A catch up with USSA’s Kitty McGowan

By Kitty McGowan

The year was 2006, in the epicenter of the superyacht industry in the United States – Fort Lauderdale, Florida. There was a lack of a unified voice in the U.S. for the unique needs of the large yacht segment of the marine industry.

Twelve industry leaders pulled resources together to create the U.S. Superyacht Association (USSA).

“A gap existed within our yachting community whereby we didn’t have suitable representation at the highest levels of government to fight for the rights of our community,” said Tim Davey, owner of Global Marine Travel and a past chairman. “Not only do we have a strong presence in the USA, but internationally the USSA has become a go-to resource for many companies and organizations.”

When I was hired 10 years ago and later named president of the organization, the USSA was centered in South Florida and had about 100 members. The USSA has grown to nearly 400 members in 25 states and 29 countries.

One of our most significant accomplishments since our association’s inception was our ability to work with superyacht owner Tilman J. Fertitta and his team to facilitate legislation of the first-ever large yacht flag registry in the United States in 2018.

“For at least a half-century, ridiculous regulations prohibited American citizens from displaying their patriotism by flying an American flag on their yacht,” said Fertitta, a longtime yacht owner, star of the TV show “Billion Dollar Buyer” and sole owner of Landry’s Restaurants and the professional basketball team Houston Rockets. “With the passage of that legislation, that ended. American yacht owners can now proudly proclaim their citizenship on their yachts. It was a truly historic day for American yacht owners and the yachting industry.”

Over the years, the association has also created a Refit America marketing campaign designed to promote the importance of the refit industry in the U.S., created exhibitor pavilions at U.S. and international boat shows, conducted annual industry summits to educate members on a variety of industry topics, created captains educational programs in Sint Maarten about the ways to facilitate entry to the U.S., and a variety of social events around the world designed to provide members and industry with the opportunity to network and build strong relationships.

“The U.S. Superyacht Association has been a great resource for me,” Capt. Anthony Nicholls said. “Their educational events and access to U.S. entry details have been extremely beneficial to me and my crew over the years.”

Advocacy support for the industry and our members has been at the core of our mission since our inception. In addition to the U.S. Flag Registry, our team has worked tirelessly to assist with cruising license issues, participated in coalitions with other marine trade associations and the U.S. State Department to facilitate ease for yacht crew to obtain B1/B2 visas, educated legislators about the economic impact and importance of the superyacht industry, worked with other sectors on global environmental initiatives, facilitated access for U.S. recreational shipyards to secure MARAD grants to support and revitalize the U.S. shipbuilding capacity, and much more.

Fast forward to the year 2020. The start of a new decade … one filled with so much promise and optimism. Our American Pavilion at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show had grown in prominence, our Superyacht Summits attracted international attention, our pavilion at METS Trade had grown exponentially, and all of our events were setup to be successes.

Then came COVID-19, a global pandemic that stopped nearly everything in its tracks. Thankfully, the board and my team quickly pivoted and moved to support the industry. We joined forces with other marine trade associations across the country with weekly calls to keep the marine industry considered “essential”

See USSA, Page 75