I. 688/NA
CaribbeanSt.Thomas,USVI 765/NASt.Maarten 702/NAAntigua 746/NA
NorthAtlanticBermuda(St.George’s) 853/NACapeVerde 612/NAAzores 628/1,190CanaryIslands 621/765
MediterraneanGibraltar 611/NABarcelona,Spain 710/1,298PalmadeMallorca,Spain NA/1,328Antibes,France 707/1,536SanRemo,Italy 809/1,663Naples,Italy 784/1,614Venice,Italy 768/1,527Corfu,Greece 700/1,485Piraeus,Greece 660/1,408Istanbul,Turkey 666/NAMalta 626/NABizerte,Tunisia 632/NATunis,Tunisia 628/NA
OceaniaAuckland,NewZealand 677/NASydney,Australia 694/NAFiji 686/NA
*When available according to customs.
Today’s fuel prices One year agoPrices for low-sulfur gasoil expressed in US$ per cubic meter (1,000 liters) as of Sept. 11, 2006
Region Duty-free*/dutypaidU.S.EastCoast
Ft.Lauderdale 569/608Savannah,Ga. 535/NANewport,R.I. 605/NA
CaribbeanSt.Thomas,USVI 794/NASt.Maarten 761/NAAntigua 701/NA
NorthAtlanticBermuda(St.George’s) 845/NACapeVerde NA/NAAzores 653/NACanaryIslands 581/712
MediterraneanGibraltar 576/NABarcelona,Spain 542/1,301PalmadeMallorca,Spain NA/1,274Antibes,France 628/1,383SanRemo,Italy 715/1,593Naples,Italy 610/1,588Venice,Italy 715/1,591Corfu,Greece 880/1,365Piraeus,Greece 781/1,250Istanbul,Turkey 582/1,381Malta 567/NATunis,Tunisia 580/NA
OceaniaAuckland,NewZealand 640/NASydney,Australia 656/NAFiji 695/NA
*When available according to customs.
position alongside the dock where the cranes had Thunder suspended in the air.
Then, very gently working in unison, the crane drivers lowered Thunder onto the deck of Antares. The six-hour, happily uneventful process was handled by Kevin Cummings, a man of the highest standards and work ethic of ultra precision. His orchestration of the loading of Thunder onto Antares was
flawless.Antares was off through the Panama
Canal with scheduled drop-off points in Golfito, Costa Rica; Manzanillo, Mexico, and Ensenada.
Unfortunately, there are no shore-side cranes in Ensenada that could handle Thunder, so we unloaded in Manzanillo. I assembled my team of Michael Holliday, a colorful San Diego captain/engineer, and Thunder’s Mate Brad Morford and we flew to Manzanillo to take Thunder up the Baja to San Diego.
Our stay in Manzanillo awaiting Antares was restful. The only marina available is at the Las Hadas hotel, famous for the filming of “10,” Bo Derrick’s bathing suit movie of yesteryear. Eerily, the hotel plays the movie 24/7 on one of the six channels in the room. This place is totally frozen in time.
Gabrielle Ramos is Yacht Path’s agent in Manzanillo. Her bilingual skills made working with the agency painless, but she is new to the game so other issues must sort themselves out in time. She phoned Saturday and said we would unload at 3 p.m. Sunday.
At 8:15 a.m. Sunday after the crew had breakfast and broke up to head in various directions for morning exercise routines, I got the call that Thunder was being launched and that we should head straight for the port.
After feverishly getting the hotel staff to start a grid search pattern for my crew, we rounded up the lads and headed excitedly for the port … only to stand around for five hours and then be told at 4 p.m. that the cranes would not be available. We were to return the next morning at 9.
OK. I can be patient and understanding. How about a tour of Antares’ engine room? The captain and chief engineer of Antares, both from the Philippines, were pleased that we were interested in their ship. The old girl has a BMW nine-cylinder engine with a piston throw of 1.9 meters. This is one tall engine.
The tour provided us with a lot of respect for what these guys have to tolerate in their work and living arrangements. We quietly thanked the White Boat Gods over dinner that night for our white boat universe.
After a good night’s sleep and the breakfast routine, my cell phone rang at 7:20 a.m. It was Oliver, Yacht Path’s British unloading engineer (also of the highest caliber) saying that the crane slings were in place, they were ahead of schedule and ready to launch, and where were we?
Again, we raced the 10 miles back to the port, only to find that a solenoid on
CALL, from page B2
See CALL, page B5
Antares’ chief engineer gives the white boat boys a tour of
the tall engine room. From left, Thunder’s Mate
Brad Morford, Capt./Eng.
Michael Holliday, and delivery Eng.
Joel Antoinette.PHOTO/DAVID HARE
Manzanillo: Fits, starts and a 24/7 showing of the film ‘10’
one of the cranes had burned out and a spare was being installed. By 10 a.m., Thunder was lifted off Antares and the same cycle was repeated as in Fort Lauderdale: two tugs held Antares off the dock while Thunder was gently dropped into the water between the dock and Antares – two crane drivers working in harmony.
No pressure here as I had to bring a very dead ship back to life in several minutes due to the tugs holding Antares off the dock. The crew and I had rehearsed the procedure several times verbally so within a couple of minutes, we had Thunder purring along in reverse to get out of the way of Antares redocking.
We headed to the port captain’s dock where we were given a safety clearance to head to San Diego. The next step was Las Hadas marina to load
1,000 gallons of diesel, our frozen mahi mahi and fresh goodies, and then our immigration and customs clearance. By 4 p.m. the day of the unloading, we were blissfully at sea.
The Yacht Path experience was multi-dimensional. The company’s entire team rose to each challenge. The Cummings family, including sister Colleen, was very accommodating and, in the end, Thunder was delivered to Manzanillo without any damage.
Seamless it was not. Cerebrally challenging, it was. But that’s exactly
how I like it.
Capt. David Hare bid farewell to M/V Thunder in August and has been in school getting certified as a dive master. He is interviewing deserving owners for his next adventure. Contact him at [email protected].
CALL, from page B4
Bottom line is a good one: Thunder arrives undamaged
I had to bring a very dead ship back to life in several minutes due to the tugs holding Antares off the dock. The crew and I had rehearsed the procedure several times verbally so within a couple of minutes, we had Thunder purring along in reverse.
SERVICE REVIEW: Captain’s Call
Sea Wolf MarineSteve [email protected], marine
DuPont Marine
FinishesThomas [email protected]
Paint Manufacturers
Sea HawkWesley [email protected] Manufacturers
EuropeWestern MediterraneanAntibes
NauticExpoEva de Braal+33-01 91 03 80 90
[email protected] or Media
PalmaArcos Marine0034 671 152 612
[email protected] or Networks
North AmericaColonial SouthNorfolkTides Inn MarinaGordon Slatford1-804-438-4418
SavannahBeard Marine
SavannahJesse Russell1-912-356-5222
[email protected] Conditioning
East Coast FloridaFt. LauderdaleAlliance Marine
Risk ManagersDavid Allen+1 [email protected]
Accounting & Business
ConsultantsCrystal Wong+1 (954) [email protected] Services
Tides Marine Inc.Dennis Cox954-420-0949 Ext 221
[email protected] and Propulsion
ABS Americas
DivisionMichael Monahan+1 [email protected]
Consultants
Marine RealtyKit [email protected] Estate
Saxton Yacht
DocumentationJan [email protected] Documentation
A & J Diving
ServicesAmy and John +1 [email protected] Services
YachtFlooring.
com, Inc.Adis Magodic1-561-809-6203
Atlantic Marine
Power SystemsMike Koller Engine [email protected] - repair and maintenance
Port Royale Yacht
HarborRon [email protected]
Systems Group
ConsultingLarry [email protected]
Computers or Networks
Capitol Marine
IndustriesRonald Hoogesteyn1-954-764-4220
capitolmarineindustries.comronald@capitolmarineindustries.comFuel Polishing
MiamiGlobal RelogisticsDenise Riley001-305-945-0215
[email protected] Transport
West Palm BeachBeard Marine of
the Palm BeachesJoe Rosenberg1-561-881-9598
[email protected] Conditioning
Gulf of MexicoClearwater/St.PeteAccon Marine Inc.Erica Czipri+1 [email protected] Hardware
NortheastNewportAB MarineGeoff Prior+1 401-847-7960
[email protected] and Propulsion
West Coast USASan Diego
Ocean Front Vacation Rental Mission Beach San
DiegoJef Karchin1-858-484-4881
New listings in the last month on The Captain’s Mate. Are you listed? www.thecaptainsmate.com
New Listings... www.thecaptainsmate.com
Visiting a new port?
Can’t find the serviceyou need?
Visit The Captain’s Mate,The Triton’s new online
resource directory of business and ports
around the world.
Created by the news leaders you trust; populated by fellow captains and crew.
Check it out today:www.thecaptainsmate.com
please visit www.thecaptainsmate.com for the complete list.
Crew Accommodations Accessories (3)Air Conditioning (12)Aircraft (all) (5)Alarm and Fire Systems (2)Anchors and chains (2)Apparel (3)Art (1)Barbecue Grills (1)Bars and Pubs (4)Bells and Accessories (1)Bilge Cleaners (3)Books and Charts (5)Brokerage (32)Canvas and Upholstery (18)Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning (17)Carpeting (1)Catering (5)Chandlery (6)chiropractic services (1)Clothing (2)Computers or Networks (6)Consultants (10)Crew Accommodations (11)Crew Agencies (33)
Crew Documentation (2)Crew Insurance (8)Crew Training (514)Davits and Cranes (2)Deck Hardware (2)Designers (4)Destinations (1)Detailing (6)Diving Services (5)Dockominiums (4)Docks and Equipment (1)Electrical sales and service (21)Electronics sales and service (9)Engine - repair and maintenance (13)Engine Protection Systems (1)Engine Sales (3)Engine Surveyor (2)Engineering (7)Entertainment Systems (3)Exhaust Systems (2)Fenders and accessories (3)Financial Services (8)Fire Safety (2)Florist (3)Freight Forwarding (1)
Fuel (1)Fuel Bunkering (4)Fuel docks (26)Fuel Polishing (1)Fuel Suppliers (2)Fuel Systems (5)Fun Things To Do (16)Furniture (1)Generator Manufacturers (2)Generator Sales and Repair (4)Generators - repair and maintenance (8)Glass/Window repair (1)Hardware (1)Heat Exchangers (1)Hydraulic System Repair (2)Ice Makers Sales and Service (1)Insurance (12)Interior Designs (4)Interiors (1)Internet Services (4)Jewelery (2)Laundry/Dry Cleaners (1)Lawyers (6)Lighting (2)
Liquor and Wine Supplier (2)Marina and Brokerage Services (1)Marinas (506)Marine Safety Equipment/Liferafts (2)Marketing (1)Marketing and Promotion (14)Massage Therapy (2)Medical (3)Medical Evacuation (3)Medical Kits (3)Monitoring Systems (3)Noise and Vibration Control (1)Oil Spill Containment (1)Paint Contractors (3)Paint Manufacturers (10)Parts Used (3)Pest Control (1)Photography (6)Project Management (1)Propeller and Propulsion (8)Provisioning (16)Publications or Media (4)Pumps and Parts (1)Real Estate (7)Refrigeration (6)
Regulatory Compliance (4)Repair and Maintenance (18)Restaurants (3)Rigging (1)Safety Equipment (2)Satellite Communication (10)Schools (3)SCUBA shops and equipment (5)Security Services and Systems (21)Shipyards (43)Shore Power Systems (2)Sign Supplier (4)Spares and Suppliers (1)Stabilizers/Bow Thrusters (2)Stainless Steel Components (2)Storage (1)Supplies New or Used (3)Surf Shops (1)Surveyors (9)System Integrators (2)Teak Lumber and Decking (3)Tenders or Inflatables (14)Tools (1)Towing, marine (8)Translators (1)
Travel Services (11)Trim Tabs (1)Underwater Lights (1)Uniforms (4)Varnishing/Bright Work (1)Video and Film Services (2)Waste Water Treatment (1)Watermakers Service (6)Watersports (1)Weather (1)Welding Shops (2)Windlass (1)Window tint (1)Wood Working (6)Yacht Agencies (78)Yacht Builders (2)Yacht Charters (12)Yacht Clothing (4)Yacht Documentation (2)Yacht Management (12)Yacht Painting and Repair (3)Yacht Refit (8)Yacht Repair (5)Yacht Spares (15)Yacht Transport (4)
Visit The Captains Mate online to find companies in these Categories
AtlanticEasternCape MaySouth Jersey MarinaMark [email protected]
CaribbeanEastern CaribbeanRoad TownVillage Cay Marina & HotelPaul Carrell+1 [email protected]
St. ThomasCrown Bay MarinaCarole Dudley+1 340-774-2255crownbay.com/[email protected]
Centeral AmericaWest Coast Central AmericaQueposMarina Pez VelaGlen Mumford1-772-342-1240marinapezvela.com/English/home/[email protected]
Eastern AtlanticCaribbeanProvodentialesTurtle Cove MarinaCarole Klinko
North AmericaBahamasAbacosTreasure Cay Hotel
Resort & MarinaMike Sawer+1 242 365 [email protected]
ExumasSampson Cay ClubHannah McLellan242-355-2034sampsoncayclub.comdockmaster@wottonswharf.com
West EndOld Bahama Bay at
Ginn sur MerPeter Watson+1 [email protected]
Colonial SouthBeaufort_NCMorehead City Yacht Basin Dwayne+1 252-726-6862
CharlestonThe Harborage at
Ashley MarinaDaes Manning843.722.1996ashleymarina.com
Charleston City
MarinaDavid Rogers+1 [email protected]
NorfolkMarina WatersideIan Lassalle757-625-DOCK (3625)[email protected]
Tides Inn MarinaGordon Slatford1-804-438-4418tidesinn.com/[email protected]
East Coast FloridaFt PierceRichard Graves @
AssociatesRichard Graves+1 [email protected]
Ft. LauderdaleThe Boathouse of
Fort LauderdalePamela [email protected]
Port Royale Yacht HarborRon Marrone1-954-494-9942
Waterways Marina
ResortBarry Armband+1 305 935 4295waterwaysmarina.combarry.armband@
loggerheadclubandmarina.com
Harbour Towne
MarinaJohn Pirovano+1 [email protected]
Hall of Fame [email protected]
Sunrise Harbor
MarinaDave Culver+1 [email protected]
JacksonvilleOrtega LandingKris Schmid904-387-5538
Palm CoastHammock Beach
Resort-GinnNeil Kaczmarek386-597-5030hammockbeach.comharbormaster@hammockbeach.com
Sebastian InletSebastian Inlet
Marina @ Hiram’s
Colleen [email protected]
West Palm BeachOld Port Cove
MarinaSue Morgan+1 [email protected]
Gulf of MexicoOrange Beach, ALThe Marina at The
WharfCapt Randy [email protected]
TampaWestshore Yacht
ClubCharlie McEntee1-813-805-6871westshoreyachtclub.comcharlesmcentee@wcicommunities.com
West Coast Canada and AlaskaKodiak IslandPort of KodiakMartin Owen+1 907-486-8080
West Coast USA
San FranciscoPier 38Carl Ernst
+1 415 975 [email protected]
SeattleBell Harbor MarinaLaurie Lohrer+1 [email protected]
Fisherman’s
TerminalTerminal Office+1 206 728 3395
Elliott Bay MarinaDoug Hicks+1 [email protected]
Western CaribbeanColonShelter Bay MarinaBruce Winship011 507 433 [email protected]
OceaniaAustraliaAucklandViaduct Harbour
MarinaRachel Douglas+1 [email protected]
Marinas
B� October 2007 www.the-triton.com The Triton
BFA Marine has identified some failures of overpressurization valves on leisure life rafts (Models: Atlantic, Pacific, Baltic and BFA/XM Offshore) manufactured between 1997-2006. If both valves of the two independent compartments would happen to fail simultaneously, the life raft will sink.
“It is imperative that owners of the identified BFA leisure life rafts immediately return their rafts to the nearest BFA-approved service station in order for the overpressurization valves to be inspected and potentially replaced,” the company announced in a statement.
For more information, visit www.bfa-marine.com.
Linkscape expands VSAT
Linkscape, a VSAT satellite internet provider exclusive to the maritime market, has added a new spot beam to its Typhoon Ku Band VSAT service that provides the most robust satellite coverage of the Caribbean available.
The coverage centers on the Windward and Leeward islands, providing a 52.6dB EIRP signal strength over the entire island chain including Sint Maarten. Complete coverage extends from the center of the Gulf of Mexico to more than 400 miles east of Barbados into the Atlantic. For more information, visit www.linkscape.net.
Mackay offers KVH’s TracPhone V7
KVH Industries announced in September that Mackay Communications will begin offering the new KVH TracPhone V7 with mini-VSAT Broadband service as its exclusive maritime VSAT (very small aperture terminal) solution.
The service uses spread spectrum technology to offer data reception rates as fast as 2 Mbps and transmission rates as fast as 512 Kbps via the 24-inch
KVH TracPhone V7. The first fully integrated maritime
VSAT system, the TracPhone V7 combines innovative and revolutionary technology, including rugged, fully stabilized antenna technology from KVH Industries, SES AMERICOM’s powerful satellite network, and groundbreaking spread spectrum technology from ViaSat.
Radio Holland in refit
Deep Ocean Expeditions provides the scientific community platforms for research expeditions world-wide. M/V Alucia is the smallest of DOE’s
three research vessels and is undergoing a major refit in Seattle.
The 183-foot Alucia was built as a heavy lift ship and launch/
recovery platform for diving and submersible operations. She is one of four submersibles in the world capable of diving 1,000 meters.
The vessel will be commissioned later this year and will begin a series of Pacific expeditions, the first of which is with the Discovery Channel to film live footage of the Humboldt squid.
Floating pump-out station created
Maine-based Harbor Technologies, a provider of composite solutions, has used a Clean Vessel Act grant to create a portable, floating marine pump-out station from composite materials. The station is high capacity and costs less than traditional fixed facilities, which will enable more marinas to add what has been a scarce resource for boaters.
For more information, call 207-725-4878, or visit www.harbortech.us.
BFA Marine recalls life raftsTECHNOLOGY BRIEFS
The Triton www.the-triton.com October 2007 B�
By Joe Newman
Catherine Topel thinks about it every time she’s sitting in a marina and someone pulls in with their radar on.
You can’t see it, feel it or hear it but that radar is emitting pulses of radiation. Topel, who with her husband crews the 80-foot M/Y Cabaret, can’t help but wonder if she and everyone else in the close quarters of the marina should worry.
“There are just a lot of unanswered questions,” said Topel, who would like to see boaters observe the courtesy of turning their radar off when entering a marina. “Why take a risk?”
For Topel, the concern is with the electromagnetic fields, also known as EMFs. Over the years, there have been plenty of questions about the potential health hazards of EMFs, which are emitted from everything from power lines and radio towers to household electrical appliances and cell phones.
But despite years of research there is still no scientific consensus on how much exposure to EMFs is too much and whether continuous exposure can lead to illnesses such as cancer, damage to reproductive organs and cataracts.
A report by the World Health Organization says that under normal conditions, the EMFs from marine radar would fall well below the exposure standards for human safety.
The WHO report says that radar systems inherently pose less risk than other EMF sources because they send electromagnetic waves in pulses, rather than continuously. Also, radar transmitters rotate and often
change their elevation, thus constantly changing direction of the beam.
Still, Ed Rowe, a marine surveyor for 25 years, says Topel is hardly alone in her fears. Often times, he’ll be on a yacht conducting a survey and people will get antsy when he turns the radar on to check it.
“I hear from a number of people who think that it’s bad,” said Rowe, who owns Ed Rowe & Associates in Vero Beach, Fla. “It’s surprising the number of times over the years that people say to me, ‘Do you have to have that on?’ ”
They don’t like the idea of the signal going through them, Rowe said.
While the type of radiation that comes from radar doesn’t penetrate the body, it can heat the skin and eyes, specifically the cornea. There’s also concern heat from a radar transmission could ignite flammable gases.
Those concerns are unfounded, said Peter F. Prowant, sales and technical manager for Furuno, one of the leading sellers of marine radar.
“The pulses are in a such a short duration – there’s not really that much power that’s being transmitted,” Prowant said. “I know of no incidences of anyone who has been harmed by radar.”
The technology behind radar has changed little since it was developed in the 1930s. A transmitter sends out electromagnetic pulses that travel in a beam until they hit an object and bounce back toward the transmitter.
When that pulse returns, it can reveal the distance, speed and even shape of the object it bounced from.
The only real upgrade in technology
over the years has been in the display screens, Prowant said.
The irony is that radar on private vessels has probably saved far more lives than it has harmed, he said.
But the question of whether radar should be turned off when entering or leaving port isn’t always simple. Some vessels turn their radar on before they leave the dock because the equipment needs time to stabilize. Other vessels that do quick turnarounds, such as tugboats, might leave their radar on continuously.
While some commercial ports have rules about radar, most marinas do not. They just rely on the accepted custom among captains to turn it off when it’s not needed.
“There’s nothing in writing. It’s just more or less a courtesy thing,” said Wes Mitchell, dockmaster at Lighthouse Point Marina. “Most captains are aware of it.”
Probably eight out of every 10 boats coming in have it off, Mitchell said.
“There’s just a few of them that forget,” he said.
Though Mitchell doesn’t know whether he should be concerned about the health hazards of radar emissions, he says there’s a simple way to deal with the unknown.
“It’s just one of those things that you don’t have to worry about if it’s off.”
Joe Newman is a freelance writer in South Florida. Contact him through [email protected].
Is that radar turned off?Although some people have health and safety concerns, the the World Health Organization says EMF exposure falls well below the standards set for human safety.
FEATURE: Radar safety
FILE PHOTO
The Triton www.the-triton.com October 2007 B11
The Triton’s first-ever Poker Run attracted about 55 riders in and on everything from classic Harley Davidsons to a golf cart. The ride was fun and for a good cause, raising more than $1,300 for Kids in Distress, a South Florida charity for abused and neglected children.
The Poker Run was the brainchild of Louise Dutton of Yacht Productions, who awarded prizes to the best and worst poker hands.
Prize winners were Capt. Paul “Whale” Weakley; Neil Rooney, most recently of Buccaneer Beach Bar in St. Maarten; Darryl Matfin of High Seas Technology; and deckhand Pat Block of M/Y Triumphant Lady. Prizes were
provided by Global Marine Travel, MTN, Megafend, MHG Marine Benefits, and Bluewater Books & Charts.
It might be a coincidence that two of the winners – Whale and Neil – were also two of the biggest supports of the ride, personally inviting dozens of riders to join in. Or it could be that Whale bought 20 hands (at $5 a piece) and Neil bought 10. What goes around comes around, as they say.
These fun photos were taken and shared by a whole bunch of people. Special thanks to Capt. Tom Serio, Chef Ken Johnson, Stephen Reed (my father-in-law), Tom Taylor of Northrop and Johnson, and Gail Vanstone of
Global Yacht Fuel. For lots more photos, visit www.the-triton.com.
And thank you to everyone who attended and helped us raise money for this great cause. Kids in Distress received 100 percent of the proceeds from the poker run and the party at the end of the ride, which attracted about 300 folks for our First-Wednesday-of-the-Month networking event. Sponsors and exhibiting businesses provided food, drinks, music and prizes.
We’re trading motorcycles for bicycles Dec. 2 for a 100-mile ride up South Florida’s coastline to raise more money for Kids in Distress. To join Team Triton, call David at 954-525-0029.
– Lucy Chabot Reed
Eng. Sidney Pike, known to many as “Last Season Sid,” shows off his first card at the start of the poker run. Here’s hoping he drew better later on. PHOTOS/TOM SERIO
Capt. Butch Vogelsang of the M/Y Charisma shows off his ride, a signed and numbered Harley.
Capt. Adam Lambert of M/Y Morgan Star, draws at stop No. 2, Global Yacht Fuel.
Capt. Paul “Whale” Weakley took his old BMW bike out for a spin with Jennifer Pett, office manager with Redline Marine.
The crew from M/Y Triumphant
Lady: From left, First Officer Claus Koch,
Capt. Dale Smith, deckhand Pat
Block (who was dealt three 7s)
and Ch. Eng. Gordon Brown.
Raising money for Kids In DistressNETWORKING: Poker run, trade show
B1� October 2007 www.the-triton.com The Triton
By Capt Tom Serio
Old Port Cove Marina in Palm Beach is undergoing a reinvention, which is more than just a rebuild. And by the enthusiasm brimming from Mark Lavery, vice president of Old Port Cove Holdings, it’s sure to be a hit with captains and owners alike.
Old Port Cove has two dock areas – a north and a south section – situated along the Intracoastal Waterway. Needless to say, they took some punishment from Hurricane Wilma two years ago.
Since then, Old Port Cove Holdings – which also owns New Port Cove Marine Center, and North Palm Beach Marina, both in Palm Beach County – has seen the need to not just rebuild, but to evolve the business by catering to more megayachts and using its other marinas for smaller vessels.
It began by rebuilding the docks at the north marina to a “better condition” than what was there. This is all part of the vision to enhance and upgrade all of their properties, one at a time. Lavery is excited at the vision. It’s the biggest thing he’s seen in his 33 years at the marina.
Old Port Cove’s new north marina will accommodate yachts up to 190 feet. The smaller boats that have been displaced have been offered berths at New Port Cove Marine Center, which has lift service, dry storage and wet slips.
Old Port Cove’s new docks at the north marina are being built with added features, including upgraded electrical service, fire fighting system, pump-outs at every slip, marina-wide wi-fi, cable, telephone and new lighting. Add in the fact that these will be new floating docks (no more fixed docks), and it’s a sort of field of dreams.
“Build it and they will come,” Lavery said.
It’s the docks themselves that Lavery is proud to show off. The main dock is comprised of fully framed floating sections that offer ample flotation contained within the framing. The framing itself gives each section weight to help maintain stability. Topping the sections is hard-wood decking that gives better footing, especially when wet.
The decking is tied to aluminum framing on top of the floating sections, which supports all of the lines and hoses for the docks. The aluminum framing has built-in tracks along
the edge (double tracks on the main docks, single tracks elsewhere) where cleats and bollards are secured. If necessary, the cleats or bollards can be repositioned in the tracks with the loosening of the set bolts, allowing greater flexibility for tying up. For megayachts, if a single cleat is not enough, put in two cleats side by side.
The new docks also have wave-attenuating panels. Protruding downward about 6 feet along the floating dock sections, these panels prevent waves from getting underneath the docks. As evident the day I visited, the light chop fetching from the south on the ICW was not present on the opposite side of the dock.
“The docks should withstand 95 mph winds and 3-foot waves,” Lavery said.
This docking system is one of the many types offered by Technomarine Manufacturing of Quebec.
Securing the main docks in place are huge, 24-inch diameter by 60-foot-long steel anchor pilings.
“We’ve got to drive them down very deep to keep the docks in place,” Lavery said.
Add in modular pieces, such as
individual rubber bumpers for the pilings (“Roller assemblies don’t have any give at all,” Lavery said) and plastic rub blocks (“They’re easier to replace then the frame or decking,” he said), and wear-and-tear is easier to manage.
Noticeable during the construction as Lavery walked down the main dock was the slight list to the right.
“Technomarine actually builds them with the list, so when the electrical towers are installed along the left
side, the dock will then be even,” he explained. “These guys have a well designed and engineered system.”
Well designed and very stable, with virtually no rocking as he walked the planks.
Lavery has several megayachts contracted for space and about a third of the slips already leased.
“With only one bridge with 65-foot clearance between us and Palm Beach Inlet and at least 8-foot depth, we can offer all the amenities to captains, crew and owners,” he said.
With an opening scheduled for this fall, Lavery won’t get much time to relax. Plans are in the works to upgrade the south dock to help make Old Port Cove Marina a new destination amongst the Palm Beach marinas.
By day, Capt. Tom Serio is a director of disaster management for a major retailer in South Florida. By weekend, he is a licensed skipper, lover of boats, and a freelance writer and photographer for The Triton. Contact him through [email protected].
Major transformation in progress at Palm Beach’s Old Port Cove Marina
If these 24-inch diameter, 60-foot-long steel anchor pilings were protecting your dock, you’d love them as much as Mark Lavery does.
A look out at the dock and wave attenuators. PHOTOS/CAPT. TOM SERIO
Side-by-side cleats should make things easier for megayachts.
MARINAS / YARDS: Old Port Cove
B1� October 2007 www.the-triton.com The Triton
Merrill-Stevens opened a new brokerage office in Mexico City in September, which will be headed by Jose Araña Sr. and Jose Araña Jr.
“Mexico City is a center for Central American wealth,” said Whit Kirtland, president of Merrill-Stevens Yachts. “It reflects our interest in reaching one of the international markets we have targeted for development.”
In addition to its Miami River shipyard, Merrill-Stevens has offices in Ft. Lauderdale, Mallorca, San Diego and Singapore.
Schneider joins Bradford Marine
Bradford Marine hired Wayne R. Schneider over the summer as a project manager. Before relocating to South Florida 25 years ago, Schneider worked at Bethlehem Steel in Maryland where he started as an apprentice and was promoted through the ranks to department head. He gained experience with management positions at Denison Marine, Tracor Marine, and Merrill Stevens.
First Baltic megayacht marina a go
MPDI, the Marina Planning and Development International Corp.
founded by Andreas Prey, Capt. Alexander Proch and Carlos Goetsch, is set to develop the first megayacht marina in the Baltic, in the Bay of Kiel (Germany) at the exit of the Kiel Canal.
The marina is expected to have dockage for 80 yachts from 82 to 500 feet (25 to 150 meters). The new marina is scheduled to open by 2011.
With a building cost of about 130 million euros, the marina will include a five-star hotel with conference center, and restaurants, bars, cafes, and shops on a promenade to attract the public.
The marina will have a berth available for vessels specializing in the direct transport of megayachts from the Caribbean or Mediterranean to the Baltic Sea.
The Baltic Bay Marina Kiel will also provide repair services and refitting as well as new yacht construction in cooperation with the shipyard industries of Kiel and its surrounding area such as Thysen Krupp Marine Systems, HDW, Lurssen, and other companies in the maritime industry.
For more information, visit www.mpdi.de or www.marina.planning&development.com, or e-mail [email protected].
By Carol M. Bareuther
The Marina at Marigot Bay is one of the newest megayacht ports in the Caribbean. Now, this St. Lucia-based facility that is part of the Discovery Hotel has added the region’s first solar-powered ferry.
Marina Manager Bob Hathaway and Discovery Resort owner Judith Verity talked about a sun-fueled ferry in November 2004. That meeting led to a couple of months’ research that turned up no suitable boat to buy that would embody what the duo wanted.
So the decision was made to build the boat in Marigot Bay. To this end, Hathaway, a naval architect, enlisted the help of a local electrical engineer and local furniture maker, who added the skills associated with epoxy saturation techniques to his repertoire.
The roof of the 12-foot, 15-passenger Sunshine Express is covered with photovoltaic cells. These panels provide a theoretical maximum output of 1,600 watts, or about a quarter of the power needed to run the vessel at full speed. The normal cruising speed of 5 knots uses 40 percent (3,000 watts) of the maximum power.
The very nature of a ferry service means that even when operating continuously, the vessel is stationary long enough to load and offload passengers. This means that the solar panels generate, on a clear day, enough power for continuous operation.
“In practice, we have found that
the panels generate more power than specified and the boat actually functions continuously even on fairly cloudy days,” said Discovery Communication Director Molly McDaniel. “However, to deal with cloudy or rainy days, the boat can be plugged in to shore power overnight to top off the batteries. This has hardly been necessary.”
The solar ferry fits into the marina’s pro-environment game plan. For the 2008 season, on-berth sewage pump out for all berths will be available, with resulting waste treated in the hotel’s four-stage sewage treatment system. All berths have single- and three-phase power at 50 and 60 Hz, eliminating generator exhaust pollution of the bay.
While one solar-powered ferry is all Discovery needs to shuttle guests to the beach and numerous local bars and restaurants around the bay, Hathaway is in talks with the local St. Lucian public ferry operator in hopes of persuading him to buy into the long-term cost benefits of a sun-driven ferry. A potential market exists in St. Lucia, such as at Rodney Bay and in Castries.
In addition, solar ferries may be the wave of the future in the wider Caribbean such as Simpson Bay Lagoon in Sint Maarten and Falmouth Harbor in Antigua. As yet, however, no further ferries have been constructed.
Carol Bareuther is a freelance writer living in St. Thomas. Contact her through [email protected].
Merrill-Stevens in Mexico City
Solar-powered ferry in Caribbean
MARINAS / YARDS
The Triton www.the-triton.com October 2007 B1�
new marble tiles.“The heads weren’t going to be
touched, but we really didn’t have a choice,” Bilton said.
To gain access to a fuel tank, a head needed to be removed. Once removed, it was replaced. Once one head was replaced …
Bilton spent 20 years in the British Royal Navy before joining yachting 13 years ago.
“I came into yachting and did an about-face,” he said, pausing from the daily paperwork to offer a tour. “In the Royal Navy, you are concerned with fight, float and move. In yachting, it’s the A/C, entertainment systems and the toys.”
Still, he was a bit surprised when workers, intending to simply clean and service the air conditioning system, discovered there were no panels to access the handlers. Bilton’s voice lost its humor when he recounted the condition of 19-year-old air conditioning components that have never been cleaned. All the handlers now have access panels.
Bilton was chief engineer on M/V Golden Shadow and helped with the build M/Y Phoenix and rebuild of the 46m Feadship M/Y Sea Kingdom (now Charisma). His tour of the engine room was quick, noting that the engines got their W4 inspection, the generators were overhauled, the watermaker rebuilt, the main electrical switchboard rebuilt, the hot water tank repaired, and firefighting equipment overhauled.
Outside, the upper deck was extended for more leisure space and a dining area. On the sun deck, the old hydraulic crane was replaced with a heavier, electric one and batteries, introducing serious structural concerns. Four-inch beams were replaced with 8-inch beams.
One thing that won’t change, at least for now, are the old-fashioned pulleys on the sliding aft doors.
“As an engineer, I’ve spent countless hours repairing electric doors,” Bilton said. “With no motors, it works every time. This is the door for me.”
Maverick II will keep her original teak on the sun deck and her original
REFIT, from page B1
See REFIT, page B16
The new, heavier crane behind Len Bilton necessitated a structural upgrade: 4-inch beams were replaced with 8-inch beams. PHOTO/LUCY CHABOT REED
Oh, the state of that A/C unit ...
FROM THE TECH FRONT: Sterling refits
B16 October 2007 www.the-triton.com The Triton FROM THE TECH FRONT: Sterling refits
Kahlenberg horn assembly, but the mast has been reconstructed to hold the additional radar and other communications equipment.
Every vertical surface was re-veneered, which made overhead panels look old. Those were replaced, too.
New carpet in the salon turned into new carpet in the study, up the stairs and into the master suite.
“This wasn’t going to be touched,” Bilton said throughout the tour, “but…”
A day head was added and the yacht got new blinds throughout. The stew galley on the main deck has new countertops and sink.
“It just goes on and on,” he said.Chief Stewardess Jennifer Santino
doesn’t mind too much. On her second boat in her nearly three-year career, she said the yard period has been good training for her. Still, she’s looking forward to the cruising.
After the sea trial in early September, the yacht was headed to the Bahamas for a shake-down cruise, then to the Azores, over to Gibraltar and Malta, through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea to Egypt, the Maldives, Sri Lanka and to Thailand by Christmas. The yacht and her seven-member crew will spend the winter in Southeast Asia.
Capt. Bill McGrory will take her there. A sailor for most of his 20 years in yachting, he joined the boat in her final stressful months. With about a month left to go, he was – like all the crew – getting things finished.
A 52-inch television now sits where the fireplace was in the main salon. The fireplace remains in the master suite, but that’s an issue for the next refit.
For now, the master suite wasn’t touched, at least not much. The vertical surfaces were upgraded, including the closet door. Two days before the sea trial, there was still a hole where the door handle had been. The original locks are Japanese, and when it was removed to resurface the door, it fell apart in the worker’s hands, Bilton said.
“Replacement parts are as rare as hen’s teeth.”
This is the old M/Y Ice Bear: Acrylic statuettes still adorn the master suite. Remember, this was never intended to be a cosmetic refit. That will come in 18 months after the trip to Asia. Though this is the owner’s first megayacht, he is not new to yachting, with plenty of charters under his belt. He intended all along to use his boat before losing her to the yard for a full season.
But that’s yachting.
Triumphant LadyOn Triumphant Lady, it all started
with a leak in a guest stateroom.“It was time,” Capt. Smith said of
repiping the 21-year-old megayacht.Since Triumphant Lady needed
to head to the yard, Capt. Smith got to drawing. The owner’s deck had an inconvenient stairwell in the center of the outside seating area, precluding a large dining table. So he designed a new profile that moved the stairwell aft and tapered the stern down. Adding a swim platform stretches her to 155 feet. The engineering was done by Murray & Associates.
“That cut-back stern was the one thing that really dated her,” Capt. Smith said.
With the yacht torn open to handle piping issues, her staterooms were reconfigured, as were the master suite and office.
The engine room, too, is getting revamped. Everything but her two mains and one generator is new. The redesign has created a central fuel transfer station and a central bilge system, neither of which she had.
“It was a real unfriendly work environment,” Capt. Smith said. Eng. Gordon Brown just nodded knowingly.
They knew the yacht would be in the yard for 18 months. What they didn’t expect was that she was built to last forever.
“She was really overbuilt,” Capt. Smith said. “It didn’t take two weeks to take out the cabins, it took two months.”
Still, the project is expected to end in mid-January. Just don’t call it a refit. It’s a rebuild. And it’s harder than a new build, Capt. Smith said.
“With a new build, you know exactly what goes in, they’re all new components,” he said. “We half-shelled her and started building from the inside.”
Contact Editor Lucy Chabot Reed at [email protected].
REFIT, from page B15
Lady’s cut-back stern dated 20-year-old boat’s appearance
The Triumphant Lady will leave the yard looking less like a 1986 yacht.
The Triton www.the-triton.com October 2007 B17
By Willem Peetoom
Ship operators need policies and procedures to manage the safety, security, environmental and quality aspects of their ships. To minimize risk and maximize efficiency, these management systems need almost continuous attention and improvement – no matter the vessel type and size.
Not everyone in the yachting industry is required to comply with national and international requirements. This depends on the vessel size, flag and registration. However, many yacht owners and captains are committed to complying with such regulations voluntarily and appreciate the benefits of running a “safe and sound” operation.
A detailed set of policies and procedures can document how safety, security, environmental and even guest satisfaction-related activities are conducted in a consistent, efficient and auditable way.
It is not always easy to determine if the procedures used are truly effective or if they are “paper exercises.” Are you using too many checklists? Is on board equipment sufficient to comply with regulations? Are guests always satisfied with service provided? How do we make sure crew understand and follow procedures or work instructions? Do we really need a documented maintenance system for fire fighting, safety and engine room equipment? Is my management system effective?
These issues can be easily answered through independent verifications. Assessments by an objective third party can identify areas of strength as well as areas within existing procedures that can be improved upon. A good independent assessor/surveyor/auditor can provide a concise written report of observations and recommendations and can also be an active part of the solutions if desired by the ship owner/operator. Onboard training can also be integrated into a vessel assessment.
An example of independent verification is the assessment carried out on board the 125-foot M/Y Milk and Honey. Before the megayacht began sailing as a commercially registered vessel, BMT Designers & Planners carried out a regulatory compliance assessment and continues to work with the crew to improve the yacht’s safety management systems.
Milk and Honey is a privately owned, 377-gross-ton megayacht flying a Cayman Islands flag. Capt. Magney recently took command and requested an independent regulatory compliance assessment. One of his main objectives was mitigating the risk of safety, environmental or security incidents. He
also wanted to identify and correct any regulatory deficiencies internally.
I boarded in Ft. Lauderdale. During the opening meeting with Capt. Magney, we discussed and agreed upon the scope, execution and reporting method of the assessment. A walk-through was conducted, including the bridge, guest and crew quarters, galley, engine room, bosun store, and outside decks. It was agreed that the scope of the assessment would consist of Cayman Island Shipping Notices, including the Large Commercial Yacht Code based on the flag, size, and intended use of the vessel.
Vessel certificates and drawings were reviewed and Capt. Magney was interviewed to cover remaining requirements of the LY2 and Shipping Notices. The next day, the assessment was finalized and the findings discussed with Capt. Magney and the yacht’s chief officer. A 17-page report stated that overall the vessel was in good operational condition and identified areas for improvement and follow-up for the captain and crew.
Capt. Magney was pleased with the results and has committed to an additional assessment to verify effective corrective action of identified items and a possible additional verification of the vessel Safety Management System, as well as onboard security training for the crew.
It is crucial to recognize the importance of voluntary efforts toward continuous improvement when it comes to managing safety, security and environmental risk. Prevention and mitigation of risk are key to a safe operation. Preventing accidents, mishaps, downtime and fines can save a lot of money.
Willem Peetoom is a senior management system surveyor with BMT Designers and Planners. Contact him at [email protected] or 954-450-0087, or visit www.dandp.com.
From left, Willem Peetoom reviews a regulatory compliance assessment report with Capt. Herb Magney. PHOTO COURTESY OF WILLEM PEETOOM
Management systems are for ships of all sizes
VESSEL MANAGEMENT: ISM
B1� October 2007 www.the-triton.com The Triton
trial for polluting the environment and endangering life.
This is a contentious and not very clear case, as the media would present it. The ship was certified for that type of operation, the captain was considered competent, and the owner had assurances from his management company that all was correct. The unique aspect is the criminalization of the accident. Civil fines can be expected if something improper was done, but now the prospect of jail time was put on the table for someone doing their job as expected.
A more recent case can be seen with the bulk carrier Selendang Ayu. She was en route from Seattle to China in December 2004, transiting the Bering Sea, when a crack in the No. 3 cylinder liner was discovered. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board report determined that the probable cause of the grounding of the Selendang Ayu was the development of this cylinder liner crack, which required the crew to shut down the engine for repairs.
After isolating the cylinder, the crew could not manage to get the engine restarted. Under extreme conditions of strong winds and rough seas, the stricken vessel grounded and
subsequently sank on the west coast of Unalaska Island. During the dramatic rescue, a helicopter carrying survivors crashed with the loss of six crew members from the original 26 total.
Prior to leaving Seattle on the fateful voyage, the U.S. Coast Guard had conducted a thorough inspection of the Selendang Ayu. Investigators found no deficiencies, and in fact complimented her condition and upkeep. Ship records
and crew testimony demonstrated that the crew had conducted a detailed maintenance check and thorough inspection of the main engine pistons and cylinders and that there were no known problems with the main engine, including its cylinder liners or piston rings, when the vessel departed. At the time of the accident, there was no overdue maintenance.
Clean up of the spill area took place over two summers and was declared complete on June 23, 2006, by the Unified Command. It represented the work of numerous companies, communities, government agencies, and the full cooperation of IMC Shipping. The NTSB report underscored the lack of adequate salvage response resources in the Bering Sea and the Aleutian Islands. Until the lack of salvage resources is addressed, this area will remain at risk to the shipping industry.
In late August, the management company, IMC Shipping, agreed to pay $10 million in fines and fees. A federal judge in Anchorage accepted IMC’s guilty pleas to three misdemeanor counts of violating the Refuse Act of 1899 and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, thus closing the Department of Justice’s criminal probe.
See RULES, page B19
RULES, from page B1
The Selendang Ayu sank after its crew could not get an engine restarted after repairs.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CAPT. JAKE DESVERGERS
Selendang Ayu tragedy: deaths, sinking, oil spillFROM THE TECH FRONT: Rules of the Road
The Triton www.the-triton.com October 2007 B1�
New 1200 Ton Syncrolift®
2800 Ton DrydockContact: Mike AndersonPhone: 510-337-9122 E-mail: [email protected]
2900 Main Street, #2100 Alameda, CA 94501
www.bay-ship.com
triton-H_060707.indd 1 6/8/07 6:21:21 PM
The prosecutor asserted that the 738-foot, 7-year-old vessel foundered, and then spilled 1,100 tons of heavy fuel oil and its cargo of soybeans because of poor maintenance. This official declaration has drawn a strong rebuttal by the manager and others in the field.
“IMC and the U.S. Department of Justice disagree as to whether improper maintenance and operation of the vessel could have led to the development of the cylinder liner crack,” IMC spokesman Jim Lawrence said in a statement. “There was no overdue maintenance as all recommended maintenance works and inspections had been carried out according to the schedule set forth in the manufacturer’s recommendations. In addition, the vessel had a full complement of spare parts.”
This type of government reaction to an accident is horrifying. For a prosecutor to assert that an “investigation” disclosed maintenance issues that resulted in the accident are unfounded. No investigation was conducted, as no one has been inside the engine room since the accident. The assertions of criminal negligence were unsubstantiated. In essence, they were guilty until proven innocent.
From a regulatory viewpoint, immediately following this accident, all vessels above 400 gross tons were lumped into this type of scenario. The USCG was tasked with the creation of new rules for the development of a Nontank Vessel Response Plan.
In addition to emergency response procedures, the NTVRP references contracts with a U.S.-based shoreside point-of-contact (qualified individual), a salvage company, and an oil spill response organization. Enforcement of this rule was to begin on Aug. 15, 2005, but was suspended by the agency for lack of regulations. They are indefinitely suspended until the actual rules are created. Interim operating approval may be obtained, but is not mandatory at this time.
Capt. Jake DesVergers is chief surveyor for International Yacht Bureau, an organization that provides inspection services to Marshall Islands-registered private yachts of any size and commercial yachts up to 500 gross tons. A deck officer graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, he previously sailed as master on merchant ships, acted as designated person ashore for a shipping company, and served as regional manager for an international classification society. Contact him at 954-596-2728 or www.yachtbureau.org.
RULES, from page B18
Without seeing engine room, it’s no ‘investigation’
FROM THE TECH FRONT: Rules of the Road
B�0 October 2007 www.the-triton.com The Triton
CATAMARAN FAMILY UPDATE: SEYCHELLES
S/V Ocelot is a 45-foot catamaran that serves as the home of the Hacking family of Seattle, Wash.: Dad Jon, mom Sue and daughter Amanda. When they started their journey in Sint Maarten in December 2001, son Christopher was with them but he went ashore in 2005 to attend college.
The Hackings originally planned to stop when they reached Australia two years ago, but they have decided to keep on going. Here’s the next installment of their adventures in the Indian Ocean. To read more about their travels, visit http://hackingfamily.com. Contact them through [email protected]. 2 Sept 2007Victoria, Seychelles
It is a muggy, hot day, and low clouds scud by obscuring the 900m (3,000-foot) granite cliffs above us. The locals say, “Very strange to have rain now. This is the season of strong winds and
bright skies.” Could have fooled us.But no matter. Ocelot is living up
to one of the definitions of cruising: “Doing boat maintenance in exotic places.” After one year of constant travel through Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Chagos, we have been pleased to find the Seychellois (French pronunciation: Say-shell-WA) people to be enterprising and good at the work they do. Ocelot is purring under their meticulous care.
This is not to say there are big factories here, or manufacturer’s reps. Like other isolated places in the world, the need-to-work-with-what-is-at-hand has created a whole class of bush mechanics, engineers and electricians who are not afraid to tackle any problem on a boat.
The railway lift that hauled Ocelot out of the water for six hours while we
Spinnaker flying off Beau Vallon Beach, Mahe. PHOTO/SUE HACKING
See OCELOT, page B21
What beautiful scenery! Good time to fix the boat
replaced sail-drive seals and bearings was surrounded by years of scrap metal, boat parts, tin roof sections and flotsam from the sea. Without a doubt, it was the worst-looking yard we’ve ever hauled at. But they do fantastic work.
Although our seven weeks here have been forged by the necessities of boat work we’ve found lots of in-between time to enjoy Mahe, the main island of the Seychelles. While anchored in Victoria harbor – which serves as a visiting yacht basin and home to the local fishing fleet – we’ve spent many hours exploring the small capital with its mix of modern sculpture and 100-year-old buildings. The public buses are reliable, if not a bit rickety, and for about 30 U.S. cents, you can travel from Victoria to the far north (the region of posh homes) or the far south and west coasts (where more traditional homes nestle amongst the coconut, mango and banana plants).
Even though the Seychelles are isolated in the western Indian Ocean, the country appears to be thriving. We saw no begging, no slums. The people are well dressed and multi-lingual (Creole, French and English). Much of the success of this country stems from the Seychellois people, who, being a mix of African, Arab, Chinese, Indian and European, have kept strong business connections with the outside world. Goods arrive in a feast or famine sort of flow from Dubai, South Africa, Europe and Singapore.
The local music is a mix of rap, hip hop and reggae. Stately churches, a colorful Hindu temple and a gold-roofed mosque adorn the town.
While waiting for parts to arrive from overseas, we spent several weeks anchored off Beau Vallon, the main tourist beach of the island. Beau Vallon has a long white sand beach flanked by granite boulders washed by the small, but omnipresent shore break, which makes for very challenging landings/launching through the surf.
On Wednesday evenings, a stretch of beachfront between hotels and under the Takamaka trees swells with the bustle of a street fair – dozens of families set up stalls to sell octopus, fish or chicken curries, freshly grilled fish, rotis, spicy mango salad and fresh passion fruit juice. A few touristy
trinket stalls also appear, but the majority of people are Seychellois, out for an evening of socializing, strolling and sunset-watching. Even the menus are in the local language. We go for the food, sunset, and people watching.
Amanda has hooked up with local teens from the international school (on their summer holidays now) and together with two other “teen” cruising boats has been seen very rarely by her parents except as a blur as she knee-boards by or flies in the air on someone’s spinnaker.
She is in her last month of high school and senioritis has hit hard. It’s tough to study when everyone else is on holiday.
While the Seychelles has disappointed us underwater (the coral was all bleached in the 1998 El Nino event, then further decimated by the
2004 tsunami), it has far exceed our expectations above water. The central four islands are called the “Granitics,” being formed from the ancient continent of Gondwana, and are capped with sheer black granite cliffs, domes, and towering peaks overlaid with dense rainforest.
Well-maintained hiking trails in the Morne Seychellois National Park require sturdy shoes, keen eyes and balance – and sometimes a bit of rock scrambling – to bring you out to view-points overlooking the blue Indian Ocean and the green valleys of Mahe.
Atop one rounded granite doom we found clusters of carnivorous pitcher plants, and below us, scores of tropic birds with their long white tails soared and dove. In the mangroves just behind Ocelot is a rookery of more than 100 gray herons and cattle egrets that squawk, croak and fuss at each other as they build nests, feed their young, and fight for perching territory on the branches just above the water.
As the boat work ends, we are looking forward to another couple weeks here.
We hope to sail to the less-inhabited granitic islands of La Digue and Praslin (home to the endemic coco-de-mer, or “love nut” palms) before grabbing a light-winds window to make the next leg of our journey southeast toward Madagascar.
Fair winds and calm seas to all,Sue, Jon, and Amanda
S/V Ocelot
A grey Heron perches on mangroves, under casuarina pines in Victoria, Mahe.
PHOTO/AMANDA HACKING
Classic Seychelles beach with blue water, weather-worn granite boulders and white sand, on Mahe’s west coast. PHOTO/SUE HACKING
OCELOT, from page B20
Economy seems strong in this global melting pot
CRUISING GROUNDS: Seychelles
The Triton www.the-triton.com October 2007 B�1
CATAMARAN FAMILY UPDATE: SEYCHELLES
S/V Ocelot is a 45-foot catamaran that serves as the home of the Hacking family of Seattle, Wash.: Dad Jon, mom Sue and daughter Amanda. When they started their journey in Sint Maarten in December 2001, son Christopher was with them but he went ashore in 2005 to attend college.
The Hackings originally planned to stop when they reached Australia two years ago, but they have decided to keep on going. Here’s the next installment of their adventures in the Indian Ocean. To read more about their travels, visit http://hackingfamily.com. Contact them through [email protected]. 2 Sept 2007Victoria, Seychelles
It is a muggy, hot day, and low clouds scud by obscuring the 900m (3,000-foot) granite cliffs above us. The locals say, “Very strange to have rain now. This is the season of strong winds and
bright skies.” Could have fooled us.But no matter. Ocelot is living up
to one of the definitions of cruising: “Doing boat maintenance in exotic places.” After one year of constant travel through Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Chagos, we have been pleased to find the Seychellois (French pronunciation: Say-shell-WA) people to be enterprising and good at the work they do. Ocelot is purring under their meticulous care.
This is not to say there are big factories here, or manufacturer’s reps. Like other isolated places in the world, the need-to-work-with-what-is-at-hand has created a whole class of bush mechanics, engineers and electricians who are not afraid to tackle any problem on a boat.
The railway lift that hauled Ocelot out of the water for six hours while we
Spinnaker flying off Beau Vallon Beach, Mahe. PHOTO/SUE HACKING
See OCELOT, page B21
What beautiful scenery! Good time to fix the boat
replaced sail-drive seals and bearings was surrounded by years of scrap metal, boat parts, tin roof sections and flotsam from the sea. Without a doubt, it was the worst-looking yard we’ve ever hauled at. But they do fantastic work.
Although our seven weeks here have been forged by the necessities of boat work we’ve found lots of in-between time to enjoy Mahe, the main island of the Seychelles. While anchored in Victoria harbor – which serves as a visiting yacht basin and home to the local fishing fleet – we’ve spent many hours exploring the small capital with its mix of modern sculpture and 100-year-old buildings. The public buses are reliable, if not a bit rickety, and for about 30 U.S. cents, you can travel from Victoria to the far north (the region of posh homes) or the far south and west coasts (where more traditional homes nestle amongst the coconut, mango and banana plants).
Even though the Seychelles are isolated in the western Indian Ocean, the country appears to be thriving. We saw no begging, no slums. The people are well dressed and multi-lingual (Creole, French and English). Much of the success of this country stems from the Seychellois people, who, being a mix of African, Arab, Chinese, Indian and European, have kept strong business connections with the outside world. Goods arrive in a feast or famine sort of flow from Dubai, South Africa, Europe and Singapore.
The local music is a mix of rap, hip hop and reggae. Stately churches, a colorful Hindu temple and a gold-roofed mosque adorn the town.
While waiting for parts to arrive from overseas, we spent several weeks anchored off Beau Vallon, the main tourist beach of the island. Beau Vallon has a long white sand beach flanked by granite boulders washed by the small, but omnipresent shore break, which makes for very challenging landings/launching through the surf.
On Wednesday evenings, a stretch of beachfront between hotels and under the Takamaka trees swells with the bustle of a street fair – dozens of families set up stalls to sell octopus, fish or chicken curries, freshly grilled fish, rotis, spicy mango salad and fresh passion fruit juice. A few touristy
trinket stalls also appear, but the majority of people are Seychellois, out for an evening of socializing, strolling and sunset-watching. Even the menus are in the local language. We go for the food, sunset, and people watching.
Amanda has hooked up with local teens from the international school (on their summer holidays now) and together with two other “teen” cruising boats has been seen very rarely by her parents except as a blur as she knee-boards by or flies in the air on someone’s spinnaker.
She is in her last month of high school and senioritis has hit hard. It’s tough to study when everyone else is on holiday.
While the Seychelles has disappointed us underwater (the coral was all bleached in the 1998 El Nino event, then further decimated by the
2004 tsunami), it has far exceed our expectations above water. The central four islands are called the “Granitics,” being formed from the ancient continent of Gondwana, and are capped with sheer black granite cliffs, domes, and towering peaks overlaid with dense rainforest.
Well-maintained hiking trails in the Morne Seychellois National Park require sturdy shoes, keen eyes and balance – and sometimes a bit of rock scrambling – to bring you out to view-points overlooking the blue Indian Ocean and the green valleys of Mahe.
Atop one rounded granite doom we found clusters of carnivorous pitcher plants, and below us, scores of tropic birds with their long white tails soared and dove. In the mangroves just behind Ocelot is a rookery of more than 100 gray herons and cattle egrets that squawk, croak and fuss at each other as they build nests, feed their young, and fight for perching territory on the branches just above the water.
As the boat work ends, we are looking forward to another couple weeks here.
We hope to sail to the less-inhabited granitic islands of La Digue and Praslin (home to the endemic coco-de-mer, or “love nut” palms) before grabbing a light-winds window to make the next leg of our journey southeast toward Madagascar.
Fair winds and calm seas to all,Sue, Jon, and Amanda
S/V Ocelot
A grey Heron perches on mangroves, under casuarina pines in Victoria, Mahe.
PHOTO/AMANDA HACKING
Classic Seychelles beach with blue water, weather-worn granite boulders and white sand, on Mahe’s west coast. PHOTO/SUE HACKING
OCELOT, from page B20
Economy seems strong in this global melting pot
CRUISING GROUNDS: Seychelles
B�� October 2007 www.the-triton.com The Triton
I was using a Canon 300D, from which I removed the internal UV-IR filter to increase the sensitivity for astro-photography. I attached the camera to a SkyWatcher ED 80mm f7.5 telescope at prime focus, effectively using the telescope as a 600mm f7.5 lens. The telescope was mounted on a standard camera tripod to take the images. I was fighting with cloud a bit during the eclipse, so the images were taken whenever I could get a break in the cloud. The first three three frames were taken outside James Cook Observatory, Kaiti Hill, Gisborne, New Zealand. Shortly after the start of totality we were clouded out, so I moved about 20km west to Patutahi, Gisborne, to get the rest of the frames. The individual subframes were combined into the final image using Adobe Photoshop. The sub-images were taken at 800ISO, and shutter times were varied as the brightness of the moon changed. I was helping to run a public eclipse viewing session with several other telescopes in the carpark outside the observatory at the same time as I was trying to get the photos as well. PHOTO/JOHN BURT
I made the photo with a Nikon D70 attached to a 3-inch Celestron refractor telescope on a tracking mount to compensate for the Earth’s rotation. The image was 8 seconds long and the camera was set at ASA 200.The small spot, top left, is a star and not an artifact or spot. PHOTO/BECKY RAMOTOWSKI
A lunar spectacularOn Aug. 28, at 5:52 a.m. EDT, a full lunar eclipse was visible across
most of the world. The photo at right was taken in New Mexico in the southwestern United States. The montage below was taken in Eastland in northeast New Zealand. In a lunar eclipse, the moon slides into the shadow that the Earth casts as sunlight hits on its opposite side. Fully in the umbra, the moon takes on a shade of red, orange or brown depending on conditions. (To see the photos in color, visit www. the-triton.com.) The next full lunar eclipse will take place Feb. 21, 2008.
IN THE STARS
The Triton www.the-triton.com October 2007 B�3
By Jack Horkheimer
On Oct. 6, one hour before sunrise, face east where you will see a crescent 25-day-old Moon hovering above a triangle of three cosmic objects. The brightest of these objects is the brightest cosmic object we can see (other than the Sun and our Moon), 8,000-mile-wide Venus. The second object is likewise a planet, but much bigger, 75,000-mile-wide Saturn.
The third part of our triangle however, blows Saturn and Venus away in size. It’s the star Regulus and it marks the heart of the sphinx-like Leo the Lion. It is four-and-a-half times wider than our Sun, which is almost a million miles wide. Regulus is so incredibly far away that its light takes 78 years to reach us, which means that when we look at Regulus on the first weekend in October, we’re seeing light that left in 1929.
If you miss the triangle Saturday, it gets better Sunday, believe it or not. On Oct. 7, an even skinnier crescent Moon will be parked right next to Saturn.
A Halloween treat
Many people believe there’s a full Moon every year at Halloween (we won’t have one again until 2020). But there is something you can see every Halloween that is even niftier: the Seven Sinister Sisters.
On midnight on Oct. 31, face south and look almost overhead. You’ll see the tiny star cluster called The Pleiades, or the Seven Sisters. To some cultures long ago, when the Seven Sisters reached their highest point at midnight (which happens every year at the end of October and beginning of November) this was a sort of cosmic signal telling people they should honor the dead.
There was a popular belief that great natural catastrophes occurred on some nights when The Pleiades was highest at midnight, including the Great Flood and the 10 Plagues of Egypt, even the legendary sinking of Atlantis.
If you’re out this Halloween – or any Halloween – at midnight, look almost overhead for the beautiful cluster of stars some people have seen as the Seven Sinister Sisters and remind yourself that these same stars have been seen by thousands of generations who have gone before us.
Jack Horkheimer is executive director of the Miami Museum of Science. This is the script for his weekly television show co-produced by the museum and WPBT Channel 2 in Miami. It is seen on public television stations around the world. For more information about stars, visit www.jackstargazer.com.
Very large and very far away:It’s Regulus
IN THE STARS
B�� October 2007 www.the-triton.com The Triton
By John Freeman
Headed to long and skinny Grand Bahama Island? Then you won’t be surprised to find lush resorts, gentle breezes, warm azure-blue seas and the carefree island life.
Big deal. But there’s another side, which can only be discovered by venturing beyond the two ocean-front resorts not far from Freeport.
My fiancé and I were persuaded by the Westin concierge’s tale of traversing canal-like inlets via kayak and exploring ancient underwater caves. Sounded cool, and we were weary of the resort trappings.
Our guide for the Lucayan National Park tour was a fascinating Bahamian native with the distinctly Anglicized name of Wellington Clark. Befitting the island’s British heritage, he spoke with a clipped British cadence and, given his breadth of knowledge about his native land, he could’ve easily been an Oxford grad.
Wellington, who’s in his 30s and has never had another job but that of Grand Bahama tour guide, took our group of eight Americans and gave his take on his island’s storied history.
As we drove to the kayak locale some 45 minutes away, he regaled us with legends and lore, how the first white man to “discover” the Bahamas was Christopher Columbus, whom, it’s said, came upon the islands in 1492, spent 12 days and then sailed on to Cuba and Hispaniola.
Columbus was greeted by the Lucayan Indians, a hardy agrarian band that had managed to survive on very little because, then as now, very little
grows naturally on any of the islands. Not long after, a rueful Wellington went on, the conquering Spanish exterminated the defenseless Lucayan tribe.
Because the soil is sand-based and unfertile, virtually nothing grows natively except barren pine trees. All goods are shipped from the mainland, which explains why much of Grand Bahama Island and Lucayan National Park has the look of Third World desolation.
See BAHAMAS, page B25
The Lucayan Indian Caves are the largest underwater caves in the world. PHOTOS/JOHN FREEMAN
Grand Bahama adventure awaits outside resort walls
A kayaker navigates under the canopy of the mangrove forest.
CRUISING GROUNDS: Grand Bahama Island
The Triton www.the-triton.com October 2007 B��
Freeport’s name – it was declared to be a “free port” with no export duty charged – was applied by an American financier from Virginia named Wallace Groves, who in the late 1950s decided he’d colonize Grand Bahama Island.
Groves was granted 100,000 acres of land for next to nothing, the first of many generous inducements from the British-run government. In exchange, Groves built the town’s basic infrastructure, schools and added several sprawling resorts – all with the intent of attracting tourism. Soon enough, he controlled the island’s commerce.
So was Wallace Groves a rapacious imperialist? Or simply a savvy capitalist? Maybe both.
With an easy smile, Wellington told us how his own life had been affected. Growing up on a tiny island “way over there,” part of the wide cluster of out islands, he said he didn’t even see a white-complexioned person until he was 13. What a shock that was, he said. Some of these strange people even had blue eyes and blond hair. They spoke a strange language and covered their bodies with odd cloth. What were they doing here?
No doubt Wellington had told that story countless times, but he couldn’t help but laugh uproariously. We did, too.
Wellington continued his history lesson. The 1700s brought pirates such as Blackbeard (history’s fiercest pirate), Sir Henry Morgan, Calico Jack and one of history’s few female pirates, Anne Bonney, who posed as a man aboard her ship.
After driving length-wise along the narrow island, we came close to the ocean, maybe a half-mile away. We stopped, got out of the van and walked 500 feet or so. There, after a short walk down a rickety, winding staircase, we reached the Lucayan Indian Caves.
These caves, he explained, were the largest underwater caves in the world,
some reaching depths of 100 feet. The underwater scenes from a past James Bond saga, “Never Say Never,” were shot there.
Soon enough we were kayaking. The next 90 minutes was spent guiding past narrow banks of skeleton-like mangrove tree branches, trying not to tip over.
Famished, we left our kayaks and set out for Gold Rock Beach, which is unlike any beach I’ve seen or felt. The sand was creamy soft, the turquoise water was warm, soothing and inviting. Lunch was served on a worn picnic bench perched along a deserted beach. It was a catered affair: Make your own ham and cheese sandwich, grab an apple, a bag of chips and a handful of strawberry Fig Newtons.
I loved every bite.
John Freeman is communications director for Knight & Carver in San Diego and a frequent contributor to The Triton. Contact him at [email protected].
BAHAMAS, from page B24
American colonized island with blessings of the British
The bridge and boardwalk at Gold Rock Creek.
A tantalizing view of Gold Rock Beach.
CRUISING GROUNDS: Grand Bahama Island
B�6 October 2007 www.the-triton.com The Triton
which serves excellent food and boasts a great salad bar, is informal. There’s a small store that sells basics such as paper goods as well as canned items and dry goods. Fresh produce is delivered three times a week.
Coral Bay is the second largest settlement on the island. There’s a big live-aboard community here so the place has a certain sense of humor. It’s a wacky kind of humor that comes out in street signs, dock names and bar artwork. Watch for the “Dip” signs on the road to Salt Pond Bay, that some character has added the words “Clam” and “Land Crab” to.
Head to Coral Bay Marine for parts or supplies and see a fleet of makeshift wooden dinghies tied to a rickety dock marked “Cruise Ship Pier.”
Turn around and walk up the wooden steps to Skinny Legs Bar and Restaurant, a ply board shack of a place that makes the best burgers around. Famous recreational sailors Teddy Kennedy and Walter Cronkite have supped here. More famous than the Mona Lisa is Skinny Leg’s artwork: the “Lost Soles of Coral Bay.” It’s a hanging mobile crafted from the slew of sandals found on Coral Bay beaches.
Change could come to Coral Bay in
ST. JOHN, from page B26
See ST. JOHN, page B28
At anchor in Salt Pond Bay, St. John. PHOTO/DEAN BARNES
Nearly 200 moorings installed to help protect reefs and beds
Over the past two decades, a dramatic increase in the number of visiting boats to St. John’s park waters has accelerated damage to sea grass beds and coral reefs from anchor damage.
To protect these natural resources, the park has installed 182 moorings available for overnight use within park waters – 154 on the north shore and 28 on the south shore – and established protected zones around several of the more sensitive sea grass and reef areas.
Starting in 2003, the park implemented a fee for the overnight use of these moorings. The fee applies to any vessel moored or anchored in park waters between the hours of 5 p.m. and 7:30 a.m. and is based on size. Vessels 60 feet or less pay $15 for mooring and $10 or anchoring.
Mooring use is prohibited for vessels larger than 60 feet, however anchoring fees are $15 for vessels up
to 75 feet and $25 for boats larger than 75 feet. Anchoring within park waters is subject to a variety of restrictions, including a ban on anchoring on the south shore and within mooring areas.
This fee, which helps offset maintenance of the moorings, is self-payable on an honor system. Payment stations are located at five spots that span the length of the north shore and two on the south shore. There’s a tag on the mooring that will give you exact directions to the nearest payment station.
Overnight stays in the park are limited to 30 days a year and no longer than seven days consecutively in one bay. Bay hosts – local live-aboards who volunteer for the park service and are identified by a green flag imprinted with a park service arrowhead-shaped logo – are available from November through July to answer questions.
– Carol Bareuther
Settlement exudes quirly humor
By Carol Bareuther
Lush green hills cascade down to palm-lined pristine beaches, and turquoise seas teem with marine life.
This is how philanthropist Laurence Rockefeller first sighted the island of St. John during a Caribbean cruise in the 1950s. This vision of nature and beauty led Rockefeller, through the auspices of Jackson Hole Preserve, to acquire some 5,000 acres for the purpose of preservation.
On Aug. 2, 1956, U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill that officially designated the Virgin Islands National Park as the United States’ 29th national park. In 1962, 5,650 more acres of submerged lands offshore including bays and coral reefs were added to the park.
It’s the park that gives St. John its distinctly different personality from its sibling U.S. Virgin Islands of St. Thomas and St. Croix. The main settlement of Cruz Bay and lands to the south are a bustle of buildings, but the north side of town and nearly the entire north and south shores of this 9-mile long and 5-mile wide island is an uninterrupted sea of green mossy hills with pristine beaches that aren’t punctuated by high-rise hotels.
Do explore Cruz Bay. Known by the locals as Love City for its friendliness and laidback 1960s-era charm, this little village is one of the few places on the island where you can savor a white tablecloth supper or beach bar burger and shop for one-of-a-kind trinkets as well as necessities.
From the dinghy dock, walk up the hill by the lumberyard complex to Dolphin Market or catch a cab for the 5-minute ride to The Marketplace where Starfish Market is located. Neither market is the size of a mainland supermarket, and prices are steep, but you’ll find a full range of basics and gourmet items as well as prepared foods.
Communications services and Internet access are available at Connections and Surf Da Web. The Caneel Bay Shipyard, next to the national park visitor’s center, offers repair services for sails, woodwork, refrigeration and fiberglass, as well as amenities such as ice, water and fuel.
The park’s visitor’s center is a good place to stop and get oriented to the park. Pick up a Mariner’s Resource Protection Guide brochure, which will tell you the do’s and don’ts of using the park’s mooring system.
St. John’s north shore boasts a bevy of beaches and bays that will give you an incredible room with a view. Caneel Bay is home to the resort Rockefeller built here in the late 1950s. It’s still a Mecca for the rich and famous, yet ordinary folks are welcome at the beach bar and restaurant. You just have to register at the main lobby on arrival.
There are moorings at Hawksnest Bay where the move “The Four Seasons” starring Alan Alda was filmed. Facilities here include an emergency-use telephone next to the parking lot behind the middle beach.
Trunk Bay is the most popular of St. John’s north shore beaches for day-trippers because of its famous self-guiding 225-yard snorkel trail. There are just four moorings here, and only eight at Cinnamon Bay to the east, site of the park’s campground, and these fill up quickly. Therefore, it’s best to keep cruising east to Maho Bay and Francis Bay. These bays are protected from the ground seas that often roll in from the north and are ideal for overnight stays. There are 28 moorings here.
The privately operated Maho Bay campground is located here with a host of amenities for boaters. If you’re coming in from the British Virgin Islands, moor and then take the campground’s shuttle into town to clear customs. The open-air restaurant,
See ST. JOHN, page B27
Virgin Islands National Park gives St. John a unique flavor
The view overlooking Cruz Bay harbor, the major town and entry port in St. John. PHOTO/DEAN BARNES
CRUISING GROUNDS: St. John
The Triton www.the-triton.com October 2007 B�7
954-525-5577954-525-5577
Excellence in New River Towing To and Within Ft. Lauderdale’s Premier Service Facilities and Marinas.
Experienced, Reliable, Professional Service Since 1989Experienced, Reliable, Professional Service Since 1989
which serves excellent food and boasts a great salad bar, is informal. There’s a small store that sells basics such as paper goods as well as canned items and dry goods. Fresh produce is delivered three times a week.
Coral Bay is the second largest settlement on the island. There’s a big live-aboard community here so the place has a certain sense of humor. It’s a wacky kind of humor that comes out in street signs, dock names and bar artwork. Watch for the “Dip” signs on the road to Salt Pond Bay, that some character has added the words “Clam” and “Land Crab” to.
Head to Coral Bay Marine for parts or supplies and see a fleet of makeshift wooden dinghies tied to a rickety dock marked “Cruise Ship Pier.”
Turn around and walk up the wooden steps to Skinny Legs Bar and Restaurant, a ply board shack of a place that makes the best burgers around. Famous recreational sailors Teddy Kennedy and Walter Cronkite have supped here. More famous than the Mona Lisa is Skinny Leg’s artwork: the “Lost Soles of Coral Bay.” It’s a hanging mobile crafted from the slew of sandals found on Coral Bay beaches.
Change could come to Coral Bay in
ST. JOHN, from page B26
See ST. JOHN, page B28
At anchor in Salt Pond Bay, St. John. PHOTO/DEAN BARNES
Nearly 200 moorings installed to help protect reefs and beds
Over the past two decades, a dramatic increase in the number of visiting boats to St. John’s park waters has accelerated damage to sea grass beds and coral reefs from anchor damage.
To protect these natural resources, the park has installed 182 moorings available for overnight use within park waters – 154 on the north shore and 28 on the south shore – and established protected zones around several of the more sensitive sea grass and reef areas.
Starting in 2003, the park implemented a fee for the overnight use of these moorings. The fee applies to any vessel moored or anchored in park waters between the hours of 5 p.m. and 7:30 a.m. and is based on size. Vessels 60 feet or less pay $15 for mooring and $10 or anchoring.
Mooring use is prohibited for vessels larger than 60 feet, however anchoring fees are $15 for vessels up
to 75 feet and $25 for boats larger than 75 feet. Anchoring within park waters is subject to a variety of restrictions, including a ban on anchoring on the south shore and within mooring areas.
This fee, which helps offset maintenance of the moorings, is self-payable on an honor system. Payment stations are located at five spots that span the length of the north shore and two on the south shore. There’s a tag on the mooring that will give you exact directions to the nearest payment station.
Overnight stays in the park are limited to 30 days a year and no longer than seven days consecutively in one bay. Bay hosts – local live-aboards who volunteer for the park service and are identified by a green flag imprinted with a park service arrowhead-shaped logo – are available from November through July to answer questions.
– Carol Bareuther
Settlement exudes quirly humor
By Carol Bareuther
Lush green hills cascade down to palm-lined pristine beaches, and turquoise seas teem with marine life.
This is how philanthropist Laurence Rockefeller first sighted the island of St. John during a Caribbean cruise in the 1950s. This vision of nature and beauty led Rockefeller, through the auspices of Jackson Hole Preserve, to acquire some 5,000 acres for the purpose of preservation.
On Aug. 2, 1956, U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill that officially designated the Virgin Islands National Park as the United States’ 29th national park. In 1962, 5,650 more acres of submerged lands offshore including bays and coral reefs were added to the park.
It’s the park that gives St. John its distinctly different personality from its sibling U.S. Virgin Islands of St. Thomas and St. Croix. The main settlement of Cruz Bay and lands to the south are a bustle of buildings, but the north side of town and nearly the entire north and south shores of this 9-mile long and 5-mile wide island is an uninterrupted sea of green mossy hills with pristine beaches that aren’t punctuated by high-rise hotels.
Do explore Cruz Bay. Known by the locals as Love City for its friendliness and laidback 1960s-era charm, this little village is one of the few places on the island where you can savor a white tablecloth supper or beach bar burger and shop for one-of-a-kind trinkets as well as necessities.
From the dinghy dock, walk up the hill by the lumberyard complex to Dolphin Market or catch a cab for the 5-minute ride to The Marketplace where Starfish Market is located. Neither market is the size of a mainland supermarket, and prices are steep, but you’ll find a full range of basics and gourmet items as well as prepared foods.
Communications services and Internet access are available at Connections and Surf Da Web. The Caneel Bay Shipyard, next to the national park visitor’s center, offers repair services for sails, woodwork, refrigeration and fiberglass, as well as amenities such as ice, water and fuel.
The park’s visitor’s center is a good place to stop and get oriented to the park. Pick up a Mariner’s Resource Protection Guide brochure, which will tell you the do’s and don’ts of using the park’s mooring system.
St. John’s north shore boasts a bevy of beaches and bays that will give you an incredible room with a view. Caneel Bay is home to the resort Rockefeller built here in the late 1950s. It’s still a Mecca for the rich and famous, yet ordinary folks are welcome at the beach bar and restaurant. You just have to register at the main lobby on arrival.
There are moorings at Hawksnest Bay where the move “The Four Seasons” starring Alan Alda was filmed. Facilities here include an emergency-use telephone next to the parking lot behind the middle beach.
Trunk Bay is the most popular of St. John’s north shore beaches for day-trippers because of its famous self-guiding 225-yard snorkel trail. There are just four moorings here, and only eight at Cinnamon Bay to the east, site of the park’s campground, and these fill up quickly. Therefore, it’s best to keep cruising east to Maho Bay and Francis Bay. These bays are protected from the ground seas that often roll in from the north and are ideal for overnight stays. There are 28 moorings here.
The privately operated Maho Bay campground is located here with a host of amenities for boaters. If you’re coming in from the British Virgin Islands, moor and then take the campground’s shuttle into town to clear customs. The open-air restaurant,
See ST. JOHN, page B27
Virgin Islands National Park gives St. John a unique flavor
The view overlooking Cruz Bay harbor, the major town and entry port in St. John. PHOTO/DEAN BARNES
CRUISING GROUNDS: St. John
B�� October 2007 www.the-triton.com The Triton
the not too distant future. Leaders of the historic Emmaus Moravian Church, which owns 65 acres west of Coral Bay, have proposed building the island’s first marina here. The 50-slip marina would also come with a 150-room hotel, 200 condominiums, a supermarket, dry boat storage area, retail space and restaurants.
An extensive re-zoning process and costal zone permitting would be required to turn this idea into reality, though.
Much of St. John’s south shore is part of the Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument, which was created by a 2001 presidential proclamation. There are, however, moorings at Saltpond Bay and both Little and Great Lameshur bays, 27 in all. Saltpond Bay is sheltered, calm and, true to its name, has a salt pond beyond the bay. You can see salt here in
the dry season, typically from January through May.
There’s a mile-long trail from the bay that climbs up to Ram’s Head. From this vantage point on a clear day, you can see St. Croix 40 miles to the south.
Both Lameshur bays are part of the park’s protected biosphere reserve, where there are long-term research programs under way to study the fish populations, coral reefs and sea grass ecology. Talk about nestling down in pure nature; this is the spot.
Today, like nearly a half-century ago, the parklands and seas surrounding St. John are much as Rockefeller first envisioned them.
Though the 21st century has certainly come to St. John, this wild child Virgin maintains its timeless Caribbean charm.
Carole Bareuther is a freelancer who lives in St. Thomas. Contact her through [email protected].
ST. JOHN, from page B27
Coral Bay church has proposed50-slip marina, 150-room hotel
Annaberg Plantation Ruins, administered by the National Park Service, is one of the sights to see on St. John. PHOTO/DEAN BARNES
CRUISING GROUNDS: St. John
The Triton www.the-triton.com October 2007 B��
Welcome aboard, photo enthusiasts. In the last article, I went through how to create folders on your computer hard drive, most commonly designated
as Drive C. The objective being that you have a memory card full of photographs from a particular event or trip and you want to transfer them to you computer.
This will put your images in a safer location
(although I recommend always two locations); put them in a place where you can use other software to work on them (that is, lighten, darken, crop and more), and; free up your memory card to format and continue shooting.
Now I will show you how to drag and drop your photos from your memory card into a folder, which in my case will be the subfolder “The Triton.”
You can name folders as you please, as long as they make sense to you. There are only a few symbols that are not acceptable – such as “&” and “/” – and your computer will let you know which ones they are.
You can rename a folder by right-clicking on it, causing a drop-down menu to appear with many options, among them “rename.” Left click on “rename” and the cursor will enter the appropriate box to change the name.
Let’s move photos from your memory card. I made a subfolder, “Article 22,” for this article. I will use the photo printed with this article. I am going to get the photo from the memory card (in the card reader attached to my computer via a USB cable) and drag and drop it into subfolder “Article 22,” which is in the “The Triton” subfolder, which is in the photoproject main folder.
Still with me?Step 1. Click START at the lower left
and a menu pops up.Step 2. Click on MY COMPUTER, a
selection on the right side.Step 3. This opens a larger window
showing “Folders Stored,” “Hard Disk Drives,” and “Devices with Removable Storage.” This last one shows the memory card in the form of another drive letter, such as CANON DC (D:). Canon is the compact camera I used.
(The left side will show small windows with “System Tasks,” “Other Places,” and “Details.”)
Step 4. Clicking on CANON DC (D:) will open folders on the memory card. Click twice to get to the jpg file that is published with this article (in this case IMG_9158.JPG). This is the photo file we want to drag and drop into the appropriate folder named, in my case, “Article 22” on the hard drive of my computer. Now to display this folder to make the drag and drop.
Step 5. Under the top bar with “File,” “Edit,” etc, we see the second bar with “Special Buttons.” The second button from the right has a diagram of a fanned multiple folders icon with “Folders” written below. Click on this and the left side changes to show a list including Desktop, Drives, Documents, Recycle bin, etc.
Step 6. On the left side of your mouse, click on the Hard Drive (C). It will expand to show all the folders including my main “photoproject” folder. Click on this and it expands to show my subfolder “The Triton.” Click this and it will show a folder “Article 22” among others.
Looking at the diagram included with this article, it shows the results of actions Step 3 (and this Step 6). The hand in the photo diagram is highlighting CANON DC (D:), but remember in Step 4 we clicked a few times to get to display IMG_9158.JPG, which is now displayed on the right side (but not shown in the diagram).
Step 7. Now using your pad, button, mouse, or track ball, put your cursor over the file to drag and drop (in Step 4), which in my case (again) is IMG_9158.JPG. Left click, hold (don’t release), and drag the jpg file to the left side, over the folder Article 22 (in Step 6), and it will highlight. As soon as it highlights, release the file. It’s done.
You will likely have many jpg files on your card. Grab them all by clicking the bottom/lowest file and holding. This will highlight the list. Drag it to the left over the correct folder, and when it highlights, release. You can pick single files by holding down your Control button when you click on a photo.
With this lesson done, I look for permission to come ashore.
James Schot has been a professional photographer for 27 years and owns Schot Designer Photography. Feel free to contact him at [email protected] with photographic questions or queries for future columns.
Photo exPosé
James schot
How to move photos from a memory card into a folder
PHOTO/JAMES SCHOT
PHOTOGRAPHY: Photo Exposé
B30 October 2007 www.the-triton.com The Triton
MAKING PLANSMore boat show events Oct. 20 SeaKeepers Soirée to kick off new professional crew-level membership to SeaKeepers International (see story on page C17). Space is limited. To become a member and attend, visit www.seakeepers.org/professionals. Oct. 22 Ft. Lauderdale Mariner’s Club golf tournament at Weston Hills Country Club, 8:30 a.m. For details, visit www.flmc.org. Oct. 23-24 18th annual marine seminar, Marine Insurance Theater, produced by the Ft. Lauderdale Mariner’s Club. Pier 66. For details, visit www.flmc.org Oct. 23 Crew4Crew crew appreciation party. For details, register online at www.crew4crew.net. Oct. 24 International Superyacht Society (ISS) membership meeting and breakfast, 8-10 a.m., Bahia Mar’s Harbour Lights room. Open to all ISS members, media and interested parties. www.superyachtsociety.com, +1-954-525-6625 Oct. 25 Annual ISS International Awards Gala, 7:30 p.m.-midnight, Marriott Harbor Beach Grand Ballroom. www.superyachtsociety.com, +1-954-525-6625. Oct. 25 Towboat U.S. party with Redline Marine and MPI at Quarterdeck, 8 p.m.-midnight. Watch for the guys at the boat show handing out raffle tickets to win $2,000 cash (drawing at 10 p.m., must be present to win). Oct. 26 Training seminar by ISS and MIASF, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., Bahia Mar Hotel Ballroom. Free, includes lunch and mini job fair. Trainer Joe Noonan
helps captains, crews and owners build stronger relationships (10 a.m. and 1 p.m.); Orientation to Yachting for entry level crew (10 a.m.); job fair and networking with industry companies and schools (1 and 3 p.m.) www.superyachtsociety.com, +1-954-525-6625 Oct. 26 National Marine Suppliers
traditionally has a party on the Friday night of the show. Access is by invitation only. Oct. 27 Lurssen Yachts traditionally has a party on the Saturday night of the show. Access is by invitation only. Oct. 29 USSA general meeting, 8-10 a.m., Bahia Mar. Breakfast included.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
More than 1,000 people attended The Triton’s party last year. FILE PHOTO
EVENT OF MONTH
Oct. 17, 6-10 p.m. The Triton’s fourth annual Boat Show Kick-off Party, Ft. Lauderdale
We’re closing Bimini Boatyard again and opening it to the awesome yachting industry. Catch up with friends before the madness of the boat show starts (that would be the 48th annual Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show, which begins Oct. 25). Watch your e-mail for details. Don’t get our e-mails? Register online at www.the-triton.com and get the scoop.
The Triton www.the-triton.com October 2007 B31
Oct. 2 Crew training for captains. A special Triton-sponsored crew teambuilding seminar, 1-5 p.m. in Ft. Lauderdale. Facilitated by Joe Noonan of Crew Synergy Training (www.crewsynergy.com), captains will learn tools to take back to their yachts for better communication and easier crew relations. Space is limited to 20. Contact Triton Editor Lucy Chabot Reed at [email protected].
Oct. 3 The Triton’s monthly networking event, 6-8 p.m. at the offices of Kemplon Marine Engineering Services in Ft. Lauderdale, 3200 S. Andrews Ave., #103. No RSVP necessary. Read more about Kemplon on page A10.
Oct. 4-8 38th annual U.S. Sailboat Show, Annapolis City Dock and Harbor, Annapolis, Md. www.usboat.com.
Oct. 5 The Triton Bridge luncheon, noon, Ft. Lauderdale. A roundtable discussion on the issues of the day. Active captains only. RSVP to Editor Lucy Chabot Reed at [email protected] or 954-525-0029. Space is limited to eight.
Oct. 6-7 Columbus Day Regatta, Biscayne Bay, Miami. More than 200 racing and cruising sailboats expected. www.columbusdayregatta.net
Oct. 6-14 47th International Boat Show, Genoa, Italy, at Genoa Fairgrounds, Piazzale J.F. Kennedy 1. More than 1,650 exhibitors expected to showcase everything for power boats, sailboats, tenders, engines, equipment and cruising services. Tickets start at 13 euros. Most boats under 10m. www.salonenautico-online.it
Oct. 7 Sunday Jazz Brunch, Ft. Lauderdale, along the New River downtown, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., free. Five stages including a variety of jazz types. www.fortlauderdale.gov/festivals.
Oct. 10-12 International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition & Conference (IBEX), Miami Beach. Nearly 800 exhibitors and manufacturers have signed up for this trade-only conference. Free demos throughout the show and a pre-conference day Oct. 9 includes workshops on various topics including noise-control, lighting and wiring. All free. More than 55 seminars also run throughout the show for a fee and continuing education credits. The show is produced by Professional Boatbuilder magazine and the National Marine Manufacturers Association. www.ibexshow.com
Oct. 11-14 36th annual U.S. Powerboat Show, Annapolis City Dock and Harbor, Annapolis, Md. www.usboat.com.
Oct. 12-14 Ladies Let’s Go Fishing seminar in St. Petersburg. $150 includes welcome reception, Saturday seminars, hands-on training and use of equipment, door prizes, meals, goody bag and T-shirt. +1-954-475- 9068, www.ladiesletsgofishing.com
Oct. 15-Nov. 11 22nd annual Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival, the longest film festival in the world and one of the most important regional shows in the United States. More than 200 films (including 60 feature films) are shown at various locations and times. www.fliff.com
Oct. 25-29 48th Fort Lauderdale International Boat ShowThis is the industry’s largest boat show, both in terms of space (with more
than more than 3 million square feet of in-water and exhibition space at six marinas and in the convention center) and attendees. www.showmanagement.com
Nov. 2 The Triton Bridge luncheon, noon, Ft. Lauderdale. A roundtable discussion of the issues of the day. Active captains only. RSVP to Editor Lucy Chabot Reed at [email protected] or 954-525-0029. Space is limited to eight.
Nov. 4-6 26th annual BVI Charteryacht Society Boat Show, Village Cay Marina, Tortola. www.bvicrewedyachts.com
Nov 7-11 33rd annual Charter Yacht Boat Show, Yacht Haven Grande, St. Thomas. www.vicl.org
Nov. 12-15 Global Superyacht Forum, formerly known as Project, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Hosted by The Yacht Report. 945 euros. www.synfo.com
Nov. 13-15 20th annual Marine Equipment Trade Show (METS), Amsterdam, The Netherlands. For trade only. More than 1,000 exhibitors expected. www.metstrade.com
Nov. 9-11 32nd annual convention and general meeting of the Seven Seas Cruising Association (SSCA), Eau Gallie Convention Center, Melbourne, Fla. More than a dozen presentations, forums, demos, roundtables and parties. $15 for members, $20 for non-members. After Oct. 26: $20, $25. www.ssca.org (click on workshops page), 954-771-5660.
Teambuilding by Crew Synergy; boat building by IBEXCALENDAR OF EVENTS
www.the-triton.com October 2007Section C
egayachts need skilled and
knowledgeable crew who know their boat and their job. STCW-95 defi nes how crew shall be trained and how they shall perform duties when on watch, while yachting benchmark standards of service and quality dictate the required competency for all captains and crews.
Knowing the yacht, job and role in an emergency, and correctly managing guests are best achieved through competency-based training, regular drills and safety briefs, which are run onboard.
Failure to continuously train and develop crew will increase the probability of an accident or incident and result in inconsistent standards of service. Turnover does disrupt routines and service standards, especially when no formal standards are developed or taught to
incoming crew members. Creating a specifi c training
system for a yacht need not be a burden. Set aside time to record already-existing work practices and intelligently defi ne them in a structured format that can be taught, then record crew feedback and competency assessments.
Work on the three Rs: Routines and structure
founded on a system of basic, on-board training and drills for each department’s role and the instruction of guests regarding actions to be taken in an emergency;
Risk identifi cation, which prepares crew for known hazards, such as fi re or an intoxicated guest falling over the side while under way;
Regulation of individual crew duties, equipment’s operational techniques, maintenance and
In the classical kitchen, the sauce is the tool by which a dish can stand out or take a back seat. We don’t always have the time to create great sauces from scratch, instead making a sauce from speed scratch with a little help from a package. This saves time and allows us to concentrate on other items.
If you don’t know how to make a great sauce, this article will
explain the basics. (I’ll discuss taking it a step further to describe compound sauces next month.) Information in this article was adapted from Gerald Chesser’s “The Art and Science of Culinary Preparation,” and “The Sauce Bible” by David Paul Larousse.
In the Middle Ages, sauces were often used to cover up poorly cooked, rotting meat. Sauces have come a long way since then.
Today, they are used in anything from meat dishes to vegetable and egg dishes to pasta to a simple garnishment under a main course. They should be smooth, not heavy but light, and must be glossy to the eye.
Sauces also should be distinctive in taste that compliments the entrée. Can you really make a good sauce and not have it drown the main
item, yet still have the qualities indicative of a good sauce? Absolutely.
Here are the essentials to a good sauce:
A good sauce starts from a good stock. (I wrote about stocks in the August issue.)
Just as it takes hours to prepare a good demi-glace, it CULINARY WAVES
MARY BETH LAWTON JOHNSON See WAVES, page C6
Capt. 1o1: Teach well to get great crew
Sauces have power to make or break your culinary creations
Story by Eng. Dean Vaughan
See TRAINING, page C20
M
Free Classifi edsCheck them out,
continuously
updated online,
with features
such as alerts.
C22-27
Get ‘em hungry
Northrop and
Johnson found a
great place to recruit
‘clean-cut, scubbed-
faced’ kids to work
on megayachts.
Wholesome kids wanted
C6
Cod ... egg ... puff pastry ...
Hollandaise sauce ... yum.
Recipe awaits. C4
Wrong road?
Financial software such as
MoneyMap can help you make
a right turn. C16
COPYRIGHT SLAVOLJUB PANTELIC; ILLUSTRATION FROM BIGSTOCKPHOTO.COM
C2 October 2007 www.the-triton.com The Triton
As with all employment, giving feedback to megayacht crew is important from the perspective of crew development and motivation.
There are essentially two types of employment review: an informal one that takes place as the opportunity to discuss matters arises, and a more formal one where specifi c time is set aside.
The informal review is useful in that it gives both parties an opportunity to raise issues and concerns that might not otherwise be discussed. However, by its nature, it is unlikely that there will be any positive record of the review of the issues discussed.
The main stages of a formal employment review or staff appraisal are:
1. Preparation. Ensure that you have all the necessary and relevant material at hand.
2. Communication. Make certain
that the crew member knows exactly when and where the review will take place and how long it is likely to take.
3. Location. Privacy is essential. Make certain that the review will not be disturbed (which includes mobile telephones).
4. Situation. The actual layout of a location can have a major impact upon the review process. Avoid sitting directly opposite each other with a desk or table between you.
5. Introduction. Take time to explain the real purpose of the review and the fact that you will be taking notes. Make it clear that the crew member can make notes if they so wish.
6. Review the working period. Go over the previous working period and
look at what has gone well and poorly. Be specifi c.
7. Agree to a future plan of action and the support necessary to achieve this.
8. Allow for the discussion to cover any areas of concern. Nothing should be “off limits.”
9. Record the key points of the discussion, the agreed action items, the agreed support, the evaluation measures and any follow up.
10. Close on a positive note, if possible.
At the end of the review both parties should feel that they have had a fair opportunity to present their feelings on how the employment has been going.
If a full, fair and frank discussion has taken place the result will lead to a much better understanding by both parties.
Dispute resolutionThe crew of a yacht lives in a closely
confi ned environment with limited private space. Work can be highly pressured and, therefore, it is not
UP AND RUNNING
IAN BILES
See RUNNING, page C5
Informal employee reviews are good; formal reviews accomplish something
Be sure to record the key points of discussion as well as the agreed action items that come out of an employee review, and close on a positive note whenever possible.
SUPERYACHT OPERATIONS: Up and Running
The Triton www.the-triton.com October 2007 C3XXXXXXXXXX
C4 October 2007 www.the-triton.com The Triton
By Lucy Chabot Reed
There’s something about the students at Maine Maritime Academy that makes Ann Aylesworth smile.
“They were such a breath of fresh air,” she said, recalling her visit to
Maine this spring to recruit students for the yachting industry. “Just clean cut, scrubbed faced, boy scout/girl scout kind of kids.”
She wants to bring those kids – and the feeling they invoke – to the
yachting industry.Aylesworth is director of crew
placement at Northrop and Johnson. She spent two days in Maine, telling a room full of students about the world of megayachts (“the good, the bad and the ugly,” she said) and interviewing 16 of them. After weeding out the students she felt couldn’t handle the detail-oriented work that megayachts demand, she set her sights on four of them.
She placed one this summer on the new 120-foot Broward that had a whirlwind press tour around New England.
“I loved it, I had a blast,” said Paul Clark, who worked as a deckhand and is a senior at MMA this year. “I spent the previous two summers on tugboats between Houston and New Orleans, black oil barges, hot and dirty, and they didn’t smell the greatest.”
Capt. Jeff Neuwirth, new vessel commissioning captain for Broward,
said Clark has “twice the skills of the deckhands you pick up around here [Ft. Lauderdale].”
“He can tie twice as many knots as I can, and I can tie quite a few knots,” Capt. Neuwirth said. “He knew the names of things and had strong basic navigational knowledge.”
Clark earned minimum wage this summer tending bar, greeting guests, standing gangway watch and keeping the yacht looking good. He was hired in anticipation of the trip beginning, but last-minute repairs sent the yacht to the yard, where Clark learned the other side of yachting.
“He never complained and he learned the boat very well,” Capt. Neuwirth said. “He’ll be a hot property when he gets out. I don’t think he’ll work for minimum wage again.”
Clark is expected to graduate in December 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in science and a 500-ton mate/200-ton master. Most of the students at MMA graduate with deck and engineering licenses and head into the commercial industry, some with licenses to operate vessels up to 3,000 tons. Clark said he’s been asking for opportunities in yachting since he started at MMA as a freshman.
His summer internship is the beginning of a trend, at least at MMA. Dick Youcis, director of career services at the academy, joined the U.S. Superyacht Society and visited the Miami Boat Show in February to recruit industry leaders for MMA’s job fair. Aylesworth jumped at the chance.
“These kids are the low-hanging
See MAINE, page C13
Paul Clark, a student at the Maine Maritime Academy, had a great time working on a yacht after having spent two summers on tugboats that “didn’t smell the greatest.” PHOTO/JODI H. PETTY
Aylesworth
Placement agent recruits ‘fresh’ kids from Maine
CREW NEWS: Recruiting
The Triton www.the-triton.com October 2007 C5
surprising that on occasions disputes can arise between crew members.
If disputes are left unresolved, the bad feeling that develops can have a negative effect on the entire crew and, therefore, it is essential that such matters are dealt with swiftly and fairly.
On board the yacht, the captain is the ultimate arbiter. Notwithstanding the legal requirements of employment, generally the captain has the authority to hire and fi re at his own discretion.
As soon as a dispute arises, the captain needs to ascertain whether or not this is a minor disagreement that will swiftly be forgotten or a more sinister problem that, if left, will fester.
To start, the captain needs to obtain information on both sides from the individuals in dispute and from other crew members.
Then, at an appropriate time, he needs to confront both individuals with the information he has obtained.
Subject to the response of the individuals, the matter will either be resolved amicably or the captain will need to take action that will probably (eventually) lead to the departure of one of the crew members.
DisciplineIn any employment situation.
occasions will arise when a crew member will overstep the mark and it will become necessary for some form of formal discipline to take place. The procedure to be adopted is normally set out as part of the terms and conditions of employment.
On board a United Kingdom-registered ship, the Ship’s Articles will
include reference to the Merchant Navy Code of Conduct.
This code is a set of rules and procedures that have been agreed between employers and unions about conduct of life on board ship. Whilst initially designed for the Merchant Navy, its application to yachts remains valid.
Next month: A look at the current Code of Conduct for the Merchant Navy that came into force on June 1, 2001.
Ian Biles is the founder of Maritime Services International, a marine surveying and consultancy business. He holds a Class I (Unlimited) Master’s certifi cate, a degree in naval architecture and an MBA. He has developed a risk management program for large yachts for a major London-based underwriter. Contact him at [email protected] or +44-2392-524-490.
MPI Group of Surrey, England, offers a distance-learning course designed to bridge the gap between master certifi cation and the reality of running a large yacht. The course is sponsored by the Professional Yachtsmen’s Association and Middlesex University. Course material was created by Ian Biles and future topics include the legal aspects of yacht management, interior management, chartering, repairs and security. For more information, call +44(0)1252-732-220 or e-mail [email protected]. To read previous columns, visit www.the-triton.com and click on “news search.”
RUNNING, from page C2
Discipline is going to arise in employment situations
SUPERYACHT OPERATIONS: Up and Running
C6 October 2007 www.the-triton.com The Triton
Serves 8
By Chef Mary Beth Lawton Johnson, CEPC, CCC
For the hollandaise:4 organic egg yolks2 tablespoons white wine2 teaspoons champagne vinegar2 tablespoons water1 cup ghee or clarifi ed butterWhite pepper, sea salt to taste
Place egg yolks, wine, vinegar and water in a bowl and place over simmering water. Whisk really fast to form a mousse. (Do not boil or the sauce will separate.)
Remove from heat and slowly whisk in the butter.
Season with salt and pepper.
For the fi sh:2 large sheets puff pastry 2 organic egg yolks, beaten8 fi llets of cod, 6 oz. each2 ½ cups milk4 tablespoons butter8 organic eggsFresh spinach, wilted
Roll out the puff pastry to about 1 inch thick and cut into 8 squares.
Score the tops with slashes and brush with the egg yolks.
Bake in a preheated oven (350 degrees F) for 5-7 minutes or until golden and puffed.
Place the fi sh in a dish with the milk and butter and bake for 7 minutes until done.
Poach the 8 eggs.
To assemble: Cut puff pastry squares to form a sandwich pocket. Place the fi sh in the pocket. Top with a poached egg. Drizzle a littleHollandaise on top. Garnish with seasonings of choice. Serve on a bed of wilted spinach.
takes hours to prepare great sauces. Sauces can’t be rushed. If you don’t have time, take the short cut. Otherwise, make the time.
Be aware of your seasonings. They should not overpower your sauce but complement the main item in the entrée.
The color of the sauce must accent the dish.
The consistency must be perfect, not too thick or too thin. You should be able to see the food under the sauce.
Sauces that are to be served cold need to be thicker than sauces served hot.
Sauces are made up of liquid (the base), a thickening agent and fl avors. There are four groups of sauces, called the mother sauces. These are veloute (the base is chicken or fi sh broth), espangnole (demi-glace), bechamel (the base is milk), and tomato.
Good qualities in a mother sauce are the ability to produce multiple compound sauces, be the basis for other culinary preparations, be able to be reheated without breaking down and a long shelf life.
Thickening agentsThere are three main types of
thickening agents.
1. A roux is 50 percent fl our to clarifi ed fat, such as butter. Fat is used as the bridge between the liquid and the thickening agent. Classical schools use butter because absorption is greater.
If using fl our, use bread fl our or all-purpose fl our because of the high gluten content. It gives it greater binding abilities.
A few tips: Always sift your fl our fi rst to
remove lumps and foreign material. Use a whisk or fl at spatula for best
results and fewer lumps. Use a stainless steel pot or pan. If
you use an aluminum pan and a utensil scratches it, you get fl ecks of aluminum in the sauce, which will turn it green or gray.
There is a white roux (used for cream sauces), a brown roux (used for all brown sauces) and a blond roux (used for all veloute sauces). Brown roux is cooked longer. Don’t burn the roux or it will taste bitter and the high heat will destroy the binding power.
Use a lower temperature and longer cooking times to obtain the brown roux. I always pre-brown my fl our by spreading it out on a baking pan in the oven. This way it takes less time. However, you do want to cook your roux slowly to get rid of the taste of fl our.
Roux should never be added to a hot liquid. Always add the hot liquid to the cold roux a little at a time, whisking all the while. Bring the sauce to a boil,
stirring often. You need to sterilize the sauce
to get rid of any bacteria that might have accumulated and you want the thickening agent to reach its fullest potential.
2. Starches such as cornstarch, arrow root and tapioca starch have their benefi ts. The best one to use is tapioca starch. It doesn’t give as much elasticity to the sauce as cornstarch and arrow root will.
3. Liaison fi nale is a French term for any mixture that is used to thicken or bind sauces, soups and other preparations. Today, it is mainly used to describe an egg and cream addition to thicken and fi nish the sauce. Sauces should not be boiled after adding them. Common proportions are six egg yolks to one cup of cream.
Liaison fi nale with starch is similar to using cornstarch slurry to thicken sauces. The starch is mixed together with a little liquid and then added to the sauce while it is boiling.
Liaison fi nale with beurre manie is two parts butter to one part fl our. Whisk after each addition. Do not boil because the sauce will taste like raw fl our.
The liaison that is most notorious is the liaison with egg yolk. Whisk the egg yolks fi rst, and add a little cream if desired. Slowly add a cupful of the hot liquid to the egg yolks. This is used to temper them. Then stir the mixture
WAVES, from page C1
Baked Cod with Egg in Puff Pastry with Hollandaise
See WAVES, page C7
Sauce must complement dish in fl avor, colorIN THE GALLEY: Culinary Waves
The Triton www.the-triton.com October 2007 C7
into the hot sauce. Don’t let the temperature go above 160F or the sauce will curdle.
A culinary classic is using the blood of the animal such as poultry or game to thicken it. This is called liaison fi nale with blood. The blood takes the place of the egg yolks when used with heavy cream. You would use this for the classic Coq au Vin.
Liaison fi nale with fat uses butter, cream or foie gras to thicken. If you use butter, you are “lifting” the sauce. The use of butter gives a rich sauce and is done over very low heat. If using cream, just add it and bring to a boil. If using foie gras, puree the foie gras with cream and add it to the sauce. This is commonly used for dishes containing truffl es.
Newer liaisons use vegetable purees to thicken rather than butter, fl our and egg for a healthier sauce.
A mother sauceTo make a mother sauce, begin by
making the stock, then make the roux, then create the liaison between them. Your goal is to achieve these properties:
Viscosity (is it thick enough?) Texture (simmer and reduce it to
not only intensify the fl avor but to give it the right consistency. The longer a sauce is reduced, the mellower it will taste. As a sauce cooks, depouillage, that is clean the sauce by setting the pot on a rolling simmer – a little off center – and skimming impurities and fat deposits.
Color (does it compliment your dish?)
Luster (does it refl ect light?) Opaqueness (is it transparent
enough?)From these basic, mother sauces
originate compound sauces which are the majority of all sauces in a classical kitchen. I encourage you to look in your culinary library and pull out some books that re-introduce you to the mother sauces so you can either start to make them or remake them.
Remember, education is only a whisk away.
Next month: Compound sauces.
Mary Beth Lawton Johnson is a certifi ed executive pastry chef and Chef de Cuisine. A professional yacht chef since 1991, she has been chef aboard M/Y Rebecca since 1998. Visit her Web site at www.themegayachtchef.com or contact her through [email protected].
WAVES, from page C6
Stock, roux are fi rst steps in making mother sauce
IN THE GALLEY: Culinary Waves
C8 October 2007 www.the-triton.com The Triton
Holidays and food fi t together hand-in-glove. What would Easter be without eggs, Thanksgiving sans the turkey, Christmas minus the cookies, or
Halloween short of candy?
Not surprisingly, Halloween is the holiday that ranks highest in candy sales, according to statistics kept by the National Confectioners Association (NCA) in Virginia.
This may well be because candy so enticingly equates with the “treat” in the “trick-or-treat” phrase coined during this age-old holiday.
Sweets fi gured prominently in the fi rst Halloween celebrations in the United States. Taffy pulls, along with corn-popping parties and hayrides, marked Halloween celebrations in pioneer days. The large infl ux of Irish immigrants into the United States during the late 19th century led to the association with ghosts, goblins and witches.
Jack-o’-lanterns are an Irish tradition. In Ireland, oversized rutabagas, turnips and potatoes were hollowed out, carved into faces and illuminated with candles to be used as lanterns during Halloween celebrations. Unfortunately, these healthy root vegetables never became the treat that candy has become today.
What’s your favorite Halloween candy? According to the NCA, bite-sized chocolate candies are the most popular, chosen by 76 percent of trick-or-treaters. Bite-sized non-chocolate candies rank second, beloved by 30 percent of Halloween candy eaters. Least favorite treats for goodie bags are fruit, salty snacks, toys and baked goods such as cookies and granola bars.
Don’t think Halloween candy consumption is just for kids. According to the NCA, 90 percent of parents admit to sneaking goodies from their kids’ Halloween trick-or-treat bags. Many adults go out and buy Halloween candy just to eat for fun.
The bedeviling thing about Halloween is that candy isn’t healthful. Most candies provide only sugar, and fat if they contain ingredients such as chocolate, nuts and coconut. They don’t contain vitamins, minerals, dietary fi ber or phytonutrients.
So, how can you tame this demon and treat yourself to Halloween candy – and maintain good health this month, too? Here are a few points to consider:
Less than 2 percent of the fat and 10 percent of the sugar in our diets are supplied by candy. Most of the
fat actually comes from the high-fat animal products we eat. The main sources of sugar in our diets are sugary beverages, baked goods and frozen desserts.
Candy-wise, portion size is important. For example, you can still get a sweet fi x, yet cut out from one-half to two-thirds of the calories, fat and sugar in a full-size chocolate bar by opting for a bite-size or “fun size” bar.
Another portion control trick is to color code your candies. In a landmark study published in the Journal of Consumer Research, college students given a bowl of M&M candies containing 10 colors ate 77 percent more than those given a bowl with the traditional seven colors.
Some candies, such as lollipops, candy canes, gummy bears, gumdrops, licorice twists and sour balls do not contain fat or cholesterol. What's more, many of these candies are relatively low in calories. For example, eight gumdrops or eight jelly beans (both the equivalent of 1 ounce) contain about 115 calories.
Not all saturated fats raise blood cholesterol levels. Stearic acid, the primary saturated fatty acid found in chocolate, has been shown to have a neutral effect on blood cholesterol levels. This is because chocolate is derived from plants (cacao trees) whereas other types of saturated fats are derived from animals.
Another plus for chocolate: Researchers say that treating yourself to 3½ ounces of dark chocolate each day can reduce systolic blood pressure – that’s the top number in a blood pressure reading – by fi ve units, and the bottom blood pressure number by almost two units. This blood pressure reduction is linked to reducing the risk for cardiovascular disease by 20 percent. Dark chocolate is a fair source of healthful antioxidants called fl avonoids.
The bottom line is that it’s important to remember candy is indeed a treat. It’s not an essential part of your daily diet. The key to eating a healthful diet and achieving or maintaining an appropriate weight is a balanced intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean dairy and protein foods, with occasionally a bit of candy.
An active lifestyle that includes regular physical activity is important, too. So go out there and trick-or-treat gangway-to-gangway. Just don’t gobble your Halloween booty in one monstrous serving.
Carol Bareuther is a registered dietitian and a regular contributor to The Triton. Contact her through [email protected].
TAKE IT IN
CAROL BAREUTHER
You ate how many M&Ms?Control is key at Halloween
NUTRITION: Take It In
C10 October 2007 www.the-triton.com The Triton
By Carol Bareuther
Say the word truffl es and images of ultra gourmet dining come to mind.
At up to $120 an ounce or more, truffl es aren’t to be trifl ed with, but savored whether fresh or found in precious amounts in any number of gourmet truffl e-fl avored products.
That said, you can imagine our surprise when on a private tour of the Spoleto, Italy-based world headquarters of Urbani Trufalo – a four-generation, family-owned company that controls 65 percent of the world’s truffl es – we
saw basket after basket stacked 3-feet or more high with summer truffl es as they came in for processing and pronto distribution to epicurean hotspots around the world.
Not to be confused with upscale chocolate candies, true truffl es are a group of edible, underground-growing fungi that are members of the tuber family. Defi nitely diamonds in the rough, they are warty, irregular in shape, and range from walnut to baseball size.
Coveted as incredible edibles, truffl es have fascinated foodies for centuries. The Greeks and Romans valued them as medicines, aphrodisiacs and delicacies. This latter use comes from their unique aroma – akin to deep-fried sunfl ower seeds – and pungent, earthy fl avor. Fast-forward to more modern times and famed French chef Brillat-Savarin affectionately nicknamed truffl es the “diamond of the kitchen.”
Today, truffl es are both hunted and cultivated. Dogs (no longer pigs) scour the countryside of Italy, France, Spain and Croatia along with their human truffl e hunters in search of these precious edibles.
Truffl es typically grow a foot or more underground and it takes a keen sense of smell to search them out. Careful digging by the truffl e hunter assures this spot might produce another truffl e the following year.
Because of world demand and the chance business of hunting, growers
Workers at Urbani in Spoleto, Italy, sort through freshly hunted summer truffl es. PHOTO/DEAN BARNES
Hard to fi nd and perishable,truffl es command top price
See TRUFFLES, page C11
IN THE GALLEY: Truffl es
The Triton www.the-triton.com October 2007 C11
October to January is the season for the keenly craved white truffl e. A combination of garlic, shallots and
cheese describes this exotic truffl e.
have sought to seed the ground with truffl es by planting specifi c trees that give off truffl e spores. This has been successful, however it is the wild truffl e that is still much more plentiful.
There are four types of truffl es. The summer variety we saw coming into the Urbani factory for processing is the least expensive. Its taste is a combination of mushrooms and hazelnuts.
From September to January, the Burgundy truffl e is harvested. This one is akin to the summer type and has a hint of hazelnut.
From October to January is the season for the keenly craved white truffl e. A combination of garlic, shallots and cheese is the best way to describe this exotic truffl e.
From mid-November through March, the black truffl e, with its soft crunchy feel and spicy black-radish taste, is harvested.
Fresh truffl es are highly perishable. That, and their relative scarcity, is why they command a premium price. Urbani packs fresh truffl es in dry ice and ships them immediately via overnight courier to discerning customers worldwide. However, the company, and other gourmet food manufacturers, produces a host of truffl e products that are easier and less expensive to purchase, but with all the heady truffl e taste.
For example, Urbani makes truffl e butter, delicious brushed over steaks or spread on warm crusty bread. Truffl e oil tastes great when drizzled over grilled chicken or fi sh or used to season a salad. Truffl e vinegar is also a delicious salad ingredient, while truffl e paste can be squeezed into creamy
risottos, polentas and pasta sauces. You can also purchase jarred truffl e peelings. Enjoy these as a very dramatic garnish to soups and sauces.
Truffl es may be one of the few splurges in life that won’t bulk out your belly or hug your hips forever. A tablespoon of fresh shaved truffl es adds less than 10 calories to a dish.
Carol Bareuther, a registered dietitian, is a freelance writer living in St. Thomas. Contact her through [email protected].
Freshly hunted summer truffl es come into the Urbani factory for fresh sales and processed into truffl e products. PHOTO/DEAN BARNES
TRUFFLES, from page C10
If whole ones are hard to fi nd, try truffl e products, such as oil
IN THE GALLEY: Truffl es
C12 October 2007 www.the-triton.com The Triton
Touch up services for: Trinity, Azimut, Pershing and Riva
WE FIX IT!ALL INTERIOR FINISHES FOR YACHTS
PH: 954.214.1639FX: 954.752.0554
The artisans and craftsmen at Finish Masters want to thank
all our clients for a great year of business. We have repaired the incredible interiors of dozens of the world’s most beautiful and
elegant yachts. We like to say we practice the art of camouflage.
Thanks for allowing us to practice our art.
Most people probably cannot name too many wines from Italy’s Northeast. It produces some world-class white wines and a few really good reds. If
I mention the likes of Soave and Valpolicella, things become clearer. Add to this Alto Adige and Trentino, and most people will have experienced some of the amazing chardonnays and especially Pinot
Grigios from there that leave you wondering why anyone drinks ever Santa Margherita.
Northeast wines divide into two main DOC classifi cations, Alto Adige and Trentino, after which Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia have a very complex set of classifi cations covering their wine producing areas. I will cover the main wines you’ll see in the United States, citing examples I know.
Alto Adige, in the foothills of the Alps, is the northernmost wine-making region of Italy. Production tends to focus on small production or cult-type wines, in part due to the small planted acreage. Grapes such as sauvignon blanc and chardonnay produce good, zesty wines that refl ect the land. Pinot bianco from makers such as Hofstatter show a honeyed quality that is very pleasant to drink.
The area also makes really good aromatic wines from Riesling, Gewurtztraminer (a grape now proven to be from the area) and Sylvaner. Good makers include Produttori Colterenzio, Alois Lageder, the brilliant Elena Walch and – one of my favorites – Caldaro, a major cooperative. Many of these companies also make brilliant pinot grigio that will change your opinion of this often dull and boring grape. I like wines from Walch, some of which are very sought-after indeed, including the staggering white blend called Beyond the Clouds. If you ever fi nd a bottle, I promise it will take you there.
Red wines include the increasingly trendy Lagrein, which has good berry fruit overlaid by smoky fl avors. It is particulary good from Bolzano and Josephus Meyer-Unterganzner.
Trentino, unlike Alto Adige, is predominantly Italian-speaking and the majority of its white grapes are chardonnay. Gaierhof makes good chardonnay, as does Concilio and Maso Furli. Decent pinot grigio is made by Concilio, along with good white blends from, among others, the outstanding estate of Foradori.
Reds are very interesting. Teroldego is a normally rustic grape that becomes
quite sublime in the hands of the winemaker Elisabetta Foradori. The wine is called Granato and it always gets the coveted three glass award from Gambero Rosso. The wine has amazing cherry fl avors that deepen with age.
If you are looking for a new and worthwhile experience, this is defi nitely it. Other great reds include the legendary San Leonardo red and Villa Gresti, also from San Leonardo, which is made from merlot and a splash of Carmenere. This won the three glass award for the fi rst time this year.
In the Veneto, three well-known wines are made. Soave has, over the years, lost its reputation due to overproduction on the fertile fl atlands near Lake Garda. In recent years, pioneers such as Inama, Gini, Anselmi and, above all, Pieropan have put this Garganega-based wine back on the map in terms of quality.
La Rocca as made by Pieropan is absolutely world class, and in good years can age for up to 10 years and even resemble Meursault. Inama makes great basic Soave as well as single-vineyard wines that are worth seeking out. The wines should be fruity, with fl avors of banana, honey and touches mineral and acidity to add balance.
Valpolicella has suffered lately, but these light, red fruit and strawberry-dominated wines are rebounding in the capable hands of Tedeschi, Allegrini and Masi. Key grapes are Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara.
Valpolicella, when made from air-dried grapes, becomes Amarone, which is highly popular in the United States. The wines are bold, rich and dominated by fl avors of chocolate and raisin when mature. My favorites include Castellini, Allegrini and Guerrier-Rizzardi. A lighter style called ripasso has become popular in the last few years and most houses now make this type of wine, which sells for a quarter of the price of a good Amarone.
Prosecco is made in the Veneto from Prosecco grapes and makes a light and easy-drinking alternative to champagne. This is a good sparkling wine for hot weather and good makers include Adami, Bisol Desiderio-Figli and Ruggeri. Prosecco is more popular than ever; most retailers should have a few examples at very keen prices.
To my mind, wines from Friuli-Venezia Giulia are so special that I will devote the next column to them. Some of the legendary names of Italian wine making, such as Jermann, Schiopetto and Villa Rissiz, are located here.
Mark Darley is a fi ne wine sales consultant for Universal Wines and Spirits in Miami. Contact him at [email protected].
Discover a wine surprisein the Northeast of Italy
BY THE GLASS
MARK DARLEY
WINE: By the Glass
The Triton www.the-triton.com October 2007 C13
The pitch to students:Commercial can waitfruit,” she said. “They are committed to being the marine industry and they just don’t know about us.”
They soon will. Andy Chase at MMA is on a sabbatical this year to rewrite the curriculum to include courses for working aboard megayachts, including instruction in guest services.
“Historically, we’ve had alumni on yachts, but in the recent two to three years, it’s just skyrocketing,” Youcis said, noting that yachting isn’t a big part of the job market for MMA graduates, but it is an option. “We want to make sure that when they leave, they are aware of all segments, that they know all their options.”
This was the fi rst time Northrop and Johnson reached out to a maritime academy to recruit, Aylesworth said, but it won’t be the last. While yachting can’t compete with the benefi ts and predictable schedule of the commercial world, it offers something else.
“These are pretty boats with girls in bikinis,” she said. “You can’t touch them, but at least you get to see them. You get to play on the toys and work with people who are within 10 years of your age, and the destinations are pretty great.
“My hook is: Give me fi ve or six years,” she said. “Commercial will always be there for you. You are never too old or too fat to work in commercial. In my world, there’s a 15-year window where you can be very successful.”
Clark is well on his way. In addition to bartending and hanging out with the fi lming crew, he also had to take care of the boat. He said he was surprised at the amount of attention to detail in something as simple as washing the boat after the delivery.
“I fi gured I should start at the top and work down, but I didn’t really know where to begin after that,” he said. Capt. Mike Petty, along for the delivery, gave him great tips, he said, so washing a 120-foot boat is no longer intimidating.
“I knew it was going to be a lot of work, but I learned it was a lot more work than I thought once I got down there,” said Clark, who wants to be a megayacht captain someday.
The worst part of the summer?“There are no bad parts when I’m on
the water or on boats at all,” he said.That’s the attitude Aylesworth hopes
to harness with regular recruiting visits to MMA. She’s headed back in November to introduce the yachting industry to a whole new crop of fresh faces.
“Whether I get them or Camper Nicholsons gets them or Fraser gets
them, who cares because we all win,” she said. “The industry wins.”
Flipping through resumes to fi nd a phone number, she paused to smile and laugh.
“Ya gotta love a kid who lives on Otter Drive,” she said. “They’re just too cute.”
Contact Editor Lucy Chabot Reed at [email protected].
MAINE, from page C4
Capt. Jeff Neuwirth, left, new vessel commissioning captain for Broward, had plenty of praise for intern Clark, noting that he had “twice the skills of the deckhands you pick up around here [Ft. Lauderdale]. ... He can tie twice as many knots as I can, and I can tie quite a few knots.” PHOTO/JODI H. PETTY
CREW NEWS: Recruiting
C14 October 2007 www.the-triton.com The Triton
Last month, news outlets covered the status of New Orleans two years after Hurricane Katrina and the failure of the levy system. This month, this
column will focus on two authors who set their work in New Orleans. Each deals with the issues of race, class and graft in the city – one in a historic timeframe, one contemporary.
Nineteenth-century New Orleans is the setting of Barbara
Hambly’s historic mysteries. Pre-civil war New Orleans is a society that operates on a number of parallel planes. There is the white planter society, the founding Creoles, the slaves both own and the circle of “free men” who move amongst all segments.
The series features Benjamin January, a free man who has returned from Paris, where he was educated in medicine and music. January’s education as a physician does not present an opportunity in the city, so he makes a living as a piano player. It is his education and status as a free man that permits him to cross social boundaries and assist plaintiffs wrongly accused. In each book of the series, Hambly’s
detailed descriptions of cultural clashes, living conditions, social strata and law enforcement are critical to the story line.
Life’s challenges in Hambly’s mysteries are frighteningly familiar to the world of James Lee Burke’s new novel – 150 years later. “The Tin Roof Blowdown” (Simon and Schuster, $26) is the 15th Burke novel set in New Orleans and features character Dave Robicheaux. The novel begins with Robicheaux traveling from his home and job in Iberia Parish to assist in the New Orleans police response.
Like all Robicheaux novels, Burke weaves family histories, traditions of social strata and centuries of political graft around a central plot line. The common thread in this story is Father Jude LeBlanc.
Being in New Orleans presents the opportunity to search for the missing Father LeBlanc.
In the state of lawlessness, Robicheaux travels with the familiarity of a local and the wisdom of generations of reference. Previous novels in the series delegated the character of the city to the back-story. In “the Tin Roof Blowdown” Robicheaux’s observations and reactions are the front-story, with plot lines serving as a platform for commentary. The compelling story is a
good introduction for readers who have not read the Burke series.
The presence of mob drug trade, racial tension, and corruption at all levels of public service defi ned the city’s ability to deal with the effects of Katrina. Federal funding to the city was cut in half in the 1980s at the same time the crack cocaine became the drug of choice, setting the scene for the “abandonment of tens of thousands of people to their fate.” Multiple levels of criticism are imbedded in the lament; “We saw an American city turned into Baghdad on the southern rim of the United States.”
For every indictment of errors made, there is praise. The United States Coast Guard “fl ew nonstop ... taking sniper fi re, swinging on cable … held infants against their breasts and fat women who weighed three hundred pounds and carried them above the water to higher ground with a grace we associate with angels.”
Through Robicheaux’s eyes, the reader sees looting, homicides, police abuse, and vigilantism as well as acts of bravery, individual leadership and personal sacrifi ce.
Donna Mergenhagen owns Well Read, a used book store on Southeast 17th Street in Ft. Lauderdale. Contact her at 954-467-8878.
Know New Orleans through Hambly and Burke
WELL READ
DONNA MERGENHAGEN
LITERARY REVIEW: Well Read
C16 October 2007 www.the-triton.com The Triton
AIR COND. INC.
MAT T H E W ’ S
MA R I N E
954 761 3840 Fort Lauderdale
401 787 7087 Newport
matthewsmarineac.com
P R O U D L Y S E R V I N G
F T . L A U D E R D A L E , P A L M B E A C H ,
M I A M I A N D N E W P O R T
Excellence in Marine
Air Conditioning & Refrigeration
Products and Services
for Large Vessels
Remember when retirement planning was simple? You worked for a large company for many years and in return received a good pension.
A pension was considered an added bonus to go along with your social security. In those days you could count on social security. Full social security benefi ts started at age 65.
Historically that retirement scenario worked well for two main reasons. In 1950 there were 16.5 Americans working and paying into social security for every retiree. Also the average number of years you lived during retirement was less than 10 years. With these factors you did not have to save that much money for retirement. You also did not have to consider infl ation, the cost of health care and expensive prescription drugs.
If you are a baby boomer planning for your retirement, there are many more things to consider. If you work for a large company, it probably does not have a pension plan for you. If you expect to live on social security alone, you should start scaling your lifestyle back. You will need to practice living next to the poverty level so it won’t be too much of a shock.
In a nutshell, we are on our own today for retirement planning. Maybe the government is trying to condition us by giving us incentives for putting money away for ourselves via 401(k) plans, IRAs and SEP plans. Today, if you were born after 1959, you won’t get your full retirement benefi ts until age 67. Who knows what will be the age for full retirement 10 years from now.
You should make the decision to take on the responsibility of your own retirement planning. This planning will put you ahead of the game.
I have practiced in the fi nancial industry for 10 years. I have seen many planning tools and strategies for creating wealth. Some approaches last through retirement years and others expand into passing wealth from one generation to the next.
Quite frankly you should be using these techniques because if you are age 65 today you should plan on living at least 30 years in retirement. The biggest reason: health care advances. Everyone
should plan for this impact.
The foundation that I recommend to start any client plan is to get a reality check of where they are today and get it down on paper. This is the hardest step for most people. I use proprietary software called the MoneyMap, which is simple to understand.
Once you do a plan, it should be updated at least every year or so depending on fi nancial changes. The projection features of this software help calculate the variables of infl ation, taxes, rate of return on your investments including your contributions, and how much you will withdraw during retirement. The net result is at what age you will run out of money and be fl at broke.
Obviously no one wants to be broke but when would you like to know you are going broke? Now or when it is too late to do anything about it? Once you have a retirement map, you can dig into many of the different strategies out there in creating wealth and living through retirement.
One of the newest wealth-creating concepts – at least in the United States
– is the Mortgage Accelerator program. These programs can drastically reduce the number of years it takes to pay off a mortgage. What if you can change your effective interest rate to 2 percent or 3 percent? What if you earn 10 percent to
12 percent on your investments in the market? To get into this topic is a whole different article that will be done in the future.
In the past, many people had their houses paid off once they reached retirement and just lived off social security. Now, there are many strategies that use the equity in homes as part of retirement planning, including reverse mortgages (which in most cases I do not recommend), equity lines of credit, and pulling out equity for investments. Each has its pros and cons so do your research.
Another property-related strategy that might be benefi cial for investment properties is a 1031 exchange. Many people believe that the only option available for a 1031 exchange is a like property. This is not true. There are other avenues for you to own property without dealing with landlord issues but that have the same real estate benefi ts. Again to get into detail is another article in the future.
An older strategy that is used is
YACHTING CAPITAL
MARK A. CLINE
If you’ll go broke some day, would it help to know when?
See CAPITAL, page C19
If you expect to live on social security alone, you should start scaling your lifestyle back. You will need to practice living next to the poverty level so it won’t be too much of a shock.
PERSONAL FINANCE: Yachting Capital
The Triton www.the-triton.com October 2007 C17
By Lucy Chabot Reed
The International SeaKeepers Society, a non-profi t association dedicated to preserving the oceans, is opening its membership for the fi rst time to professional megayacht captains and crew.
Founded by a group of yacht owners nine years ago, the association now has about 100 members, most of them well-known businessmen and entrepreneurs. Founding members include yacht owners Paul Allen, the late Jim Moran, Jim Clark, and Steve Forbes.
Membership is $50,000. Last year, SeaKeepers opened its membership to yacht builders for an initial membership fee of $25,000.
The new membership level for captains and crew – called SeaKeepers Professionals – will be kicked off Oct. 20 at the SeaKeepers Soiree, the fi rst of what is planned to be an annual event during the Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show. The goal of the event is to raise $75,000 to cover the cost to install a SeaKeeper 1000 ocean and weather monitoring station in the Dania Cut-off Canal.
Tickets are $50 for members, $150 for guests.
“It’s a good time in the business and most people are looking for a way to give back,” said Graeme Lord, yacht management director at International Yacht Collection and the impetus behind the crew-level membership. “We were looking for a charity and thought about the Boys and Girls Club, but if you are in the South of France, what interest do you have in the Boys and Girls Club? SeaKeepers is a charity that touches all of us in yachting.”
SeaKeepers was started in 1998 by a group of yacht owners troubled by the deteriorating condition of the ocean. It has developed a monitoring system that automatically takes water samples and air readings, records data on a range of issues from air temperature to pH levels, and transmits the data via satellite to databases for scientists to study.
The SeaKeeper 1000 is about the size of a two mini refrigerators stacked on top of each other. Created and manufactured by SeaKeepers in Ft. Lauderdale, the units are installed on yachts, ships, docks, and buoys around the world and take precise scientifi c measurements every minute. It requires no human interaction to record and
upload data. Since its founding, SeaKeepers has
raised more than $10 million, mostly from yacht owners, to develop this system. U.S. yacht builder Trinity Yachts announced in August that it would install the units, including the through-hull fi ttings, on new builds at no additional cost to the buyer.
More than 50 systems are in place, with 16 in process, according to John Englander, chief executive offi cer of SeaKeepers.
“SeaKeepers Professionals is a way to engage captains, engineers and crew,” he said. “By underwriting the cost of fi xed monitors in critical locations, yacht crew will add signifi cantly to the scientifi c understanding of the major oceanographic and climatological changes now taking place everywhere in the world.”
SeaKeepers Professionals’ annual membership is $150. For captains with 500-ton licenses (or their equivalent) and higher, and for chief engineers with a Y4 license or higher, another level called the Captain’s Circle is available for $500.
The fi rst 12 members of the Captain’s Circle will be asked to join the Captain’s Advisory Board to assist the SeaKeepers board of directors on issues regarding the professional side of yachting.
“There is nothing right now that brings all people in yachting together,” said Frank Atlass, owner of Atlass Insurance. “This enhances that societal, collegial aspect of yachting, and you’re doing it for a good cause.”
Contact Editor Lucy Chabot Reed at [email protected].
SeaKeepers opens doors and lowers fees for captains, crew
SeaKeepers CEO John Englander oversees the manufacture and placement of SeaKeeper 1000 units from the association’s offi ce in Ft. Lauderdale. PHOTO/LUCY REED
International SeaKeepers Society
+1-954-766-7100www.seakeepers.org
NETWORKING: SeaKeepers
C18 October 2007 www.the-triton.com The Triton
Next to Bistro Mezzaluna 757 S.E. 17th St. • Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316
Mon.-Fri. 8:00-6:00 • Sat. 9:00-5:00 • Sun. 9:00-1:00
(954) [email protected]
Promenades Shops by Circuit City20533 Biscayne Blvd. • Aventura, FL 33180
Mon.-Fri. 8:30-6:00 • Sat. 9:00-5:00
(305) [email protected]
• Mailbox Rentals & Mail Forwarding
• Packing & Postal Services
• Shipping Domestic & International
• Free pick-ups & estimates for large shipments
• Full Printing, Copy Center & Notary
FREIGHT
This month, we explore anger, how to acknowledge and experience it, process and express it, and then let it go effectively and non-violently.
Anger is neither good nor bad. If you feel it, you feel it. Many people deny that they ever get angry. That’s just denial, and we’ll address that in a minute.
For now, assume we’re using the term anger to refer not only to rage
but also to any level of discontent, including annoyance, irritation, frustration, impatience, contempt, displeasure or even numbness.
And it counts whether it is directed outward toward others, outward toward situations or circumstances, or inward toward oneself.
Five Rules of Anger 1. Acknowledge it.
The fi rst step to managing anger is to acknowledge that you are angry. Although many of us would like to see ourselves and be perceived as “mellow,” few of us are. But even more important than being mellow is recognizing and accepting whatever we are feeling.
2. Experience it.
It really is OK to feel anger. Denying or repressing anger is the worst thing you can do. Let yourself experience it fully.
Most feelings have one-word labels, but those simple labels represent a multidimensional set of experiences.
Behavioral – in our actions and communications (both verbal and non-verbal)
Emotional – mood states such as sadness, fear, rage, joy – at whatever intensity
Mental – those thoughts, words and phrases that go through our heads
Physical – in the body, for example butterfl ies in the stomach, headache, dizziness, clenched fi sts, shortness of breath, etc.
The following activity can help you get in touch with the totality of how you experience anger. Remember a time when someone or something made you angry. Describe your symptoms
– behavioral, emotional, mental and physical – in words or phrases.
Are you surprised to discover all that’s entailed whenever you experience anger? The more aware you are of that experience, the more able you will be to manage it.
3. Process it.
Although you do want to experience your anger fully, you don’t want it to take you over and contaminate your actions.
Anger is an intense emotion. You may very well feel propelled to lash out or take some other action leading to undesirable consequences.
Process your anger instead of reacting to it. Use any or all of the following three techniques.
Technique No. 1: Defuse your anger. Take a few slow, deep breaths and concentrate on your breathing. Imagine yourself at the beach or by a lake or anywhere that makes you feel calm and peaceful. And tell yourself to calm down, not to let the source of the anger get to you.
Technique No. 2: Learn to talk about your feelings. Involve a third party (e.g., spouse or friend) as a sounding board.
Write an angry letter (that you won’t mail). Sit in front of an empty chair, imagine the person at whom you’re angry is in the chair, and vent.
Technique No. 3: Choose a constructive means to purge your tension. Exercise or play sports to expend that adrenaline non-violently. Use some relaxation techniques. Or take a simple “time out” for yourself.
4. Express it.
Open, honest and direct expression is the most effective way of managing anger. So whenever feasible, express it. Here’s how:
Remind yourself that anger is a normal, human emotion.
Use open body language and direct eye contact.
Speak in a fi rm (but not threatening) voice.
Don’t attack or blame the other person.
Focus on the behavior that triggered anger – not the person with whom you are angry.
Use “I” statements.
Don’t dredge up old issues.
MANAGER’S TIME
DON GRIMME
Getting angry is no sin; dealing with it poorly is
See MANAGEMENT, page C19
How you process anger effectively may depend on your personality or how upset you are. Try to defuse it by relaxing, talk about it to get your feelings out or discharge it physically by exerting yourself in some kind of exercise.
HUMAN RESOURCES: Manager’s Time
The Triton www.the-triton.com October 2007 C19
Avoid words/statements you’ll regret later. Don’t threaten. Simply state the facts about what made you angry.
Expressing anger is just a form of assertion. And, as with assertion, we offer a word of caution. Sometimes expressing anger would be inappropriate (thus the “whenever feasible” caveat of this rule).
For example, it would not be feasible to express anger when you are dealing with an aggressive person, especially one in authority or one who is likely to react with violence.
It’s also not feasible to express anger when providing performance feedback to an employee or behavior feedback to a friend. Feedback must focus on the other person’s behavior, not your feelings.
Expressing anger in these situations would be disruptive.
If timing is the constraint, postpone your anger expression, but don’t cancel it. In such circumstances, you still can express your anger but do it to a third party (or an empty chair).
5. Let it go.
Even if we don’t immediately lash out at the person who has triggered our anger, too often we hold on to it, letting it fester and poison our interactions and well-being.
Perhaps it was not feasible to express your anger and you’re still stuck with it. More likely, you simply did not manage your anger or perhaps you have some other motivation for clinging to it.
Give it a time limit ... then let it go. Ask yourself if your anger (or holding onto it) is useful. You may very well believe that it is useful. For example:
Do you fi nd it to be energizing and mobilizing? Does it make you feel powerful? Is it getting you results? Does it get “respect”? Perhaps you are perceived as strong; not to be trifl ed with.
But is there a downside? Are those bursts of adrenaline burning you out and/or becoming addictive? Are you really powerful ... and perceived as such by others? Are the short-term results outweighed by a longer term backlash? Is it real respect that you’re getting, or fear and contempt? Are you angered over a situation you can’t control?
You may have heard of the Serenity Prayer:
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
If you can change the circumstances that trigger your anger – and if (all things considered) it’s worth doing so – do it. Otherwise, let it go.
One of our clients spent an entire weekend angry at her husband and locked herself in their bedroom to “punish” him.
Well, he invited friends over to watch football games and action videos, drank beer and ate pizza. So whom, in fact, did she punish?
Even if you are effective in punishing the other person (e.g., a co-worker, friend or loved one) is that what you really want?
Don Grimme is co-founder of GHR Training Solutions in Coral Springs, Fla. He specializes in helping managers reduce turnover and attract excellent job candidates. Contact him at [email protected].
called income laddering.
In short income laddering is taking and dividing your total amount of investments into multiple bonds, CDs, stocks and mutual funds, and mapping out when you will need different amounts of income. Your current income comes from myriad sources from CDs maturing at different times to aggressive mutual funds and stock for long-term investing. Remember you will probably have 30 years in retirement.
A new spin off the income ladder today is using a split-annuity strategy. This involves purchasing multiple annuity contracts. This is much easier
to understand and keep track of though the years. Some annuities can guarantee you never run out of money no matter how long you live. Another advantage for using the annuities is the tax-deferred growth.
Everyone has a retirement strategy. Not planning is a strategy but not a strategy most of us would like the results.
Don’t procrastinate; it’s your money, your retirement, your life.
Capt. Mark A. Cline is a chartered senior fi nancial planner and mortgage broker. He is a partner in Capital Marine Alliance in Ft. Lauderdale. Contact him at +1-954-764-2929 or through www.capitalmarinealliance.net.
CAPITAL, from page C16
You might live 30 years in retirement
MANAGEMENT, from page C18
Ask yourself if it is goodto hold onto your anger
HUMAN RESOURCES: Manager’s Time
C20 October 2007 www.the-triton.com The Triton
administration.
How people learnPeople learn in three distinct ways.
Structuring a training system that uses the three learning styles works well when also combined with specifi c techniques and teaching aides.
1. Visual learning. These learners need to see what is going on. A leader is able to direct visual learners because they like reading, television and enjoy looking at photos, plans or cartoons.
Be sure to use words such as see, look, appear, and read. These people may not talk much, will dislike listening for too long, and will be distracted with untidiness.
Other techniques and teaching aides for visual learners include: posters, charts and graphs; visual displays; booklets, brochures and handouts; and varieties of color and shapes.
2. Auditory learning. Listening learners often love to talk, are attracted to sound and are distracted by noise. They tend not to like reading and may appear to daydream while reading.
Techniques and aides for this group includes question-and-answer sessions; lectures and stories; audio; group discussion; varying the tone, rate, pitch and volume of the presentation; and using music, slogans and acronyms.
3. Kinesthetic learning. They learn best by doing. Kinesthetic learners tend to move a lot, tap pens and shift in seats. They want lots of breaks, enjoy games and drills, and hate reading. These are the best drill sergeants.
Techniques and teaching aides for them include team activities such as drills; hands-on experiences; role playing and note taking; and open discussions and safety briefs.
Crew leader checklistCrew leaders should assess these 10
points before making a training system:1. Decide if there is a non-training
alternative, such as supervisor appraisals or workplace experience logs that record onboard achievement.
2. Establish which crew will do the actual training module being created.
3. Determine training needs and goals (safety, operational procedures, health, hospitality service, etc.?).
4. Defi ne the knowledge and skill levels required upon completion of the training. (Assess crew member language, literacy and numeric levels.)
5. Determine required assessment tools and allowable adjustments used for crew that are not fl uent in English.
6. Establish documentation procedures to deliver and record onboard training, drills and achieved competency standards of the crew.
7. Assess crew to determine how much training needs to be done.
8. Decide on the most appropriate
activities and their combinations that are needed to get results.
9. Research existing courses and outside resources for ideas.
10. Continually refi ne the training system and measure improvements.
Deliver the training packageFollow these steps, and work toward
actually delivering a training session and assessment:
1. Analyze the procedure of assessment and prepare explanations. Break the procedure into small parts. Think about how you will explain each.
2. Be clear and accurate in speaking or writing your instructions. Instructions need to be clear so there is no confusion or misinterpretation about the assessment process.
3. Avoid negative words. Write instructions so crew knows what to do, not what they shouldn’t do.
4. Use the “you” approach. Write to the crew, not at them.
5. Use an active voice and action words. Instructions and procedures should be directed to the crew handling the task. Use verbs that offer direction.
6. Sequence the information correctly so it is easy to follow.
7. Test instructions or explanations with a colleague or outside expert. Give them to colleagues, and follow up on all feedback, check for clarity and make the necessary changes.
8. Prepare the crew by putting them at ease. Crew must feel comfortable before training and assessments take place. You want it to go well, be fun and interesting. Learning is best achieved when people are open to improving themselves and their work place.
9. Give complete instructions. Explain what is required plus where and when it will take place, how crew will be assessed, why they are being assessed and which tasks they will be required to perform.
10. Ask for ideas and feedback to involve the crew. This will show they are listening and participating fully.
11. Confi rm full understanding and clarify uncertainties.
12. Do not include unnecessary information that may confuse the crew.
Having determined what, why and how and created module templates, make eye-catching documents and use tools such as PowerPoint to help deliver modules. Raising standards, building teams, making people safer and happier and providing clear structure lets captains and department heads get their own jobs done.
Eng. Dean Vaughan is the project manager/owner’s representative on Burger Hull 509. Contact him through [email protected].
TRAINING, from page C1
How people learn: see, listen, do
To see an onboard training program sample, visit www.the-triton.com.
FROM THE CAREER FRONT: Onboard training
The Triton www.the-triton.com October 2007 C21
Calm
Try these new puzzles based on numbers. There is only one rule for these new number puzzles: Every row, every column and every 3x3 box must contain the digits
1 through 9 only once. Don’t worry, you don’t need
arithmetic. Nothing has to add up to anything else. All you need is reasoning
and logic. Start with the Calm puzzle
left. Then try your luck in the Stormy seas at right.
StormyAnswers to all puzzles are now online at
www.the-triton.com/puzzles
SUDOKUS
CROSSWORDS
C22 October 2007 www.the-triton.com The Triton
Captains AvailableAvailable CaptainHighly experienced 3000 tons
licensed Master available for deliveries,
long term, short term contracts...
contact [email protected]
Ad# 2868
Captain in MedSpanish Capt YM 200 Gt looking for
a M/Y in FLL area in the Med for the
moment [email protected]
+34.671.27.56.26 Carib. season
Ad# 2940
100Ton Capt Seeks Yacht to Love & Family to Care for!20 Yrs exp Cruising the World
Call #954-347-4945
Ad# 2989
Master 1600grt OceansCapt. 1600gt Oceans Available
Full-time or delivery Contact Llyn
Thomas Buckwalter Cell 954-612-2866
Ad# 3026
Captain with ExperienceExperience captain looking for yacht to
charter. navagation experience, from
eastern US Bahamas and Caribbean.
Email online to ad# 2870.
Ad# 2870
Captain AvailableExperienced, MCA 200T captain available for full time, private use.Great
management skills with hard working
ethic call 772-215-1742.
Ad# 3037
MCA 200ton Captain AvailableGreat Personality, experiance and
references.Team also avail [email protected]
Ad# 3008
English Captain AvailableMCA 200 ton UK, sail and
power, charter or private,
well presented and hard
working. Email
Ad# 2910
100ton CaptainAvailable for deliveries
anywhere on the east coast or
gulf of mexico please contact
me for a free quote,
(813) 767-6959
Ad# 3043
Sail or Power - Private or Charter Responsible, Committed, Hard Working100-ton Captain seeks private or
charter yacht, sail or power. Resume at
www.estreetdesign.com/resume- captain.doc Call 802-579-4557
Ad# 3040
Port CaptainCaptain 30+years experience will
maintain your yacht wash and run all
engines weekly in fort lauderdale
starting $500.00 weekly
Ad# 2864
100 Ton license Captain Charter/private 25yrs expAvailable over 8000 seatime days
bahamas/eastern US (954)600-1909
Ad# 2963
Permanent CaptainCaptain available, full time SE U.S.
941-400-8043 d.m.campbell@comcast.
net 100 T Master
Ad# 2854
S. FL. Captain Seeks Yacht to care for & Family to Love!20 Yrs Exp. Local or Abroad,
954-347-4945 [email protected]
Ad# 2970
Captain Permanent Position Desired30 years experience, Florida & the
Keys, East Coast, Bahamas Great Lakes.
Current owner retiring from boating.
,941-400-8043,
Ad# 3054
Freelance/Delivery Captain1600 USCG Lic. Delivery,Freelance, or
Long term right boat. Over 20 years
of experience. Have a World Class
experience call Capt. Jim 954-290-0119.
Ad# 2959
Captains NeededCaptain WantedLooking to hire P/T or F/T captain
for daily operation of schooner in St.
Augustine, FL 50 ton w/ Sail Aux a must
Call John at (904) 315-7795
Ad# 2918
Captain wantedBusy West Coast Company looking for
professional Captains & Captain/Stew
teams. Experience required. Fax
resumes to 949-764-1727.
Ad# 2974
Looking for Duck Tour Boat Captains based in Ft LauderdaleCapt for Duck Tour Boat inter-coastal,
based in Ft Lauderd 25 tons, FL CDL
class B DL, US. Citizen, Drug Testing,
CPR, 1st aid cert. 5617563851
Ad# 3058
Towboat Captain WantedTowboat Capt to perform tow &
salv tasks. USCG Near Coastal
+ tow end. Co Benefi t 4 dy
wk inc wkends/ngts.
Fx 954 783 9009
tina@towboatusftlauderdale.
com
Ad# 3061
Yacht Chefs AvailableCulinary trained Yacht Chef
available for freelance or
permanent position.STCW and great references. 954-817-
5836 or hfl ossie@hotmail.
com
Ad# 2954
Chef AvailableAll Culinary styles including raw food.
Ft. Laud. Gerald CLeeman
Call 561-843-2842 Positive Attitude
Ad# 2874
U.S.Culinary Trained Chef with STCW95 and experience on yacht and more Contact 954-600-2069 or
CLASSIFIEDS
2005 62 Fairline
Captain Needed for 2005 62
Fairline Targa. Full Time
liveaboard, Travel to multi
ports, good pay, good owners
Ex Captain Available to talk
Ad# 3057
Italian Chef Available
Now Master and culinary/gastronomic.
I’ve had experience in Embassy
Vatican City/Rome.Full or Part
time. Call Gissela 954 798 0903 or
Ad# 3031
The Triton www.the-triton.com October 2007 C23CLASSIFIEDS
2001 S,W, 20th St. • Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33315
• Total Yacht Restoration
• Awl-Grip Spray Painting Specialists
• Fiberglass Fabrication & Repairs
• Bottom Painting
(954) 713-0374Office
(954) 232-8756Cell
www.knowlesmarine.comemail: [email protected]
at Lauderdale Marine Center
Ad# 3027
Yacht chefs NeededLet Me Cook For You and Your GuestsExperienced cook, from cold salads to
four course meals, looking to cook on
your M/Y; references available.
Deborah Pepper 786-316-7478
Ad# 2914
Crew AvailableGreat Mate/First Offi cer Sail or PowerExperienced Captain looking to branch into larger yachts, sail or power
Resume online:
www.estreetdesign.com/resume-
captain.doc Call 802-579-4557
Ad# 3094
Looking for charter workCapt and Mate/Chef available.
1 to 4 week charters East Coast and
Bahamas Cont. 954-593-5667
Capt. Bob
Ad# 2990
CREW / MATE / DECKHAND
daywork /delivery, experienced
stwc-95, palm beach or fl l tele:
561-364-1668, email: [email protected]
Ad# 3069
Cook/Stew/Light DeckCook/Stew/Light Deck. Freelance,
daywork, delivery, or full time with
right boat. Call Karen 95290-0119 or
Ad# 2960
Captain and Mate/Chef Available100T Capt and Chef available 1 to
4 week charters & deliv. Capt. Bob
954-593-5667. Full time position
could be considered.
Ad# 3000
Great Mate/First Offi cer Sail or PowerExperienced Sail/Power Captain
seeks move to larger yacht.
Call 802-579-4557. Resume at
www.estreetdesign.com/resume-
captain.com
Ad# 2862
Freelance/Perm Stew or Chef availableFort Lauderdale based Stew/Chef
available immediately for freelance or
perm position.Contact Liezel
954-3366539
Ad# 2848
US Chief Stewrdess/CookUS Chief Stewardess & Chef.
Available for freelance to long
term work at your Estate & aboard.
954-832-0887
Ad# 2904
Local US Experienced Stewardess/Cook AvailableLocal US Stewardess/Cook
Available for freelance work
M/Y’s,Daywork/Charter/Private
Boatshow Help/Crew Relief
Marsha 954-832-0887
Ad# 3081
Chef AvailableFreelance Chef available U.S. Citizen.
Great Refs Menus available. Call Gail
(954) 525-1398 or (954) 648-7879
Ad# 2878
MCA Class II EngineerCrossing & Relief work Based in Ft
Lauderdale 954-993-8490
Available Oct 3rd Onwards
Ad# 3022
Yacht Crew TeamsSecond engineer/ experienced stewardessseeking permanent long term position
from Oct. 1st. please contact
Ad# 2969
Engineer Stewardess Team Neededfor 115ft m.y. Skilled engineer &
stewardess med summers/caribbean
winters charter and private use
Ad# 3016
DeliveryCook/Stew/MateAvail. Aug.-Nov. for Delivery.
Cook/Stew/Mate-many years exp.
(USCG 100 ton) stand watches, cook,
detail. Professional, dependable.
954-895-8070
Ad# 2950
Available for Deliveries23 yr old male available for yacht
deliveries. Anywhere on the
east coast and through out the
Gulf of Mexico. 813-767-6959 or
Ad# 3042
Mates and Deckhands AvailableMCA CHIEF MATE / OOW 3000gtAvail. for Relief / Deliverieswww.FEADSHIP.co.uk Visit website for
resume www.YourSkipper.co.uk
Ad# 2925
Stew/Stewardesses AvailableExperienced American Reliable StewardessStewardess (US) reliable who hits
the ground running, 15yrs on
yachts up to 168ft.charter/ private.
STCW, divemaster, home cooking.
954-612-2503
Ad# 3055
Cook /Stew for short trips AvailableEnergetic hard working & fast learning
cook/stew available short trips -US East
Coast Bermuda, bahamas, Carribbean [email protected]
Ad# 3039
Steward/ Stewardesses NeededStewardess wantedLooking for solo stew
112 ft motor yacht
Foreign fl ag, some charters
2 years experience
Ad# 2971
Marine ProfessionalsYacht AdministratorBookkeeper with 2-5 years
Quicken/QuickBooks & Excel
required in Ft. Laud. Yacht
industry knowledge a +. Email
resume to [email protected]
Ad# 3007
First Mate/ Chef Team
Looking for team position on vessels
in the 110 to 130ft range. Have great
references and experience, work very
well together. Contact Joel or Kimi at
401-339-1971, 843-290-0396
Ad# 2961
Professional Chief Stew &
Engineer Team Looking for permanent position,
5yrs plus Charter-Private exp.
STCW 95, CV’s available on req
Call Helen 954 646 2409 or
Email Gordon gcockwell@hotmail
Ad# 3083
C24 October 2007 www.the-triton.com The Triton
Help WantedExperienced Marine Technicians
needed for growning South
Florida Marine Service Co.;
competitive compensation;
phone: 954-832-0808
Ad# 2856
Yacht AdministratorBookkeeper wanted for Ft Laud
yacht management dept. Must
know Quicken/QuickBooks and
Excel. Industry knowledge a +.
Contact [email protected]
Ad# 2966
Marine A/C Techs. and Ex-engineerswanting to switch trades. MIn
5yrs exp. Refi ts, installation
trouble shooting. Benefi ts,
good salary. Call Matthews
Marine A/C. 954-761-3840.
Ad# 2993
Sales Representative-Marine-WantedFind new customers maintain
existing in all divisions;
In person local; email & phone
worldwide; Exc Co Benefi ts.
Ad# 2972
Quality Assurance/ReceptionistTotal Quality Management Rep
for top crew placement agency.
Pay neg, great atmosphere!
Send resume and cover letter
[email protected] be legal US
Ad# 3011
Dispatcher WantedOvernight Dispatcher monitor
VHF, phones, dispatch towboats
30 hrs/varied nights/wknds,
Fax 954-783-9009.
Ad# 2920
Marine ServicesComputer Tech SupportComplete computer tech support
Friendly service and
reasonable rates;
Local References
Capt. Larry 954-557-6450
Ad# 3064
Yacht/Marine CarpentryExperienced marine/yacht
carpentry and teak deak work.
free quotes and friendly
service.best price in town.
call 954 825 1271
Ad# 2915
Help WantedExperienced Marine Detailers
needed; growing South Florida
Marine Service Company;
Competitive compensation;
phone 954-832-0808.
Ad# 2857
EXPERIENCED YACHT DETAILERS NEEDEDMobile Marine Services Co.
located at Lauderdale Marine
Center-Accepting applications
for detailers. Call Gail @
954-728.8225.
Ad# 3004
Professional marine carpentry,teak deck work and refi tsExperienced marine carpentry
,teak deck work and yacht
refi ts.Free estimates.Call,me
Franco at 954 825 1271
Ad# 3034
Deliveries to Maintenance, We Do it All!Capt. Greg’s Maritime Services Yacht
Deliveries, Relocations, Boat Handling
Instruction, Maintenance, Etc. Call for a
free quote. (813) 767-6959
Ad# 3041
TEAK TEAK TEAK!Beautiful Indonesian Teak Lumber for
decks/cabin soles/furniture/all marine
apps. Mahogany/Rosewood/Lignum
vitae Yacht Teak, Inc. 954-565-1819
Ad# 3073
Computer Tech SupportComplete computer tech support
Friendly serve and reasonable rates;
Local references; Capt.Larry Spisak;
954-557-6450
Ad# 3062
Marine TradesService Techs NeededExperienced, professional ,
engine and generator techs
needed. RPM Diesel Eng. Co
Contact Mike 954-587-1620 or
Ad# 3070
Professional Marine carpentry,teak deck work/refi tsExperienced marine carpentry,
teak deck work and yacht refi ts.
Free estimates.Call,me
Franco at 954 825 1271
Ad# 3036
MechanicMechanic knowledge diesel, O/B
generators, wiring, bt constr.
Organized, Reliable transport.
Exc Benefi ts. Fax 954-783-9009
Ad# 2921
Experienced Marine Carpentry &Teak DeckworkExperienced marine/yacht
carpentry and teak deak work.
free quotes and friendly
service.best price in town.
call 954 825 1271
Ad# 2934
Qualifi ed Carpenter/JoinerQualifi ed carpenter/joiner
available, yacht or home work
have all tools and transport
call; Dave 954 701 0245
Ad# 2863
For RentTropical 3/2 House for Rent!Fully Furn., Full Kitchen, W/D
Patio, Hottub, Clean! US 1 &
Sunrise Blvd. Mile to beach!
$1800 monthly. 954-895-8070!
Ad# 3075
Condo for rent2/1.5 northeast ft.lauderdale condo,
fi rst fl oor, screened patio,waterfront,po
ol,laundry water,sewer,satTV,incl. $1300
monthly, 954-242-5368.
Ad# 2861
Room for RentFurnised room in large town-
home on Dania Canal . Seeking
quietprofessional, no parties.
650.00 month internet avail.
Call 954 802-8943
Ad# 2909
2 bdrm, Furnished, BIG SCREEN TVBeautiful, tile throughout, Near 17th st
& US 1, close to Winn Dixie, bus lines,
beaches airport. Condo Board requires
1 yr lease 954 931-8945
Ad# 3086
Car StorageCar Storage-Store your car safely behind
locked gate in Fort Lauderdale. Prices
start at $65 per month. Call
Sabra at 954-294-0641
Ad# 3013
3 bed / 1 bath fully furnished house for rent in Tarpon River, Ft Lauderdale3 bed / 1 bath fully furnished house for
rent Tarpon River, Ft Lauderdale. Large
backyard with jacuzz. Available now.
$2500 - (954) 292 9354
Ad# 2872
Short & Long Term HousingLong & Short Term Housing Utilites,
Pool & Parking Incl. Fully Furnished,
Near Shops Pet Friendly
Location! Near Beach
Ad# 2899
Short & Long Term Housing, Fully Furnished Includes Utilities www.ParkStreetVillas.com
All units are fully furnished.
Utilities Included, Pool,
Parking and close 2 Beach
Ad# 3014
Furnished 1 BR 1 BATH Condo For Rent In Downtown Ft. LauderdaleTwo miles from beach. City center, ALL
utils. incl. 6 month lease minimum.
Jacques Roman, owner 561-628-9341
Ad# 2956
House for Rent3/2 House SE 13 St / Miami Rd
Fenced yard, Car port, Central
AC, New kitchen, Pet friendly.
Furn or Unfurn, Your choice.
Start at $2000 (954) 806 2003
Ad# 2967
Short Term AccomodationsShort Term Accomodations
Quiet, clean and affordable.
convenient location, $150/300
shared rooms and private rooms
954-294-0641
Ad# 3012
Crew House in Savannah3 bedroom 2 bath sleeps 6
or 8 if needed. All utilities
included, except phone.
$3000. per month. Call
954 258-1517 or 954 564-4752
Ad# 2994
Room for Rent1 bed/bath 954 647 4732
Near Marinas downtown cable
wireless, microwave, fridge
queen bed couple or single
by week 250-300 a week
Ad# 2996
NE FORT LAUD furnished 1/11/1 NE FORT LAUD $950 Month
Owner pays all utilities inc
electric. The apt is located
1.5 miles from beach, walk to
everything. Call 954-520-2353
Ad# 2935
CLASSIFIEDS
For more details on any classifi ed ad go to www.tritonclassifi eds.com
and enter in the ad #.
CFO Controller CFO with marine industry
experience available. Please contact
954-961-2346 or email to
Ad# 2885
Crew
Accommodations in Fort Lauderdale
Ft. Lauderdale Crew Rentals
Near S E 17th St. Pool, W/D
$140 per bed $240 Private room
geocities.com/
marinersaccommodations/1.html
754-244-2177
Ad# 2982
Seeking Yacht Mechanic
Diversifi ed Yacht Services Inc
located in SW FL is seeking
an exp Yacht Mechanic.
Email resume to accounting@
diversifi edyachtservices.com. Ad# 3056
The Triton www.the-triton.com October 2007 C25
1/1 Apt. Just off Sunrise & FederalElectric and water included; $850 per
mo; immaculate,large 1 block north
Sunrise&Federal central a/c no smoking
or pets Contact Karen (954) 873-7660
Ad# 2949
For Rent Furnished 1/1 ApartmentFOR RENT FORT LA HUGE 1/1
APT in great NE Fort Laud,
close to beach, stores and bus
$950 per month includes utilit
Call 954-520-2353 for info.
Ad# 3074
For SaleLuxury Condominium for sale/Investment OpportunityLuxury 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom
Las Olas, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Gulfstream Condominium
924 S. E. 2nd St., Contact Tom
954 520-2353,Lena 949 295-0156
Ad# 3090
Environmental Service Boat for Sale28’ Alum Cat Envir Serv Boat New 2002
Builder AMOS Alum. 3 axle trailer Price
$65,000. Phone 985 399 7222
Ad# 2901
11’ AQUASCAN Tender with15 HP. YAMAHA2004 AQUASCAN RIB W/ 15 HP
YAMAHA. GARAGED. INCL.
TRAILER. CUSTOM MADE WITH
LOTS OF STORAGE. $4400.
954-298-4151 / 954-563-0946
Ad# 3078
Detroit Diesel Engines (2)Two ‘01 950hp 2000 series. No
electronic boxes, alternators,
starter motors. Incl DeAngelo
exhaust systems. $10k. E-mail:
Ad# 3077
Homes for SaleWATERFRONT- 2BDS/2BTH - Panoramic ViewsWaterfront Apartment in Newer
NMB/Eastern Shores Area
2bed/2bath Low Maintenance
Access Property Network
(305) 913-7187 Asking $549,000
Ad# 2908
Nestled on 10.84 acres in North Florida. Surrounded by 100’s of trees, including
Bamboo, Oak, Magnolia, Dogwood &
Pine. Sell AS IS $150,000 - furnished,
includes greenhouse, workshop & small
one bedroom apt. Near Marianna &
Florida Caverns State Park, minutes
to I-10. Scenic drive to Hwy 98 &
the beautiful beaches of Florida’s
Panhandle. Call John 850-569-5319 or
Chrystal 954-465-7020
Ad# 2704
Sales JobsYacht Broker Sales Position OpportunityJoin a very fast paced offi ce
www.yachtbrokerjobs.com
fax resume 954-678-3935
Ad# 2859
Brokerage PositionYacht Brokerage position High
credentials, powerboat background
and experience. Lon Mccloskey
561-627-9500 or
Ad# 3076
Announcements
DAYWORKERS AVAILABLE!!!If you need good dayworkers,
we’ve got ‘em. Call our crew
house in Ft. Lauderdale. Only
marine professionals stay with
us. 954 931-8945
Ad# 3066
CLASSIFIED ADS
www.worldofyachting.com1126 S. Federal Highway, P. O. Box 230
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316Toll Free: 877-98World (877-989-6753)
Ph/Fax: 954-522-8742
WORLD OF YACHTINGThe one source for all your yachting needs Here’s what we can do for you:
• FIND CREW NO agency commissions or percentages no matter how many or how long you need crew members per year.
• CREW Post your CV/Resume for FREE.• Order your APPAREL/UNIFORMS & much more online, phone, fax
or in-person.• Custom Monogramming and Screen Printing• Find or sell a boat (or any other item!) on our boat classifieds.• GET MORE EXPOSURE Advertise with us! Post your charter brochure.• Find information on travel destinations, boatyards, flower shops,
gourmet stores and more all in one place!
Yacht Sales
Experienced yacht salespersons
and Yacht Brokers
wanted for Pompano Offi ce
Mark-954-523-8054
Ad# 3060
Sailboat 1981 Hunter 37’ Cutter Rigged Forward &
Aft CabinsRecent refi t w/ Awlgrip paint, new
canvas, upholstery,+ $35,000
Ad# 3080
Yacht Insurance Consultant
Dawn has dedicated her insurance
career to building lasting relationships
with her clients and the underwriters
Gowrie, Barden & Brett represent.
Personal touch service and around the
clock availability are her trademarks.
Dawn has been active in the marine
industry all her life, in Yacht sales and
service, charter management, new boat
production and as a licensed insurance
agent for the last 20 years.
Dawn has extensive experience in
boating and carries a 100 Ton USCG
master’s license which further enables
her to customize policies to suit her
client’s needs.
Call 800-262-8911 x 1653 or
email: [email protected]
For more details on any classifi ed ad go to www.tritonclassifi eds.com
and enter in the ad #.
C26 October 2007 www.the-triton.com The Triton
1500 East Las Olas Boulevard ~ Fort Lauderdale ~ Florida ~ 33301
Mobile
(954) 224-5847Office
(954) 467-1448
Facsimile
(954) 467-6714E-Mail
John A. TerrillREALTOR
CLASSIFIEDS
Isn’t this copy of The Triton great?Don’t miss the next one.
Subscribe online with PayPal at www.the-triton.com, then click on subscriptions. For U.S. addresses*, mail $50 to: The Triton, 757 S.E. 17th St., #1119, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316
NAME: PHONE:
OCCUPATION/TITLE:
BOAT NAME/BUSINESS NAME:
MAILING ADDRESS:
CITY/STATE/ZIP:
COUNTRY: E-MAIL:
*For international rates, e-mail [email protected]. 9/07
Navigation Lights NeededNeed Masthead and Anchor light for
sail vessel over 20 Meters and running
lights, red,green. If you have or know
where to get [email protected]
Ad# 2911
Tax Free Fuel & Refi tsTax Free Fuel/Yacht Support
Services in Bizerte/Tunisia.
Tax Free Refi ts in Malta
Contact Lawrence +35699439954
Member [email protected]
Ad# 3085
Envirotech Announces Hot New ProductEliminate Mold, Bacteria and Viruses,
Smoke and Odor too, with EcoBox at
only $399. Envirotech 561-707-6143 or
Ad# 3068
Custom Ships Bells; Your Text Your Logo; in Bronze or ChromeCustom Ships Bells Your Text Your Logo
in Bronze or Chrome Bellingham Bell
Company. Call (888) 802-3551
www.bellinghambell.com
Ad# 3063
Looking for workwork- Timothy Mcdoanld looking
work little experince learn
fast highly trained law
enforcement and fi refi ghting
contact [email protected]
Ad# 2997
Marine Parts and AC Pumps 24 Hour ServiceCall Ocean’s 4, 1-877-488-9933 for
AC Pumps shipped 24-48 Hrs. We carry
Scot Pumps and Parts used in Dometic,
Cruisair, & Marine Air AC systems
Ad# 3019
Fiberglass Repair & PaintingFiberglass repair, Painting custom
fabrication , mold repair and fabricating
free estimates
954-604-8946
Ad# 2903
Florida Dive ShowDec 1 & 2, Free Tickets Save $10.00
visit fl oridadiveshow.com offer
expires Oct 15, 2007
Ad# 3067
Custom SewingNew and repairs for all your sewing needs. Cushions,
Pillows, Shams, Neck Rolls and Sheets. You provide the design and I will fabricate beautiful items for your
enjoyment and that of your guests. Reasonable prices and fast service.
Call Jan 954-921-9500
Aussie Rules Grand Final Event
2007 AFL Grand Final Party
Sept 28th 10pm @ Biddy Earlys
email: info@fi ghtingsquids.com
or www.fi ghtingsquids.com
$15 (pies, raffl es, and more)
Ad# 3006
For more details on any classifi ed ad go to
www.tritonclassifi eds.com and enter in the ad #.
The Triton www.the-triton.com October 2007 C27
2 Oceans Maritime Academy A14A1A Chem Dry B23Alexseal Yacht Coatings B25American Marine Canvas & Upholstery A6American Yacht Institute C11Antibes Yachtwear B16Aqua Marine Realty A25Argonautica Yacht Interiors A12ARW Maritime B23Atlass Insurance Group B31Bay Ship and Yacht Company B19Bellingham Bell Company C7Bellingham Marine B17BellPort Newport Harbor Shipyard C5Blue Water Alliance A10Bradford Marine: The Shipyard Group C8Brownie’s A29Broward Marine B22BOW Worldwide Yacht Supply A32Business cards/Classifi eds C22-26C-Worthy B29C&N Yacht Refi nishing A2Camper & Nicholsons Int’l B26Cape Ann Towing A9Captain’s Mate Listings B6 &7Conrad & Scherer A20Crew 4 Yachts A9Crewfi nders B14The Crew Network B24Crew Unlmited B19Crown Wine and Spirits B10Culinary Fusion C2Dockwise Yacht Transport B5Dohle Yacht Crew B8Dupont Marine Finishes A24Edd Helms Marine A18Elite Crew International A13Explorer Satellite Comunications B28FenderHooks B25Finish Masters C12Foot Solutions B27Global Marine Travel A7Global Satellite B15Global Yacht Fuel B14Gran Peninsula Yacht Center B23Harbour Marine Systems A20HeadHunter C7International Registries C5International Yacht Training B8IslaMoin Resort, Residences & Marina A16-17James Schot Gallery & Photo Studio C19Jeppesen Marine C14Kemplon Marine C19King’s Head Pub C11KVH Industries B3Laffi ng Matterz C20Lauderdale Diver B14Lauderdale Propeller C2Law Offi ce of Richard Castillo A6Lifeline Infl atable Services B29Linkscape Internet Services A30Lunenburg Shipyard B2Luxury Yacht Group A21Mail Boxes Etc. C18Marina Pez Vela A3
Marine Wifi C18Mari Tech Services C6Maritime Professional Training B18, C28Maritime Wood Products B9Maritron Alarm & Security Systems B29Matthew’s Marine A/C C16Megafend A5Merrill-Stevens Yachts B21MHG Marine Benefi ts B32Moore & Company C12The Mrs. G Team C7MTN Satellite Services, a SeaMobile company C15National Marine Suppliers A4Nautical Structures C10Nauti-Tech A8Neptune Group C19Newport Shipyard B15North Cove Marina C16Northern Lights B31Northrop and Johnson B23Ocean Medical International B16Old Port Cove B20Palladium Technologies B9Perry Law Firm B28Peterson Fuel Delivery B28Pettit Paint B4Praktek C3Quiksigns C20Radio Holland USA B26Redline Marine Servicing A25Renaissance Marina B30Resolve Fire & Hazard Response C11Rio Vista Flowers C17River Bend Marine Center C10River Supply River Services C16Rossmare International Bunkering C19Royal Plantation Island A19 RPM Diesel Engine Co. A30, C4Sailorman A2Sea School B12Seafarer Marine B30Secure Chain & Anchor C6Secure Waters C4SevenStar Yacht Transport C13Shadow Marine B13Shelter Bay Marina B19Smart Move B12Son of a Sea Cook A10Spurs Marine B29SRI Specialty Risk International C14Steel Marine Towing A15SunPro Marine C18Super Yacht Support C16Tender Care A12Technomar International B27Tess Electrical Sales & Service B18Total Wine & More C9TowBoatUS B27Turtle Cove Marina A10Winterfest Boat Show A10Westrec Marinas A13Wright Maritime Group A11Yacht Entertainment Systems B14Yachting Pages C17
ADVERTISER DIRECTORYCompany Page Company Page
CLASSIFIED ADS