WINTER 15
Jude Law Interview You Wear It Well A New Recruit Refit French Style
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CONTENTS
winter 15
features 19
Read The Waves Rip through the pages of the best surfing reads
20 The New Law In Town Jude Law speaks exclusively to ONBOARD magazine
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26 Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor An in depth look at what’s new in yachtwear 36 Sexplosion What happens when crew become more than just mates 46 Fort Knox What is it that makes Sir Robin Knox-Johnston an icon of his sport 50 The Perfect Recruit Claire Griffiths looks at what constitutes the perfect recruit 58 Swell Time Alf Anderson looks at extreme cold water surfing 64 Class Acts Palma prepares for its premier Olympic classes regatta 75 In The Mix How to make the hottest cocktails from around the Mediterranean 76 Le Refit What is behind the growing trend for refit and repair in France? 84 Pay Day A look at salary trends for superyacht crew 108 Breakaway The world’s best skiing from Chile to Kashmir
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regulars 07 Comment Isn’t it time that the Superyacht industry decided its future 09 Upfronts Tips, people, advice and myths 17 MY Opinion Lesia Group’s John Cook on pay rises from both sides of the industry 22 New Launch Dutch designer Andre Hoek’s 48m sloop Wisp 24 Desire Design trends, from the affordable to the downright expensive
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CONTENTS regulars
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66 Table Talk ONBOARD’s favourite eateries in the fun port of Palma 88 Navigator A guide to Egypt’s ancient city of Alexandria, The Pearl of the Mediterranean 90 Six Of The Best ONBOARD’s six favourite electric bikes 92 Yacht Essentials ONBOARD’s recommended essential services and products for the winter season and 2015 104 Body Treatments, myths, a winter workout and an up close look at bad breath 112 A Day In The Life The working day of Superyacht Tenders and Toy’s Josh Richardson 115 MYBA Update Fiona Maureso takes a look at the specialist broker seminars run by MYBA 117 Ask The Experts Advice from the leading experts in their field 119 Recruit Laurence Lewis asks what 2015 holds in store for the yacht recruitment business 121 Finance Rob Kay discusses the key to successful investments
Editor Chris Clifford Editorial Assistant Carol Kenyon Advertising Manager Tim Morris Sales Executives Terry Hurley Art Direction Katie Prentice Accounts Julie Hewitt Contributors Frances and Michael Howorth, Tom Harrow, Claire Griffiths, Paddy Warwick, Rob Kay, Erica Lay, Alf Alderson, Muriel Pénoty Front cover Kristina Strobell Distributed by Superyacht Distribution www.superyacht-distribution.com info@superyacht-distribution.com
108 88 46 122
ONBOARD is published quarterly by Plum Publications SARL 8 Rue D’Opio, 06560, Valbonne, Alpes Maritime, France tel: 00 33 (0) 4 93 06 09 12 email: info@onboardmagazine.fr web: www.onboardmagazine.fr The editor and publishers do not necessarily agree with the views expressed by contributors nor do they accept responsibility for any errors in the transmission of the subject matter in this publication. In all matters the editors decision is final.
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COMMENT
Make your mind up It’s time to find out whether you are a Martha or an Arthur enquires ONBOARD’s resident sage
I
am beginning to find that the Superyacht industry does not know if it is Arthur or Martha. It’s not a sexual identity problem, more of an awareness thing. In one corner we have a group of folk who think the industry is too exclusive and that for the greater good we should make it less so. They argue that more owners would bring more yachts more jobs and more cash. In the other corner sits the group who perhaps for their own good want to keep it something akin to a rich old boys club where you cannot be a member of the club unless you already own your own yacht. At this point I want to point out it is not the owners that think this. Instead it is the vast army of hangers on who claim to know what the owner wants. Best not to get me started on that subject, I get hot under the collar when it is aired and might well write about it in an upcoming column! Back to my point! The group that wants more owners more boats etc., can be identified as being composed of shipyards, designers, refitters and the myriad of suppliers who keep the industry rolling. Spearheading the shipyard argument is SYBAss or Superyacht Builders Association whose aim is to unite and represent builders of large yachts. Their main goal is to facilitate communication between members and their clients, and the wider industry. They have done a huge amount towards demystifying the conception of superyacht ownership and by their formulated presence at yacht shows have brought several new owners into the fold. If SYBAss looks after the affairs of the builder then the Association of Yacht Support Services better known as AYSS wave the flag for the other guys. Again their message is simple. It proclaims that superyachting is fun, it is to be enjoyed and that it is not at all exclusive.
On the other side of the fence there is the grouping that would rather things become a little more club like. The MYBAs and LYBRAs of this world promote an elitist agenda that says our members are better than those who do not belong. It is not done maliciously of that I am quite sure and in fact if you sit down and talk with individual members you will find they abhor the very idea of limiting the industry. The associations are not alone. The media has its part to play. Two well respected publishing groups specialist in the superyacht field have created their owners clubs which enhance the solidarity aspect and attempt to marginalise the outsider. Code words are needed to enter websites that purport to promote owning a yacht. Fleet Street plays its part sending down to the Monaco Show your graduate trainees straight out of college to write about a world they know nothing about. The Daily Snail and the Torygraph are just two examples where hacks have arrived in Monaco and written nothing more that this yacht costs a squillion quid a metre to build and run and it doesn’t even have solid gold taps and, oh yes little Miss Celebrity No One flashed her tits on the aft deck of this one. Why on earth don’t these guys just ask the guys who know the difference between a Lurssen and a Grottycraft? To their very great credit both sides promote the ideals of safety and professionalism in an industry that is slowly taking head of the message and for that we who do not belong in either camp should be grateful. Now I am not saying which side is in the right or who is wrong but to the industry as a whole Salty Seadog says, “For the good of the industry make you mind up – Inclusive or Exclusive!”
ONBOARD | WINTER 2015 | 7
UPFRONTS Yachtie Types The Owner’s Wife
59 hr
min
Fastest crossing of the English Channel on a paddleboard by Michael O’Shaughnessy on 18 July 2006
THE BAROMETER RETIREMENT It seems to us more crew were hanging up their deck shoes for the last time. But let’s see, lots of people try to leave yachting but something about the long periods away from loved ones and living in a shoe box lures them back.
CUSTOM MADE UNIFORMS According to Lucy Ireland, owner of Deckers, custom made dresses for crew are all the rage this season. Each year uniforms are getting more modern and more stylish. It’s about time.
There are two distinct breeds of Owner’s Wife. Either the lovely lady who breezes onboard behind her grumpy husband who greets all the crew by name and brings little gifts (or takes the girls shopping “on her”), smiling and saying thank you, asking the junior decky how his mum is… then there’s the other one. More like the evil Disney step mum. She sets foot on board, the clouds gather and the sky darkens. She can spot a smear on the stainless at a hundred paces… Deckhands run in fear, stews are found crying in the laundry room after she’s demanded 50 outfits be steamed for the evening do only to come back from Gucci with a new dress to wear instead. She flounces into her bathroom, flounces out an hour later leaving what looks like tsunami devastation behind her and shouts at the stews for the mess. Where’s the boss? Why isn’t he having a word? He’s cowering in the wheel house behind the captain….
Mythical Sea Creature Makara is a sea-creature in Hindu mythology. Depicted as half terrestrial animal in the frontal part, in animal forms of an elephant, crocodile, stag, or deer, and in the hind part as an aquatic animal, in the form of a fish or seal tail. Sometimes, even a peacock tail is depicted. Makara is the astrological sign of Capricorn and is often portrayed protecting entryways to Hindu and Buddhist temples.
All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full.
King Solomon
ENGINEERS … AGAIN! Massively in demand over the winter period; we’ve heard that more rotational roles than ever are now available in yachting as the industry struggles to keep these precious crew members on board.
COGS4CANCER If you were anywhere near the Med this season you would have heard about a bunch of incredible guys and girls who cycled form Ancona to Antibes. Over 850km in 6 days. Plus they raised over €285,000 for cancer charities. A huge well done to everyone involved.
CROCS Why oh why do people keep wearing these things?? Ok, hospital/kitchen workers excluded … but really, as a fashion choice? Crocs, the symbol of a man who has completely given up hope.
A lot of people attack the sea, I make love to it.
Jacques Yves Cousteau
DETOXING Everyone claims to do a detox on the transatlantic crossings, but recent studies have shown that detoxes are a load of rubbish. One article stated that it’s better to drink little and often rather than binge. Having a glass or two a day is better for your liver. So there you have it, it’s in print therefore it must be true.
DODGY CREW AGENTS Yes, they’re back and extorting money from naive wannabe crew. Double check all company credentials, ask your mates and never send them money, come on guys, wise up!
SCRUFFY DOCKWALKERS I reckon we say it every year, but we still see dishevelled, hung-over, tattoo covered wannabe yacht crew surfing the quays. Guys & girls, it is very competitive out there, have a shave, ladies – not too slutty, stay sober, cover up the tats and get qualified!
ONBOARD | WINTER 2015 | 9
PEACE OF MIND
Management
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New Construction |
Financial
TRUST Knowledge
Experience www.wrightmaritime.com
Dedication
UPFRONTS
37°4’S 12°19’W
Fictitious Captains
Where is the most remote inhabited island? Tristan de Cunha in the southern Atlantic Ocean, home to 297 people sharing just 8 surnames! Inhabitants suffer from hereditary complaints like asthma and glaucoma. The island’s inhabitants have a British postal code but is some 2,000 miles from the nearest continent.
HOW DEMANDING
One Eyed Willie DID YOU KNOW? Willy’s real name is William B. Pordobell. Pordodell is reference to a Panamanian port often frequented by pirates in the 17th century. SHIP’S NAME The Inferno. DEATH Willy sealed the ship and its crew within a cavern to escape the Spanish armada that had been sent after him. Locking himself and the crew in a cave in Astoria, Oregon 1632.
A client demanded a crate of Evian, which was express shipped from Europe to the Indian Ocean. It wasn’t to drink, it was for bathing the client’s darling baby.
FACT The ship was built to look like Errol Flynn’s ship in The Sea Hawk and hidden from the cast whilst being built so the director could get a ‘real’ reaction when the actors first saw it live on film. MODUS OPERANDI Creating ingenious booby traps in the cave system to take down even the most experienced treasure hunters. CLAIM TO FAME Filmed on location in Astoria, Oregon, this city was also the setting for Free Willy and Kindergarten Cop.
I grew up with the sea, and poverty for me was sumptuous; then I lost the sea and found all luxuries grey and poverty unbearable
Albert Camus
What are you looking forward to most about the upcoming Med Season?
ERICA LAY Recruitment Agency
ANTON PARK Head Chef MY
BYRON HISSEY Chief Engineer
KIRSTY ROBERTSON Stew/Masseuse
MARIJA IVIC Chief Stewardess
The new crew arriving... It’s a very busy and chaotic time for us agencies in the Med. More and more new crew pile in each year, sadly they don’t seem to do as much research as they used to.
Not working on a yacht! As I am officially retiring from yachting at the end of this Mediterranean season! However I will still be involved! Just in a different capacity! Stay tuned for more news!
That it will be my last! I’ve sailed and travelled and learned and been burned. I’ve saved my pennies and bought a few houses, now it’s time to kick back. Enough idle conversation with people in white sunglasses.
I cannot wait to start the season with more confidence in myself knowing literally every corner of the boat and being more confident on deck, knowing the difference between alarms and the sound of a cricket !
Rotational job!!! So I don’t skip so many personal events at home. Birthdays, weddings, new kids been born, being godmother (as I was asked so many times)... Ordinary stuff that we forgot about it.
ONBOARD | WINTER 2015 | 11
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Our experienced yacht team offers ‘A’ rated security, high quality service and a proactive hands-on approach to claims handling. We look forward to being of service to you.
FERGUS DRAPER Executive, Skuld Yacht Mobile: +44 7921 396 893 fergus.draper@skuld.com
WWW.SKULD.COM/YACHT
UPFRONTS
DEEP DOWN
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UPFRONTS
Appitalk
Val d’Isère
Add some apps with these ONBOARD favourites IMDb The world’s largest collection of movie, TV and celebrity info. They list every detail about every movie and TV show ever made, including who was in it, who made it, the plot, user ratings, trailers, photos, reviews, quotes and goofs.
Six Pack With this Abs Trainer, follow the lead of the Runtastic avatars in high-quality, HD videos to complete intense, customised core workouts. Tell your excuses to hit the road and get the body you’ve always dreamed of… Fitness is not one size fits all.
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My Favourite Destination BEN YOUNG Managing Director, Sunseeker Superyacht Management After finishing college I decided to “go do a ski season” and very fortunately ended up in Val d’Isère and have made it my second home ever since. I recently worked out that this winters season pass is my 20th in a row. In the early days work came in the way of DJing in the local clubs and it was during this time I met a bunch of now life-long friends who had already worked onboard Yachts in the Med and they introduced me to the industry. Val d’Isère is the most magical place on the planet and somewhere I escape to whenever the chance allows. A combination of high altitude, top class skiing, excellent lifts, a huge domain & national park with lots of off-piste potential and great restaurants & night life.
Runtastic Routes Imagine you come to a new city, or a new port, have no internet connection and still want to stay fit. Download some routes, pre-load the map on your Smartphone and marvel at the pre-loaded routes in your location.
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My mother-in-law said, ‘One day I will dance on your grave.’ I said ‘I hope you do; I will be buried at sea.’
Les Dawson
The Etymology Of Nautical Terms
CHEW THE FAT Literally, eating the seaman's daily ration of tough, saltcured pork or beef. Long before refrigeration, cured meats were tough but durable and it
took a lot of chewing to make them edible.It has come to mean a friendly conversation (or talking too much, depending who's talking).
ONBOARD | WINTER 2015 | 15
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S E L om c . E La r i n a
dm n la is n e ed . w ww
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MY OPINION
Pay rises, fair or not? Lesia Group’s John Cook looks at the age old topic of pay rises from both sides of the coin
D
o you think the owner will give me a pay rise this year? These words are common place these days, usually at the end of the season or just before Christmas. So what are the factors that determine whether a pay rise is justified? What is fair and what is not? Both owners and crew look at different factors when deciding if a pay rise is either justified or fair, although there is some common ground. Before I get into these factors let’s take a brief trip down memory lane to understand why the issue of salaries and pay rises is becoming an issue between crew and owners. Prior to 1st January 1999 virtually all crew were paid in USD, although some were paid in Deutschemark and GBP. However on this date the Euro was launched and although there was little impact at the time, especially in yachting, it was the start of a significant event for the yachting sector. By the time the Euro banknotes went live on the 1st January 2002, a number of yacht owners had seriously started to look at the new currency and evaluate whether or not the financial management of the yacht and in particular crew wages should be paid in the new currency. What happened next, with hindsight, created the problems around wages that we see today. From 1999 and onwards many owners decided, in conjunction with their Captains to switch the payment of wages from USD to Euro. Even though the exchange rate was for a considerable period of time, less than 1USD to 1Euro; many crew were given parity of 1 to 1. There were many months in the early years of the Euro where the difference in currencies was up to 25% in favour of the crew when changing from USD to Euro. We are still feeling the knock on effect of this substantial and instant pay rise today. So what are the current factors that
are being taken into account when pay rises are being asked for and considered? Owners are basing the issue of pay rises on a number of factors: • • • • • •
The owners on board experience when they visit the yacht. Reports from their representatives, charter brokers and guests or yacht managers. The length of time the crew member has been on board. Whether they believe the crew member is playing an active part in the yacht. Any industry wide research they carry out on salaries. Whether they like the person.
Crew are basing their request for pay rises on a number of factors: • • • • •
The length of time they have been on the yacht. What they have been told they could get on another yacht. A change in their own circumstances, like getting a mortgage. They believe they have worked hard and deserve an increase. They have passed further qualifications.
With the different ways the Owner and Crew look at why a pay rise is deserved, is it any wonder this is one of the reasons why crew resign or owners give notice. In my opinion both parties need to agree on a set of parameters at the outset of employment, these parameters could include the following: • • • • •
Starting pay in the probationary period. Any pay increase after the probationary period. If and when pay rises will be considered. What criteria will be considered in the process. What other benefits might be looked at, such as healthcare, additional leave, income protection benefit, travel allowance.
If we remove the ambiguity, there will be less for owners and crew to disagree on.
ONBOARD | WINTER 2015 | 17
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READ THE WAVES Rip through the pages of one of these recommended swell reads
THE WORLD STORMRIDER GUIDE VOLUME 1, 2 AND 3 BY BRUCE SUTHERLAND A series of detailed surf spot guides that are a must have. The trilogy explores the most famous surf peaks by adding description, photos, swell and wind patterns, ocean floor characteristics and surf statistics.
THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SURFING BY MATT WARSHAW The most important surf book ever published. It features 1,500 alphabetical entries and 300 illustrations, and is widely considered the most comprehensive review of the people, places, events, equipment, and lively history of surfing. A must-have.
THE HISTORY OF SURFING BY MATT WARSHAW A great book for those wishing to learn how surfing was seen by James Cook back in 1978. At nearly 500 pages, with 250,000 words and more than 250 rare photographs, this is something you should add to your surf library.
SURFING THE WORLD BY CHRIS NELSON AND DEMI TAYLOR A brilliant pocket guide. If you’re travelling and surfing never forget this book. Spot after spot, every beach of the world gets its surfing characteristics, from wind direction to swell.
FIT TO SURF BY ROCKY SNYDER The ultimate surfer’s guide to strength and conditioning. Stay fit and learn the best physical exercises before you hit the waves. Features sample workout programmes for more demanding manoeuvres.
ONBOARD | WINTER 2015 | 19
CELEBRITY
The new Law in town Jude Law travels to the ocean floor as he embarks on a new chapter in his acting career
I
want this boat Jude Law informs co-star Giancarlo Giannini in the opening line of The Gentleman’s Wager, the sixminute short film, set aboard a luxury yacht. The British actor, 41, wins possession of the vessel from his friend through dancing, and the short, which served as a promotional piece for Johnnie Walker whisky and was shot just off the British Virgin Islands, sees Law adorned in the type of finery reminiscent of his character in The Talented Mr. Ripley, allowing the actor to indulge his love for all things nautical. Law is following the trend of Hollywood actors cutting more refined figures as they enter their forties, and has subsequently garnered more critical acclaim of late, as contemporaries Matthew McConaughey and Ben Affleck have done upon taking on more challenging film roles. One such role sees Law take to the seas once again in his latest offering, Black Sea. The thriller is set on a submarine, which Captain Robinson (Law) must lead to the bottom of the ocean amid rumours of vast treasure. Law began by explaining the origin for the picture: “It came from the Kursk disaster 10 years ago. Kevin [McDonald] was interested by this Russian sub that went down where most of them died in an explosion that sent them down to the bottom of the sea. Some survived in a pocket of air but they all died before they could be rescued.” Though not based on a true story, the Kursk disaster served as inspiration for Black Sea’s plot. “Kevin thought that was the most horrible way to go, and a great set-up for a film,” he continued. “How did they get there? Where were they going? What were they doing? He wanted to make the story about greed and references to The Treasure of Sierra Madre, Jon Huston’s film. He spoke to me about the plot and I was hooked, line and sinker, so to speak.” Jude, who is often seen aboard luxury yachts with a number of A-list UK and US boating pals, is not done there with nautical puns. Upon being asked how he found his time on a submarine, he laughs “I’m not someone who would ever say; I submerged myself for months to create this character,” before expanding: “It was an opportunity offered by the Royal Navy. They said ‘do you want to come down?’ and it just seemed like an amazing insight.” He found the character an immersive one, and credits the experience with the Navy with helping him better understand his role. “There was a sense of you become a submariner for life. You feel like you lose touch with the world up there.” “They spoke to me about feeling dysfunctional when they were away from their boats, and trying to fit in with married life again. I found that pretty fascinating to imagine.” Law admits the life of a submariner, while gilt with excitement, seems a gruelling one. “Their sleeping patterns are weird,” he explains. “You sleep for six hours, you get up for six hours. You’ve got to keep it running. You’re sharing beds, and the proximity and 20 | WINTER 2015 | ONBOARD
environment is so close, is so tight, it’s almost like being in a prison.” Claustrophobia was a factor the actor was keen to portray on screen, as he continues: “You can’t get out, you can’t get away from people who are annoying you. Like for a prisoner, you often don’t know where you are in the world. You’re just told.” His portrayal of Captain Robinson is a far cry from the more caddish roles audiences have come to associate with the actor, and is a role that challenges both Jude Law as a performer and perceptions of him. “It’s not the Jude Law that anyone knows, not even that I know,” he reveals. “Like, for this role, I had to completely change shape. If you’re going to command men in a role like this, you’ve got to have a certain presence. There’s only so much you can waggle your finger and shout. You’ve got to have some sort of physical presence, especially when they’re 6ft 5” tall and Russian.” As well as a physical transformation, Law took on a broad Aberdeen accent that certainly helped when depicting more intimidating facets of his character. Transformation is a theme you feel is present now more than ever for Jude, who explains the differences he is experiencing as a man north of 40 now, and how it relates to acting. “You feel slightly more confident and comfortable in who you are,” he offers. “And in the job I do, you suddenly realise that the complexities of a man in his forties going into his fifties will benefit any part you may read for, because there has been layers and history.” He attributes his age and subsequent maturity with perhaps being taken more seriously as of late. “Sometimes younger roles are slightly more frivolous and light. When you start out, people are trying to box you in, ‘you’re this kind of actor, and this is the kind of role you should be playing’. After escaping I spent maybe 10 years trying to avoid that.” He describes 40 as something of a “starting block” for a new chapter, saying “you get to your forties and can kind of start off afresh, as it were.” Law has found himself becoming something of a mentor to younger actors on set. Something he isn’t quite comfortable with just yet; “It is weird. You feel like, ‘hang on, I’m not that old and I have nothing to teach anyone’. I would never assume to give advice or take on that role, but only because I hate when people give me advice.” He sees the mentoring process, while filming, a far more collective one, explaining “you need everyone there otherwise it won’t work.” He uses Black Sea as an example, recalling “with Bobby Schofield [who plays an inexperienced sailor in the film], everyone took him under their wing. He had no film experience whatsoever so we all looked after him.” For Law, the best advice on the film set, just as when coming to terms with life on the seas, is set by example.“You follow people, I’ve always been a great believer in civility and manners and work ethic and turning up and being positive and getting on, and appreciating everyone around you because everyone is there to make each other’s job better and easier, and it’s a wonderful opportunity.”
JStone / Shutterstock.com
ONBOARD | WINTER 2015 | 21
NEW LAUNCH
A
stunningly handsome sloop in the classic styling that is instantly recognisable as that of Dutch designer Andre Hoek, this 48 metre sloop has been created for an experienced yacht owner. She is however his first ever sailing yacht. To date he has owned only smaller production motorboats where speed was an important factor in her Mediterranean operations. His brief to the designers was that he should have a stylish, comfortable classic yacht for world cruising where he and his family can enjoy extended periods of time on board. Still very much active in the business world his yacht will on such occasions serve as both his home and office. On deck, great attention has been given to the development of the three cockpits deckhouses skylights and joinery details. Here, Hoek has leveraged on his experiences gained with previous designs improving on the details to achieve even higher levels of excellence. Following the Owner’s brief to ensure the crew are well looked after, forward there is a small cockpit reserved exclusively for crew use while amidships the main cockpit is the focal point
22 | WINTER 2015 | ONBOARD
of the yacht’s function. Even here work flow and the owners needs have been given great consideration. For example when the crew require access to the main on-deck dinning table to starboard, guests can be left undisturbed on the port side around a coffee table. Although not typical of the original design period, these cockpits help to marry echoes from the past with a thoroughly modern list of creature comforts for today’s expectant guest. This may be a big yacht but her crew is relatively small with currently six on board plus her Captain Guy Hayward. Unusually for a sail boat the engine room has its own air conditioned control room separated from an machinery space that has full standing height and wonderfully accessible service spots. Even more unusually this control room is accessed from the main saloon via a staircase to starboard in exactly the same style as that to port leading to the guest cabins. Oozing class from every crevice, Wisp is indeed a modern day classic whose Hoek Huisman collaboration is set to show the way as to how performance yachts can utilise the revivalist classic formats to create a very special yacht.
SpeciďŹ cations Builder Designer Naval Architect Interior Designer Length Overall Beam Draught Superstructure Material Range Cabins Mast height Sail area
Royal Huisman Andre Hoek Hoek Design Rhoades Young 47.65 m 9.50 m 4.45 m Alustar 5,570 nm @ 10 knots Owner & 3 guest 57.5 m above CWL Mainsail 577 m²
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DESIRE Killer tunes Half musical instrument, half aquatic themed sculpture. Designed by Robert Majkut, its two-tone black and white body resembles a whale rising above the waves, and while your focus will initially be the shiny lacquered finish, inside you’ll find features like a velvet interior, an electrically controlled lid, a flagship model of Roland stage piano with a built-in list of 500 sounds, a fourchannel amplifier, built-in speakers, and an Ivory Feel keyboard. Built only upon request. www.whaletone.com €75,000
THAT’S WHAT I WANT From affordable to downright expensive. The latest eye catching innovations and design trends
What the fuss
Top hat
Stylish range of table football tables built by French company Toulet, who have been building billiard tables since 1857. Designed by Adrien Lefebvre, these magnificent tables have sleek modern lines and can be ordered in a myriad of colours to suit your games room. www.babyfoot-toulet.com €13,500
A modern classic. Inspired by the very first Bell Star helmet, the Bullitt is a modern take on the original. Featuring an exceptional fit and ultra-high quality details, the Bullitt is the perfect helmet for riders looking for a vintage look with full-face protection. www.bellhelmets.com €330
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Va va voom Inspired by aeronautical design, watchmaker Bell & Ross has once again commissioned Shaw Harley-Davidson to design a concept bike with a sleek and powerful look evoking the extreme modernity of the 1960s and the very first American jet aircraft. More than a motorcycle, a legend. More than a legendary engine, a dream airplane-motorcycle. www.bellross.com €POA
Jetting off Yacht designer Kurt Strand has brought to the market the ultimate in pwc, the Strand Craft V8 Wet Rod luxury personal watercraft. Presently in development, the vaguely naughty named Wet Rod will feature a 16-foot (4.9-m) carbon fiber epoxy body powered by a 300-hp 5.7-liter V8 engine. Its water jet propulsion system will reportedly take it up to a top speed of 65 mph (105 km/h). www.strand-craft.com €32,000
Speaks volumes THE GAUDI MK II. The speakers come with either a Titanium DDD driver or a Carbon DDD driver. The performance delivered by the speakers compensate quite well for that hefty price tag (really?) Each breakfront features company’s own four DDD drivers complemented by eight 6-inch metal cones for the mid bass and four 12-inch honeycomb flat cone drivers for sub woofers. www.german-physiks.com €250,000 ONBOARD | WINTER 2015 | 25
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TINK E R TA I L O R SOLDIER SAILOR Not to be upstaged by the glitz and glamour of the guests, yacht crew uniforms are now being influenced by the catwalks in Milan Words: Claire Griffiths
I
f the yacht owners and charter guests are the stars of their own ‘Shows’, then the crew play far from simple bit-parts as the dramas of the seasons unfold. And, as befits the supporting roles of a cast that can number three score and ten and plenty more, they need to look the part.
So, back stage and behind the glare of the spot-lit yacht exist the wardrobe masters and mistresses who design and supply the costumes for these troupes whose roles play a crucial part in the success of the season. Their days are filled with considering the colour, shape, fabric and style of the crew costumes. But what are the most important factors in designing or selecting the uniforms? Who has the final say? Does anyone actually care what the crew think of their costumes? And how often does the style of a uniform change with the times and trends? Helen McLeod runs Sea Design and has a well-stocked shop in Antibes, France. Formerly a chief stew herself on board the boats, she says the final decision on uniforms falls into two separate camps: She’s seen owners fly half way across the world to consider and decide on the crew ‘look ‘and others who don’t care one bit and leave it to the purser or chief stew to decide. She’s noticed a new trend of less cotton and more synthetic fabrics in her orders, mostly for ease of laundering and less ironing. But she says; ‘Cotton is still popular though and our own brand has a small element of stretch in it that crew like. We’ve known a couple of boats with uniforms styled by the big fashion houses like maybe Hermes or Versace but the feedback from crew is that they are totally impractical. Even yacht owners with their own clothing or fashion businesses tend to use the specialist uniform companies like us’.
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SEA DESIGN, The Experienced Yachtwear Company Bringing Fashion to Yachting Sea Design offer a complete range of fashionable yacht wear. We can create bespoke day and evening wear manufactured to your brief. As well as bespoke items, we supply all of the yachting brands you are familiar with. Call us for details. Tel: +33 (0)4 93 74 74 53 Email: shop@sea-design.com www.sea-design.com 3 Avenue Tournelli, 06600 Antibes, France
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Yachtwear
Helen cites comfort and durability as big factors but for crew they also really want to look ‘good’ which right now means tight and fitted clothing. Baggy shorts and polo shirts, don’t really cut their cloth, at all. Jess Castle is another ex-chief stew who recently set up Haute Yacht Wear, based out of Fort Lauderdale with a presence also in the Med. She believes the main concerns for the crew have always been colour, comfort, functionality, styling and durability, usually in that order. Says Jess; ‘Girls want flattering, stylish, well-fitted pieces and they want the entire crew in easy to launder wear. Boys usually want comfort, cotton coveralls for example, usually in anything but white. Chefs want comfortable and cool pieces but we are seeing a trend away from the standard chef jacket and trousers in favour of cotton trousers and light-weight shirts and polos’.
The owners want their tastes personal style and of course the yacht styling reflected in the uniforms
In her experience off-the-rack uniforms are mostly decided on by pursers and chief stews but she has yet to undertake a custom project that has not had direct input from the owners or owners’ personal assistants; ‘They want their tastes, personal style and of course the yacht styling reflected in the uniforms. Then it is up to us and the chief stew or purser to find interesting ways to make their custom creations practical and functional as beauty and fashion are not always practical. I can think of a few occasions when I’ve lost the battle for practicality. I have found that the more you tell someone that an idea won’t work, the more they want it!’ She remembers a certain set of silk dresses the owner selected to be made in a silvery fabric. Jess pointed out the dress would show up sweat marks and spoil the look, but the owner insisted and believed he would eliminate the problem by only employing girls who did not sweat! ‘That’s the fun and challenging bit really. All the uniforms are great and beautiful in the end’. Jess especially loves a new build project where there is a long lead time and she can spend it designing and considering the fabric, customised buttons and accessories that can make or break a great uniform and are often design pieces in themselves; ’Fabrics come and go with the fashion seasons so you have to watch the balance between the uniqueness of a piece and the re-ordering possibilities of that fabric. 70% of our business is custom design which was a real and very nice surprise for us, we thought it would be the opposite way round’. Grey, silver and charcoal are colours that dominated Jessica’s order book in 2014 and for Anna Bardakou of SUITFORM navy and white are always popular and also her own palette collection of ‘new neutrals’ such as earth brown and olive grey. Says Anna;
Suitform Andreas Bardakos is a second generation company, specializing in officers’ uniforms. The company was established in 1961 and has always been run by the Bardakos’ family. Their passion has been to create the most reliable and well-tailored garments. Well-known in the shipping sector for the quality and personalised service, it provides a series of classic items to all the yacht owners who are searching for a made-to-measure uniform and a corporate stylish appearance. The head offices are situated in Greece, and products can be supplied either directly from the head offices or by its resellers in Dubai and on the French Riviera. For more details: Tel: +30 210 41 13 671 or visit www.suitform.com
Fiona’s Atelier Crew wear is a very strong side of the business and Fiona’s Atelier offers a portfolio of more than 60 textile brands in order to cover any request, from made to order evening dresses to unique printings for your garments. Once they have your wish list, and adapting your budget, they research which brands, uniform companies and textile manufacturers can best match your requests. They can help you to decide, considering design, practicality and price range; offering free advice to avoid future problems such as reordering a discontinued item, ordering too much or too little, avoiding logo being printed different from different suppliers etc. For more details Tel: +33(0)8 050 80 294 or visit www.fionasatelier.com
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Fresh, inspired, uniform designs!
Haute Yacht Wear is the modern uniform and fully custom specialists! We are your destination for ready to wear uniform & guest give-away pieces, masterfully made couture pieces from our in house line & full custom design production orders with no minimum quantities.
South of France: +33 975 185 600 South Florida: +1 (954) 713-9996 Visit our online shop or check out our other services at www.hauteyachtwear.com
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Yachtwear
Colours look different depending on the fabric you use and our navy blue in the Italian stretch satin fabric looks like a high-end luxury designer garment. Crêpe georgette in white for a crew evening dress looks cheap, but in off-white it looks perfect. She reckons satin will feature for crew evening wardrobes in 2015. A favourite bespoke order from a yacht she created included 35 ladies’ evening dresses where she used 17000 Swarovski crystals; ‘The girls loved them; the dresses were in navy blue and the crystals were tone-on-tone the same blue. The Officers wore classic Officers Uniforms in navy blue with special navy buttons and Italian fabric shirts in herringbone. The whole look was very sharp’. If Anna had to generalise, she reckons the Middle East clients favour warm, natural, colours reminiscent of the desert such as stone and taupe. Italian love the colour red, Greeks like white and blue that reflect the colours of their national flag and the Brits go for stone and navy. The turnover for uniform designs varies with each yacht but an average life-span of a uniform is around 5 years, with garments topped-up according to their wear and tear. Exceptions are if the yacht sells and changes name, pieces are no longer available from the manufacturer, yacht refits and re-vamps to the uniform or simply the owner becoming bored by the old uniform look and wanting to see his crew dressed in something new. Says Anna;’ Crew uniforms have to be sharp and up-to-date and some of our clients want to change the uniforms every two years. But most ask for something classic and classy that can last 4-5 years.’
As for the interior team, it’s a good idea to choose a fit that will be flattering on different types of figures
Sea Design Sea Design has been one of the world’s leading suppliers of crew uniform for over 25 years. Working with popular brands, such as Helly Hansen, Henri Lloyd, Gill, Musto, Sebago & Slam, Sea Design also manufactures their own modern and practical yachtwear for men and ladies, in 7 matching colourways. Their in-house graphic designer can provide full colour uniform proposals. Enabling clients to visualize their uniform, prior to ordering. Also equipped with modern printing technology, Sea Design can offer a range of personalised gifts for guests, such as: Diamanté designed T-shirts, flip-flops, umbrellas and bags. For more details Tel: +33 (0)4 93 74 74 53 or visit www.sea-design.com
Liquid Yacht Wear
Gemma Lloan McCoy works at Fiona’s Atelier, the interior and exterior yacht sourcing company dealing in all aspects of yacht purchases. White, cream and navy are popular colours for crew uniform orders that she places with her suppliers, and more recently light grey for day wear and dark grey for the evening and red also becoming popular, black for evening. Nearly all uniforms complement and fit in with the yacht interiors and materials with a bit of stretch are particularly popular with yacht crew, especially for skorts and dresses. Says Gemma; ‘Chief stews are very experienced in service but they might not necessarily have experience in buying uniforms and we try and help them with choosing quantities and additional ideas’. The uniform suppliers are used to tempering requests to replicate designs ripped from magazines at best, or more taxingly fashioned from crew or owner fantasies but Jessica thinks white uniform orders are the most impractical requests both for on and off charter; ‘They are beautiful and crisp when clean but that look only lasts as soon as you have an amazing laundry person’. Helen’s most unusual order was for bespoke buckles replicating an ex Soviet Navy belt and accompanying military uniform and Anna recently dealt with an order where the spec had to reflect the
Liquid blurs the line between yacht uniform and fashion. They constantly strive to update their designs while maintaining the fact that they are in the uniform business. Light weight, no iron fabrics that are cool and comfortable to wear, matching guys and girls items, and huge inventory is what separates a “uniform supplier” from a “fashion house”. They strive to bring both together. They are fashion designers that manufacture their own label called Boat Bum. Boat Bum keeps one eye on being fashion forward and the other on uniform practicality. Inventory is what separates a retail store from a uniform store. It would be financial (and fashion!) suicide for a retailer to stock 10,000 pieces of the same design in a ladies skort, or a mens short....whereas it is their key to success. For more details Tel: +1 954 523 8875 or visit www.liquidyachtwear.com
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M A R I N E
For specification and images please visit www.goslingmarine.com For orders and enquiries for the Gosling Marine Collection please contact: Carl Gardner - Director Deksmart International Ltd E-mail (direct): carl@deksmartint.com E-mail (enquiries): sales@deksmartint.com Telephone No. (Mobile): +44 (0) 7837 493 941
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Dedicated crew uniform site www.superyachtcrewuniform.com 32 | WINTER 2015 | ONBOARD
Yachtwear
TREND SETTING ONBOARD asked the top uniform suppliers what they thought the crewwear trends will be for 2015 Fiona’s Atelier GEMMA LLOAN MCCOY Light grey and charcoal grey are the new tendency in substitution for khaki and navy shorts, pants and skorts.
Liquid Yacht Wear LOUISE KENHARD Customers avoiding the custom line of uniform and taking advantage of "ready to order, ship and wear"! More colour being introduced and more feminine styles for stews.
Haute Yacht Wear Haute is a yacht wear company dedicated to fresh, innovative & fashion forward designs coupled with unsurpassed service. They are a business operated by former yacht crew who want to shape & influence the industry’s traditional views of what crew live & work in day to day. Haute are the custom specialists! Their unique custom and semi-custom program allows you to match your uniform to the masterfully designed look of your yacht. For more details Tel: +33 (0)9 75 18 56 00 or visit www.hauteyachtwear.com
Suitform ANNA BARDAKOU A sharp image made up of well-tailored items with an excellent fitting. Bright and defined colours, such as cadmium red, cobalt blue, turquoise, and lime yellow, used as details in a total neutral colour look. For our customers it is very important to propose the latest trends. So I have to go to Milan’s catwalks or to the fashion sector trade shows, make an accurate research and analysis of what is new and to build in my mind the taste and the mood for the upcoming summer.
Deckers lifestyle of the yacht; ‘We are a party boat’ stated the order, and the yacht uniform had to reflect that so Anna proposed a fashionable look in quality fabrics; ‘The girls looked like models from a luxury brand catwalk show’, she beams. Bradie Turanich is Chief Stewardess on board MY Solandge, and in her experience uniforms differ enormously according to the yacht but if crew do not have any specifics dictated by the owner, she sees the options for crew uniforms as really great these days. Her tips for men’s kit includes: use lightweight/ quick drying material for shorts: For polos the most important aspect is the material;’ The deck team spend so much time outside in the heat, it’s really important they have a fabric that doesn’t cause them to sweat and smell more than you already would in that heat.’ As for the interior team, it’s a good idea to choose a fit that will be flattering on different types of figures. Bradie recommends choosing a fit that flatters different types of figure, not too short or low to avoid offending guests. Her crew currently wear a basic black dress and also dresses custom designed by Haute Yacht Wear. Adds Bradie;’Ladies shoes are really important as the interior team spend many hours on their feet. We’ve found a wonderful brand that offers a super comfortable ballet flat that looks great with most uniform options.’
KATE GREAVES Uniform is becoming trendy! There has been a noticeable increase in crew sporting a more distinct look, and owners becoming quite competitive and more involved in the design of their crew uniform. The demand for bespoke, custom-made items has therefore been in greater demand.
Sea Design HELEN MACLEOD More clients are asking for custom made uniforms, especially new build projects that are looking for a more bespoke look to the uniform. Fast dry fabrics are becoming more popular for shorts, skorts and trousers. Crew are looking for easy care and light easy to wear fabrics. Dresses are very in vogue, less girls wearing trousers for evening wear. Less crew wearing classic deck shoes, the younger crew especially preferring a more trainer style shoe. Navy and white seems to be gaining in popularity again as a classic colour combination.
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ADVERTORIAL
Suitform速 Ready to wear collection
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Suits You Anna Bardakou explains that tradition, innovation and style are the very foundations of yachtwear company Suitform®
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, it is a habit.” Aristotle.
S
uitform® is a Greek-based company that designs and manufactures uniforms for a global client base. The brand, originally the Bardakos Company, was founded in 1961 by the eponymous Bardakos family, who with unswerving commitment and a wealth of experience began manufacturing custom-made uniforms for Merchant Navy Officers passing through the port of Piraeus. Through word of mouth the newly formed company became well known throughout Greece, the business grew, and by the 1980’s had achieved international success, supplying the most demanding customers ranging from fleets of ships to superyachts. Today, Suitform® continues to be run by the second generation of the Bardakos dynasty, with Andreas as CEO, and sisters Genny and Anna heading the Product Development and Design Teams respectively. Their mother, Adamantia, has overall responsibility for the Tailoring Department which manufactures prototypes of new designs and tailored jackets.
Know-how, elegance and comfort Its proven success is due to the highly competent and quality-driven commitment of two generations of the same family, and a unique collection designed by Anna Bardakos who studied and worked in Milan’s fashion industry. Suitform® manufactures a ready-to-wear collection for both women’s and menswear that complement each other to the full. Each garment coordinates sophisticatedly on account of the choice of tailored details such as double collars on polo shirts and martingale belts. The overall effect achieved is one of a unique and corporate image for the entire crew. Garments include skorts, shorts, polo shirts, special T shirts, trousers, Capri pants, shirts and dresses as well as sweatshirts, shoes, and essential accessories such as belts and leather radio cases.
Craftsmanship spanning 50 years “Our work, based on thorough industry knowledge and the exigencies of our clients, means we are fully aware of the demands of the market”, says Andreas Bardakos. The team works very closely with each client in order to manufacture a product that meets their requirements to the full. The secret behind each individual high-end garment is a dedication to meeting customers’ needs at every stage of the
manufacturing process, beginning with the initial ideas for a unique look. Between three and five fittings take place once the model has been designed to ensure that the uniform is both stylish and comfortable to wear. Shapes are inspired by an everlasting elegance, combined with a modern touch. Only high quality textiles are used, with added features of comfort and a natural feel. 70% of the material used is Italian and is produced exclusively for Suitform®; this translates into apparel that maintains both style and quality.
Bespoke design Particular attention is paid to colour, a feature of corporate uniforms of undisputed importance. “Our colour palette is unique”, says Genny Bardakos, “and is the result of detailed research, development and creativity”. Suitform® clothing is custom-made to each client’s specification. Personalised embroidery and printing techniques are used, which are embellished by the brand’s design and manufacturing knowhow. So much so, says Anna Bardakos that “We work on an ‘ad hoc project basis’ for the ultimate in personalised apparel. Our company is capable of designing and manufacturing absolutely anything our clients specify”. The brand has worked on an ad hoc basis with, amongst others, the Managers of the superyacht Topaz. For them, tailored items were bespoke-made for each member of the crew and in excess of 17,000 Swarovski crystals were used in the production of the stewardesses’ royal nights’ dresses. The utmost aim is to improve the “uniform concept”.
Customer satisfaction The craftsmanship that goes into every uniform is dealt with by each production department within the company: the quality control aspect of the manufacturing process is 100% thorough. Excellence is delivered on each aspect, and is certified by the Bureau Veritas ISO 9001:2008. Suitform® believes that a uniform is a vehicle for personal expression; through it one can project one’s own thoughts. The outfits’ compelling qualities are their elegance and durability. Qualities that confer distinction. Suitform® is available directly from the Head Office in Greece or from stockists in Dubai and the French Riviera. For more details Tel: +302104113671 or visit www.suitform.com
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Sexplosion When crew become more than just mates, chances are it’s a time bomb waiting to happen. Thoughts of a crew agent on the subject of sleeping around….
O
ne minute I’m interviewing a couple that simply cannot be divided, then the next thing I know is they’ve split up because she’s banging the captain on her boat and he’s boinking the new chef. WTF? Ok so yachting does seem to maintain that work hard play hard image but does it have to be at the expense of morals and, quite frankly, a little bit of common decency? With the exception of being a holiday rep, yachting seems to be the most sexually active industry at the mo… I guess the two aren’t too far away from each other though if you consider both involve living in close quarters, being far away from loved ones, and hideous amounts of booze. How does it happen? Well yes we can all point fingers at the Big Night Out Syndrome, when after a busy season you finally get to let your hair down… You know the score; one too many Jäger bombs are consumed and you end up with your arms around someone you probably shouldn’t and one thing leads to another. However, what about relations onboard? Picture it: You´re undertaking stewardess duties on a busy charter. Toiling as usual in the interior, on your hands and knees in the bathroom desperately trying to clean up after one of the boss´s special night time visitors backed up the toilet in the guest accommodation with God knows what. Again. The air con´s broken, it´s a hundred degrees and you´re mentally writing your letter of resignation whilst grinding your teeth and trying not to get crap under your fingernails. Then suddenly you feel a whoosh of cool air as the AC cranks up, and a gentle tap on the shoulder as a young man says “I´m the new guy, I just fixed the AC for you, hey
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Sexplosion
you shouldn´t be doing this, let me help.” Cue angelic choral voices as you turn around, looking up to see a beatific smile on a face with just a smidgen of engine oil, surrounded by a shimmering aura of heavenliness. He really has been sent from above. Probably induced by the fumes of the carpet cleaner but hell this guy is HOT. His shining armour comes in the form of an all-in-one boiler suit and his trusty white steed was actually a rusty bicycle currently having its front wheel stolen on the dock by a couple of dodgy dayworkers, but the smile he flashes as he rescues you from the Toilet From Hell™ makes you forget about wretching and makes you think about kittens and cavorting through flower covered meadows. Sigh. Despite the rancid stench emanating from the floor. You overlook his tombstone teeth and chain-smoke yellowed fingers, and the fact that perhaps his toenails really are a bit too long, and suddenly, you´re in love.
One too many Jäger bombs are consumed and you end up with your arms around someone you probably shouldn’t and one thing leads to another
Then suddenly, you’re not. And you’re working together. Then she gets it on with the chef, and he gets on with the chef too (true story) and then it gets awkward and one has to leave and the crew get all divided… ugh…. Messy. So when you go to get your next job and the captain says “So, why did you leave your last yacht?” What do you say? What do you think the captain of your last gig will say? Yes, this is one industry that is rather small and to a point, rather honest. Some yachts have a pants on policy, banning all inter-crew relations (how they manage to do that is beyond me), and will not hire those crew who have been let go due to banging half the marina and making things “difficult” on board. And apart from the cold hearted side of this; your reputation, what about the fact you might be hurting someone’s feelings? Come on admit it, we do have feelings. My friend Dave, a small boat captain from Brisbane, likes to keep me updated on the tangled triangle that is his love life. Love life? Hang on….sex life… He arrived here a few years ago and we struck up a friendship immediately. Anyway he had a riot, he slept with as many stewardesses he could lay his hands on, had a wicked time partying and once he found a job on a big motoryacht off he went all over the Med. Dave left his job when it turned out his captain was sleeping with the first officer (female before you act all shocked), and that she was using her position of power (missionary or reverse cowboy? You the viewer decide) to make the deck crew’s life pretty miserable. Anyway, long story short, Dave returned to the South of France after only having been away for a few months, to find three, no hang on, four, love sick aforementioned conquered stewardesses who declared their
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undying love for him. What they didn’t know, was that he’d actually met and fallen for a girl on his latest yacht…. So he had to break several hearts. Sadly he was completely oblivious to the fact that he was knicker-droppingly hot and thought he was just having a bit of harmless fun…. So Dave let them all down gently (as gently as a rough and ready lad from Brizzy can, I think his actual words even included “Sheila”), and off he went again to the states to join up with his new love. But unfortunately for Dave-o, one of these spurned lovers decided that “Sorry love I’m taken” didn’t actually mean “Back off and leave me alone” but actually meant “Darling, I love you, I’m leaving you for another woman but you’re secretly the one I want. Track me down. Stalk me, it can only show me how much you love me.” Yep, our boy Dave had a bunny boiler. Brilliant. Weekly installments could only get better in his soap opera sex life. Bunny Boiler (let’s call her BB), upped sticks and followed him across the Atlantic. What ensued can only be described as hilarious. Well, it was for me. Let’s hope Dave’s learned to keep it in his pants for the forseeable future. Let that be a warning to all you Romeos (and Juliets?) out there, you reap what you sow so be careful with your oats.
FATAL ATTRACTION Experts are on the fence about whether sex addiction is a real condition, but most agree that it is an actual, if not a diagnosable, disorder (though it’s not listed in the bible of psychology, the DSMIV). So what are some of the symptoms? Are you a sex addict? Is your partner a sex addict? Read on to learn more about the signs of a true sex addiction. 1.
Engaging in multiple extramarital affairs.
2.
Getting involved in unsafe sexual encounters.
3.
Compulsively engaging in phone sex.
4.
Making a habit of having anonymous sexual partners.
5.
Trolling classified ads online or in print for sex partners.
6.
Getting irritable, anxious, or angry without frequent sex.
7.
Spending an inordinate amount of time planning (often deviant) sex fantasies.
8.
Feeling a great deal of guilt and remorse after engaging in sexual behaviours.
9.
Repeatedly trying to curb the sexual fantasies, urges, and behaviours without being able to.
10.
Habitually having one-night stands.
11.
Performing sex acts that tend to be precipitated by a depressed mood.
12.
Engaging in exhibitionism in public.
13.
Getting pleasure out of voyeurism and frequently engaging in it.
If you recognize a good number of these traits in yourself or your partner, seek out a therapist in order to get some help. Sexual addiction can be treated.
ADVERTORIAL
Titan of the Fleet Nicholas Sevier discusses the innovative and tailored solutions that his company can offer to owners and crew
Y
ou’ve got to be joking! How many times have captains and owners uttered those words? There is certainly nothing to laugh about when the final shipyard invoice is presented and it is shockingly over budget. So how difficult is it to set detailed and accurate budgets? Extremely difficult. Accurate budgeting is an accountancy skill, requiring immeasurable attention to detail, time, focus, experience, and exactitude. In the world ‘outside of yachting’, professionals spend years training to qualify and become successful financial administrators. Tight and efficient budgeting is crucial to their success. Yachts have changed. Due to the significant rise in the number of large yachts, the MCA is now issuing as many tickets to the yachting sector as they do to commercial shipping. That speaks volumes. Today’s vessels have come a long way from the days of being considered as ‘pleasure vessels’ and ‘gin palaces’. They are significantly larger and so are their crews. The administration and paperwork have grown in volume accordingly. Subsequently, yachts have become ‘businesses’ and they belong to people who expect them to run as watertight and efficiently as the successful businesses they manage. A captain’s role is now likened to that of a CEO. Titan Yacht Management does not take the job away from the captain. We supply our captains with the best tools for the job and act as a business interface between the owner and the captain. We are purely involved in yacht management and one of our biggest strengths to date has been to consistently supply accurate and concise budgets to captains and owners. Here is testimonial to how precise our tried and tested budgets and yacht management systems have been: “In recent years I feel there has been a marked change in the nature of what is required from the Master of a large vessel such as Lauren L. Whilst it has always been a given that every crewmember must strive to give the guests the best onboard experience possible, I feel there is an increasing demand on the Master to ensure
the vessel operates within a structured budgetary framework. Predicting the often unpredictable is no simple task and requires drawing on as broad an experience as possible. Working with TFM has enabled me to back up my personal experience with their specialist knowledge in this area. They have developed comprehensive systems to monitor and forecast spending with the result that Lauren L’s annual expenditure consistently arrives within a few percent points of the owner’s expectations. Ensuring a great charter experience should always be the prime target of any Master but the reward in terms of owner satisfaction from an on budget year should increasingly not be underestimated.” Captain Brent Chapman, Master Lauren L Titan Fleet is well aware of the complexities involved in implementing and maintaining ISM systems on board vessels, so we chose to outsource our safety management to a specialist company with regulatory expertise and experience. MTSI is one of the most diversely authorised safety management companies in the world, and holds Documents of Compliance with Cayman Islands (Yachts, Passenger Yachts & Passenger Ships), Isle of Man, Marshall Islands and St. Vincent & the Grenadines (Yachts & Research Vessels). They use sophisticated electronic auto synchronisation systems which means virtually no paperwork, and this has proved hugely successful with all the officers on board their vessels. MTSI is one of the few independent ISM&ISPS companies who have no involvement in any other sector of management. While MTSI concentrates on the Safety Management sector, Titan Fleet Management can perform the tasks required to assist the captain and owner in running the ‘business’ side of the yacht. It is a team effort that allows the captain to do the job, and the owner to enjoy what he pays for! For more details Tel: +33 (0) 492 931743 or visit www.titanfleet.com ONBOARD | WINTER 2015 | 39
CAPTAIN’S PROFILE
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Captain Scott Kynoch talks about his life and his job on board Zoom Zoom Zoom
What made you join the superyacht industry? I was brought up as a boat brat cruising on board a 39 ft double ended ketch. I was 10 years old when we set off from South Africa sailing across the Atlantic to Brazil. Over the years we moved ever northwards, up through the Caribbean Islands eventually making our way to the Azores, Gibraltar and onto the UK. Schooling was always a challenge, as there where far too many other exciting distractions that needed to be attended to first. I believe in the end it all worked out well. What was your first superyacht and when did you join her? I travelled to Europe and began day working in Palma back in 2001, I believe it was in November of 2001 that I landed my first deck hand position on board Phryne a 50m Perini Navi launched in 1999. Which is your favourite Mediterranean port and why do you like it? I’m not sure port would be the right word; however my favourite cruising ground would be Croatia. It’s so easy to find a sweet spot, to drop the hook in one of the many great anchorages. The island of Miljet is a favourite of mine, there is plenty of water when securing to the rocks, a possible downfall might be the wasps. They love to share the guests’ breakfast. What is your favourite bar in a Mediterranean port and why is it special? Buddha bar in Monaco. Quality food, good service, close to the docks and a great place to take my wife to dinner. Which is your favourite Mediterranean anchorage and why do you like it? I like many of the anchorages in Turkey, you can always find a secluded spot to get away from the crowd. The Gulf of Goceck is a mass of neat islands and many of them have bays and creeks offering spectacular scenery in which to anchor or moor stern to the rocks. After Turkey I would say Greece would be my next best. If you could recommend a Mediterranean yacht service to another Captain what would it be? LP Yacht Support based in Split Croatia. The agency is run by Luka Peruzovic and Petra Tadinac, a husband and wife team who themselves spent a number of years travelling the world as crew working on a variety of large yachts. It is this intimate knowledge of the industry that gives them the ability to understand the specific needs of owners, captains and crew. How does being a Captain affect your private life? I met my wife and partner 9 years ago working on yachts, since then we have been lucky enough to work together. The word private life is not something that enters the equation when gainfully employed, it’s a full time commitment. What could be done to improve the life at sea on board superyachts? I would definitely like to see more of a rotational, system coming into play. I do believe with the implementation of MLC requirements that this will eventually become a more common practice across the board. Well, at least I hope so. What makes your yacht special? Not to sound too much like a cliché, but it is definitely my Crew who make it special; we currently have a great team on board.
What do your crew do really well? They have a great attitude when it comes to getting the job done; all departments work together in order to get the boat turned around and ready for the next charter or boss trip.The thing that stands out for me is that we all pull together for each other when needed. What is your attitude to employing couples on board? I have no problem with employing couples. As a married man whose wife is on board, I encourage it. Couples tend to work hard for each other and having teams like that on board helps avoid interdepartmental pettiness. What is your recipe for the perfect crew? Communication is key! Do you have a pet hate and if so what is it? Hahaha I’m sure if you ask anyone they would say there are many, but one of my pet hates would definitely have to be a dirty waterline. If you had a magic wand what would you change in your job? Cruising areas, I would definitely like to get out and see more of these, there is so much more than just the Med and Caribbean. Where else in the world do you like to cruise? I love the BVIs and I think New Zealand has a stunning coast line that is just waiting to be explored.
Quick Fire Favourite Favourite Favourite Favourite Favourite Favourite Favourite Favourite Favourite
motorcycle Honda CR 250 movie Lord of the Rings book Leviathan by John Gordan Davis restaurant in the world Bajatzu, St Maarten restaurant in Europe Il Soggiorno, Pedona, Italy pastime Rugby and the Haka superyacht Luna cruising destination Croatia/BVIs city Venice
CAPTAIN’S CV Name Scott Kynoch Age 39 Nationality South African Previous yachts as crew Phryne, Enterprise, Is A Rose, Perseus, Ultima III to name a few Previous yachts in command 7 Sins, Antara Current yacht Zoom, Zoom Zoom Number of crew including Captain 9 Charter Central Agent Hill Robinson Charter fee per week High season €120,000
ONBOARD | WINTER 2015 | 41
WEAR IT
BOBBLE HAT The precursor to the modern knit cap or beanie was the brimless close-fitting Monmouth cap. In the 12th and 13th century, women wore embroidered toques made of various materials. It is believed that during the later 19th century the sailor’s beret was the successor of the knitted cap, which had a tuft on top. The bobble replaced this little woollen tuft and acted as an accessorised protection for the head, in case the sailors knocked into the low hatches. And did all you young ladies know, that touching the bobble of a sailor’s hat brings good luck. www.surfdome.com €32
PERSONAL SHOPPER Wrap up warm and unleash your individual style this winter
OSCAR BOOT BROGUE www.penelopechilvers.com €365
FRED www.grenson.co.uk €295
ATLAS BOOT www.penelopechilvers.com €380
PUT THE
BOOT IN ALICE www.grenson.co.uk €300 42 | WINTER 2015 | ON BOARD
Step out in the latest styles
RYE IVORY SNAKE SKIN www.penelopechilvers.com €445
KJUS Whistler Quilted www.mrporter.com €400
MONCLER Edward www.store.moncler.com €995
MONCLER Bourdon www.store.moncler.com €740
PERFECT PUFFERS Puffa jackets that get our seal of approval CANADA GOOSE Lodge Packaway www.mrporter.com €525
QUICKSILVER Carry on www.surfdome.com €180
QUICKSILVER Shaly www.surfdome.com €110
MONCLER Chalain www.store.moncler.com €812
MONCLER Norman www.store.moncler.com €845
ONBOARD | WINTER 2015 | 43
ADVERTORIAL
Fit In GymCompany Marine provides custom fitness room installations for the superyacht industry
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ymCompany Marine is the yachting industry’s premier supplier of Gym Design and Equipment Solutions. Their activity spans new-builds, refits, equipment sales and contract hire of specialist kit for charter boats. Via their parent company they have the largest single-source range of all the world’s major brands, an enormous range of around 30,000 products from the likes of LifeFitness, Cybex and Technogym. The vast majority of products are available in custom colours, and can be branded with the yacht’s name/logo. Via their in house brand FMI, they are able to custom manufacture items in Marine Grade Stainless steel. This means that kit used out on deck, and exposed to tough maritime conditions, will be more durable and less susceptible to corrosion. Part of their commitment to their clients is specifying equipment with a focus on the conditions in which it works. Kit that is incorrectly specified for purpose will degrade quickly in the maritime environment and will quickly become unpresentable to guests. GymCompany Marine ensure that the gym forms a quality investment for the yacht owner by selecting strong and durable equipment. Their team have an extensive history of delivering gyms for yachts, luxury private houses, hotels and real estate developments. Coupled with the experience of Director & Founder Edward Thomas as Bosun on board superyachts for a number of years, GymCompany Marine’s understanding of yachting as a whole and matching of gyms to meet these demands is truly unique. The consultative approach taken by the team ensures that the owner’s fitness goals are best met by the gym facility and balanced with aesthetic demands. GymCompany Marine ensure that the gym experience for yachts is a truly seamless one through provision of extensive aftersales service packages. Via a unique CRM system and accompanying app, platinum support is provisioned to yachting customers so that in the event of any problems occurring help is always at hand. Through this system, training videos can be delivered, along with user guides, maintenance instructions/ task lists for the crew to complete, and livechat support. GymCompany Marine also offer onboard crew training with an expert to ensure that yacht crew are properly prepared for all questions from owners and charter guests, and can keep kit in top condition. Another service offered to yachting clients is GymCompany Marine Crew, a very special crew agency which focuses solely on the placement of wellness and fitness professionals onboard. These individuals are known as GymCompany Marine Associate Wellness Professionals (AWPs), and this active network is comprised of the likes of deckhand-personal trainers, stewardess-masseuses, yoga instructors and beauticians. Access to this pool of talented professionals is offered to yachting clients for both permanent fulltime crew, or on a temporary basis for charters/owner cruises. Placing gym equipment on any superyacht can be a substantial investment, so it is essential that the equipment is fit for purpose and will stay in perfect condition for many years. By using a specialist consultancy business such as GymCompany Marine, you will be receiving individual and tailor made service that is specific to your yacht. GymCompany Marine are looking forward to capitalizing on the growing excitement around their service over the coming months as yachts begin to think about the season ahead. For more details: Tel +44 203 488 0750 or visit www.gymcompanymarine.com
ONBOARD | WINTER 2015 | 45
running
ADVENTURE
Fort Knox
46 | WINTER 2015 | ONBOARD
Sir Robin Knox-Johnston remains an icon of his sport as ONBOARD magazine found when they went to meet him
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n 1968, a wily 30-year-old Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, along with eight other entrants, signed himself up for The Sunday Times’ single-handed non-stop around-theworld race, aptly named the Golden Globe. Ambitious Sir Robin, who was recovering from a bout of jaundice at the time, departed in his boat, Suhaili, from Falmouth on 14th June 1968, waving goodbye to human contact for months to come. Back then, the title for longest non-stop voyage was held by Sir Francis Chichester, who had circumnavigated the world the year before, but crucially stopped once in Australia; solo non-stop circumnavigation was yet to be achieved. Sir Robin and Suhaili endured some trials as they crossed the globe. The vessel was knocked down, her coach roof shifted, her water tanks polluted and her radio lost, which meant it was no longer possible to obtain time checks, or obtain weather forecasts, leaving her captain reliant on a barometer, the clouds and wind direction. Next came storms, torn sails and the deterioration of Suhaili’s self-steering. Modern day technology has severely changed the shape of solo sailing, and the difficulties in navigation that plagued Knox-Johnston’s journey could be remedied today. “We had to be more selfsufficient in those days, we didn’t have the satellites communication, and for four and a half months nobody knew where I was. So it’s a slightly different world now. Then if something went wrong you couldn’t ask for help,” the veteran sailor recalls. Sir Robin finally sailed into Falmouth Harbour on 22nd April 1969 after 312 days at sea, having successfully completed what was, up till then, the lengthiest solo voyage ever made. In the years since, the sailor has participated in a plethora of similarly impressive sailing feats, from the Two Handed Round Britain Race, the Middle Sea Race, and British Airways Races. He also founded the Clipper Round the World yacht race, encouraging amateurs to take to high-intensity waters. So what exactly has changed in competitive sailing in the past four decades? “Well, boats are bigger now, and they’re better designed for the job,” Sir Robin says. After all, back in the Sixties, “we didn’t even know what the right boat was for different scenarios.” These days, sailors no longer need to learn how to use a sextant,
“which is a lot of maths” says the expert, but instead can look at a dial. “I think this has made sailing much more accessible.” But while technology has transformed the sport, Mother Nature’s waters remain as fickle as ever. As Sir Robin reminds us, “The worst isn’t actually crossing the oceans, you get it when you’re closer to land. The worst I’ve ever had is trying to get into the Beagle Channel about eight years ago in a gale and I was being pushed onto the Argentine coast. That was not fun.” 45 years on from his infamous sailing feat, Sir Robin still can’t resist the call of his yacht; “It’s a number of things really. It’s the opportunity to be at sea, to run your own life with your own satisfaction without having to consider anyone else, it combines the chance of good competition, which is always stimulating. I think boat racing has a lot to offer.” For this sea veteran, who has faced innumerable dangerous situations, the best mental preparation for single-handed racing is simply not to dwell on it: “I just get on with it,” he says simply. At 75, an age when his contemporaries may be taking it easy, Sir Robin is still enjoying sailing competitively, and as he says, improving with each and every venture. “You learn every time. Every time you go to sea you learn, or you remind yourself of something, as there’s always something to learn.” And as any sailor can attest, “Getting yourself into the trade winds, when the boat is going well and going fast, you know you’re going well, that takes a lot of beating.” Sir Robin still prepares his sea legs the same way he did 50 years ago because practice makes perfect. “The best thing to do is go sailing. Do as much sailing as you can beforehand because that builds up the muscles you want and gives you the right sort of mental approach too.” This past November, Sir Robin competed in the solo transatlantic race the Route du Rhum, coming in third place in the Rhum class. A man who as a skipper is, “Quite hard on myself, less hard on my crew,” Sir Robin is also kept busy by his Clipper Round the World obligations. According to Sir Robin, a good sailor will possess: “A sense of humour. A willingness to be involved and not to hang back when the job needs doing. And is prepared to put up with other people‘s follies because you probably have your own.” Sir Robin we salute you! ONBOARD | WINTER 2015 | 47
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For further details please call us on +44 (0) 1481 731059 or email admin@bachmannyachts.com
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Marine
ADVERTORIAL
Tender Care Superyacht Tenders and Toys provides the industry with a one-stop-shop for all their superyacht toy and tender needs
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uperyacht Tenders and Toys is a dealer for all of the popular yacht toy brands and offers competitive prices for all tenders and toys. The team provides invaluable advice and assistance regarding the choice, specification, options, build and delivery for all items and provide ongoing after-sales support for every purchase. Superyacht Tenders and Toys has particular expertise in new build yacht projects where they ensure that the new yacht gets the right new tenders to match the caliber of the mother ship, meet the owner’s requirements, fit well in the garage and make life easier for the crew. They can also ensure that the garage is full of the most up-to-date new toys and safety gear to fit in with the owner’s lifestyle and to satisfy the most demanding of charterers. New build tender and toy packages can be managed and gathered together by the team at Superyacht Tenders and Toys and then shipped together to the build yard at a convenient time in the build schedule. For all tender purchases Superyacht Tenders and Toys can provide invaluable support, project management, progress and photo reports during the build and assistance with integration and fitting upon delivery. This is provided at no extra cost to the client. They can also provide independent inspection services for new build tenders during or at the end of the build casting an expert technical eye over the boat before it leaves the build yard. Custom tenders are growing in popularity and Superyacht Tenders and Toys is involved with several custom tender builds and also has some exciting custom concepts
currently in design including a fully inflatable landing craft and a new 13m RIB Limousine chase boat. Designs are brought to life by a naval architect working closely with the client with input from in-house tender experts. Build yards are then chosen according to the specifics of the design, budget and time requirements and all builds are managed closely by the Superyacht Tenders and Toys team. Custom toys are also an important aspect of what Superyacht Tenders and Toys does, everything from advising and assisting with the design of custom inflatable slides to building completely bespoke inflatable islands. Superyacht Tenders and Toys does not only deal with new purchases they also source and sell second-hand yacht tenders and larger toys so can assist with selling your old tenders when the new one arrives. Charter is also an important aspect of what they do and Superyacht Tenders and Toys has a wide range of tenders available to charter for anything from a day to a whole season. These are often available at short notice and can be shipped anywhere in the World. Some of the larger toys can also be rented often with a trainer to come onboard and teach the guests how to use them. A bonus during a busy charter. Contact the team at Superyacht Tenders and Toys if you have any questions or would like a quote. No order is too big or too small! For more details Tel: +44 (0)2380 016363 or visit www.superyachttendersandtoys.com ONBOARD | WINTER 2015 | 49
50 | WINTER 2015 | ONBOARD
The Perfect
RECRUIT Finding the perfect crew for the right yacht is no easy task. Muriel Pénoty looks at the lengths that some recruitment agencies will go to
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rew placement agencies seem to have popped up like mushrooms in the past few years. However, it’s not only because yacht owners and captains have become more demanding but mostly because the MLC rules and regulations are getting stricter and it becomes harder for employers to find the perfect crew member without doing lots of research, and finding the time to do this. Working in the yachting industry is not about having lots of free time. It’s either off season, or during the season, and interviewing everyone who walks the quay is not necessarily the best solution. So what to do? Turn to a professional. Yacht managers, captains or owners are often in a hurry to find a crew member, because of a last minute charterer’s request or because of someone’s unavailability they turn to experts to fill the spot.
However, finding the ‘perfect’ agency is just as hard for them as it can be for agencies to find the perfect crew member. The difference being that once the agency has an extensive description of the vacant role, they can match it to someone in their database. It can be a long, and exhausting process, but they strive to fill the position with the right crew member. Hemisphere Crew Solutions has been operating for over two years from their Monaco office, Nicky André, the Managing Director and founder explains the process of crew selection. “To ensure longevity for both parties we are here to facilitate that the right person is placed on the right yacht. It is not a numbers game, as we only present three CVs for each position. We take our role seriously, these are crew members’ careers and livelihoods we are entrusted with.” ONBOARD | WINTER 2015| 51
Looking for Crew….? Silver Swan Yacht Crew offer a bespoke recruitment service tailored to your individual needs. We are based in Antibes and offer a personal service by visiting you where possible to discuss your staffing requirements. Our team of experienced crew consultants have spent many years working onboard yachts and in crew recruitment so know exactly how important it is to have the right staff first time. All of our candidates have: • attended a face to face registration • previous yachting or 5* hospitality experience • all the necessary qualifications and visas • solid references We can recruit crew for day work, temporary or permanent contracts. We have a database of experienced professionals available at all times so are often able to find you the perfect person with little notice. A professional service with that personal touch, designed to source you the best candidates quickly and hassle free.
Silver Swan Yacht Crew, Antibes tara@silverswanyachtcrew.com +33 (0) 614 727 850
Need a chef? … use a specialist and recruit the best, make YachtChefs.com your first port of call! Head Chefs, Chef Couples, Sole Chefs, Crew Chefs, Pastry Chefs Galley Commissioning, Global Cuisines, Ships' Cook Certificates
Contact our 24/7 Captain's Hotline on +33 (0)6 65 99 11 14 Email: info@yachtchefs.com
Website: www.yachtchefs.com
Antibes: +33 (0)9 81 13 98 03 Fort Lauderdale: +1 (954) 357 3933 London: +44 (0)207 097 8929
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Recruitment
The whole process is very thorough, with agencies having either met the candidates personally or interviewed them via skype or over the phone. Nicky confirms “We never present a candidate to a client without discussing it with them first and receiving their authority to release their CV.” She also confirms that although Hemisphere Crew Solutions’ teams have worked in the yachting industry and often know some of the referees who are given, they still check everyone’s reference: “We must, as we are MLC 2006 compliant. Therefore, even if we have written references we always go for verbal references and detail the feedback to the client in our presentation write up”. Nicky adds “Firstly we collect information from our client to ensure we have the full brief. Providing this information to crew is essential to enable them make an informed decision about their next career move. By saying we have a 60m Chief Engineer role, med based is simply not good enough.” Crew placement agencies have various working processes, Steve Crawford founded Yotspot in Southampton five years ago based on his personal experience as a crew member. He realised there was a need for a competent agency but coupled it with a crew portal.
Even if we have written references we always go for verbal references and detail the feedback to the client
The Yotspot 24/7 Account gives access to the entire crew database including the original CVs, references and certificates. Yotspot Crew Placement is a fully MLC 2006 compliant agency. Steve works slightly differently: “We source the best crew through thorough referencing and recommendations, utilising our unique database of over 7000 crew members to achieve this. The foundations of the business are built upon sourcing the best crew. It’s not only the way we find the best crew when headhunting, but it’s also part of our commitment to adhering to the maritime labour convention”. Steve doesn’t think the demands for yacht crew are more specific, but Yotspot strives to fill those requests: “The reality is, each yacht is different and has varying requirements. I don’t necessarily feel that yachts have become more demanding; simply they know now what they want. The industry has become more qualification driven and regulated in that respect. I think this is a good thing. What we have with Yotspot is a very powerful database that allows us to find that diamond in the rough. If you have a specific requirement like looking for a Deck/Stew who is a Kite Surfing Instructor and has her medical certificate then we are very well placed to find them.” Barcelona Crew has been placing crew for 10 years, they are partners in a Government program for the development of the Maritime Industry in Spain. For Mayte Bruguera their Managing Director and a Member of Barcelona Nautical Cluster, their
Barcelona Crew Barcelona Crew are dedicated to placing high quality, multi-lingual Crew including Chefs (over 20 Michelin Star experienced Chefs placed in 2014) Stewardesses, Deckhands, Officers on Luxury Yachts around the world. They lead through their customised service and rigorous professional standards, including 15years Maritime Recruitment experience, certified recruitment professionals that are “ISO9001” / “MLC 2006” certified. Barcelona Crew has unparalleled knowledge of the Spanish & European market and a proven track record of satisfied customers with Zero Guarantee Incidents , their candidates regularly renew contracts, attaining promotions, saving clientele on costs. For more details Tel: +34 937021956 or visit www.barcelonacrew.com
Hemisphere Crew Solutions Hemisphere, Monaco is a specialist crew recruitment agency for the luxury Superyacht industry, offering bespoke crew searches, headhunting services along with generic recruitment to ensure the right crew are placed on the right yacht. They are a proactive team who have not only worked aboard Superyachts; in both junior and senior roles but have been specialist trained in recruitment and headhunting which has attributed to Hemisphere’s success. Hemisphere offers crew a fast and effective registration process. Therefore alleviating the duplication of information already on your CV. For more details Tel: +377 9770 8108 or visit www.hemispherecrewsolutions.com
ONBOARD | WINTER 2015| 53
MAYTE BRUGUERA BARCELONA CREW
Barcelona Port Vell C/ Escar, 6-8 08039 Barcelona - Spain Phone: +34636553984 +34 937021956 maytebruguera@barcelonacrew.com
54 | WINTER 2015 | ONBOARD
WWW.BARCELONACREW.COM
Recruitment
operating process is very in depth, however due to their ISO9001 (by UKAS) and MLC2006 certifications they don’t conduct interviews by phone, they are done in their offices in Barcelona, Port Vell or by video conference. Mayte tells us more: “Each of the shortlisted candidates proposed to our clients will have been interviewed by two different Barcelona Crew recruiters; we conduct a minimum of two interviews for each candidate conceived to assess different factors of the candidate in a thorough manner. 100% of proposed candidates have reference checks relating to their last two positions of their employment.” Barcelona Crew interviews the client on board when doable: “Where possible the client-interview is held on board for a deeper understanding. The details are then captured and structured in the form of a written job description.” Like most other agencies they also ask why the position is vacant?
I would of course always prefer to see the galley myself and meet the Captain to gauge the role and crew dynamics onboard
“This is a systematic question” confirms Mayte “that should be answered in order to better understand the context of the role and screen accordingly during the candidate interviews.” She feels that besides regulations, requirements are stricter: “The level of standards and employee performance is constantly increasing. The level of Service is more demanding and the candidates must be more and more specialist in each of their competences, rather than just generally capable. English levels must be very exacting and even accents are now becoming important.”
Silver Swan Yacht Crew Silver Swan Yacht Crew offer a bespoke recruitment service tailored to your individual needs. Based in Antibes, they offer a personal service by visiting you to discuss your staffing requirements. Their team of experienced crew consultants have spent years working on board yachts and in crew recruitment so know exactly how important it is to have the right staff first time. All of their candidates have attended a face to face registration, have previous yachting experience along with all the necessary qualifications & visas and solid references. For more details Tel:+33 (0) 614 727 850 or visit www.silverswanyachtcrew.com
YachtChefs.com has chosen as it names says so to specialise in one type of role. Efrem Leigh who is the main consultant and based in Antibes has a unique career which enables him to effectively recruit and match candidates with the client’s criteria. YachtChefs.com offers a specialist recruitment placement service to the global Superyacht industry. On top of checking their identity with copies of their passport, visas, STCW, ENG1, YachtChefs.com also check their Food Safety and Ships Cook Certificate when they register. A chef’s recruitment is a bit different explains Efrem: “Usually the Captain is my contact and they may only have the minimum of information to give me to work from, especially if it’s a new build or they are new to the yacht and are crewing up for the first time. I have a list of questions I need the client to answer. I would of course always prefer to see the galley myself and meet the Captain to gauge the role and crew dynamics on board.” As the chef needs to be flexible Efrem feels their role is more demanding: “They can’t escape on a yacht, especially the chef. Other crew can retire to their cabin or crew mess when the owner or guests are on board but chefs have to cook for owner, guests and crew and cater for more varied crew and guest specific dietary requests ...” He also confirms that owners and guests
Yotspot Whether you’re a seasoned Captain looking for a new engineer or an inexperienced crew member looking to break into the yachting industry, Yotspot are there to help. The foundations of the business were built on sourcing the best crew through thorough referencing and recommendations and their staff has the type of insight that can only be gained from having worked onboard yachts. Fully MLC 2006 compliant, Yotspot will present a list of candidates that not only fit your wants and needs but ones that have been hand picked by them through interviews, referencing, and recommendations. In addition to this, they also offer The Yotspot 24/7 Account™, a subscription based service that gives you unrivalled access to their entire crew database 24/7. For more details Tel: +44 (0)23 80 381928 or visit www.yotspot.com ONBOARD | WINTER 2015| 55
VIKING CREW MANAGEMENT
Supporting Owners, Managers, Captain & Crew, whatever your needs
INTRODUCING THE...
MARITIME SKILLS ACADEMY in association with Viking Recruitment Ltd is a centre of excellence for STCW and professional specialist courses in safety, leadership and other essential maritime skills. Courses currently running include: • STCW 5-part Basic Safety Training • Updating Training (FP&FF – PST) • Crisis Management & Human Behaviour • Bespoke Fire Team Training
• GMDSS • HELM • Yacht Interior Training
For a full list of course availability visit us at maritimeskillsacademy.com or give us a call.
Services include: • Recruitment of all Ranks • Crew Management • Marine Travel
• Security Awareness, Designated Security Duties, Ship Security Officer
• Global Employment & Payroll • Officer Training (Cadetships) • Filipino Seafarers / POEA Registered
For a full list of career opportunities visit us at vikingrecruitment.com or give us a call.
www.vikingrecruitment.com +44(0)300 303 8191 info@vikingrecruitment.com
MARITIME SKILLS ACADEMY
ISO 9001
www.maritimeskillsacademy.com +44(0)300 303 8393 shortcourses@vikingrecruitment.com
Take control of who you hire with ‘The Yotspot 24/7 Account’ Crew placement that finally works the same hours as you do…
Take the recruitment in house and cut out the middle man. Would you like to try it?
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Recruitment
who are used to eating out in fine dining establishments now want this level of cuisine on board their yachts and more and more owners are asking for this when recruiting a chef. But Efrem warns “Owners need to remember or be told that their yacht might only have one or two chefs whereas the Michelin star kitchen in their favourite restaurant might have 20-30 chefs to deliver this level of cooking and attention to detail!”
We are constantly travelling to see our client to get a real first hand view of the yacht and the vacant positions
Yachtchefs.com Silver Swan Yacht Crew is a specialised yacht crew recruitment agency based in Antibes. Their sister company Silver Swan Recruitment has been successful in the placement of hospitality professionals for chalets and villas for two years and they expanded earlier this year by launching Silver Swan Yacht Crew from the South of France. This new crew agency is run by Tara Bromhead with nine years’ experience as a yacht crew recruiter. Philippa Smith, the company Director, explains their process: “Our candidates either call directly, contact us through our website or via social media and many come through recommendations. Once registered, with certificates and references thoroughly checked we then invite them for a face-to-face interview. This is a crucial process for us to really get to know our candidate’s personality, skills and attributes and to understand what they are looking for to ensure a successful match to a vacancy.” Silver Swan Recruitment uses their social media platforms heavily to advertise vacancies enabling them to reach a large audience. Although they receive many CVs from candidates Philippa explains their short listing process: “We assess every single candidate who sends their resume, however, we are only able to invite to interview the candidates who we think we would be able to help find a suitable role. We wouldn’t want to waste their time if they simply don’t have enough experience for our clients.” She also confirms that requests from owners have become more particular: “We do see more vacancies coming to us with specific requests. They may require language skills or additional qualifications, such as Deckhands who are qualified dive or wake boarding instructors or perhaps need a Stewardess with childcare qualifications.” They are able to meet these increased requirements with ease. Nicky from Hemisphere agrees and says “due to flag state compliance, manning requirements are becoming more stringent. Definitely dual roles are becoming more evident on deck therefore requiring more experience and qualifications. There is also a greater demand for interior crew to have more qualifications i.e EDH, Yacht Rating and even AEC”. Going that extra mile is also fundamental to their business. “We are constantly travelling to see our client to get a real first hand view of the
Yachtchefs mission is to place professional chefs on to superyachts globally! Yachtchefs.com is the Antibes based chef specialist and your professional, but personal yacht chef agency to use when you next need to recruit a new chef or find your next chef role on board a yacht. The company offers you access to a global database of experienced superyacht chefs of all levels through a crew placement service which is available 365 days a year, 24/7. From head chefs to crew chefs, chef couples to sole chefs, pastry or sous chefs. For more details Tel: +33 (0)9 81 13 98 03 or visit www.yachtchefs.com yacht and the vacant positions, and if we don’t have a suitable candidate within our database then we actively headhunt at no extra cost to the client. But what seems to remain consistent with all the agencies we’ve talked to is that the level of salaries have remained pretty constant over the past few years throughout the industry even with additional qualifications required by candidates. Salaries do necessarily increase, even if extra qualifications are needed. Crew members now need experience but also a wide spectrum of training to get those certifications required. So, the good news is that recruitment agencies are ‘going that extra mile’ to find the right candidate for the right yacht. It is getting harder to wade through the CVs, but you can be assured that if you’re looking for a new crew member, your agency would have left no page unturned in their search to fill the vacant position. And, as a candidate looking for a new position, make sure you have a complete CV, the competition is fierce and longevity in the business is no longer the all important factor.
CONTACTS YPI Crew Viking Crew Barcelona Crew Hemisphere Crew Solutions Silver Swan Yacht Chef Yotspot
www.ypicrew.com www.vikingrecruitment.com www.barcelonacrew.com www.hemispherecrewsolutions.com www.silverswanrecruitment.com www.yachtchefs.com www.yotspot.com ONBOARD | WINTER 2015| 57
SWELL TIME Cold water surfing is the in thing at the moment. Alf Alderson looks at this masochistic side of wave riding in some of the world’s most extreme climates
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his description of cold water surfing may be taking things to extremes, but it shows how committed some people can get…“I was surfing in South Shields in north-east England one January. The temperature was around freezing and it was sleeting as I put on my winter wetsuit, hooded rash vest, boots and gloves. As I walked down to the beach a local surfer was coming out of the water wearing a sleeveless wetsuit with a flowery cotton shirt underneath.“No hood, no boots, no gloves. I asked him how long he’d been in. He said two hours. I managed 15 minutes and only because I couldn’t leave until he’d driven off…” This surreal tale was told to me by Yorkshirebased surfer Seb Ramsay. And the dude he met at South Shields wasn’t even that hard core by some standards; when I first started
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surfing the North Sea coast years ago I met locals who used to ride winter waves back in the 1960s wearing only shorts and woollen sweaters, because they couldn’t afford wetsuits (and those that did exist were made for diving). Things have moved on since then, thankfully. So much so that cold water surfing is a thriving branch of wave riding, with companies like Cornwall’s Finisterre making clothing specifically for those surfers who live in high latitudes, whilst wetsuit technology has improved to the extent that as long as it ain’t frozen the sea is surfable just about anywhere these days. So where are all these ice cold waves to be found? Well here are half a dozen surf spots where hypothermia is a far greater threat than sharks (although you may need to keep an eye out for killer whales).
Image: Chris Burkard Photography
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British Columbia There’s a super cool surf scene based around the town of Tofino on Vancouver Island, a place of wild forested mountains swooping down to the deep blue Pacific, where it’s not uncommon to see bear, wolf and cougar prints along the beach and where long period swells roll ashore having travelled all the way from the southern hemisphere. Not everyone who surfs here is a bearded lumberjack type either; in the centre of Tofino’s tiny downtown area is Pacific Surf Company, run by Estuardo Ventura, originally from Guatemala. Eduardo says “I wouldn’t live anywhere else in the world. The surf scene is cheerful and friendly and everyone is super stoked to be out in the water”. Even when it’s snowing…
Iceland Which it often is in Iceland. I ‘discovered’ the surf on Iceland’s northern coast when I was skiing there three years ago with Icelandic snowboarder Elli Thor Magnusson, who told me there’s a small but thriving surf scene around his home town of Reykjavik, and naturally as a snowboarder he’s part of it. “We make trips to surf the north coast to get away from the crowds” said Elli, which I thought was funny since a ‘crowd’ in Iceland consists of about a dozen people. Your average Aussie or Californian break would be considered empty with those numbers on it. This being Iceland the scenery is never less than amazing. You may even get a volcano thrown in, and it’s worth keeping an eye on the horizon whilst you’re surfing as it’s not at all unusual to see whales breaching or dolphins leaping. In fact Elli once had a minke whale leap out of the water just a few metres away whilst he was surfing.
Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands have scenery that takes your breath away as effectively as the gales that thrash the region year round. Mighty cliffs soar up out of the Atlantic, sea stacks defy the onslaught of waves and weather and despite the combination of violent seas, inaccessible sea cliffs and snow- capped mountains, the northern islands of the archipelago can be accessed easily via a remarkable series of undersea tunnels. Even so, the massive surf potential of the region will probably never be fully realised as there are stacks of potential breaks and very, very few surfers; when I was last there the total came to four, and three of us were visitors. I still have a map of the islands from that visit, and scrawled on it besides a couple of indentations in Sandoy island’s craggy coastline are the words ‘beach break’ and ‘beach/ point break’ for future reference. These two surf spots are but the tip of the iceberg and like most high latitude, remote surf destinations you can be sure they’ll never get crowded.
Northern Scotland It was blowing a gale with occasional blasts of hail mixed in, as three out of the eight of us on an autumn surf trip to Scotland’s north coast paddled out at Sandside Bay; the rest had decided to stay onshore partly due to the weather, partly due to the presence of Dounreay Nuclear Power Station above the bay (well, you never know…). Conditions couldn’t have been different the following day. We were just a few miles east of Sandside at Thurso, where a solid double overhead swell was marching ashore in bright sunlight, the tops whisked off the waves by a gentle offshore breeze. This was ‘Thurso East’, one of the finest cold water breaks in Europe, and one place that will always be busy on a good swell despite the relatively remote location. But if you really must have Scotland’s north coast to yourself, simply drive west. Melvich, Strathy, Torrisdale, Durness and Sandwood Bay, the most remote beach in Britain - all these and more have empty waves all year round.
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Norway Towns such as Stavanger in the south and Molde on the west coast have well-established surf scenes, but the place to surf in Norway is the Lofoten Islands at a latitude of 69 degrees north, where there’s 24 hours of daylight in summer and the waves are not as cold as you might expect thanks to the last pulse of the Gulf Stream rolling ashore here. Incredibly, there have been surfers in this northern outpost since the 1960s, when locals Thor Frantzen and Hans Egil Krane made their own boards based on those on the cover of a Beach Boys album. Thor’s daughter Marion now runs Unstad Bay Surf Camp at the eponymous bay at the south west end of the islands, where you can even get surf lessons; quite a place to learn to ride waves…
Siberia A few years ago I was fortunate enough to go heliskiing in Kamchatka, and one heli drop saw us standing 1000 metres above the Pacific Ocean where a clean groundswell was rolling ashore onto a black, volcanic sand beach. Thirty minutes later we were down at sea level and I watched a half-decent left-hand point break doing its thing. Had I chanced across the remotest waves in the world? Well, that’s arguable but what I do know is that since then surfers as famous as former world champion Tom Curren have travelled all the way to Russia’s far east to ride the chilly waves. In actual fact the surf here isn’t as good as you might expect given the exposed location, but you don’t just visit Kamchatka to surf. You also come to see active volcanos, grizzly bears and eagles, and to explore a landscape that has changed little in 10,000 years.
Alf Alderson is author of one of the UK’s first surf guides, ‘Surf UK’, and prefers to ski when there’s snow on the ground…
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ADVERTORIAL
The Entertainer ONBOARD Magazine talks to Günter Trempnau, MD of Home & Marine Electronic Systems
OB When did you begin focusing on yacht entertainment? GT My first encounter with a superyacht was in the early 80s. At the time, I was working for another company, and had the job of installing a Braun Atelier hi-fi system in the salon of the Hanse, a 55 metre motor yacht belonging to Tiny Rowland. The Braun Atelier is a design classic, which can be found in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It provided good sound onboard the Hanse up to 2003. OB How has the business changed and developed since then? GT Today it seems almost impossible to find technological products that can be expected to meet demands for more than 62 | WINTER 2015 | ONBOARD
20 years. In general, wishes and projects have become exponentially more complex. International competitive pressure has also risen considerably, and currency rates have become harder to predict. Profit forecasts for periods of four or five years are virtually impossible. But with a straightforward and honest approach, there’s a solution for everything, even today. OB Why does the customer need a specialized and experienced company for installations in yachts and villas? Isn’t a regular hi-fi installation company qualified enough? GT I’m sure a professional hi-fi installer can integrate a stereo system in one room of a megayacht. But we install entertainment systems in megayachts with 150 or more rooms – that creates huge logistics and integration challenges: the interaction between interior design systems, onboard infrastructure, compliance with safety standards. Just two examples: installation cables
must be fire resistant and music has to switch off automatically for emergency announcements. When aspects like these are accounted for too late due to unprofessional planning, the result is disastrous as we can see in the case of the Berlin airport. OB How important are interfaces with contemporary devices that can be found in every jacket pocket these days – Smartphones, tablet PCs? GT We have been integrating iPads, Smartphones etc. ever since they first appeared. The advantage is that they are so popular and well-accepted among consumers. These devices are produced in millions and guarantee highly reliable operation and very good integration. OB Are high-end stereo systems still important? GT High-end components are still needed to produce good sound. The ones we use are equipped with digital sound processing that enables us to acoustically analyze rooms in three dimensions and correct the sound individually. Formerly that used to require massive changes in the interior architecture. OB Large monitors have become very affordable. Are the ones you install different? GT Up to a few years ago, we bought and used high-resolution monitors produced for broadcasting studios. Since the development of DVDs and Blu-ray disks, the industry has adapted to high-res formats and now produces millions of monitors that are considerably less costly than the studio equipment we used to install, which was manufactured on a small scale. Today‘s massproduced monitors are available in formats measuring up to 2.5 meters, or 8.2 feet, diagonally. Bigger sizes are very difficult to transport and get through doors or windows. We install video walls, adapted to the room’s requirements, for our yacht customers. We assemble small and easily transportable display modules measuring 50 by 50 centimeters to create huge screens whose size is limited only by the space available on the yacht. OB One of H&M’s specialties is the monitor lift. What makes your solutions so outstanding? What are the largest sizes available? GT When flat plasma displays revolutionized the home entertainment market in the year 2000, entirely new possibilities for installing TV monitors arose. Installing screens directly on the wall became so common that it was no longer anything special. In megayachts, there is a utility space for piping and wiring above the decorative ceilings. We had the idea of using this space for drop-down flat-
screen lifts, so we developed the drop down/swivel ceiling lift. With this lift, we can install the largest monitors on the market as retractable ceiling screens, and even enable the user to rotate them for viewing from any position. A special feature of these lifts is a decorative plate that automatically closes the open slot in the ceiling once the display is extended. We have an additional patent on this mechanism. In almost all projects, this is the type of lift we install. OB What is the role of discotheques and dance floors in modern yachting? Can H&M offer anything special? GT Yacht owners have become much younger in recent years, which has changed the way yachts are used significantly. Entertainment includes dancing in disco areas with colorful light effects from ceilings, even walls and floors are lit up. Well-known discotheques and TV shows set the tone. LED technology opens up many installation options for these areas, although our highlight is the Vibrating Dancefloor. OB Could you explain how the Vibrating Dancefloor works? GT In mega-discotheques, you can feel the driving beat of the music through you whole body, simply because of the extreme volume. But very loud music can disturb guests onboard or neighbors near a megayacht. The Vibrating Dancefloor is based on a very straightforward idea: we acoustically insulate the dance floor from the rest of the ship and make the floor surface vibrate with the beat of the music. The sensation is as if you could feel the basses pulsating through your body. Yet the speakers are operating at moderate volume only. OB H&M offers more than entertainment systems for yachts. What else can you provide? GT Alongside entertainment, IT has also shown strong development. We install high-performance IT networks with the best highspeed wireless LAN available, Enterprise Campus Solution. Based on this infrastructure, we install additional systems. To name a few examples: telephony, video streaming, Internet access for yacht owners, crew and guests, ship’s office functions, steward call, video conferences, video surveillance, access control, ship’s alarm monitoring etc. We also install security systems familiar from airports like X-ray baggage inspection systems, personal scanners and devices that detect drugs or explosives. For more details Tel: +49 (0) 421 661546 or visit www.home-marine.com
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CLASS ACT As the countdown to the Rio Olympics 2016 begins, Palma prepares for big numbers at its premier early season Olympic-classes regatta. Words: Sue Pelling
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hose fortunate enough to be based in the vibrant and cosmopolitan city of Palma, Mallorca in the next few weeks are in for a treat when over 1,000 boats and 1,500 plus competitors from over 50 different countries arrive to take part in the 2015 edition of the Trofeo S.A.R. Princesa Sofía.Hosted by Club Nàutic Arenal, CMSAP-Ca’n Pastilla and Real Club Náutico de Palma, this regatta, which runs from 28 March - 4 April, effectively kick starts the European sailing season. It has always been regarded as an important event in the professional racing calendar and this year is no exception. With the Rio Olympic Games just under 20 months away (5-21 August 2016), the competition at this, the 46th edition of the event, will be exceptionally closely contested with many Olympic medalists, and those hoping to qualify for the Olympics in 2016, battling it out in the Bay of Palma. Although the event has lost its status as a host venue for the 2015 ISAF Sailing World Cup, it remains a qualifying
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event for Hyères, a key event in the six-event ISAF Sailing World Cup Series. It is also a major event in the 2015 EUROSAF Champions Sailing Cup Series. The Olympic classes including Lasers, Laser Radials, Finns, 470s, 49ers, RSXs and Nacra 17s will, as usual, make up the bulk of the fleet but there’ll be a selection of additional classes in 2015, which should make the event even more interesting. Watch out also for the super fast and exciting kiteboards and the graceful International Dragon class, returning to the event after a few years break. Also present will be two Paralympic classes, the 2.4 mR and Skud 18. Since the Princess Sofia Trophy was first presented in 1968 in honour of Princess Sofia, the princess has become Queen, which makes this long standing annual event one of the most important sailing events in Spain. With such a passion for sailing, the Spanish Royal family continues to support the event, with HM Queen Sofia maintaining
Image: Martinez Studio/Sofia
tradition by presenting the Trophy at the prizegiving ceremony at the end of the event. The Spanish Royal family has participated in the regatta since its inception with S.A.R. D. Juan Carlos de Borb贸n, one of the most successful with an outright win of the Princess Sofia Trophy in 1973, sailing a Dragon. Interestingly the event was conceived in 1968 as an amateur event for the International Dragons, a class, which raced there for 43 editions. During the early days, the event was also known as Palma International Week and by the request of HM Queen Sofia a selection of new classes including the Soling, 470, Snipe, 420, Finn and Europe were invited to take part. Other classes have come and gone over the years but the Olympic classes remain. For those taking part, the warm early season climate and good breezes on the Bay of Palma offer some of the most idyllic racing conditions in the Mediterranean.
There is also plenty of room for the organisers to set a range of windward/leeward or trapezoid courses for all classes including the additional kiteboards. The thrill of watching the cream of the racing world engage in battle in the bay will be memorable and well worth taking time out to enjoy. As a guide for spectators, the plan is for the Olympic classes to have a practice race on 29 March in the afternoon, then an opening series comprising 10-15 races depending on the class. A one-off medal race to determine the overall winners of each class will be held at the end of the regatta for those who finished in the top 10 in the series. Last year 2012 Olympic silver medal Laser Radial sailor Marit Bouwmeester from the Netherlands won the Absolute Winner Trophy. Her name was added to a long list of other impressive outright winners of the Princesa Sof铆a Trophy including British sailors Sir Ben Ainslie (2011), and Nick Dempsey (2006).
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TABLE TALK ONBOARD’s favourite eateries in Palma, Mallorca to fit all palates and pockets
THE ROOM The former fishermen’s district of Santa Catalina, with its rapidly gentrifying streets. Serving lunches as fresh and simple as its white walls and chunky wooden tables. Its three-course €13 menú del día, including a drink, is a steal Carrer de Cotoner 47 +34 971 281536 | €€€
SA ROQUETA A petite wood-panelled eatery in the Portixol area, which keeps its perfect paellas under the radar, with just a small panel on the wall announcing its existence. The fish is straight out of the sea and straight into the pan creating some of the best food in the city. Carre Sirena 11 +34 971 244 658 | €€
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THE TAPAS CLUB Among recently renovated fishermens’ cottages, in a prime spot at the far end of the beach, the Tapas Club offers cocktails and plates of tapas at the stunning bar. If it’s too hot outside, lounge on the cushioned area inside, while ordering up the cocktail of your choice. Paseo del Portixol +34 971 248 604 | €
White Fish Ceviche with tomato tiger milk corn air & tobiko roe
DE TOKIO A LIMA Chef German de Bernardi LUXURY BOUTIQUE HOTEL CAN ALOMAR
QUINA CREU In Sa Gerreria, this bistro bar is about as sophisticated as it gets in Palma. Favoured by locals for brunch, lunch or dinner – a long dark bar, black-clad waiters, slightly saucy films projected on to a screen. Its threecourse menú del día is a must and you will not be disappointed. It’s fun, fun, fun. Carrer de Corderia 24 +34 971 711772 | €€€
LA BOVEDA A favourite with locals and visitors, a busy tapas bar at the front of the restaurant is combined with a slightly more formal dining area behind. Perch at the bar for slices of tortilla or an array of delightful tapas or reserve a table (necessary) for hearty slabs of veal and pork and simply grilled, locally caught fish. The house vino is pretty good too. Paseo Sagrera, 3 +34 971 72 00 26 | €€
INGREDIENTS John dory fillet 130g Sliced red onion Grated ginger Chopped garlic Lime Juice Halved cherry tomatoes Cooked corn mote Toasted chulpi corn Coriander sliced Diced avocado Tobiko Roe Ice cube
TOMATO TIGER MILK 100g ramallet tomato 200 dashi broth 40g lime juice 30g yellow chilli pepper paste 10g red chilli pepper paste 10g ginger 5g coriander leaves Salt C Xanthan gum CORN AIR 300g cooked corn 100ml water 2g soybean lecithin
METHOD Rinse the fish and dice. Store in the fridge. Tomato Tiger Milk Mix all the ingredients and stir until it is well refined and store cold (This preparation has to be very cold when preparing the ceviche). Corn Air Liquify the corn with its water, mix with the water and the soy bean lecithin. Mix with hand-blender and store. Chulpi Corn Toast in a covered frying pan with a little bit of sunflower oil stirring constantly on a moderate heat. Once toasted season with some salt and place on paper towels. Serving Place the fish, grated ginger, chopped garlic and salt in a stainless steel bowl and stir for a few seconds. Then add the ice cube, mote corn, avocado and tiger milk and let it rest for a few minutes. Add the red onion, cherry tomatoes and coriander and blend all the ingredients well. Place in a bowl. Blend the mixture of corn with a hand blender to generate air and place around the plate. Finish with the toasted chulpi corn and tobiko roe.
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GALLEY GADGETS
TOAST TOPPER A 50’s retro throw back, coming in two or four slice version. Extra wide slots, self cleaning and anti-slip feet! Wow, this guy has everything a lady could want! With several cool colours to choose from, you can select a model to make a statement and express your individuality. €126 www.smeguk.com
CULINARY COLLECTION You may not need them but you could certainly get used to them
MEASURE UP 4 pcs measuring spoons, 1/4, 1/2 ,1 teaspoon, 1 tablespoon all on a handy ring. If you’re following Delia and have to be precise on every single measurement or it’s just part of you to be spot on, then these babies are for you. €10 www.bodum.com
ROLL AND GRIND Get primeval with this weighty block of marble and brass used to smash, pummel and grind spices and herbs, apparently, a deeply pleasurable exercise. Its exaggerated rounded lip allows a firm grip as you work. The grinder’s strikingly modern, almost abstract design makes a beautiful addition to the galley or home. €95 www.johnlewis.com
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TIPPING THE SCALES Complete that vintage look with this 1950’s retro red designer weighing scale A fantastic item for the galley with its glossy red enamel coated steel with silver accents and silver bowl. The Typhoon Vintage Kitchen Scales displays weight in both kg/g and lbs/oz with its large circular dial. €38 www.redcandy.co.uk
CHEESE BORED? CasaBugatti would like you to disappear into a romantic culinary dream stirring deep emotions whilst using their knives to eat cheese, but we think they just look cool and the colour range is varied and funky. The cutlery is made of 18/10 stainless steel with handles made with Bugatti Pro-Tech System dual molding technology, which guarantees splendid colours and high quality. €50 www.casabugatti.com
BIG DRIPPER Patience is a virtue. While Hario’s Clear Water Dripper requires a 3-5 hour brew time, it’s well worth the wait. This sleek setup uses single drops of cold water to extract finely ground coffee and yields a sweet cup with hardly any bite. Reminiscent of your first chemistry set or to be found in the lair of an evil genius, just give yourself 5 hours notice when you fancy a brew! €375 www.hario.co.uk
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ISLE OF MAN. WHERE YOU CAN REGISTER UNDER A FLAG OF EXCELLENCE • Low-risk status for Port State Control regions • Fee incentives for ‘Green Ship’ credentials • Client-focused approach with help and advice 24/7 • Competitive fee structure with no tonnage fees • Flag of Choice for owners seeking quality and service
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Concierge service & Yachts Agent 24/7 on the french riviera www.monsieur-alfred.fr +33 6 50 29 65 01 - contact@monsieur-alfred.fr
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FOOD SNIPPETS The latest food trends and snippets for you to try over the winter months
On Trend...WASABI
TOP 5... FOR 2015
You think you know wasabi? It's that green, nasal blasting paste, eaten in brave dabs alongside sushi and sashimi, right? Nope. The "wasabi" you have in mind is more than likely just a mixture of horseradish, green food colouring and a dash of dried mustard. It may not contain any real wasabi at all. That's because the knobbly pale-green rhizome of a fresh Wasabia japonica is rare and notoriously hard to grow commercially.
GROW YOUR OWN
In 2014 we went mad for kale, quinoa and craft beer, so what will be the food trends of 2015? Here are our top five predictions KANIWA Now that we have all worked out how to pronounce quinoa, there is a new supergrain to get your lips around. Kaniwa (ka-nyi-wa), a relative of quinoa, high in protein and gluten free.
CAULIFLOWER Cauliflower, long considered the poor cousin to broccoli, is becoming a regular on restaurant menus, jazzed up with bold sauces and interesting spices.
SEAWEED Seaweed is set to transition from sushi rolls to dinner plates with chefs serving it in salads, seasonings, sauces, even as a seaweed butter. High in iodine and purportedly excellent for detoxing.
FERMENTED FOODS While raw food enthusiasts have long embraced fermentation, the trend is set to go mainstream with DIY lessons on how to create your own sauerkraut and kombucha.
ICE-CREAM SANDWICHES Sweet tooths will be doubly happy: donuts and cupcakes are out and ice-cream sandwiches are on the rise. Among the combinations are dulce de leche ice-cream sandwiched between chocolate chip cookies, and brownies with vanilla gelato.
Fresh wasabi can be found in specialist Japanese stores. Alternatively, buy ready to use rhizomes - the root-Iike stem online, or a semi developed plant to cultivate yourself.
GRATE AND GRIND Wash and peel off the knobbles, then grate the stem in a circular, grinding motion, using a traditional otoshigane, or sharkskin grater.
EAT RAW Wasabi is at its most pungent raw - recipes for cooked or boiled rhizome are rare, as the flavour quickly deteriorates. .Its palm-sized leaves, thin stems (petioles) and white Flowers are also edible: add them to a green salad for a little edge.
FINALLY... Japanese shoguns would honour veteran samurai warriors with wasabi plantations as a thank-you for their services when the time came to hang up their swords.
â‚Ź800 per kg Pule Cheese is made in Serbia from donkey milk and was recently named the most expensive cheese in the world. The white, crumbly cheese has been described as similar to Spanish Manchego cheese, but with a deeper, richer taste
That’s sooo yesterday... Coconut Water. Now we are drinking activated charcoal cane instead Activated charcoal is made by heating coconut shells in the absence of air giving the drink its interesting hue which gently supports and cleanses the digestive system. ONBOARD | WINTER 2015 | 71
THE CORKER
The Wrong Wine
According to Tom Harrow when it comes to pairing wine with food the rules are there to be broken
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he other evening I drank The Wrong Wine, and even more shockingly for a man in my position, I did so deliberately… So many columns are devoted to the subject of food and wine matching that it has become an essential skill to proffer an opinion on light reds and fish and to recognise the challenge artichokes present for pairing (Amontillado sherry is the definitive answer if you must know). In reality however it’s largely bullshit. Much like fashion or style at least, the rules are there to be broken. There are guidelines for the nervous and one should rather be stylish in contravention than slavish in adherence. Anyway back to the wrong wine: I was cooking a lazy speciality: Carbonara. I normally use too much cream, butter and parmigiano and one too many eggs. It is a startlingly rich and coma-inducing dish and the rule book required I partner this with a fresh, zesty white (not lacking in mid-palate weight but), ultimately something to balance the dense flavours of the dish. My house white, a vivacious, quartzy, firm-fruited Verdicchio di Matellica would have been ideal. A lightly chilled, burst of cherry red, Dolcetto or Valpolicella would have been an appropriate red alternative and met with a sommelier’s approval. Bright acidity of course is essential…. and yet I opted to open a very opulent, unctuous, ripe with tropical fruits, honeyed, creamy, new-oaked, 14.5% Stellenbosch Chardonnay. WHY?!? What provoked such a recklessly counter-intuitive choice? I knew it wasn’t going to be a suitable match. And my doubts were pretty much confirmed… The logic however was this: Often as important as considering what’s on your plate, is the situation, the company, the ambience: In this case it was my wedding anniversary and my wife prefers whites to reds but enjoys bold Chardonnays, and we had drunk 72 | WINTER 2015 | ONBOARD
a more modest wine from the same producer at our wedding banquet: Circumstances made the wrong wine the right choice. Consider drinks that are appropriate to who you are with and where. A very expensive old Burgundy with rare roast beef sounds like a great pairing to me but at a casual supper with younger friends, less worldly relations, or on a first date it may go unappreciated or worse make guests feel unsophisticated, unworthy, awkward. It would thus be as inappropriate a choice to me as a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc might be to a sommelier. (If interested, I’d probably have chosen a really good, mid-price Argentinian Malbec with plenty of accessible dark fruit but from a producer able to bring out more interesting nuances from the grape: In other words an inclusive wine which invites comment from all and prevents wine bores dominating an increasingly silent table with traded anecdotes about their preferred Cote de Nuits monopoles.) Similarly the wine writer’s darlings, dry Sherry and off-dry Riesling, both delicious and exceptionally food-friendly BUT distinctive tastes which, if not acquired by the company, will not be appreciated regardless how often you incredulously demand “but just try it with the jamon/boquerones/ smoked cheese etc”. It’s easy to say. If you like tannic reds with oysters, or a delicate Pinot Grigio with game stew then go right ahead, i.e. drink what you like and be damned, but that’s not the point here. I do believe in partnering wines and food and there are some sublime matches which elevate the senses and must be savoured before you die. I just don’t believe it’s ALWAYS that important and certainly not more so than choosing the right wine for the right situation, which should be as much about the guests as the menu.
ONBOARD | WINTER 2015 | 73
IN THE MIX train into a nd s ag las s. To
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MIXOLOGY
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NORMANDISE The Negresco Hotel, Nice France
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Fresh peach juice
BELLINI Cipriani Ibiza Balearic Islands
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60ml Lemon Vodka
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ONBOARD looks at the hottest cocktails in the happening bars across the Mediterranean
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HOW TO MIX THE DRINK OF THE MOMENT
OUZO LEMON SPRITZER Santorini Princess Hotel, Cyclades Greece
, ce yi r d
ve with olive ser
Dolin Dry Vermouth on the rim
75ml Sipsmith London Dry Gin 90ml Lime Juice
Sh a
COSMOPOLITAN Pastis Hotel, Saint Tropez France
CLASSIC SIPSMITH Boca Chica, Barcelona Spain
Carbonated cocktails are more popular than ever, and taking the trend to yet another level of ingenuity, bartenders across the World are bottling their bubbly concoctions, making the flirty effervescence of each drink just the pop of the cap away. And while you might think it’s a tad too complicated for a DIY drinker to undertake at home, with a few simple bar and homebrew gadgets, it’s surprisingly easy to bottle your own batch for entertaining. Stay strong When choosing cocktails to carbonate and bottle, stick with high-proof, spirit-forward drinks (think manhattan, negroni and the americano) and avoid bottling ones with citrus juices. Keep cool Bubbles are more lively when the drink you’re carbonating is super cold, so combine all ingredients ahead and refrigerate for at least two hours before charging with co2. Don’t overfill. Make sure you leave room in the neck of the bottle. And store capped, carbonated bottles in the fridge since the cold air helps hold the bubbles.
TEA-RIFFIC In the world of cocktails, it appears that tea is the new black, popping up in all our favourite bars all over town. ONBOARD has been studying hard, and has learnt all about the wonders of tea, and what makes it work so well in a cocktail. Infuse Tea adds a smoky bitterness to balance out a drink, and can also be used as a subtle flavoured way of lengthening a tall drink. Some bartenders infuse it einto the base spirit, or brew and chill the tea and add it to the shaker, it works well each and every way. It’s is no longer just about the earl grey-tini (would it be ‘tea’ni?) Any more, think outside the caddy and try a lapsang souchong marmalade vodka or a rooibos and agave iced tea.
ONBOARD | WINTER 2015 | 75
ke
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Le refit La vie est belle for Superyacht Refit & Repair in France with a positive increase in business Words: Fances and Michael Howorth
L
ooking at the Mediterranean and comparing the refit yard availability offered by each country the shirt and trousers must be worn by Spain and Italy with Greece coming third wearing the socks and shoes.Until recently France had little of great importance to offer and could be said to be the pants. True France offered a myriad of small independent contractors and if you wanted a quick carpentry job by a qualified expert there was no better place to be. Painters, technicians mechanics and, of course, electronics specialists abound in ports all over the French Riviera. Captains seeking a major refitting yard in France were left with little choice that came in the form of the failing ITM or Monaco Marine a company that has grown from strength to strength through the slow and steady acquisition of competitors. Operating a total surface area of over 95,200 m2 spread across six shipyards at La Ciotat (45,000 m2), Golfe de St Tropez (28,000 m2), Antibes (8,000 m2), St Laurent du Var (5,500 m2), Beaulieu sur Mer (6,000 m2) and Monaco (2,700 m2) the company is able to offer standard work such as underwater painting, wintering, as well as undertake specific and large scale projects. In the past they have completed extensions, complete interior decoration, and full paint jobs. They are the go to guys when it comes to special operations such as: the preparation of new sailing boats including rigging and class certification visits. Michel Ducros founded the company in Monaco during 1995 intent on developing a network of small service sites able to offer customers quality refit and maintenance facilities. In 2007 the company became the big boy on the block opening in La Ciotat, a site of 45 000 m2 where 13 yachts from 40 to 200m can be hauled out at any one time using a 2000 ton Yachtlift. This site also features a 90m paint shed offering optimal work conditions. Expansion followed two years later with the acquisition of a 300 ton travelift. Most recently the company continued its expansion on the Côte d’Azur by establishing a base in Antibes through the acquisition of the Antibes Marine
Shipyard in 2012. The company employs 200 and can call upon a sub contracted workforce of 600. Servicing 3,000 units a year, mostly sub 24 metres, the company posts an operating turnover of 50 million Euros each year. The IMS shipyard was founded in 1987 and during its early years, concentrated solely on the construction of aluminium ferries and work boats. It began repair and refit work in 1992 again concentrating on work boats and French Navy work. Being so close to the huge complex operated by France’s Navy there was not shortage of that. Little did they anticipate back then that they would themselves occupy what was then the Navy’s Seaplane base. But in 2014 that’s what IMS did and in doing so moved from being an also ran into what is almost certainly the largest yacht repair shipyard in the Mediterranean. When added to the original site the 12,000 m2 IMS 300 the addition of 60,000 m2 at IMS 700 makes the company one of the most important superyacht refitters in France if not the entire Mediterranean. In one single step IMS has moved the French Superyacht refit and repair business from Zero to Hero and that means France must without doubt now be able to throw off the underpants image. Owned by the French holding company Nepteam since 2011 it has been under the direct hands on, day to day, management of Denis Pelligrino who has, over the past years, not only overseen the growth of IMS 300 but has at the same time kept a watch brief on the construction of IMS 700. The numbers of the two sites differentiate the tonnage that they can safely lift and store ashore. IMS 300 has a Travellift capable of handling yachts to 300 tons while at the larger site an all new 670 travel lift has been installed together with a purpose built lifting dock. Creating a brand new, state of the art superyacht shipyard out of a disused and somewhat abused French Navy seaplane base has been no mean feat. 2,700 m2 of earth has been removed
ONBOARD | WINTER 2015| 77
The Original Paint Specialist On The Cote d’Azur
We do exactly what it says on the tin Paint refinishing & repairs Metallic & pearl specialists Varnishing Experts in engine room application
MARINE PAINT REFINISHING AT ITS FINEST
The technical stopover of choice on the Atlantic Region with cost-effective and reliable refit facilities • A superyacht harbour at the heart of the city • The only deep-water technical harbour on the Atlantic Coast • Dedicated facilities with dry docks up to 176 m, afloat repair docks up to 250 m and a 6,000 m2 repair yard • All fields of yachting expertise • Custom-made work • La Rochelle, at the heart of the largest concentration of French yacht businesses
La Rochelle
Pôle Refit is a professional organisation composed of almost 20 specialised companies, united with the same spirit of excellence.
ww w. p o l e r e f i t . c o m
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Photo credit: Atlantic Refit Center, Port de Plaisance de La Rochelle, Port Atlantique La Rochelle
Tel: +33(0)492 92 18 51 www.topcoatdazur.com Info@topcoatdazur.com
Le refit
and reused, over 6,000 tonnes of asphalt has been laid, 2,000 tonnes of piles for supporting the construction in the lifting dock, breakwater and yacht pontoons, 4,500 m2 of paint applied, 80 members of staff working full time, putting in over 20,000 hours of work are just some of the figures that illustrate the sheer size of this colossal project.143 forty metre tall piles weighing over 2,000 tons have been sunk into the basin. The 670 tonne travelift was delivered to the site unassembled at the beginning of July in and discharged from 17 articulated trucks that had driven it from Italy. The reassembly operation went smoothly, over the summer and is now fully functional having lifted the first yacht in the dying weeks of 2014. The impressive 19 metre-high machine represents an investment of over 2 million Euros for the shipyard owners. Work on the second phase of the 37,000 square metre central area is underway transforming aircraft hangers and attendant buildings into workshops, offices, reception and recreational areas for superyacht crews.
Yacht Concept
These four enormous sea plane hangers are being converted into boat-sheds for housing three yachts up to 50 metres at the same time. Combined the two shipyards, just a mile or so apart, offer yachts seeking a refit a total work surface area of 130,000 m2. This includes 77,000 m2 ashore, 20,000 m2 of which is under cover in sheds offering air draughts up to 15 metres. A 50,000 m2 basin provides berths for yachts seeking work while afloat and 3,000 m2 has been put aside for offices, workshops and a 500 m2 area set aside for crew use in a complex that houses a fitness centre, multimedia room, rest area, outdoor terrace and BBQ. 1,000 m2 has been set aside for yachts to use as a storage area for their tenders, jet skis, and other various pieces of equipment.
Yacht Concept is a company with a strong foundation and an eye eagerly set on the future. Starting out in 2004, they have expanded year by year not only in size, but also in worldwide reputation. At the heart of the company you will find a balanced unit of naval architects, engineers, and project managers who will make your wildest personalised dream yacht refit come true. The team has just launched the historical ‘l’Hermione’, an 18th century frigate measuring over 65 metres making the creation of any vessel achievable. Company founder and owner Laurent Da Rold, who has over 25 years’ experience in yacht engineering, believes making the perfect project tailored for the specific needs of a client is key to his company’s future. For more details Tel : +33 (0)5 46 50 51 35 or visit www.yacht-concept.fr
Situated in Saint-Mandrier directly across the bay from Toulon the facility is well protected from the swell by a long floating breakwater. The bay itself is well populated with ferry services making it easy for crew to get well earned R&R in a vibrant city that is very much a lively area the whole year round with many activities centred on the young and fun loving visitors who frequent it. The other big player in the area in years gone by was International Technic Marine better known as ITM. Covering an area of about 12,000 square metres, four large dry docks ranging from 80 up to 126 metres, covered yard of about 95 metres and more than 300 m of quays for afloat repairs the company had been plagued for years but poor management and a reputation for not getting the job done on time. No one was very surprised when the company slipped into administration in the twilight of 2013. What was surprising was that no one really wanted to take up the offer of running a shipyard in Marseilles. In the end there were two players at the final stages of the Tender, and one of those pulled out at the last minute. Specialist refit and repair company Palumbo was the only one left in the race at the final hurdle and scooped up the yard keeping eight of the yard’s former managers and renaming the complex Palumbo Marseille Superyachts ITM. The Italian ship builder who also controls refit yards in Naples and Malta invested heavily in the facility buying new equipment and lifting systems in order to improve and increase the range of services to offer to its clients. It was not very long after reopening that the yard announced the arrival of an 85 metre superyacht drydocking
Pôle Refit The technical stopover of choice on the Atlantic Region with costeffective and reliable refit facilities. The professional outfit Pôle Refit La Rochelle lies at the heart of the highest concentration of nautical businesses in France and counts almost 20 specialised companies, united with the same spirit of excellence. These skilled professionals, who guarantee custom-made projects, offer a unique diversity in terms of services and know-how. For more details Tel: +33 (0)6 22 98 42 80 www.polerefit.com
ONBOARD | WINTER 2015| 79
La Rochelle
Engineering and project management Specifications Preliminary Studies Detailed Design Planning Monitoring of Subcontractors Financial Management
© B Henry
Delivery Operations
TAILORED PROJECTS
Stéphane Marcelli + 33 675 247 585 - www.atlanticrefitcenter.com
80 | WINTER 2015 | ONBOARD
Le refit
there for a refit. Despite using photographs of her to promote their work, they rather coyly refuse to name that yacht but we can identify her as Valerie from Lürssen to a design by Espen Øeino that was built in 2011. France however has two coastlines, the Mediterranean and the Atlantic and it is on that West coast that the deep water port of La Rochelle stands out as a refit centre.The port offers all the necessary secured facilities and skills to enable superyacht refit management. Two large dry docks are accessible at any state of the tide and can accommodate yachts up to 170 metres. There is a well developed network of highly-specialised contractors, able to cover any type of work many with more than 20 years of experience in superyacht project management and engineering and the city offers accommodation capacity for crews and all associated services, including training.
There is a well developed network of highly-specialised contractors, able to cover any type of work many with more than 20 years of experience
The team at Atlantic Refit Center, one of several refit facilities in the city, is led by two experienced professionals from the superyacht industry. Founded by Chris Atkinson and Stéphane Marcelli who both control and manage the entire refit and repair process, the yard came to recent prominence with the refitting of Enigma XK a former British government-owned Fisheries Protection Vessel. Originally she was designed for service in the roughest of North Atlantic waters. Atlantic Refit, working with Philippe Briand and Veerle Battiau converted the ship into a comfortable and capable expedition yacht, which is now enjoying an exciting after life as a charter yacht visiting the very ends of the earth. “It was an extremely challenging project to fit everything you need onboard a superyacht into a former military vessel and keep the original profile of the vessel,” says Marcelli, “We are very proud when this stunning vessel received a superyacht industry award.” Another well respected facility, Yacht Concept, was created in 2004 by Laurent Da Rold, who, soon after that was joined by Jean-Philippe Houot. Both founders studied at the Ecole Centrale of Lille, France, and each one of them has a cumulative twenty years of experience in the marine industries, in yacht building, as well as in the yacht equipment sector. Today a total of eight people contribute to the success of each project at this well found facility in La Rochelle. Both Yacht Concept and Atlantic Refit Centre are members of Pôle Refit La Rochelle an organisation started in 2007 that represents over 20 specialist refit companies as well as the tow La Rochelle Harbours. Founded by Laurent Da Rold of Yacht Concept, Pôle Refit La Rochelle was created as a non-profit organization dedicated to yacht refit. His aim was to unite
Atlantic Refit Center Atlantic Refit Center is specialised in superyacht refit and conversion of vessels into yachts up to 140m including all types of maintenance and re-paint work. Thanks to remarkable facilities based inside the ISPS zone of the La Rochelle Atlantic Port, their commitment is to deliver fully tailored services to their clients, on time and on budget. La Rochelle old town is vibrant all year long and offers an exciting life for crew with lots of varied shops and bars and restaurants, also many cultural activities and beautiful wildlife areas thanks to the vicinity of the islands and their sandy beaches on the Ile de Ré. Atlantic Refit Center is just 5 mins drive from La Rochelle airport (direct flights to London) and 1h30 drive from Nantes and Bordeaux Intl airports. For more details Tel: +33 (0) 675 247 585 or visit www.atlanticrefitcenter.com
yachting professionals, and has the objective of supporting both the economic and commercial development of refit works in La Rochelle and its surrounding area. Laurent Da Rold, the associations President says, “Pôle Refit La Rochelle stands at the heart of the highest concentration of nautical businesses of the country. A long-term commitment for the city of La Rochelle, with a key ambition: to become an international leader in refit operations. La Rochelle is definitely a credible option compared to shipyards from the French Riviera, from the Nordic Countries, and more generally to European yards. Thus, our missions are to develop the image of our city as the benchmark port of call on the French Atlantic Coast and to unite the domestic marine industry on the refit market.” Talking about the company’s Superyacht Refit capabilities, he adds, “We are the only deep sea port of the Atlantic Coast and have one of the leading marinas in Europe. Our facilities are able to welcome boats up to 100 metres into the heart of our city, which is a classified historic heritage site! Our main strength as an organisation is both the diversity and the complementary nature of the trades and crafts available. Refitting yachts in La Rochelle ensures clients receive custom made projects managed by passionate and experienced people, at affordable prices that are delivered within the time limit set.”
ONBOARD | WINTER 2015| 81
ADVERTORIAL
Fuel for thought Peninsula Petroleum is a leading supplier of fuels to yachts worldwide, with more than a decade of experience supplying megayachts
P
eninsula Petroleum understands the need to provide a bespoke service to their clients. Their specialist traders are experts in servicing the requirements of the yachting industry and provide an unrivalled level of expertise to proactively support your refuelling, agency and lubricants requirements. We guarantee punctual deliveries of quality fuels at competitive prices in all the key ports of the Mediterranean, Caribbean and Pacific favoured by yachts worldwide. Peninsula can also advise on the availability of duty free fuels and with our flexible credit terms there is no need for the captain to disburse in cash.
Physical Strength We dispose of physical operations in the key bunkering locations of Gibraltar, Ceuta, Las Palmas, Santa Cruz de Tenerife,
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Barcelona, Valencia, Panama and Singapore. We have our own certified product and means of delivery, ensuring your yacht has priority access to the fuels they need in our physical supply stations. In Gibraltar, Ceuta, Algeciras, Las Palmas, Tenerife and Singapore we have our own in-house agency that can handle any additional needs that a captain may have.
Global Reach We offer a one-stop shop for yacht Captains and Fleet Managers as we deliver quality fuel all across the globe with supplier support from our offices located in the following locations: London, Gibraltar, Geneva, Monaco, Las Palmas, Oslo, Athens, Dubai, Singapore, Shanghai, Seoul, Tokyo, New York, Houston, Panama, Copenhagen, Antwerp and Montevideo. We place our
traders at a captain’s disposal on a truly 24 hour basis, 365 days per year.
Credit And Risk Management Peninsula Petroleum Ltd maintains excellent links with other first rate suppliers worldwide in order to guarantee quality product and the level of service our clients demand. Captains rely on Peninsula Petroleum due to our experience and quality of service guaranteed. Our Risk Management team allows Peninsula to offer our customers the best quality product at the best market prices. “We assist our Yacht Captains 24 hours a day, providing them with pricing indications and fuelling routes in order to save
them time and money. We try and make life easier for our clients as we understand that Captains and Managers alike have enough on their plates to worry about fuel.” Brian Messina, Peninsula Petroleum Ltd, Gibraltar Please feel free to request any market information you may require to establish your bunkering routes at yachts@peninsulapetroleum.com
For more details Tel:+ 350 200 52641 or visit www.peninsulapetroleum.com
ONBOARD | WINTER 2015 | 83
PAY DAY Trends, longevity or commitment? Frances and Michael Howorth look at what is driving today’s Superyacht crew wages?
W
hat many crew want to learn is, what is happening with wages this season and what is likely to happen next season. Our continued and continuing research into the subject has made us one of the leading authorities when it comes to this question.
board only; whilst on board with a small retainer when off the boat or they can be paid all year round whether on or off the boat. Rebecca Mackenzie is a Senior Marine Recruitment Consultant at Viking Recruitment Limited a company who places large number officers into the cruiseship industry each year. Rebecca says that her colleagues have noticed “The salaries for permanent positions have increased in the last year, however as more boats are becoming rotational, the wages seem to have dropped slightly for these roles to compensate for the extra leave given.”
To keep abreast of the situation we regularly speak not only to crew on this subject, but frequently raise the topic with crew recruitment agencies and yacht managers so that we stay on top of our specialty. In the previous feature, we accurately pinpointed the trends over the last 12 years but what is trending now? What is it that has been the most noticeable development in crew wages generally over the last 12 months?
At Wilson Halligan, a firm based in Hamble at the heart of Britain’s yachting community, director Terry Wilson has seen the trend in some decline, due he says, “To a huge amount of competition in most areas. Some of the senior people, where the availability of the jobs is so tight, are feeling pressure to ‘undercut’ the next person, unfortunately. He adds Some Captains have had to drop their previous expectations by € 2000 per month or more, to secure a suitable position. Other yachts, however, have remained at a high standard and increase salaries year on year. This causes a situation, often in the junior ranks,
Louise Cailbourdin is the Crewing Manager at Crew Network in Antibes. As part of the Fraser Yachts Group and under the ownership of V Ships, the Merchant Navy crewing agency, her offices are well placed to have a finger on the pulse. Louise believes that is a continued trend towards rotational positions that is the most noticeable trend. “Rotation,” she says, “Can be varied e.g. 2 on/2 off; 3 on/3 off; 3 on/1 off. These positions can be paid whilst on
AVERAGE CREW SALARIES ABOARD 50m YACHT 12.0
9.0
6.0
3.0
0 2002
2003
Captain
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2004
2005
Chief Engineer
2006
2007
2008
Chief Steward/ess
2009
Chef
2010
2011
Deckhand
2012
2013
Steward/ess
2014
where person A wants the same salary as person B. If they leave to join yacht X this can commence a cycle of potentially poor longevity, if the full package on the new yacht does not match their overall needs.”
The amount of newbies who have no experience that will be out of the business within a year
Adrian McCourt is a superyacht manager and is the principle of Watkins Superyachts, a firm that manages several significant superyachts. He believes, “Captains are responsible for their own negotiations.Of course, the old adage holds true that the only time you can negotiate hard on your salary is before you accept the job. I am aware that Engineers and ETOs who can service and maintain sophisticated systems on board are at a premium but not really aware of them leapfrogging the Captains in salary terms.” Not every one can pinpoint a trend. Angela Wilson Elite Crew tells us, “We really haven’t seen any significant changes in salaries. What we have seen though is an increase in the benefits offered, especially on our yachts over 60m. Most are now offering what we call a light rotation of 5 months on/1 month off for all crew paid 12 months, even juniors. Naturally all flights, full health (sometimes including dental) and annual bonuses are now standard. The most common bonus being a 13th month pay. Some even offer educational incentives so that if a crewmember successfully passes courses to further their qualifications they are reimbursed.” Rodney Aird-Mash, of Sea Gem International is quite convinced that “Crew wages seemed to have remained pretty static over
It is a fact that over the 12 years of record keeping, entry level wages have remained at roughly the same level throughout that period. Given the qualifications that junior crew need to have in today’s industry and the cost of acquiring them, this means that in real terms the pay for these ranks have fallen.
EURO v DOLLAR When the Euro was introduced in 2002 many yachts based in Europe switched from US Dollars to Euros. The following analysis shows how the US Dollar has lost its dominance as a salary indicator for yachts that operate outside of the USA.
2006 25.78%
71.97%
$ €
2014 17.85%
81.47%
the past 12 months, perhaps even dropping a little at “Entry Level” which probably reflects the rather low experience level of experience of many entering the business, the thinking being : “see if they actually CAN and WANT to do Yacht work and put the salary up if it turns out they do”. Aird-Mash
€2,000
The amount some captains have had to drop their previous salary expectations by per month or more to secure a suitable position
ONBOARD | WINTER 2015| 85
Salary Guidelines 2014 (in euros) CREW SALARY GUIDELINES 25-30m _ Captain 4,500-6,000 _ First Officer* 2,500-3,500 _ Bosun* — _ Deckhand exp.* 2,500-3,500 _ Jr. Deckhand — _ Chief Engineer* — _ Chief Eng. Rotation** — _ 2nd Engineer* — _ 2nd Eng. Rotation** — _ ETO — _ Purser — _ Chief Stew 2,500-3,000 _ Experienced stew — _ Jr. Stew — _ Chef 3,000-4,000 _ Sous Chef
—
30-35m
35-40m
40-45m
45-50m
50-55m
55-60m
60-70m
70m+
5,000-7,000
6,000-8,000
7,000-9,000 9,000-12,000 10,000-14,000 12,000-16,000
13,000+
15,000+
2,500-3,500
3,500-4,000
4,000-5,000
4,500-5,500
5,000-6,000
5,500-6,500
6,000-7,500
7,000+
—
—
—
3,000-4,000
3,500-4,500
4,000+
4,000+
5,000+
2,500-3,500
2,500-3000
2,500-3,000
2,500-3,000
2,500-3,000
2,800-3,500
2,800-3,500
3,000+
2,000-2,500
2,000-2,500
2,000-2,500
2,000-2,500
2,000-2,500
2,000-2,500
2,000-2,500
2,000-2,500
3,500-5,000
4,000-6,000
5,000-7,000
6,500-9,500
8,500-10,500
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
5,500-6,000
5,500-6,500
6,000-7,000
7,000+
—
—
—
3,500-5,500
4,000-6,000
5,000-6,500
6,000+
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
5,000+
5,500+
—
—
—
—
—
4,500-6,000
5,500+
5,500+
—
—
—
—
5,000-6,000
5,500-6,500
6,000+
6,500+
2,500-3,500
3,000-4,000
3,500-4,500
4,000-5,000
5,000-6,000
5,500-6,500
6,000+
6,500+
2,500-3,500
2,500-3,000
2,500-3,000
2,500-3,000
2,500-3,000
2,800-3,500
2,800-3,500
2,800-3,500
2,000-2,500
2,000-2,500
2,000-2,500
2,000-2,500
2,000-2,500
2,000-2,500
2,000-2,500
2,000-2,500
3,500-4,500
4,000-5,000
4,500-5,500
5,000-6,000
6,000-7,000
6,500-7,500
7,000+
7,500+
—
—
—
—
3,500-4,500
4,000-5,000
5,000+
5,500+
*Dependenton onrequired requiredcertifi certificate. *Dependent cate.
**Based on time for time rotation and paid every month.
**Based on time for time rotation and paid every month.
Actual salaries will always vary depending on a candidate’s specific experience, training, certification, and additional skills, as well as a particular yacht’s needs
PleaseCamper note: These salary guidelines are based on the current yachting market as of January 2014. Actual salaries will always vary depending Credit: & Nicholsons
on a candidate’s specific experience, training, certification, and additional skills – as well as a particular yacht’s needs. This scale can be used as an example and guide to establishing appropriate salaries for experienced crew.
has additionally made the observation that, “Big Ticket Chief Engineers increasingly reluctant to work on non-rotational basis, and lower than top dollar rates.
At Watkins Superyachts Superyacht manager Adrian McCourt “What I now seen more frequently, is Chief Engineers on a 1:1 rotation against a Captain who the owner prefers to be on more than off, as it were, and unless the Captain is paid Rupert Conner who heads up the Luxury Yacht Group, with substantially more than the C/E to compensate for this, it crew recruitment offices in Antibes, in part agrees with could be said that his overall package is greater than that Aird-Mash saying,/ “Crew wages are not rising/ Management particularly / Crew of the Captain albeit not in absolute terms. Sale & Purchase New Construction / Charter camperandnicholsons.com fast, so if that’s a trend I would like to think of it as a sign Our Offices Monaco/London/New York/Geneva/Antibes/Miami/Fort Lauderdale/Palm Beach/Newport/Great Lakes/Mallorca that our industry is maturing and we are seeing merit based Years ago when the economy was buoyant crew flipped from No part of this material mayexperience be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system orservice.” marketed in any form and any media whatsoever withoutyacht the prior written consent of thebolster Central Agent. C&N trademarks are registered rises and quality yacht in aThis bid to Today the Crew marksbased used underupon licence by CNI. The particulars are believed to beof correct but their accuracy is not guaranteed and cannotto be used for a contract. yacht is offered subjectwages. to still being available. Network report, “We have noticed that there is a growing trend for captains to stay put longer because there is more supply than demand. The increasing need for qualifications and the more deck crew becoming qualified captains (without A good year for earning necessarily the driving experience) is no doubt encouraging money working aboard this trend.” Viking Recruitment suggest that, “Now that more boats are offering a rotation, this is generally keeping yachts with wages for the crew with the same employer for longer. Rotation has definitely become more common in the last 5 years” Wilson many ranks peaking at Haligan believes, “It depends on their overall package, personal figures that would not status and if there is room for progression on board. Many CVs that we receive, on the interior side, lack longevity, so be seen for the next on this basis we would say, no; they are not staying on board nine years! longer. There is much more choice and access to other jobs within elements of the Internet, such as social media, than there was 5 years ago. It is, therefore, easier for crew to move when they see something that looks better. Our message to crew is: “The grass is not always greener on
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86 | WINTER 2015 | ONBOARD
the other side and longevity is a big player in whether your CV stands out from another candidate. When you are considering moving on after 6 months or so, perhaps reconsider and think more about the long term gains you will have through building on your longevity.” What has changed in the last years or so is the approach crew take to yachting as a career. Crew Network say that, “Without giving a figure, there is a noticeable increase in interior crew taking the chief stewardess or purser route and getting industry qualifications for their chosen route, then transitioning into land based yachting related jobs such as crew training and yacht management. Rodney Aird-Mash, is in agreement telling us, “Most Crew these days looking at the business as a career, probably due to its expansion and higher regulation.” Rupert Conner believes that, “Most of the crew that we see, who finish their registration, are serious about a career. We still see a very steady attrition rate on “green crew” who are new to the business. 80% of all registrants who have no experience will be out of the business within a year. Most don’t even get their first job.”
LUCKY
13
Annual bonuses are now quite standard. The most common bonus being a 13th month pay
Yacht services company Y.CO set up Y.CREW as a dedicated crew agency based in Antibes. Their team specialise in sourcing superyacht crew for yachts all over the world. “People are more than their qualifications, says CEO Charlie Birkett who adds, “And through working closely with captains and crew members, we ensure placements succeed long term.” Birkett believes, “Salaries should rise steadily to match inflation – like any industry. I am very supportive of Captains and Crew being paid well. They are responsible for operating some of the most expensive luxury assets in the world, responsible for the safety of the guests and crew, but I also believe that salary / package should be linked to experience and not just the size of the vessel and position.” There is undoubtedly an influx of crew from poorer nations but is it we wondered, having any affect on wages in the Industry? Adrian McCourt says, “Undoubtedly,” adding, “That is inevitable really. This is a global market and yacht crewmembers, like their commercial counterparts have done for several years,
What we have seen though is an increase in the benefits offered, especially on our yachts over 60m. Some even offer educational incentives so that if a crewmember successfully passes courses to further their qualifications they are reimbursed will have to compete within the global manning pool. Charlie Birkett says it, “Is the same for any luxury service industry. London 5 star hotels for example. If the service and skill levels remain the same then the industry should welcome multinational crew, wherever they come from. I don’t think I have seen this having an effect and nor should it.” The backpacker or good-time seeker seems to have totally disappeared from yachting in recent years but there are still occasions when opportunity beckons. Adrian McCourt reports that, “An owner’s rep charged with providing lowest cost manning may still leave the door open for the casual crewmember.” He adds, “What is apparent to us however, is professional Captains, Engineers and Chief Stews putting their foot down and demanding committed and dedicated manning. There seems to be less tolerance now for the casual crewmember. Professional standards are rising across the industry and it is losing its reputation, thankfully, as a staging post for the backpacker. There are good, professional people pacing the marinas every day who are prepared to commit. The better manning agents get that too. Rather than just bums on seats, the crewing agency who acts as a gatekeeper and rejects the good-time seeker will always get our vote. Those that we interviewed make money, (some would say too much) from placing crew into positions on board superyachts. How many of them we wondered would recommend a career working aboard a yacht to a friend or family member? Adrian McCourt was quite adamant stating categorically, “Good heavens, of course I would! Without hesitation, but for career officers, I would suggest travelling along the commercial route to get certificates without tonnage restrictions and seatime. At Y.Crew Charlie Birkett suggests, “I have and will always recommend a career in yachting to anyone who is able to commit to it. There is no space for summer workers any longer, we need intelligent, intellectual, sporty, passionate people who want to work hard. Louise Cailbourdin says, “For the right person, yes. Someone that is obviously motivated enough to take the requisite qualifications with sea legs, physically fit, service oriented, charismatic, team playing, flexible, independent and adventurous. Rebecca Mackenzie would recommend it to someone that has the right determination, is enthusiastic and that is willing to work hard and put in the long hours required. She says, “It is a great opportunity to see some of the world where possible and on some boats, there can be some good career progression. I would not recommend it to someone that just wants to
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NAVIGATOR
ALEXANDRIA GUIDE The Pearl of the Mediterranean, has been host to Anthony and Cleopatra’s tempestuous romance and housed one of the seven wonders of the world
Montazah Palace
Fort Qaitbey
Catacombe
Stay FOUR SEASONS SAN STEFANO This modern 29 storey seaside tower is by far the most luxurious hotel in Alexandria. The hotel offers 118 guest rooms, including 31 magnificent suites. Each room has a private balcony, with views of the Mediterranean and the cityscape below. The main attraction of the hotel is its infinity outdoor pool, overlooking the sea, and its state of the art spa. 399 El Geish Road Tel: +20 (3) 581 8000 | €€€€ LA VILLA BOUTIQUE HOTEL Built in the early 1920’s by Mustafa Fahmy Pasha; the personal architect of King Farouk I. With only 5 rooms and an abundance of charm it will leave you enchanted. Filled with paintings and artefacts from around the world, this is a hidden gem for that special weekend away to soak up some culture. 3 Ismail El Habrouk Street, Gleem Beach €€€ 88 | WINTER 2015 | ONBOARD
Pompey’s Pillar
SOFITEL CECIL ALEXANDRIA Ideally located in the centre of the business district. Dating back to 1929, overlooking the bay and the Sofitel Cecil Alexandria Qaitbay Fort as well as the Alexandrian Yacht Club. The structure is a subtle blend of old world charm and four star luxury. Perfect for a weekend retreat with that special loved one. 16, Saad Zagloul Square, Raml Station Tel: +20 (3) 487 7173 | €€€
EL SALAMLEK PALACE HOTEL Nestled on a hill overlooking the royal Mediterranean bay, take a journey into the glamorous past, a world of elegance and opulence. Built in 1892 by the Khedive Abbas Helmi II, the palace was intended to be a hunting lodge and was surrounded by a man made jungle. The grounds were stocked with game for the hunting pleasure of the Khedive and his guests. Over the years the palace served as a royal resort under King Fouad. Montazah Gardens Tel: +20 (3) 547 7999 | €€€€€ HILTON ALEXANDRIA CORNICHE Boasting an ideal location in the heart of Alexandria, the hotel features its own private beach and wellness facility. Guests can enjoy sea views from the panoramic pool terrace or indulge in various cuisines available at the five restaurants or enjoy a fusion of cocktails in their chic Night Club 35. Sidi Bishr, 544 El Geish Avenue Sidi Bishr Tel: +20 (3) 549 0935 | €€€€€
Eat
Essential information
CHINA HOUSE There are Indian, Chinese, and Thai chefs working here, so although the menu seems a little wide ranging, you do receive pretty authentic cuisine. The rooftop setting with views along the Corniche makes this one of the best places to enjoy the sunset and take a respite from the bustle of the city. Sofitel Cecil Hotel, Maydan Sa’d Zaghlul Tel: +20 (3) 487 7173 | € GRAND TRIANON This is Alexandria’s most famous restaurant with high ceilings, elaborate carved wooden chandeliers and swirling art nouveau murals decorating the walls. If you stick close to the Egyptian or French basics, you’ll be on safe ground. As appetisers the sambousik and French onion soup are quite good, and the entrecôte of beef makes an excellent main course. For dessert, you can linger at your table or relocate to the adjoining café. Maydan Sa’d Zaghlul Tel: +20 (3) 482 0986 | €€ FISH MARKET On the waterfront side of Alexandria Corniche, this is probably the best fish restaurant in the city and sees a regular crowd of locals who know they’ll get excellent but simply cooked seafood plus a great view out across the harbour. Choose your fish and ask them to price it so you know how much you’ll be paying. There’s also a decent wine list featuring local labels if you fancy it! El Corniche Road, Bahary Tel: +20 (3) 480 5114 | € €
Play MONTY’S BAR Located in one of the best hotels in the city, The Cecile. Built in 1925, Monty’s Bar is on the 1st floor, suitably conservative, wood panelled with a mixture of expats and ‘sophisticated’ locals! There is also live music most nights. SPITFIRE BAR Feeling a little like a bar in Bangkok, but without the girls…. A small and well used pub (if you know what I mean). Today it’s more popular with backpackers
31°07’N 29°49’E T +20 (3 )480 0359 E info@apa.gov.eg W www.apa.gov.eg YACHT AGENT Meesa Yachts T +20 12 23 45 12 58 E info@meesa.com.eg W www.meesaegypt.com
and travellers looking for a reminder of home. The walls are adorned with graffiti and the yellowing business cards of previous drinkers. CAP D’OR A great spot to relax and one of the only surviving typical Alexandrian bars. Stained glass window, long marble top bar and copious amounts of ancient memorabilia to accompany the decent amount of beers on offer. A good mix of locals and tourists makes this a top spot for a Thursday or Friday night. PORTUGUESE CLUB (AKA CARLOS BAR) A beer garden, restaurant and pub popular with the expats. It’s dark and quiet outside and the only signage is a discreet plaque stating ‘Centro de Portugal’. Great place for a couple of beers with plenty of international characters.
Culture MONTAZAH PALACE & GARDENS Located on a high hill overlooking the most beautiful beach of Alexandria, this is the palace from which King Farouk left Egypt after the revolution of 1952. FORT QAITBEY Resembling an imposing castle fortress, this citadel was built in the 1480s by Sultan Qaitbey on the site of the Pharos Lighthouse to protect the city from the crusaders who used to attack the city by sea. DEIR ANBA BISHOI These desert buildings are all that remains of the monasic Christians that fled Roman persecution in the 4th century.
Essential Alexandria KOM EL DEKKA OR (THE ROMAN AMPHITHEATER) Considered the only relic of its kind in Egypt. POMPEY’S PILLAR Constructed in honor of the Emperor Diocletian and originally from the Temple of Serapis. THE NATIONAL MUSEUM A fascinating record of civilization covering the period from the 3rd Century B.C. to the 7th Century A.D. THE ROYAL JEWELLERY MUSEUM This museum holds a magnificent collection of jewellery almost all collected by Mohammed Ali and his descendents as well as valuable statues and paintings. THE MOSQUE OF EL-MURSI ABU EL-ABBAS The city’s biggest mosque, built in an Andalusian style. CATACOMBS OF KOM AL-SHOQAFA This is the most impressive of Alexandria’s ancient remains, dating from the 2nd century AD. Excavation started in 1892 and the catacombs were discovered accidentally eight years later when a donkey fell through a chamber ceiling. A long spiral staircase leads to the main hall. The stairs run down the outside of a shaft which excavators used to transport the bodies of the dead. CHATBY TOMBS Reputedly the oldest tombs in Alexandria, surrounded by pleasant gardens with many statues on display.
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SIX OF THE BEST
Pedal power ONBOARD’s six favourite electric bikes…Choose yours
SPITZING IONIC Top Speed 75km/h Lithium ion 850Wh 48V, 18.30 Ah, 250W €6,499 www.m1-sporttechnik.de
VANMOOF Top speed 80 km/h Range up to 60km Recharged 3 hours 24 volt, 209Wh, 250W €2,248 www.vanmoof.com
PININFARINA FUORISERIE Top Speed 25 km/h Recharged via regenerative braking system Lithium ion 250 W ZeHus Bike+ €8,960 www.pininfarina.com
90 | WINTER 2015 | ONBOARD
GOCYCLE Top Speed 25 km/h Range up to 64km Recharged 5½ hours Lithium, 10.75Ah, 22V €3,560 www.gocycle.com
M1 SECEDE PEDELEC Top Speed 45km/h Range up to 120km Lithium Recharged 2 ½ hours ion 10Ah, 250W €4,750 www.m1-sporttechnik.de
STARCK VELO ASPAHLT Top speed 45km/h Range up to 75 km Recharged 3 ½ hours BOSCH Li ION power pack 36v 11.6Ah – 400Wh €7,000 www.starck.com
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YACHT ESSENTIALS Chris Clifford recommends his essential products and services
Engel & Völkers Yachting Engel & Völkers is one of the world’s leading companies in the provision of high quality services including yachting in the premium segment; the purchase and sales of exclusive yachts, yacht chartering services, new construction and yacht refits as well as professional yacht management. The international services of the License Partner in Malta, RB Yachting Ltd, are managed by Frank Willems, Master Unlimited
Commercial Yachting, certified by the Maritime Academy of Antwerp and the Belgian Navy Application School who sailed on naval vessels and on the training yacht of the Belgian Navy where he participated on several occasions at the Cutty Sark Tall Ships Race. For more details Tel: +356 7975 9011 www.engelvoelkers.com/malta
Topcoat D’Azur
Ultra Sonic Antifouling Specialists in hull antifouling technology for superyachts, Ultrasonic Antifouling have developed a Sea Chest antifouling system to prevent bio-fouling on intake pipes, strainers, cross-over sections and manifolds, saving time on the laborious task of regular cleaning and maintenance to the various on-board systems. Engineered transducers and bespoke adaptors ensure the effective transmission of the ultrasonic frequencies into key parts of a yacht’s Sea Chest, targeting the waterborne micro-organisms which would otherwise attach and quickly begin fouling the system and reduce the water flow. The UltraSystem Series II is the most advanced and effective system available and is in successful use worldwide. For more details Tel: +44 (0) 1202 606 185 or visit www.ultrasonic-antifouling.com
92 | WINTER 2015 | ON BOARD
Topcoat d’Azur is one of the longest established marine paint and varnish applicators on the Cote d’Azur, run by Nik Cuttelle, an ex-captain with 20 years refit & refinishing experience, the company prides itself on an excellent reputation and works right across the Riviera and has recently expanded its coverage with a sister company, Topcoat UK Ltd, working out of Poole in Dorset, offering the same great service for UK based clients and also working on worldwide projects with the Topcoat d’Azur team. Topcoat offer full paintshop, workshop and warehouse facilities just 15 minutes inland from Antibes. Topcoat technicians are highly qualified in all aspects of application including engine room refinishing and are recommended applicators for DuPont™Marine Finishes including metallic and pearl paint application. They also offer a paint consultation and colour matching service. For more details Tel: +44 (0)1202 978 413 or visit www.topcoatuk.com
Gosling Marine London based bespoke furniture designer, Tim Gosling has launched Gosling Marine. Known internationally for expert design and craftsmanship, Gosling has produced a collection of carbon fibre deck furniture. Each unique piece is designed with precision to create deck furniture with integrity and with the sought after features the industry has requested. Gosling Marine aims to present something new for the Mega and Superyacht market by providing a carbon fibre collection, which moves away from the traditional wooden pieces but stays in touch with tradition by including elements of teak inset in the carbon fibre. The ergonomic design is ideal for the recent increase in passenger allowance and the collections can be customized to any bespoke colour. The marine grade durability and weatherproofing does not compromise the design and comfort and the generous chair seats are supplied with upholstered day and evening cushions. For more details Tel: +44 (0) 7837 493 941 or visit www.goslingmarine.com
ASA Boot Electra Specialising in electric and electronic equipment for yachts, ASA Boot Electro are importers & distributors for well known brands: Alfatronix, Aqua Signal, Bcm, Blue Sea, Cabin, Cobra, Cole Hersee, C-Map, C-Warm, ComNav, Exide, Gianneschi, Hubbell, Lenco, Marco, Mast-Products, Offshore, Philippi, Procar, Rutland, Side Power, Shakespeare, Spectra, Sterling, Vimar, Victron Energy. Since 1952, ASA have worked with innovative products combined with their experience to supplier of first class products and systems. For more details Tel: +31 (0)20 4369100 or visit www.asabootelectro.nl
X Jets Jet powered boards were invented over sixty years ago, arriving into the water activity arena in 2009. Stratospheric Industries expands the boundaries of the sport, and the evolution of “under foot jets�, with the revolutionary Jetblade. Designed for both sport performance, and first time users. Intuitive, stable balancing control, allows
anyone to learn to fly comfortably in minutes, with proper instruction. The Jetblade expands maneuvering, allowing each foot to move independently to steer the water jets with complete ease and is constructed entirely of ocean worthy materials that are durable and meticulously engineered. For more details visit www.jet-blade.com
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YACHT ESSENTIALS Servaux
Atlas Carbon Products Produced by the world renowned team at Jeremy Rogers Ltd, Atlas are proud to introduce the ATLAS 3000, Two Piece Carbon Davit SWL 500kg. With a capability to lift and manoeuvre loads up to 500kg, including, items such as engines, generators, service equipment and life rafts which can now be picked up with ease. Certified to Rescue boat standard for LY2 for vessels below 500 gross registered tonnes.Multi deck sockets allow a single Atlas baby davit to be positioned on the fore deck, aft deck or upper deck giving it a dual function for all purpose lifting such as stores, dinghies, man overboard etc. The Davit can be mounted onto a bulwark or through deck and sealed with a watertight cap. All Atlas products are CE Approved & ISO9001, and a previous METS-DAME winner. For more details Tel: Tel: +44 (0)1590 646780 or visit www.atlascarbonproducts.com
Berth for Yacht Located on the French Riviera, with connections in the most important marinas on the Mediterranean, Berth for Yacht is a valuable partner in helping to find the mooring needed for your sailing or motor yacht. Through their dedicated and specialised website berthforyacht.com, they offer for sale, a range of selected moorings from 6m up to 120m. Their demanding international clientele benefits from a fully bespoke, private and personal service as they assist clients in finding a mooring to purchase in the marina of their choice. Their key principles are accuracy, efficiency and confidentiality. The purchase of a berth might seem an easy matter, however, each harbour has its particular legal rules and the purchase process can take between two weeks and three months. For more details Tel: +33 (0)6 25 95 32 56 or visit www.berthforyacht.com 94 | WINTER 2015 | ON BOARD
Servaux offers a wide range of products and services for yachts in life saving appliances including fire fighting, fire & gas detection, hydraulic testing, Novec, respiratory protection, Drew Marine Chemicals and chandlery available 24/7. Founded in 1912 in Marseille, and approved by ABS, BV, DNV GL, Lloyd’s register, Rina, Russian Register, Servaux Safety Ship Service S4 is the best yacht’s safety partner on the French Riviera. For 40 Years, Servaux is really proud to be the French distributor of Pains Wessex Pyrotechnics and has a permanent stock of products available. For more details Tel: +33(0)4 91 46 60 80 or visit www.servaux.com
Tiwal
Wright Marine
Billed as the very first high-performance inflatable sailing dinghy, the TIWAL 3.2 is designed to make navigation fun and simple, and the wide, V-shaped, 3D PVC textile hull provides stability as well as good acceleration to reach plane. The saber-shaped daggerboard gives an upwind sailing angle similar to a traditional dinghy, and with a carbon mast and two sail options (5m2/7m2), the 10.5-foot long dinghy
can sail with leisure or as competitive as the conditions warrant. The other impressive feature? It’s light at just 55 kgs. And to seal the deal, it’s compact and folds away in two bags; assembly takes only 20 minutes. The complete package with the 5m2 sail starts at €4,590. For more details Tel: +33 (0)6 43 32 49 37 or visit www.tiwal.com
Wright Maritime Group is the quiet giant with an underlying goal that everything and everyone it influences is better off. Whether or not you are a client of WMG, there is a high likelihood that any business or professional that serves your interest has been influenced or assisted by Wright Maritime to provide the best service and product value. That includes yacht management companies, technical support companies, suppliers, shipyards, marinas, manufacturers, contractors and crew. Well informed owner’s and their representatives call Wright Maritime for advice and support in ensuring that their yachting experience is the best it can be while protecting their financial interests. For more details Tel: +1 954 523 0300 or visit www.wrightmaritime.com
Palmarina Palmarina Bodrum, “The Diamond of Turkish Riviera”, has turned out to be Turkey’s first mega yacht marina project and promises a glamorous lifestyle with it’s first-class quality, dynamic environment and vivid social life area for the yacht owners throughout the year. Offering mooring capacity for 710 boats, yacht agencies and professional services, a great open mall containing 109 world famous stores, plus restaurants such as Cipriani and Nobu and night clubs such as Billionaire. Plus, cafes, Kids Paradise amusement
complex and accommodation alternatives such as, Palmalife Marina Hotel, Palmarina Boutique Hotel and personalized Palmarina Bodrum Spa & Fitness services. At it’s drydock area, Palmamarina Bodrum now offers discounts to the length of the boats (LOA) and provides the opportunity for 35% discount in 6 months mooring reservations until 15th May 2015. For more details Tel: +90 252 311 06 00 or visit www.palmarina.com.tr ONBOARD | WINTER 2015 | 95
YACHT ESSENTIALS Hunt, Deltel & Co Ltd
Viking are the crew managers for many of the world’s superyachts ranging from 25m to 165m and oversee all crew related services (recruitment, employment, payroll, travel management and training) for these yachts. They have a great awareness of the industries current trends, present flag state regulation status and can advise on matters that heavily involve the cost effectiveness of running a yacht. Many yachts are benefitting from Viking’s vast knowledge and presence as a leader in the superyacht industry and have found that they can significantly reduce their crew related costs. With many of Viking’s Directors and staff sitting on various maritime panels and being members of trade associations, they are always at the forefront of the industry, understanding the changes and being part of the industries voice. For more details Tel: +44(0) 300 303 8191 or visit www.vikingrecruitment.com
96 | WINTER 2015 | ON BOARD
GLAZE CARNAUBA CREME
Creates a Deep long lasting gloss!
COLOUR RESTORER
Leaves Nothing Behind but THE SHINE!
SEALANT
Leaves Nothing Behind but THE SHINE!
HI SHINE POLISH DIAMOND BRITE METAL
Quick & easy way to make polished metals shine !
SPRAY
Leaves Nothing Behind but THE SHINE!
HOME MULTI SURFACE
POLISH DIAMOND BRITE METAL
Quick & easy way to make polished metals shine !
SPRAY CARNAUBA WAX
& WAX CHERRY GLOW WASH
Viking Crew Management
Leaves Nothing Behind but THE SHINE!
The multi-dimensional group enjoys synergies which clients’ benefit from with a fully comprehensive service package, having in-house subsidiaries in transport, warehousing, clearing & forwarding, express courier services as well as owning and managing Seychelles’ premier super yacht marina, the Eden Island Marina. For more details Tel: +248 438 0300 or visit www.hundel.sc
Helps protect your car between washes!
Members of the AYSS and ISO-certified, Hunt Deltel & Co. Ltd was founded in 1937 and are one of the first companies incorporated in Seychelles. Their shipping agency has represented yachts since 1990 with dedicated, Seychellois boarding officers who are not only trained to provide all logistical support required by their clients, but also keen to share local knowledge about the islands they are proud to call their own.
Bullet Polish Yacht crew seek many benefits from polishing and maintenance products, mainly to prevent problems occurring in the first instance but also to make preparation for a guest or owner’s trip as quickly and easily as possible along with achieving the best results to present the yacht to the guests. Bullet Polish Europe supply a range of products and superyacht kit combinations that combat these issues and help protect and even prevent these problems from occurring for a period of time, which is essential in times of heavy yacht use by charter guest or the owner. Originally aimed at the classic car restoration and detailing market, and proving to be a winner in the yacht market throughout Europe, available through Giraud Yacht Services, Antibes. Bullet Polish “Leaves nothing behind but the shine”. For more details Tel: +44(0) 1886 821 330 or visit www.bulletpolish.co.uk
Made 2 Measure Fenders
Helidecks Specialising in superyacht aviation, Helideck Training Solutions provides Helideck training and consultancy services to many of the world’s most prodigious yachts. MCA accredited HLO/HDA training on board your vessel anywhere in the world; guidance and advice during design and build, assistance in the achievement of commercial Helideck certification, risk assessment,
safety management and bespoke operating manuals are just some of the many services they offer. When it comes to Helidecks, whatever your needs, Helidecks have the expertise and experience to help you achieve your goals. For more details Tel: +44 (0)1872 262 819 or visit www.helidecks.co.uk
Made 2 Measure are the leading suppliers of superyacht fenders, fender covers, dockline, fender hooks, tender fenders, swim platform fenders and tender mooring packs. Based in the UK, but operating worldwide the company is uniquely placed to take care of your Superyacht mooring pack needs. Offering standard mooring packs and bespoke mooring packs, backed up with a first class service. Whether you need replacements, are in for a refit or are part of a new build project, give Made 2 Measure Fenders your mooring pack requirement, they will be happy to manage it from start to finish. For more details Tel: +44(0)1983 210493 or visit www.m2mfenders.eu
Atlas Marine Systems Atlas Marine Systems is the world leader in the design of marine electrical power systems who offer a full range of engineering services necessary to define the onboard electrical distribution system or simply the application of the Atlas Power Conversion Systems. Additionally, Atlas provides the most complete product line of ShorPOWER® Frequency Converters and TecPOWER® switchboards available. With over 100 years of design experience in the power conversion and marine equipment market, combined with the satisfaction of over 1500 customers, Atlas Marine Systems have a world renowned field proven product history. For more details Tel: +1 954 735 6767 or visit www.shorpower.com
Isle Of Man Ship Registry The Isle of Man’s global centre of excellence for superyacht business is centered around its highly successful international Ship Registry. A team of exclusive surveyors, registrars and administrative support staff responds rapidly and pragmatically to the changing needs of the industry, contributing, advising and assisting with newbuild and conversion projects globally. The Isle of Man Ship Registry’s experience in applying and developing the MCA’s Large Commercial Yacht Code on all sizes of yacht delivers solutions to yards and managers, ensures compliance with codes and conventions and provides peace of mind to owners. For more details Tel: +44 (0) 1624 688500 or visit www.iomshipregistry.com
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Underwater lights • Glass bridge systems • Design
Drinking water treatment • Energy saving LED lights
all aboard more style, sustainability, functionality, comfort and better yachts
• Italian & Scandinavian design lighting • LED lights • Instruments
• Efficient pumps • Vacuum toilets • Biological sewage treatment • Electric propulsion
NMEA 2000 Vessel monitoring & Control • Battery management • Electronic controlled pumps
Vimar domotica • Waterloop vacuum toilet system • Side-Power any speed stabilizers • Side-Power proportional thrusters
Gianneschi • Lenco • Spectra Watermakers • VDO Marine
• Blue Sea Systems • Albatross Control • Gallinea • BCM • Side-Power
with asa as your partner Innovative products combined with experience. This is what we mean with partnership. We are more than a supplier of first class products and systems. We are glad to share our experience and vision with yacht builders and integrators, from concept till finished yacht. asa, expertise and experience since 1952! www.asabootelectro.nl
Mulder Shipyard
M2M Fenders
Superyacht Mooring Pack Specialist Made 2 Measure Fenders
Leading supplier of Superyacht Mooring Packs Based in the UK, but operating worldwide ✓
Superyacht fenders
✓
Fender covers
✓
Dockline
✓
Fender hooks
✓
Tender fenders
✓
Swim platform fenders
✓
Tender mooring packs
M2M Fenders is uniquely placed to take care of your Superyacht mooring pack needs. Offering standard mooring packs and bespoke mooring packs, backed up with our first class service.
Why not give us a ring We’ll be happy to help
T +44(0)1983 210493 Email your requirements to info@m2mfenders.eu or visit us at
www.m2mfenders.eu www.superyachtfenders.co.uk 98 | WINTER 2015 | ONBOARD
YACHT ESSENTIALS
Heinen & Hopman
Karpaz Gate Marina Captains, crew and yacht owners choosing the exciting destination of Karpaz Gate Marina can select from a range of special benefits, new activity packages and discounts for 2015. New deals for yachts 21m+ at the luxury 5 Gold Anchorrated marina on the beautiful Karpaz Peninsula in Northern Cyprus include the choice of free golf, tennis and spa packages at a renowned nearby resort, as well as free or discounted
car rental. On-site marina facilities include a Beach Club with infinity pool, watersports centre, Mephisto Diving School, gym and art gallery. Offering individually-tailored 2015 mooring packages with discounts on berthing and services, Karpaz Gate Marina caters for all vessels and offers exemplary technical capabilities. For more details Tel: +90 392 229 2800 or visit www.karpazbay.com
Sometimes, a broken AC chiller might better be replaced instead of repaired. However, the chiller is often difficult to reach, which implies that replacement is very expensive and often a hole needs to be cut in the ship’s hull. The Replacement Chiller is specially designed as a building package and therefore no hole needs to be cut. This way an old AC chiller can easily be replaced by a state-of-the-art Heinen & Hopman chiller. For more details Tel: +31 (0)33 299 2500 or visit www.heinenhopmanfrance.com
Bodrum Yacht Services Bodrum Yacht Services is a compact Bodrum based company who’s mission statement is to provide ongoing quality service to the visiting yachting community. Their focus is Bodrum and the services that can be provided here from agency work to minor and major repairs, refits and new builds. They work in conjunction with the most modern and well equipped boat
yards as well as other specialists in all the trades and their focus is, as consultants, to optimise local knowledge to get the yacht owner the best deal for their requirement. For more details Tel: +90 (252) 316 2434 or visit www.bodrumyachtservices.com
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YACHT ESSENTIALS Stable AS
Seatax
Stable AS designs and produces stabilised platforms to remove roll and pitch movements onboard superyachts and floating installations. Their solutions can be found in beds, billiard tables, operating theatres, wine cellars, bowling lanes, swimming pools, dining tables, libraries, comfort zones, treadmills and a magnitude of other products in need of stabilization at sea. Many years of development has established them as the only significant player in this market. For more details Tel: +47 907 47 153 or visit www.stable.no It is now a fact that the majority of British seamen are paid gross remuneration, which places the responsibility firmly on the individual to liaise with the Inland Revenue to ensure their tax affairs are in good order. Simply ignoring the Revenue can lead to serious problems in the future. Seatax are the leading UK service for British Seafarers, and because they specialise in dealing only with income tax problems they will offer you a first class service based on their vast knowledge and experience in this area.If you are also contemplating a return to work in the UK Seatax can also advice you on any possible liabilities and ensure a smooth transition back to the UK system. For more details Tel: +44(0) 1302 364673 or visit www.seatax.ltd.uk
Bachmann Marine
Bachmann Marine is an acknowledged industry leader in the provision of Corporate Yacht Ownership Structures, Yacht Registration, Yacht Management, Yacht Documentary Services and MLC Crew Employment and Payroll.They offer clients a structured, tailor made ownership package and their dedicated team of professionals will help you sail through the complexities of EU VAT planning, customs clearance and commercial charter operations.Bachmann believe in openness and transparency with their clients and do not charge on a percentage of the asset value, preferring a fixed fee, agreed in advance, with no surprises. For more details Tel: + 44 (0) 1481 731059 or visit www.bachmannyachts.com
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Crown Teak Crown-Teak is a leading supplier of high quality, exclusive teak for all marine uses, applications and purposes and are a professional team with over 30 years’ experience in providing teak wood, flooring and decking to the yachting industry. Crown-Teak has built its reputation on being able to source the finest
teak in the world. By controlling their own supply chain from the forest to the mill and from the mill to the client they are able to consistently provide the finest teak products available in the market. For more details Tel: +32 3 480 10 14 or visit www.crown-teak.com
PRIVILEGED PLACES FOR PRIVILEGED PEOPLE Photo Frederico Gusso
PORTO MIRABELLO LA SPEZIA ITALY Porto Mirabello has an excellent position in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, in the famous ‘Golfo dei Poeti’. The Marina offers modern and efficient refit, maintenance facilities providing an exclusive service to superyacht owners. Owners and crew will also enjoy first class facilities including: 24/7 security, helipad, an exclusive Club House with swimming pool, fitness rooms, restaurants, cafes and boutiques. Very close by the center and historical district of la Spezia, Porto Mirabello is one of the most important Marinas in the Mediterranean Sea and is the ideal destination for superyachts.
EXCLUSIVE 65M BERTH WITH LEASE UNTIL 01/09/ 2067 ASKING PRICE € 4.900 000 Included: 2 parking places in front of the berth Optional: 1 storage box of circa 30m2 very close by
Berth Sales - www.berthforyacht.com - contact@berthforyacht.com - Tel + (33) 06.25.95.32.56
Keep it fresh and cool
OUTSIDE 35 C HUMIDITY 90%
22
ºC
Inside
PROVIDED BY HEINEN & HOPMAN
As a key supplier to many leading yachtbuilders, Heinen & Hopman ensures that onboard Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration systems meet the highest possible specifications. The result is a superior interior environment, providing owners with the absolute comfort they expect from the finest superyachts.
OnBoard 180x130mm (ED20141008).indd 1
www.heinenhopman.com
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Reliability. Performance. Compliance
Solas approved Distress Signals Specified by the world’s navies, merchant fleets, fishing vessels and rescue services
Manoverboard MK9
FRANCE
yachting@servaux.com 24-7 YOUR SAFETY PARTNER
www.servaux.com
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The innovative compact light and smoke signal lifebuoy marker has a host of benefits and is easy to install so users can just fit and forget the unit.
YACHT ESSENTIALS Aquaria Aquaria’s dedicated team is on call and travelling around the world to follow the existing clients and serve new customers needing advice and support for yachts. They select, quality products and worldwide successful manufacturers from Venice and Florence in Italy, Bruges in Belgium, Nantes in France, Monaco, Argentina, Germany, Turkey and Greece. Offering a team of the most dynamic interior decorators and designers the company showcases expertise, experience and passion for over 20 years in providing its premium and selected clients with an indispensable and innovative experience in upgrading or completing their marine projects.Yacht owners, pursers or any crewmembers are certain to be dealing with a professional individual that will tailor design their requests accordingly as their stylists and interior decorators constantly research the latest designs, textiles and finishes, developing new creative ideas and concepts on how to improve life on board. For more details Tel: +971 (0) 4 304 2326 or visit www.aquariayachts.com
Buzz Connect Buzz Connect has been at the forefront of the marine coastal 3G market with products like the Hubba X selling across the world. They have just released a range of 4G/LTE units with single and dual SIM versions in order to take advantage of the new high speed data services becoming available and to help satisfy the burgeoning demand created by more data hungry devices now arriving on board vessels. After extensive testing of all similar products, Fred Olsen ferries recently chose the Hubba X4 as offering the best overall performance and usability. For more details Tel: +44 (0) 203 488 0088 or visit: www.buzzconnect.co.uk
Freestyle The All New Non-Leg Support Plus (NLS+) slide is designed as a streamlined alternative to the Freestyle Leg Support (LS) Slide. This slide is for those desiring a slide height of 7M to 12M without the need of a leg support. The NLS+ weighs less and takes up less storage space than our standard LS design and has a simplified deployment process, making set up and take down much quicker and more efficient. Each Freestyle Cruiser slide comes with a 3 year warranty, all operational accessories and world class service for as long as you maintain ownership. For more details Tel: +1 727 563 200 or visit www.freestyleslides.com
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BODY The latest facts, fads and tips to help keep your body in shape this winter
WHICH EXERCISE ROUTINE ARE YOU? Don’t know your PHA from your HIIT? Your MetCon from your Tabata? ONBOARD’s guide to the latest training methods TABATA
WHAT IS... Prancercise? If you ever see someone prancing through the park like a horse, don’t call the police. They’re not on LSD. They’re Prancercising. Joanne Rohrback’s Prancercise video has more than 10 million views on YouTube. There’s no accounting for taste. A book is currently available on Prancercise.com, where you can also view a photo of Rohrback prancing in a field with what appears
to be a Photoshopped horse. The Prancercise inventor, for some reason, always looks like she’s dressed for lunch at the local yacht club. She describes her prancing workout thusly: “It’s about self-expression. It’s about non-violence. It’s about conservation.” Actually, it’s about strapping on ankle weights, turning up the volume and exercising like nobody’s watching!
BEAUTY MYTHS
HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING WHAT A routine made up of short, intense bursts of exercise. This can be as simple as skipping or sprinting outdoors, or on a treadmill for 30 seconds at 85% intensity and then resting for 1 minute, then repeating 6-8 times. CALORIE BURN 300 plus calories in a 20 minute class BENEFITS The effect of the higher intensity training is to improve both your cardiovascular and anaerobic systems.
PERIPHERAL HEART ACTION
Dry skin? Drink more water! Fact: Ironically, dry skin is not as simple as just a lack of moisture. And, surprisingly, drinking more water won’t make dry skin look or feel better.
TRY THIS... STAVA APP
Studies that have compared the water content of dry skin to that of normal or oily skin show that there doesn’t appear to be a statistically significant difference. And adding more moisture to the skin is not necessarily a good thing. If anything, too much moisture, like soaking in a bathtub, is bad for skin because it disrupts the skin’s outer barrier by breaking down the substances that keep skin cells functioning normally and in good shape. As for drinking lots of water each day, if all it took to get rid of dry skin was to drink more water, then no one would have dry skin. Keeping your liquid intake up is fine, but if you take in more water than your body needs, all you will be doing is running to the bathroom all day and night.
As great as it is to go on long outdoor runs or bike rides, it’s often difficult to measure exactly how far you have travelled, and therefore know how effective a workout you have had. As well as helping to measure distance, speed and intervals, this app will publicly rank your best times with other users and enables you to share your routes and timings with friends.
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WHAT A routine named after its creator, Izumi Tabata, that uses your own body weight. Simply put, Tabata is the hardest 4 minutes of your life. It involves pushing your body’s energy-making systems to their max for 20 seconds and then rest for 10 seconds, repeated for 8 rounds. CALORIE BURN Around 250 calories can be burnt in a 4 minute session. BENEFITS The moves call upon every muscle in the body and more often than not involve jumping and moving from the ground to upright very quickly.
WHAT A routine that works different muscle groups consecutively, followed by full-body exercises and cardio vascular work. This stops any blood from pooling in a particular muscle group and keeps oxygen rich blood flowing around the body. CALORIE BURN Up to a fantastic 1,000 calories in a 1 hour class. BENEFITS This type of training makes for a varied and challenging workout routine, which helps stave off boredom and keeps the individual motivated. It isn’t good for those who are looking to build muscle bulk.
METABOLIC CONDITIONING WHAT A system that works your heart, lungs and energy-producing cells. In other words it is a wide ranging stimulus on the body, taxing the aerobic, anaerobic and muscular systems. CALORIE BURN Around 500 calories in a 45 minute class. BENEFITS Such training is growing in popularity, as demonstrated by the success of workouts such as Insanity, P90X and Crossfit. However the beauty of it is it can be done anywhere. Try bursts of cardio work such as burpees or squat jumps alongside full body weight exercises like squats or pull-ups.
There is a choice of formats, depending on your goals. Fat Burning Focus Do 20 seconds of each exercise, resting for 10 seconds between each. Repeat one exercise after the other, for 5 rounds total. Strength and Mobility Focus Do 10-15 reps of each, focusing on maximum quality. Rest for 30 seconds between exercises. Repeat for 3-4 rounds.
NEW YEAR NEW YOU WORKOUT
THE LIZARD SWOOP From a quad-ped positiion, swoop one leg under so it is 90º to your torso. Replace. Repeat on other leg. FOCUS: Mobility
Utilising four key primal movement exercises, this workout guarantees to increase your mobility, flexibility, core strength and shift fat in no time. Look no further for a quality workout to start off your 2015 with a bang. Simple, short but stunningly effective, when repeated once or twice a week.
THE FLOW STEP Arms long, spine long, heel raised, step through with that leg, between hands. Simultaneously lift and squeeze arms up in ‘bird’ position. Return hand and leg. Repeat all on this leg. Next round, other leg. FOCUS: Mobility, Back and Glutes
THE GRIZZLY BEAR From a quad-ped position, weight slightly back on feet, jump knees around elbows. Return. Repeat. FOCUS: Core and Arms
THE DANCING DINGO Push hips high and forwards as you become ‘weightless’ to switch hands. Aim other hand high quickly. Switch repeatedly. FOCUS: Triceps, Shoulders and Core
See www.paddywarwick.com for more information on health, fitness and nutrition or see what we can offer you. For more workouts like this, see www.instagram. com/paddywarwick. To book on to a results-guaranteed PW Bootcamp or a kickstart Personal Training package contact bootcamp@paddywarwick.com or visit www.facebook.com/paddywarwickpersonaltraining.
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THE COLD WAR Winter skin savers for unchapped territory 4
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1 CLARINS Blue Orchid www.clarins.fr €40 2 BULL DOG Original Body Lotion www.meetthebulldog.com €6 3 MURAD Soothing Skin & Lip Ccare www.murad.co.uk €24 4 DR SEBAGH Rose de Vie www.drsebagh.com €160 5 CRABTREE & EVELYN Body Scrub www.crabtree-evelyn.com €22 6 STUBBLE & ‘STACHE Face & Beard www.stubbleandstache.com €28 6
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7 JACK BLACK Intense Therapy www.getjackblack.com €16
BODY
BAD BREATH
Failsafe tips to freshen up
Halitosis in the close quarters of a yacht is no joke, but help is at hand
A
s anyone who has had to deal with a waft of a colleague's halitosis knows, bad breath can be lethal. In some cases, though, it is literally so. It's a very serious problem to those who have it and it must be taken seriously. It affects every waking moment, and there have been documented cases of people committing suicide from it. For sufferers. it can be confidence destroying but it needn't be. In 99.9% of cases it can be obliterated. According to the NHS, as many as one in four of us may regularly suffer from halitosis. But what is it? In some cases it can signify gum disease. But mostly it's down to one thing: bacteria. There are around 700 kinds of bacteria partying in your oral cavity, many of them stinky.
BRUSH AND FLOSS As well as staving off tooth decay and gum disease, taking care of your teeth will keep bad breath at bay. Get rid of those stagnating food particles before they settle in.
of people will suffer from bad breath at some point in their lives
Halitosis comes from an excess of bacteria giving off excessive gases in the mouth. That's it. Get rid of the excess bacteria, you get rid of the excess gases. They’re the problem. The bacteria comes from food debris, from plaque, from coating on the tongue. Halitosis doesn't, as some believe, come from the likes of garlic and onions. If you want to smell of hotdogs, eat a hotdog. Food breath is not the same as bad breath. Stress, also, can contribute. It dries the mouth, makes bad breath worse, and the gases come out of the solution. A lot of the gases are dissolved, therefore you can't smell them. But the minute they come out the solution, you can smell them. Coffee makes bad breath worse too. It doesn't cause it, but it makes it worse. Beware, though, of halitophobia which can be just as socially destructive as the real thing and, when extreme, requires specialist help. One Per cent of us suffer from bad breath paranoia. Many of those afflicted seek help from a clinical psychologist. Because after they have been cured many people still believe they still have it. If you really want to test your breath. ask someone who loves you, or lick the inside of your wrist with the back of your tongue; if after a few seconds your wrist smells unpleasant, you might want to do something about it. Here are six remedies that will keep your mouth delightful; all of them count.
CLEAN YOUR TONGUE Your tongue's a bacterial paradise, so needs special attention. Consult your GP, you have to be shown how to do it because you can do damage to the tongue.
BRUSH AND FLOSS As well as staving off tooth decay and gum disease, taking care of Your teeth will keep bad breath at bay. Get rid of those stagnating food particles before they settle in.
HYDRATE Saliva contains oxygen, which repels bacteria. Also, drink green tea. lt's antibacterial, but don't count on it to sort you out. lt might mask a smell for 15 minutes, but it won't solve it.
SWIG AND SPIT Chemicals in mouthwash destroy bacteria, but watch out for those with a higher alcohol content. Some have 16-22% alcohol so they could make your mouth dry and breath worse.
EAT CRUNCHY VEG & FRUIT Vitamin C is your friend, and the likes of celery, carrots, apples and lemons. As well as producing saliva, it will knock food residue to pieces. Again, it's not the answer.
CHEW GUM lf you're about to go to a meeting, before lunch, or before a date, chew some peppermint gum. We recommend Orbit... or we would if we had bad breath. Which we obviously don't.
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BREAKAWAY
On the piste If scaling the Alps is your idea of an hors d’oeuvre, then feast your eyes on our vertical bucket list that stretches from Chile to Kashmir ROALDSHORN Stranda, Norway
Located in the Alps of Sunnmore, the Stranda ski resort sits above the Unesco World Heritage area of Geirangerfjord, an offshoot of the Storfjord, a 68 mile long fjord off the west coast of Norway. You simply can’t duplicate a run off the Roaldhorn lift, which places you seemingly directly above the blue pearl waters of the fjord.
When to go February and March offer great snow, more light during the day, plus the best chance to see the northern lights.
What to eat Would you put cod on your pizza? You do in Geiranger, the seaside town outside of Stranda. Look out for Hire a qualified local guide to expand your horizons in the land of the fjords.
MARY’S SHOULDER Gulmarg, Kashmir
Starting at an elevation of 13,900ft, at the top of the Gulmarg gondola (the second-highest operating cable car in the world), Mary’s Shoulder is vertiginous but breathtaking, offering a sprawling view of the Himalayas. The slope descends through glades and powder for 5,000 vertical feet.
When to go Weather can be fickle in the Himalayas, producing high avalanche danger, but January has the best snow.
What to eat Make sure you stay at the Hotel Highlands Park, which has hot water on demand and a dining room that serves dum aloo, traditional Kashmiri cuisine of potatoes in a spicy gravy. Look out for Houseboats on Dal Lake, near Srinagar. These can be rented out by the night and are perfect for enjoying a cocktail at sunset. 108 | WINTER 2015 | ON BOARD
TEMPLE COL Temple Basin, New Zealand
Atop Temple Col, one is presented with the wild adventure of a historic New Zealand ski centre. With dramatic views of Arthur’s Pass National Park from all angles, Temple is off the beaten path, undeveloped (there are just three rope tows, called “nutcrackers”) and has rustic facilities. For a raw skiing experience, it doesn’t get much better.
When to go August holds the best promise for good snow, but be prepared for wind. What to eat As a “ski club” open to the public, Temple offers community meals in a familial setting. Or cook your own. Look out for Kea. These large parrots look like they should live in the jungle, but are native to the Southern Alps. They are particularly fond of eating rubber off windshield wipers.
ROCA JACK Portillo, Chile
Rising high above the Laguna del Inca, the Roca Jack offers an amazing vantage point for viewing the grandeur of the Andes. The sheer inhospitality of these mountains surrounding Portillo, whose variety of visiting clientele make it among the most international resorts in the world. Meanwhile, from the Roca Jack, there are two options: climb 2,000 vertical feet of an icy hike to ski the thrilling Super C Couloir, or drop straight down the immense bowl.
When to go The mythical Santa Rosa Storm, which brings several feet of snow in just hours, usually hits in late August. What to eat Everyone staying at the Hotel Portillo, eats in the same communal dining hall. Chileans love their meat, fish and potatoes. Expect to eat a lot of all three. Look out for There are no TVs in the rooms. There is, however, a late-night discotheque in the basement. ONBOARD | WINTER 2015 | 109
BREAKAWAY
VALLÉE BLANCHE Chamonix, France
Starting from the top of the Aiguille du Midi, a cable car station that has been carved into vertical spires of granite, the Vallée Blanche descends 9,000 vertical feet through stunning, glaciated alpine terrain. Once off, the Vallée Blanche descends along a series of glaciated rollovers and winds around deep crevasses before eventually dumping you out onto the Argentière Glacier.
When to go March brings sunshine while leaving cold powder on the north facing slopes. What to eat Directly across from the train station in downtown Chamonix is the Chambre Neuf Brasserie, where you should order the plat du jour.
Look out for Other skiers. While riding the Aiguille du Midi tram, you can see many descending the terrifying Mallory Route directly below.
MIHARASHI Niseko, Hokkaido, Japan
Miharashi has some of the finest powder skiing in the world. Groves of large, silver birch trees spread their branches as if to welcome you with open arms, creating perfectly spaced hallways. If you do catch Miharashi on a clear day, you’ll be blessed with stunning views of Mount Yotei, a 6,227ft volcano east of Niseko.
When to go January is for “JaPow”! You may not see the sunshine, but chances are you’ll score the best powder of your life.
What to eat Avoid the tourist pizza and pasta shops and try the restaurant Soba Rakuichi, a cultural delight serving traditional soba in an old Japanese lodge. Look out for
Soaking in a Japanese onsen (hot spring) is not to be missed. The one at the Hilton Niseko Village Hotel has views of Mount Yotei.
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ADVERTORIAL
Turkish Delight Dave Stanley looks at why Bodrum is becoming a world class destination for refit and repair
T
he repair, refit and maintenance of all sizes of both sailing and motor yachts in Bodrum boat yards is increasing exponentially year on year. We can put this down to a number of things not the least being the attraction of Bodrum being still a vibrant active town in the winter period with a superior mild climate and plenty of extra curricular activities. The majority of good cafes and restaurants are open for business with some super late night music venues ranging from the Marina Yacht club to funky jazz bars such as Pannonica run and played at by world famous jazz musician (and yacht owner/ captain) Ali Perret. Accommodation of all types from luxury hotels to well priced pensions and small houses are available to suit both owners and crews. All are within easy reach of the boatyards at Icemeler which is approximately 3 kms from Bodrum central. Bodrum boasts the most modern facility on the coast in Aganlar boat yard which has three travel lifts 40, 100 and 450 ton with plans to go bigger. They also have the latest in self motorized trailers to move the yachts in complete safety to their allocated position. They can also provide everything from wash down and renewed anti fouling to new engine installations and complete redesigns from their onsite designers, technicians and trades people. Labour costs are still significantly cheaper than the E.U. with some works being quoted as much as 50% less than in Spain and Italy. The quality is outstanding in all respects with wood
work and stainless steel fabrication probably being the stand outs. All major brands of equipment are represented or parts not available on site can be provided overnight from suppliers in Istanbul. Multilingual design teams are on hand to assist with all projects so communication between different nationalities is not an issue when commissioning a major refit. Contrary to what some may think Bodrum boasts the most modern technology available in all the trades. Sultan Marine for instance is a company that produces interiors using the latest technology in CAD mockups of the yacht so the new interior either complete or in part can be produced while the existing sections are removed. This ability to meld the new and the old craftsmen put this region head and shoulders above many others. A recent visitor from Italy who was in Bodrum investigating the refit of his Italian built 24m sailing yacht was astounded at the “fantastico� quality of wood and stainless work that he witnessed in progress, so much so he then set his newly acquired motor yacht for its refit. All in all, refit, repair and new build is growing assisted by some well educated forward thinking Turkish business people who have the heart and soul of the area as well as the industry at heart, an important aspect to the long term growth and welfare of this well founded in age old traditions industry. For more details Tel: +90 (252) 316 2434 or visit www.bodrumyachtservices.com ONBOARD | WINTER 2015 | 111
DAY IN THE LIFE JOSH RICHARDSON Director, Superyacht Tenders & Toys
J
osh’s first taste of superyachts was after University when running a RYA training school in the Solent, Stormforce Coaching as the Chief Instructor. This was then followed by a number of years as captain of Oyster sailing yachts with his now wife, sailing across the globe. The oh-so-familiar call was then heard to move ashore and
he worked as Yacht Manager for Hill Robinson in Antibes. Following this spell in the South of France he then moved to the UK having seen a niche in the market to provide owners and captains with a one stop shop for all tenders and toys, combining the small boat training and experience with large yacht management.
THE DAY BEGINS The day begins early, how can it not with a 2 year old screaming ‘Daddddyyyy’ from his bed as soon as the sun is up, or often before?! If I am not travelling the day usually starts with a relatively chaotic breakfast then leaving for the office for 9 to open up. Now, in the UK as we enjoy the ‘weather bombs’, breakfast is all about porridge and a cup of tea. My wife, Claire, who is a fellow director takes the little man to nursery for 9 and then drives the short 2 miles to our office.
SYTT Office on the Suffolk coast
STARTING WORK
Josh & Claire diving in Tahiti
Our offices are on a local farm, which has converted some barns into office accommodation but also doubles up as a shooting lodge and has a number of boat builders on site. It is on the Suffolk coast in the UK, on a very pretty peninsula surrounded by the Stour and the Orwell rivers. As well as a well-equipped office we also have on site storage and service facilities.
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE MORNING? The job is highly varied, and however organised we are it is often reactive with time spent handling quotes, orders, project management, reviewing designs, after sales support to clients, not to mention all the company finance, marketing etc. Recent significant projects have included creating the world’s largest inflatable island to be anchored off a Palace in the Middle East, working with our designer to create the worlds first limousine RIB tender, and also a fully inflatable landing craft to be stowed in yacht garages. With each project we follow through by being on site for delivery where possible and doing the handover to the yachts so the role invariably involves lots of travelling.
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LUNCH Lunch is a moving target, and as there are no local restaurants or shops more often than not, it involves a quick sandwich at the desk. However, given the time of year and the all-important New Year’s resolution, an attempt has been made to dash out for a quick trip to the gym….but by the time this is printed this may well have been forgotten!
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE AFTERNOON? Shipping, shipping shipping….. our days seem to get eaten up by organising and checking up on shipping to clients as we deliver directly to the back of the boat wherever they are in the world. We have shipped everything from spares, 5m tenders, containers of toys up to yachts as large as 28m and shipping is an increasing part of our business as it means we can handle and control the whole order until the client receives it. In the last year especially we have become the go-to place for new build yachts wanting to kit out their tender garage as we are a dealer for every type of equipment to go in a garage. Whether it is a wetsuit, hydrofoil wakeboard, submarine, jetpack or dive gear we provide a single point of contact and a super competitive price for all of these often time consuming and difficult owner’s supply items. We supply yards directly, and also supply a number of the well known ‘superyacht supply’ companies.
SUP to the local
DAY’S END
Custom carbon limousine in build
Days in the office usually end around 17.30 and a mad dash is made home to see the little boy before he has a bath and goes to bed. This is then usually followed by a few hours of working with a laptop on the knee as all our American friends are busy working. We supply a huge number of Freestyle Slides and Sea Pools to yachts and evenings are often spent handling these orders as they are all responding to my emails from the day.
PRE DINNER DRINKS Oh how nice it would be to have these on a daily basis! More often than not a bottle is opened when the little man is put to bed and the feet then go up. We do have champagne Friday in the office whenever we can to kick off the weekend but with everyone having to drive home we can only have a taste!
Sundowners at The Butt & Oyster
The local drinking hole is the Butt and Oyster, one of the prettiest pubs I know. This is a short walk from home along the river, or every now and then we get the SUP boards out and paddle there.
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The home of tax services for seafarers • Specialist tax services for merchant seamen and seafarers • Our knowledge and experience in this field is second to none • A hassle free premium service at competitive rates
Over 30 years as the UK’s leading service for British Seafarers For further information please contact Tel: +44(0) 1302 364673 www.seatax.ltd.uk
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Specialist advice for overseas workers
MYBA UPDATE
Brokers’ Seminars An ideal ‘induction’ to the brokerage and management aspects of our industry
F
iona Maureso, MYBA President, says: “Over the past ten years a wide range of international students, comprising both MYBA and non-MYBA members have learnt a great deal and benefitted hugely from the ‘Superyacht Brokers’ Seminar’ which could best be described as a professional ‘insight and overview’ of the different commercial and organisational aspects of the superyacht industry.” Limited to a maximum of 32 places, the course comprises three days with each divided into four or five different segments, with tutors covering topics such as luxury charter and charter marketing, VAT and tax, the MYBA Charter Agreement and the MYBA Sales & Purchase Agreement. Other subjects, such as ownership structuring and yacht finance, through to surveys, sea trials, yacht marketing, crew personnel and recruitment, customer care and business ethics, are also discussed. In line with the quality and professionalism that MYBA stands for, applicants who are perhaps working self-employed, or those working for a non-yacht-related business have to be pre-authorised by MYBA before being permitted to attend. While the nature of the course is clearly geared towards education and learning, it nonetheless offers students the chance to network and share experience, in the lunchtime, evening and the group study sessions, with fellow students and tutors and this is regarded as one of the most appealing aspects of the course. “The key point here is ‘Learn as You Earn’,” says Christine Biddle, MTA International Operations Manager, who has been with the company for 17 years. “Our short courses and flexible study routines mean that most of our students work full time and study part time, so they can build their experience and qualifications at the same time. The focussed nature of the ‘Superyacht Brokers’ Seminar’ offers students the chance to learn about all aspects of brokerage, yacht finance (VAT and tax), yacht management and related issues with distractions and outside influences kept to a bare minimum! As a way to appraise those fairly new and less experienced staff of the different aspects and intricacies of the superyacht business, employers have found the ‘induction’ value of the three-day Seminar truly beneficial. The fee includes
two nights’ accommodation plus meals and tutoring provided by presenters who are actively working as full-time professionals within the industry. The teaching is experience-based with interactive debate, Q&A sessions and plenty of practical ‘case scenario’ project work for students to really get their teeth into. Longstanding course tutor and YPI Commercial Director, Mark Duncan, said: “Having the syllabus as focussed as this means the students get a genuine ‘real-life’ understanding of each and every subject. “These are not just one dimensional, lecture-based sessions” said Mark. “Instead our approach is more down to earth and interactive, whereby students are fully encouraged to participate in practical, ‘role-playing’ situations, so they can become accustomed to and prepared for often quite difficult questions that owners and clients throw at brokers all the time. “Matters to do with tax, VAT, ownership structure, finance and such like are the day-to-day responsibility of any serious, professional broker and the Seminar confronts these important issues head-on. Students leave us forewarned and, importantly, forearmed with the type of useful information they need to address these questions professionally and go about their business in a correct and procedural manner”. Not only then has the Brokers’ Seminar proved useful for new and aspiring brokers, but those more seasoned professionals, perhaps looking to ‘top-up’ and refresh their existing knowledge, have found the content extremely useful as well. At the time of writing (Dec 2014) places are still available on both the Superyacht Brokers’ Seminar and the new Advanced One Day Seminars intended for more experienced brokers, so for details click on the ‘MYBA Seminars’ section at www.maritimetrainingacademy.com or contact Lucy Russell at the Maritime Training Academy. Tel: +44 (0)2392 524490.
‘MYBA Superyacht Brokers’ Seminar’ The Holiday Inn, St.Laurent du Var, Nice, 11-13 Feb 2015 ONBOARD | WINTER 2015 | 115
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ASK THE EXPERTS
BRIAN KANE Director R&D GOST
COSTAS CHARALAMBOUS Director, Global Marine Communications
NICK FARRELL Director YB Tracking
DONALD HYDE CEO VesselVanguard
HOW IS VIDEO SURVEILLANCE ABOARD ASSISTING CREWS IN MANAGING GUESTS AND STAFF?
HOW CAN THE ETO MANAGE BANDWIDTHS ON BOARD FOR CREW AND GUESTS?
WHAT ARE THE MAIN ADVANTAGES OF USING A TRACKING DEVICE ON BOARD?
HOW DO CREWS HANDLE THE GROWING COMPLEXITY OF YACHTS?
Captains and crews these days are realizing the advantages of having streaming video at their fingertips to know who is on their yacht and where. Now that surveillance video is available via smartphones, tablets and laptops, both locally and from anywhere in the world when they are offsite, crews are able to take a more hands-on approach to the safety of their vessel. Whether they are monitoring guests, authorised day workers or even illegal intruders, the situational awareness provided by the latest technology in the form of text messages and time stamped video clips gives crew accountability and ownership. Ultimately, it is not the yacht owners, but the crew’s responsibility to know who is aboard.
Historically, the ETO physically disconnects Wi-Fi points located in non guest areas. On yachts with more than one internet service the ETO has to again unplug/ connect cables. Neither of these are ideal and often lead to bigger problems. To address this GMC have developed B.O.S.S.™ the Bandwidth Optimiser & Service Selector. B.O.S.S.™ gives each user a priority level ranging from 1 to 7. High priority users have their internet traffic go ahead of those with lower priority. It’s a bit like driving, if an ambulance approaches, you slow to let them pass. It can also limit individuals by bandwidth and time. On yachts with more than one internet service B.O.S.S.™ enables the ETO to aggregate the bandwidth sending traffic across all active “Gateways”. Gone are the days of unplugging cables, B.O.S.S.™ manages I.T for you.
You can either use a handheld unit or a permanently fixed device that could be installed discreetly on board. Whichever type you choose, a specialist maritime tracker can report the position of the vessel back to the owner (or the yacht management company) as frequent as every minute, and display the history on a map. Modern systems offer great value with extra features such as a back-up battery which will kick in and send a security alert in the event that the power is cut, giving added peace of mind when at sea. Many tracking devices also have a communications element, allowing nominated crew to connect their own devices (e.g. iOS/Android) via Bluetooth and send text messages and emails back home rather than waiting for access to the vessel’s main communications system.
On one level, they need a better way to organize and stay on top of the mountains of information - manuals, maintenance schedules, warranty requirements and the like, that help them keep a large yacht and its vast set of complex systems at peak performance. But more importantly, they need a solution that matches the way they use information in most other parts of their lives. We’ve all become accustomed to having schedule-specific information delivered to us on our mobile devices, from our bank to our auto mechanics. Many yacht crews are turning to innovative subscription services, like VesselVanguard that delivers all the information they need to keep their yacht running smoothly, at their fingertips so they can easily monitor and manage it all by tablet or smartphone.
ONBOARD | WINTER 2015 | 117
Efficient. Connected. Working together.
We understand the mechanics of team building.
Stay connected.
Your partner in recruitment
Please visit our Antibes office.
MLC 2006 accredited by Lloyds Register
tel. +33 (0) 492 904 610
www.ypicrew.com
YPICrewHalfPage_OnBoard_FINAL_credit.indd 1
email. info@ypicrew.com 03/06/2013 16:43
Want the Red Ensign with added benefits? Choose Jersey as your Port of British Registry! + Individual and company ownership available to all EU, British and Commonwealth citizens and incorporations. + No annual fee and registration for 10 years rather than 5 years. + VAT-free Temporary Importation Scheme into the EU for yachts owned by non-EU residents. HMRC endorsed. + Unrivalled expertise in tax-efficient ownership and compliance in a white-listed, well-regulated, offshore finance centre.
+ Jersey businesses specialising in yacht management, crew management, payroll, insurance, trust, company and asset management. + Social Security insurance and employment arrangements available to non-resident crews. + No corporation tax. No tonnage tax. + International recognition, prestige and protection afforded by the British Red Ensign.
For further information please contact: Debbie Podger or Angela Luce on +44 (0)1534 448128 or email: shipsregistry@gov.je Jersey Ships’ Registry | St Helier | Jersey | Channel Islands | JE1 1BB
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RECRUIT
Course of Life
Laurence Lewis asks what 2015 has in store for the yachting industry and more specifically for the crew recruitment industry
A
s I am writing this paper I am also juggling with my end of the year accounts and analysis, dissecting the past year trying to predict future trends and elaborating the SWOT – strength, weakness, opportunity, threat - analysis to help me navigate in a forever evolving market.
bit longer for better suited candidates to be discovered, but we also know when it’s time to “interview and hire” now because the candidate will be snapped up by someone else the next day. Our role is to inform the client what options are available and to advise as to what could be the best and safest one.
An interesting observation is that the number of jobs available in 2014 is back to the level it was in 2008 at the time of the financial crisis. This is surely the sign that our economy is picking up, new projects are being launched but also that more jobs are becoming rotational and not just at engineering levels. This is definitely going in the “Opportunity” part of the SWOT analysis, so what about the Weakness and Threat section? The fact that customers can be sceptical about our value in a world where CVs are easily available on the internet and social media perhaps? Vast subject…. It is true that candidate identification will become easier BUT recruiting and hiring will get harder and harder without the input of professional recruiters. What is indeed the value of CVs if nobody is there to decipher them with you, give you some input and guidance on the candidate’s history, career choices and motivation? This is where recruiters give added value because we are not disconnected with the human factor. We spend a good proportion of our day meeting candidates and of course, more importantly, we know the market well, we know when it’s safe for a client to perhaps give it more time, wait a
It is our job to educate clients to expect quality driven searches and 2015 is going to be a turning point. Clients have come to realise that it is actually counterproductive to use loads of agencies. Recruiters work best when they are engaged in a search, when they know they have a good chance of making a placement, that’s a fact, it’s human. Of course some competition is good and healthy, it keeps everyone on their toes and engaged in the search which is why working with, at the most, two or three quality and result driven crew agencies will give you the best service. Why should the client waste time reading 50 random CVs when he can read four or five, on brief? Who has the time to waste time these days? It would not be appropriate to elaborate on the “strength” and “weakness” part of my analysis as they are company specific but I am certainly pleased that, at least on paper, I have been able to turn a “ threat” into an “opportunity”. As recruiters want to do a good job, and as clients will demand more service, surely, it should not be rocket science to work together well in 2015?
ONBOARD | WINTER 2015 | 119
Your investment strategy. Does it produce satisfactory returns? Is it tax efficient? We need to talk.
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FRANCE
SPAIN
PORTUGAL
CYPRUS
MALTA
UNITED KINGDOM
www.blevinsfranks.com
FINANCE
The Key to Success Rob Kay discusses The Keys To Successful Investment
I
n today’s world of low interest rates and higher taxes, it has become harder for investors to create and manage a portfolio which will achieve returns that outpace the erosive effects of inflation and taxation, while matching their specific needs and risk profile. Nonetheless, if you follow some basic rules and take professional, personalised advice, you will achieve a portfolio that gives you peace of mind. If it looks too good to be true… It almost certainly is! This is very important advice to keep in mind, if you do not want to risk your wealth. Investors have long been seduced by investment schemes which claim to offer the alluring combination of high returns with little or no risk. However some investors discover, the bubble invariably bursts and they lose their money. Obtain best advice There are thousands of banks and investment management companies claiming to be leading experts. It is hard for private investors to establish which are the best managers and funds, so specialist advice is essential to select the most appropriate investment strategies and managers to meet your needs. A tailor-made approach It is vitally important that your portfolio is created and managed to meet your particular aims and objectives, including your requirement for income. It is also important to reassess your profile on a regular basis and adjust the strategy accordingly. Understand your risk profile To avoid undue risk, you should obtain a clear and objective assessment of your personal appetite for risk, for example through psychometric analysis. Asset allocation to match your risk profile The starting point in creating the most appropriate portfolio to match your risk profile and objectives is the allocation of assets between money market, fixed income, equities and ‘real assets’. It is widely acknowledged that asset allocation is of far greater importance than the selection of individual stocks and shares.
Diversification The higher your concentration in particular assets, the higher the risk. The tried and tested strategy to mitigate risk is diversification. A well spread portfolio of investments, not only in terms of asset classes, but also by geographic region and market sectors, to limit your exposure to any single sector. Access to the world’s best investment managers To take maximum advantage of the expertise of the world’s best investment managers, the key to success is a thorough, critical analysis of funds and managers to select the best managers for each area of investment. As part of your diversification strategy, if you use multi-manager funds, they will be managed by several different fund managers, each selected for their expertise in specific market sectors. Discretionary or advisory? The ‘discretionary’ service has been designed for investors who prefer to delegate the management of their capital to a selected investment management company, who will actively manage the portfolio. A major advantage is that managers are able to respond rapidly to fast changing events. The ‘advisory’ service is more suitable for investors who prefer to be consulted before the managers switch assets within their portfolio. Tax planning To achieve the best real returns, and protect your wealth for future generations, you need to use arrangements which shelter capital from tax; provide a tax efficient income, and facilitate the transfer of capital to your beneficiaries with minimum of bureaucracy and inheritance taxes. So, for peace of mind, get your appetite for risk assessed objectively and matched to the optimum portfolio; have sufficient diversification; review your portfolio regularly and employ tax efficient structures. For advice on your situation, contact Rob Kay, Senior Partner, Blevins Franks Var & Côte d’Azur office TEL +33 (0)4 93 00 17 80 or visit www.blevinsfranks.com ONBOARD | WINTER 2015 | 121
CALENDAR
Yachting
Events
Sport
JANUARY
JANUARY
JANUARY
08
Phuket International Boat Show
03
World Darts Championships
11
72nd Golden Globe Awards
09
London International Boat Show
04
Dakar Rally
22
Sundance Film Festival
10
Toronto Boat Show
17
Africa Cup of Nations soccer
Mount Gay Rum Round
19
Australian Tennis Open
FEBRUARY
Barbados Race
22
Rallye Monte-Carlo
07
Venice Carnival
17
Boot Dusseldorf
26
Bobsleigh, European Championships
12
Sitges Festival, Barcelona
21
New Zealand Millennium Cup,
28
England v India, Cricket
13
Rio Carnival, Brazil
16
14
Auckland 29
Superyacht Challenge, Antigua
FEBRUARY
Battle of the Oranges, Ivrea, Italy
FEBRUARY 01
Super Bowl XLIX
17
Mardis Gras, New Orleans
06
Athletics, European Indoor,
19
Chinese New Year - Sheep
Praha,Cz
22
Sydney Mardis Gras
04
Benetti Yacht Master
12
Miami International Show
12
Rally of Sweden
14
CNR Eurasia Boat Show
13
Red Bull Air Race, Abu Dhabi
MARCH
26
Mumbai International Boat Show
14
Luge World Championships
15
Las Fallas Festival, Valencia
20
New Zealand v England, Cricket
17
St Patrick’s Day
22
Daytona 500
20
MARCH
Total solar eclipse, North Atlantic
03
Dubai International Boat Show
06
Heineken St Maarten Regatta
MARCH
07
Abu Dhabi Yacht Show
01
Cricket World Cup
APRIL
11
Loro Piana Caribbean
01
League Cup Final, Wembley
04
Superyacht Regatta
10
Cheltenham Festival
11
HISWA Amsterdam Boat Show
15
F1 Australian Grand Prix
19
St Barts Bucket Regatta
27
Princess Sophia Regatta, Palma
26
Palm Beach Boat Show
28
Horse Racing, Dubai World Cup
31
BVI Spring Regatta &
29
F1 Malaysian Grand Prix
Total lunar eclipse, Americas & Asia
27
Kings Day, The Netherlands
Rugby
Sailing Festival APRIL APRIL
RBS 6 NATIONS RUGBY
05
Soccer, Scottish Cup Final
China (Shanghai) International
06
US Golf Masters
Boat Show
09
Grand National Meeting
16
Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta
09
F1 Chinese Grand Prix
20
Hainan Rendez-vous
11
Grand National Horse Racing
20
ISAF Sailing World Cup, Hyères
11
Oxford – Cambridge, Boat Race
22
Antibes Yacht Show
12
Paris Marathon
23
Singapore Yacht Show
18
Snooker World Championships
27
MYBA Chater Show
19
F1 Bahrain Grand Prix
30
Palma Superyacht Show
20
Boston Marathon
20
Sailing World Cup, Hyeres
26
London Marathon
25
Gold Cup, Sandown
09
FEBRUARY 06
Wales v England
07
Italy v Ireland
07
France v Scotland
14
England v Italy
14
Ireland v France
15
Scotland v Wales
28
Scotland v Italy
28
France v Wales
MARCH 01
Ireland v England
14
Wales v Ireland
14
England v Scotland
15
Italy v France
21
Italy v Wales
21
Scotland v Ireland
21
England v France
Tailor Made yachting
Marginal gains are the key to extraordinary accomplishments. The cumulative improvement of many small elements to make a large difference can transform a generic yacht interior into an astonishing space for relaxation or entertaining. Some call it the final five percent, going ‘that little bit further’, the final touch, a certain “je nais sait quois” to turn a drawing into a masterpiece. At Aquaria, it isn’t just what we do, its part of who we are. The result is a yacht that reflects its owner… a personality like no other in the world! OUR SERVICES INCLUDE: • Custom-made tableware • Bed Linens • Soft quick dry towels • Crew Uniforms • Art pieces • Turn key projects • Decorative objects • Yacht exclusive interior cleaning • Carpet installation P.O. Box 65736, Fairmont Hotel 723, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE • Tel: +971 (0) 4 304 2326 Tel: +971 (0) 55 117 6885, info@aquariayachts.com, www.aquariayachts.com
NO, IT IS NOT THE CARIBBEAN. Much closer than you think, it’s Karpaz. A long, finger-like peninsula that is one of the most prominent geographical and naturally exciting landmarks of the island of Cyprus. Also where you can find a stylish new marina and the eastern Mediterranean’s most exciting new destination. Please visit www.karpazbay.com for our equally exciting offers.
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