Triton February 2016 Vol.12, No.11

February 2016 The-Triton.com

22-23

/tritonnews | www.The-Triton.com | February 2016

Commodore: Cuba needs to prepare for yachts

By Suzette Cook If megayachts gearing up to visit Cuba want to travel in luxury, they should plan to bring it with them, said Jose Miguel Diaz Escrich, commodore of the Hemingway International Yacht Club.

“The trip is possible, but when the megayachts go to Cuba, they must be

prepared with everything: diesel, water, electricity, everything. They want to enjoy all the beauty of Cuba, but if you don’t have all that, maybe the trip would be uncomfortable.”

Escrich, 69, is an ambassador of recreational yachting in his country. He was 16 years old when he joined Cuba’s Revolutionary Navy as a midshipman.

He studied at the Naval Academy

and graduated in 1969 as a Corvette Lieutenant. He went on to serve in the Cuban Navy for 25 years, retiring as a Commander.

Now, Escrich and the nonprofit Hemingway International Yacht Club of Cuba, which he founded in 1992, are often the first contact for captains and potential visitors who want to cruise See CUBA, page 42

ICW, marinas digging deeper for yacht traffic

News

The future is now Industry gets amped over electric, hybrid power.

Romantic gestures Former chief stew creates jobs for crew and surprises for sweethearts.

See DREDGE, page 6

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Where in the World

Travel north and south Take a trip to Colombia’s Old City and British Columbia’s new maritime Web site.

By Dorie Cox Every season Capts. Donald and Natalie Hannon navigate segments of the 1,100-mile Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway from Virginia to Florida.

The combination of natural inland waterways and dredged channels allows yacht owners to visit marinas, sites and towns while captains can avoid occasional hazards of the open ocean.

“For 20 or more years, most all my career, we go up north in the summer and back during the winter,” Donald Hannon said from the yacht’s winter home in Florida.

“Although offshore is easier, a lot of owners like the stops. When we travel inside, there are stops people like to make, like Coinjock [North Carolina], it’s a must-do.”

The ICW is just one part of the vital waterways that comprise navigation arteries for boats.

Although managed by different entities, all work toward the same goal: to keep these waters navigable.

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ALL HANDS ON DECK: The crew of the M/Y Lady Lola are bundled up in immersion suits during a drill enroute to La Paz. PHOTO/CAPT. MAC McDONALD

Veteran captains say jobs hard to find From the Bridge Lucy Chabot Reed With age comes wisdom. And with time comes experience. But wisdom and experience don’t automatically bring jobs, as a group of yacht captains noted in our monthly From the Bridge roundtable discussion.

Neither does it bring a clear reason why.

“In the last 10 years, it’s been extremely difficult for veteran captains to get jobs,” one captain began. When asked why he thought that, this captain fingered management companies – and in particular, the managers in charge

– for wanting to maintain control over a yacht, something a veteran captain is less likely to give, he said.

“There’s a vested interest from someone who supplies something to the boat,” he said.

“If they’re not careful, owners end up getting the wrong information,” another captain said. “Instead, hire a captain, who is ethically bound to give you the best information.”

As always, individual comments are not attributed to any one person in particular so as to encourage frank and open discussion. The attending captains are identified in a photograph on page 45.

The problem with simply hiring a

See JOBS, page 44

Events

Triton networks Enhance your career this year with a focus on making new connections.

24,25

Triton Survey During a refit, do you prefer to pay as you go or to pay at the end of the job?

Pay at the end 27%

Pay as we go 73%

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Navigating The Triton

February 2016 The-Triton.com

What’s Inside Columnists Career 18 Owner’s View 13 Leadership 12 Crew Coach 9 Training Plans for romance. Page 10

News 1 From the Bridge 10,11,20 Crew News 26,27 Technology 30 Triton Survey 5,6,7 Marinas / Shipyards 48 Boats / Brokers 34 Fuel prices

Operations 15 Diesel Digest 16 Engineer’s Angle 17 Rules of the Road 37 Sea Science

Crew catch up at Triton networking events. Pages 22-23.

Events 22, 23 Networking photos 24, 25 Networking QA 28, 29 Calendar 38 MICF Gala

Advertisers 50 Business Cards 53 Display Advertisers Portion control is a big part of weight control. Page 35.

Crew Health 35 Nutrition 40 Onboard Emergencies 41 Yachtie Glow Techies get charged up at the electric & hybrid expo . Page 26.

Write to Be Heard 4 Letters to the Editor

Where in the World

Interior 8 Stew Cues 19 Top Shelf 19 Crew Mess 36 Culinary Waves Editor Suzette Cook, suzette@the-triton.com

Associate Editor Dorie Cox, dorie@the-triton.com Publisher David Reed, david@the-triton.com Advertising Sales Catalina Bujor, cat@the-triton.com Production Manager Patty Weinert, patty@the-triton.com The Triton Directory Catalina Bujor, cat@the-triton.com

Not-so-hidden gem. Page 14.

14 Cartagena 4 Crew Eye 21 British Columbia 54 Triton Spotter Chief Stew Angela Orecchio, Mate/Eng. Andrew Pellerito, Rossmare Intl., Capt. John Wampler, Anita Warwick, Capt. Jeff Werner

Vol. 12, No. 11

Editor Emeritus Lucy Chabot Reed, lucy@the-triton.com

The Triton is a free, monthly newspaper owned by Triton Publishing Group Inc. Copyright 2016 Triton Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.

Contributors

Contact us at: Mailing address: 757 S.E. 17th St., #1119 Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316 Visit us at: 1043 S.E. 17th St., Suite 201 Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316 (954) 525-0029; FAX (954) 525-9676 www.the-triton.com

Carol Bareuther, Capt. Jake DesVergers, Paul Ferdais, Capt. Rob Gannon, Alison Gardner, Chef Mark Godbeer, Peter Herm, Chef Mary Beth Lawton Johnson, Chief Stew Alene Keenan, Brian Luke, Scott E. McDowell, Rich Merhige, Mate Jenifer Mosley, Keith Murray,

Careerto Be Heard Write

The-Triton.com February 2016

Letters to the Editor

To avoid failure, make systems independent when you can Regarding your recent Triton Survey about control [“Most captains have lost control of yacht; it’s still scary,” page 30, January issue], here are some related thoughts: First, consider Murphy’s Law: If it can stop working, it probably will.

To compensate for this, use defensive design by making systems simple and independent of each other.This is especially important for vital functions such as steering, compass, engine controls, and fire, bilge and distress equipment. Engines and generators can be independent but are now irretrievably complicated. Electronics are very hard to jury rig.

Next, mechanical sympathy: Be gentle with equipment by

understanding how it works and avoiding abrupt actions that cause unnecessary wear.

Gentleness can be applied to the driving of a boat (manoeuvre with slow gear and thruster changes), using davits and windlass, engine starting/ stopping and loading, the closing of doors and hatches, etc.

And let’s not forget the umbrella effect: If you have it, you will not need it, and vice versa.

I apply this effect to the carrying of spares aboard, and it seems to work. My only explanation is that someone who plans ahead with spares is also likely to plan ahead in general, including preventative maintenance.

Leo Lindstrand, owner 3D YachtManuals

CREW EYE

A

fter a day of rain, Mate/Engineer Andrew Pellerito captured this brilliant sunset moment with his Nikon D3300, his “first real camera”. Pellerito works with Chef/Stew Candice Pardy on M/Y Carol Ann, an 82-foot Horizon, and took the shot in Port Lucaya, Freeport, Bahamas on Jan. 6.

Crew can consider this page a canvas to share views of yachting. Send photos to editorial@the-triton.com.

Yachts, crew not prepared to tow; Cuba commodore needs support Regarding Capt. Michael Dailey’s comments about towing [“Towing has been around long before yachting was invented,” page 5, January issue], the problem is that yachts are not set up to tow safely, and the “towing bridles” that are being sold them are dangerous, at best.

Crew with no training or experience in towing should not be involved until they are properly trained, and if a boat is going to tow a significant-sized tender, it should do so from a powered, preferably self tailing, capstan. You should be able to bring the tow to the back of the boat without stopping.

Capt. Henning Heinemann Ft. Lauderdale

CV survey helpful

I found your recent survey about CVs [“Yacht captains prefer e-mailed CV, attention to detail, photo,” page 36, December issue], to be very thorough and offer practical advice, particularly regarding social media. Thank you for the survey.

Capt. Cynthia Sopata

Support Cuba through yacht club

The commodore of the Hemingway International Yacht Club of Cuba is here in Ft. Lauderdale promoting the yacht club and all of the marinas in development in Cuba.

I have known him for over 16 years and find his take on international yachting relations refreshing. He is one of the few from any Caribbean island that truly is not interested in putting his hand out for money but rather promoting international relations, bringing countries together divided by an ocean.

He is very interested in promoting the club and increasing membership, as this makes a statement to the communist government that private business does not pose a danger to the system. The more members he can obtain, the more his case has a valid point.

I would think every captain or owner interested in visiting the island would love to join to obtain the invitations to be able to cruise there.

He also can assist with arrangements

with any of the docks in Cuba.

John Dial, owner Lima Yacht Sales Stuart, Fla., and Lima, Peru Editor’s note: An interview with Commodore Jose Miguel Diaz Escriche begins on page 1 this month.

Owners, crew play part in ocean

What a great article on the collaboration among the yacht Penny Mae, the University of Florida and SeaKeepers [“M/Y Penny Mae becomes floating lab for plankton research,” page 11, January issue].

In one, well-written article, you conveyed how yacht owners and their crew are playing a role in the vital research on the state and health of the world’s oceans. And just a few pages before your article, The Triton published an article on diving in Cuba.

One or our SeaKeepers Discovery Yachts is down there as I write this.

Last night the chef cooked up a scrumptious dish of lionfish. Invasive species? No problem; the yacht world will catch you and eat you.

Thanks for the stories.

Michael T. Moore Chairman of the Board The International SeaKeepers Society Editor’s note: The Triton welcomes Scott McDowell and his new column, Sea Science. His first article, “Atmospheric fronts the driving force behind meteo-tsunamis” ran in the January issue. Look for McDowell’s latest column on page 37.

New Triton looks great

Thanks to The Triton team for your excellent work on the new magazine format and updating your Web site regularly.

Having an opportunity to write about oceanographic topics for boaters is much appreciated, too.

If anyone has comments or questions on my articles, please feel free to contact me. I hope my articles are not too technical for the interested readers.

Scott McDowell Ocean physicist, captain and author

News

Deep Harbour, the marina at Island Gardens on Watson Island, (seen above on opening day in January) is scheduled PHOTO/DORIE COX to display yachts as part of Yachts Miami Beach this month.

Relocated Miami show comes alive; in-water show grows

By Dorie Cox There are two boat shows in the Miami area during Presidents Day weekend (Feb. 11-15) and a few updates to make navigating them easier.

One show, renamed Yachts Miami Beach, is typically attended by megayachts and yacht crew. Formerly known as the Yacht & Brokerage Show, it was renamed to highlight more than

two decades on Miami Beach.

The show is free, although attendees can buy VIP tickets. There are two invitation-only events: A Yachts After Dark yacht hop on Thursday, Feb. 11, from 7-10 p.m. and a SeaKeepers event on Saturday, Feb. 13, from 8-11 p.m. at Sunset Harbor Marina.

New to this year’s show is another in-water display area at Deep Harbour, a new megayacht marina at Island

Gardens on Watson Island in Miami.

The deep-water docks and a lounge are complete, but upland development is under construction.

Some yachts listed on the Show Management Web site for display at Island Gardens include the 280foot M/Y Solandge, 252-foot M/Y Silverfast, 216-foot M/Y Natita, 206foot M/Y 11/11, 205-foot M/Y Lady Lola, 193-foot M/Y SkyFall, 191-foot

See MIAMI, page 43

News

The-Triton.com February 2016

Marinas taking advantage of adjacent dredging projects DREDGE, from page 1 Several dredging projects that affect megayachts are under way or on the schedule, according to Brad Pickel, executive director of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Association (AIWA), whose offices are in Beaufort, S.C. ICW dredging in Palm Beach County is ongoing adjacent to yacht marine facilities including Rybovich and Viking.

The $2.5 million deepening project is managed by the Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND). Executive Director Mark Crosley said projects like this one continue to be important for the thriving industry.

“We spent $7 million in Dania and afterward could attribute $14 million in business,” Crosley said of dredging the Dania Cut-off Canal several years ago.

“The numbers are not too far off on this project, also.”

Channel depth in Palm Beach was 10 feet and will be deepened to 15 feet, with a 2-foot over-dredge, Crosley said.

“We are going above and beyond what Congress has authorized,” he said.

“We are recognizing needs into the foreseeable future.”

The project, which began in October, was set back a few months when the dredge hit intermittent coquina limestone.

The contractor expects deepening to be complete in time for the Palm Beach International Boat Show in mid-March.

“We are beefing up the equipment and changing the dredge teeth out,” Crosley said. “We expect that once we’re out of the rock, we will hit sand.

It added a couple of months to the project, but it is nothing too dramatic.”

This adds cost and has slowed completion, but other than that, the hydraulically dredged section is progressing as planned, Crosley said.

The cutter head cuts, the water and slurry go through a pipeline to be deposited on site, and then clean water drains out to the north part of Peanut Island, property located in the middle of the waterway and owned by FIND. “There is no contamination, no

turbidity, it’s just cutting through,” “Currently, we are in the process of Crosley said. dredging the east-facing outside dock Marinas often take advantage of of our marina, which will create an the dredge companies’ work to deepen additional 460 feet of deep-draft dock waters at their facilities. space,” van Well said.

The city of Riviera Beach Marina and “At the same time, we will finalize Lockheed Martin will piggyback off the the dredging of the access to our north dredge project, yard service facility, Crosley said. five minutes down Vessel navigation info: Viking Yachts the road, by the Chairman Robert end of spring this l Dredges monitor VHF Healey Sr. said year. And then the channels 79 and 16. his company’s development of that service center facility into a large l AIWA works with Salty will also dredge. service facility will Southeast Cruisers Net for online, “We’re commence. up-to-date information, including building the “There is also a posts from navigating mariners. main artery, plan, with permits Visit www.cruisersnet.net for then counties and approvals details. and marinas already in place, to are responsible further expand our for their marina to add a new connections,” Crosley said. basin with docks and electrical shore Rybovich is currently dredging power capacity to accommodate an the outside face dock and expects to additional six 330-foot yachts,” van Well be finished by March 1, according to said. “We will start the development of Francois van Well, spokesman for the this marina expansion as soon as the company. demand is there.”

February 2016 The-Triton.com

Dredge equipment works to deepen the Intracoastal Waterway channel in Palm Beach County, Fla. , near Peanut Island last month.

PHOTO/SUZETTE COOK Another project nearby, a $5 million Sunrise Boulevard Bridge. The channel contract for dredging the Port of Palm will allow better access to Bahia Mar Beach, was awarded in mid-January Yachting Center, Hall of Fame Marina, with deepening to begin in March. The Las Olas Marina, Fort Lauderdale U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages Hilton, The Sails Marina and Pier 66 this section of Marina. water, according The Broward to Thomas dredge project Other dredge projects J. Lundeen, will be more deputy port conventional than also under way include director/port the Palm Beach St. Augustine at engineer for the County project.

Port of Palm Instead of piping Matanzas Inlet (work Beach district. the dredged to begin late summer The project, material onland, described as Broward’s dredge or fall), Breach Inlet maintenance equipment will north of Charleston, S.C. and advanced work atop one maintenance barge with another (expected to be finished dredging, will barge ferrying the in January 2016) and increase depths dredged materials to 33 feet in to a location on south of McClellanville, the entrance land. Several S.C (dredging to begin channel, the marinas plan to in late January). southern piggyback off of turning basin the deepening, “There is no Atlantic and the settling including Pier 66 Intracoastal Waterway basin, Lundeen and Bahia Mar. said. Once As to future dredging scheduled started, the projects to keep for Georgia this year,” project should waterways clear, be completed in Crosley said AIWA’s Pickel said. a bit more than eventually FIND two months. will deepen the Broward waters to the south County, home of the current to Ft. Lauderdale, is scheduled to dredging project in Palm Beach. start ICW deepening in March, FIND’s “We will look at the south later; it is Crosley said. not on the calendar yet and permitting The $20 million project will begin can take four to five years,” he said. north of Port Everglades to deepen the “We worked in Broward for 10 years. channel from the existing 10 feet to a It gets harder all the time.”

15-foot controlling depth.

The nearly three-mile job begins at Dorie Cox is associate editor of The the 17th Street Causeway Bridge north Triton. Comments on this story are of the port almost all the way to the welcome at dorie@the-triton.com.

News

Interior

The-Triton.com February 2016

Step-by-step laminated lists help stews with cabin service Stew Cues Alene Keenan

Last month, we talked about creating a list of items that need to be done every day when in service with guests onboard. We listed 38 tasks and reminders to complete each day that get listed on the schedule or roster.

The next step is creating a separate checklist for each task. This is a bulletpoint list of each step that needs to be done to complete the job properly.

This step tells stews what to do for each area on the schedule. For example, here is a detailed checklist of the sequence of steps to complete morning cabin service. It is from one of my former boats, so it is specific to that vessel and the physical layout of the cabin. I always started at the same spot and worked around the room from left to right, top to bottom.

When I trained new stews, I handed them a laminated copy of the checklist and they checked off each item as it was completed.

Checklist for Morning Service in Guest Cabins: l Open blinds, remove black-out covers l Walk through, tidy whole area l Gather laundry and any wet items l Make bed, check and dust headboard area l Check and clean windows and sills l Dust, vacuum or wipe down all surfaces and woodwork with slightly damp cloth as needed l Clean TV screen before closing cabinet l Check and clean mirrors and art work l Tidy all shelves and dust contents as needed l Wipe down side tables next to beds l Check and clean iPads, remotes, phones l Check and replace water pitchers or water bottles l Tidy contents of drawers as needed l Tidy closet contents as needed l Check all light bulbs, replace if needed or add to engineer list l Wipe all touch points such as light switches and door handles l Vacuum carpet last, after

bathroom is cleaned Checklist for Guest Baths: l Put on rubber gloves l Tidy whole area l Remove wet items l Collect laundry and tag properly as needed l Apply any antibacterial or disinfectant products that need “dwell” time l Dry shower to prevent water spots and mineral build-up l Clean shower fixtures and fittings l Clean bathtub fixtures and fittings l Clean basin fixtures and fittings l Wipe and tidy counters, shelves and cabinets l Wipe and tidy drawers and contents as needed l Clean and replace water glasses and water bottles l Check and replenish soap dispensers l Wipe down all surfaces and woodwork l Clean toilet, including under the rim, pedestal and floor fittings l After cleaning toilet, dispose of rubber gloves and replace with new pair l Empty and replace trash bag l Check and wipe inside of trash bin l Check and replenish guest toiletries l Wipe and tidy under sink and contents l Check and replenish towels l Check and replace tissues and toilet paper l Wash floors l Check sink, basin, glass and mirrors one last time for water spots l Check all light bulbs, replace if needed l Wipe all touch points Great stews have great timing skills and learn to move quickly and efficiently. Knowing exactly what is expected and how the finished area should look is crucial to good job performance.

Alene Keenan is lead instructor of yacht interior courses at Maritime Professional Training in Ft. Lauderdale. She shares her experience from more than 20 years as a stew in her book, “The Yacht Guru’s Bible: The Service Manual for Every Yacht”, available at http://createspace. com/5377000 and on amazon.com.

Contact her at info@yachtstewguru.com.

Career

February 2016 The-Triton.com

Training, certifications will help bridge qualification gaps On Course Capt. Brian Luke

Nearly 10,000 yachts over 24m actively ply the world’s waterways.

With such a large number, you would think it relatively simple to land a crew position on board a megayacht. Yet anyone having actively searched knows that finding one may be anything but simple.

One frequent reason some crew struggle to find a position onboard is a qualification or certification gap. This “gap” is not a missing qualification for licensing, but a qualification, skill or certification that a vessel itself may need to fill.

If a vessel operates under the ISPS code, for example, there is a requirement to have a certified Ship Security Officer (SSO), so potential crew may be filtered to meet this particular need.

In another instance, a highly qualified former commercial deck crew member looking for a yacht

deckhand position was passed over for a particularly good job simply because it required qualified knowledge of teak work and varnishing.

Estimates show as many as 70,000 onboard jobs or positions currently exist in the megayacht industry.

The 2015 data indicate more than 750 yachts on order from shipyards and builders around the globe. This represents an additional 6,000-8,000 crew positions, an optimistic future for our industry, both for new and seasoned crew.

With these numbers looking so good, how does one increase their chances of employment as a professional crew member on a yacht? The answer is, quite simply, through training and certification.

Crew need to fill that qualification or certification gap. Experience and networking are critical, but without certain training, qualifications and certifications, some crew will automatically exclude themselves from a number of job opportunities.

Each vessel requires interior, deck and engineering crew. Crew searching

for a deck position would want access to all roughly 10,000 yachts cruising out there. In other words, they want employment access to 100 percent of the active megayachts around the globe. The more qualifications a potential crew member possesses, the closer they come to the 100 percent mark.

Each qualification they do not possess excludes them from some percentage of those opportunities.

Having STCW Basic Safety Training (BST) as the sole qualification markedly reduces the percentage of yachts available to a potential crew member, since many of the yachts today demand more qualifications than the basics.

A significant number of vessels will not even consider candidates who do not have a Powerboat Level II (PB-II) certificate or the Approved Engineering Course (AEC), for example. From a numbers perspective, if 6,000 of the total 10,000 yachts require a PB-II certificate for deckhands, candidates who do not possess one essentially have eliminated 60 percent of the employment options available to them.

Crew want to optimize their chances for employment by having 100 percent access, not narrow them.

Deck officers, interior crew and engineers all fall into this qualification gap. For example, deck officers who do not hold an SSO certificate are eliminating a large percentage of yachts that may have potentially hired them.

For interior crew, not possessing a silver service certificate or its equivalent may potentially eliminate thousands of yachts as potential employers.

Why limit yourself when training and certification is something you can control? Don’t wait for the vessel to pay for this training; many won’t anyway.

Yacht crew must invest in themselves.

Do not limit the number of potential employers because of a qualification or certification gap.

Training, certifications and qualifications are the keys to keeping your career on course.

Capt. Brian Luke is chief operations officer for International Crew Training in Ft. Lauderdale. Contact him through www.yachtmaster.com.

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Crew News

The-Triton.com February 2016

Former chief stew designs romantic gestures, experiences

By Suzette Cook

DETAILS: Society Romance plans all the details of romantic gestures.

PHOTO PROVIDED

Jessica Keglovich will never forget a very special moment she shared with her now fiance.

“We followed the candlelit path down to the beach,” Keglovich recalled about a special date she had planned in Ft. Lauderdale as a surprise.

“To see this glorious table with columns and fabric draped everywhere,” she described. “It was like our own little room.”

It’s been more than a year since

former Chief Stew Nicole Johnson planned the evening as a favor, and yet the details are still vivid in Keglovich’s memory – right down to the asparagus.

“She really blew me away with what she presented,” Keglovich said about the moment Johnson designed.

“She went above and beyond. I’m a total foodie. Everything was perfect. I was impressed that the asparagus was the perfect temperature and really crisp.”

For Johnson, 33, who worked as a chief stew catering to her clients’ needs for eight years, only the best will do. And

transitioning to a career that involves creating memorable romantic moments has been a smooth transition, she said.

“I was working on yachts constantly having to come with up with ways to celebrate an owner’s birthday or yet another year with their wedding anniversary,” Johnson said.

“I was creating these special moments for even the toughest charter guest. And they always yielded the same result,” she added. “This great memory that the owner was happy about and everyone remembered and wanted more of.”

Johnson decided to take her romantic event planning on land and to the next level by recently launching Society Romance, a company that specializes in creating romantic experiences including marriage proposals, professional party planning and personal shopping services.

Her website societyromance.com displays the phrase: “Live your love story.”

Johnson, who graduated from the University of Pittsburgh, studied communications and psychology. After she earned her degree, she said she packed her bags and moved to Miami and became a wardrobe stylist working behind the scenes of more than 100 commercials.

She got into yachting when a friend of hers became a captain. “He hired me in a pinch to work on his yacht and I ended up never coming back,” she said.

Johnson said she has kept a little black book of contacts of colleagues she has worked with and only hires those crew to help her with the romantic gestures she designs.

“My staff that I hire is all yacht crew,” she said. “I trust no one else. Really, truly I don’t. No one does it better, we’re right here in Ft. Lauderdale. I feel really lucky.

“My photographers, videographers, private jet companies, florists, cake designers, that’s where my team comes from.”

And the romance she creates comes from her desire to connect people, she said.

“It comes from a place of wanting to create special moments in time and special memories and making people slow down and spend time together,” Johnson said, “Rather than a place of love novels and goosh and over the top romance.”

Clients interested in using Johnson’s service can contact her through her website or by phone and describe what

Crew News

February 2016 The-Triton.com

they want to accomplish. Then, Johnson “But then, the captain slowed down. said she maps out a plan and designs I had set up a red carpet that started at an experience based on a budget and the break of the water and led up the hill desired outcome. to a bonfire and private chef, jazz music “It’s about playing, lots of tiki customizing torches.” experiences based It was a complete on who they are surprise, she said. as a couple, what Johnson’s favorite their budget is and aspect of creating what they want to these moments is accomplish,” she working with local said. “Sometimes venues, such as state they want a parks after hours. quiet night to do “I like seeking out something special.” unique venues, places Johnson said she that people wouldn’t is surprised that think to go that are most of her clients right in our backyard,” are women wanting SELFSTARTER: Nicole Johnson is she said. to surprise their What about the founder of Society Romance. husbands.

Johnson’s own PHOTO/ADORNED PHOTOGRAPHY “It’s wives of yacht romantic life? owners who feel “I’m not married,” pressure to up the game every year and Johnson said. “I’m not single,” she added. keep it fresh,” she said. “They have the Her most memorable date happened time, resources and the money to seek not too long ago. someone like me out.”

“A few months ago, I was taken in Recently, Johnson helped create this a helicopter to a private picnic in the scene for an anniversary celebration.

Grand Canyon,” she said. “Champagne “He thought he was out for a boat and cheese and a view of the sun setting ride,” she said about the husband of her over the Grand Canyon. That was really client. romantic.”

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SUNSET SETTING: Nicole Johnson designed a dinner for two at sunset on the PHOTO PROVIDED beach in Ft. Lauderdale.

Whatever her inspiration, Johnson said the ideas keep coming.

“I want to keep this niche of intimate moments, upscale romance, luxurious great moments in time.

“Not weddings, though,” she said. “I’ll leave that to the wedding planners.”

As for Keglovich, who is engaged, she used photos from that special date planned by Johnson at her engagement

party. She said she will always cherish the romantic date on the beach that night, a year ago.

“Champagne definitely came out first,” she recalled. “It was so romantic, I didn’t want it to end.”

Suzette Cook is editor of The Triton.

Comments are welcome at suzette@thetriton.com.

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Career

The-Triton.com February 2016

The power of optimism comes from actually feeling positive Crew Coach Capt. Rob Gannon

Well, it’s February. How is 2016 going so far? Maybe it’s going great, maybe not so great. If present circumstances appear quite a ways from ideal, we can really help ourselves along if we can guide our feelings and beliefs with optimism.

Now don’t worry, this is not intended as some cheery, rah-rah, “just use positive thinking” piece. I’m going to go a little deeper than that.

Let me start by addressing positive thinking. It’s great, if we really believe our positive thoughts. But if we just use

words without the power of belief and optimism behind them, they are just words. Don’t get me wrong, as a coach and someone who has been immersed in the study of personal growth for the past decade, I’m not knocking positive thinking. But it needs to be backed with positive energy.

Advancements in the understanding of quantum physics have shown us that this is a vibrational universe. There are higher, faster-moving, more positive vibrations and lower, slower-moving, negative vibrations. If we don’t have the higher vibes behind our positive thinking, we are spinning our wheels, not getting any real traction to move toward our desired life.

So what are the ingredients behind

positive words?

Optimism and believing are a great place to start. Studies have shown that those who approach tough circumstances and challenges with optimism have a much better chance of following through and getting to their desired state than the pessimist or worse, someone with a victim mentality.

Optimism acts like a fresh breeze that lifts our sails on a new course and keeps us under way. It can also be learned, and that’s good news. We are not born pessimists. It’s a pattern of thinking we develop over time. It can be changed. Raise awareness around those pessimistic, negative thoughts, and throw them overboard. We can

turn ourselves into optimists with practice with our thoughts. Once we see results, that’s it. Conversion made.

Let me be clear: this optimism I’m writing about isn’t some delusional, wide-eyed optimism based in denial.

It’s more like solid, realistic optimism.

In other words, a solid plan or vision has been clearly laid out, and we truly believe we are capable of moving into this vision.

So what we have is belief driving the optimism that is fueling the positive thoughts. It’s really a winning formula that’s been proven time and time again.

I’ve seen it in my own life and in the lives of many others.

Another valuable factor to add in here is the sincere encouragement of others. Having someone or a number of people believing and encouraging us definitely helps us along in our optimistic flow. It’s like a favorable current moving our ship along. We can move without it, but it sure is nice to have. We acquire a self-confident optimism, in part, from experiencing the confidence and hope others have in us and by receiving their encouragement. Think about how much tougher it is when we get the opposite.

When family or close friends are discouraging and tell us we can’t do something, it feels awful and has sabotaged many a dream. We must take care who we let in our heads.

All of this may sound fairly easy if things are going well, but some of us struggle, perhaps with work, tough financial factors or other challenges.

That is exactly the time to work on optimism.

Some days may be dark, and seeing through the storm clouds may be tough, but if we ride it out and get back to our believing and our optimism, it will carry us over the stormy seas. We just have to hang in there.

I hope this helps anyone out there who may struggle with staying positive.

Just try to remember the alternative to optimism and belief – pessimism and hopelessness – never gets us anywhere worth going. Keep the inner flame burning for that desired life, and use it to keep the naysayers at bay. You are amazing and powerful with that dream in sight. Keep sailing in that direction.

Enjoy the voyage.

Capt. Rob Gannon is a 30-year licensed captain and certified life and wellness coach. Contact him through www. yachtcrewcoach.com.

February 2016 The-Triton.com

Career

13

Build better relationships by leading with humanity Taking the Helm Paul Ferdais

A common misconception about leadership is that followers will simply do what they’re told, no matter what.

I’m guilty of this myself. I don’t know why, but when I became the first officer on my first boat, I thought I had all the answers. The position went to my head.

I simply expected my deck crew to do what I told them to do just because I said so.

It wasn’t until later that I understood I needed to behave as a person with faults of my own, not as someone who was superior just because of my title. I realized I needed to lead with humanity and not treat my crew as robots to do my bidding.

What I mean by humanity is being a person who is considerate of others, and who treats others the way they want to be treated. Leading with humanity makes all the difference to a leader’s success. It reminds us that people are at the heart of leadership.

Communication, trust and respect can only happen when we truly see each other as human beings and not just cogs in a machine.

When we acknowledge we all have imperfections, it gives us the chance to learn and grow to be better in our roles as leaders and people.

Understanding that no one is perfect allows us to help others as well as ourselves reach their true potential.

Recognizing what it is to be human empowers us to behave with humanity toward others.

Leading with humanity allows us to see past our own needs and wants, and enables us to focus on the people around us. It encourages selflessness by including others in our world view and taking them into consideration.

When we do this, we demonstrate compassion and empathy.

It’s this compassion and empathy that allows us to build relationships with those we lead.

And it’s these relationships that determine whether we are successful as leaders.

Building relationships means being connected to the crew. I’ve encountered many leaders who want to distance themselves from their people. They feel

they have to put up barriers because of their position. In some cases, leaders feel they won’t be taken seriously if their crew sees them as imperfect.

Many times this stems from a leader’s lack of self-confidence or fear of losing their position.

The reality is the exact opposite. It may sound counterintuitive, but people are more willing to follow someone who displays humanity and vulnerability.

A chief engineer or chief stew who goes out to dinner with the crew and quietly leaves before the after party gets going shows they are part of the team while still maintaining boundaries.

Conversely, the chief mate who barks orders and spends all of his time locked away in the wheelhouse separates himself from his team, all in the name of professionalism. This behavior does nothing to develop the relationships a loyal crew requires.

Strong relationships with followers is the core of successful leadership because of the connections that get created. It’s the connections that bring people together.

Leaders who demonstrate the following characteristics will display humanity to their crew.

1. Actively listen. Show that you actually care about what the other person says by listening attentively.

2. Get involved. Participate with the crew, and lead from the front.

3. Collaborate to solve problems.

Take other people and their ideas into consideration to solve problems and reach goals.

4. Make principle-based decisions.

Make decisions based on fairness, openness and respect.

5. Display trustworthiness. Extend trust before you expect trust.

6. Respond, don’t simply react.

Integrate the above ideas into the way you behave, which will determine whether people will follow.

When we behave with caring and respect for others, consider other perspectives, and are the first to accept responsibility for the results of our actions, we have the foundation to develop powerful, long-lasting relationships with those we lead.

A former first officer, Paul Ferdais is founder and CEO of The Marine Leadership Group. Contact him through www.marineleadershipgroup.com.

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Where in the World

The-Triton.com February 2016

Colorful and historic, architecture in the Old City of Cartagena makes for an interesting side trip for crew and PHOTOS/JENIFER MOSLEY guests.

Side trip to Cartagena, Colombia, highlight of journey

By Mate Jenifer Mosley History, culture, music, food and more will awaken your senses and delight both crew and guests in Cartagena.

For yachts heading to or from the Panama Canal, this side trip makes a great addition to any itinerary.

Cartagena is unforgettable and magical. The Old City is definitely a highlight of any trip to Colombia.

Club de Pesca de Cartagena, a safe and convenient marina in a well protected harbor, is located within easy walking distance to both Getsemani and the Old City.

We dropped our anchors and side-tied securely to a face dock (approximately 45 feet long).

The marina has 24-hour security, a restaurant and clubhouse, a small fuel dock and ship stores nearby.

The staff was helpful with everything from provisioning to dinner and spa reservations, as well as arranging transportation and tours.

Crew and guests were entertained for several days with walking tours and exploring within the walled city.

Must-see sights include San Pedro church and museum, Museum of Modern Art, the Cathedral, the Castillo

de San Felipe, which is the largest Spanish fort in the New World, and the many plazas spread throughout the area.

Of course, the walls themselves make for an interesting walk, and the most impressive part runs parallel to the sea with several options for sunset drinks.

The city offers an array of dining

The crew of M/Y Dorothea toast during dinner at La Vitrola in Cartagena, Colombia. (from left) Mate Josh Heater, Deckhand Mike Torres, Engineer Aaron Drake, Stew Jamey Harrison, 1st Mate Jenifer Mosley, Captain John Crupi and Stew Jess Thomson.

options from street carts to fine dining and includes something for everyone’s taste.

Be sure to try the empanadas and arepas de huevos, La Vitrola for music and upscale dining, and La Cocina de Pepina in Getsemani, a hidden gem with a fresh and changing daily menu of Colombian comfort food.

Shopping ranges from open air bazaars and markets selling handicrafts to top Colombian designer boutiques along Calle Santo Domingo. Everyone onboard can find something to take home as a reminder of this beautiful and historic city.

English-speaking contacts: l For marina, dockage and general assistance: Club de Pesca de Cartagena, Manager Joan MacMaster Gonzales, gerencia@clubdepescadecartagena. com, www.clubdepescadecartagena. com, +57 660 5578 l For pilot, clearance, dockage: Ship’s agent David Arroyo, arroyod511@gmail. com, +57 313 523 0742 Jenifer Mosley is mate on M/Y Dorothea, which set off in November for another circumnavigation of the Pacific Ocean.

Comments are welcome at editorial@ the-triton.com.

Operations

February 2016 The-Triton.com

Worldwide demand remains steady for transportation fuel Diesel Digest Capt. Jeff Werner

Turning petroleum into diesel fuel is called refining. Refining is the process of converting crude oil into high-value products. The most important are transportation fuels: gasoline, jet fuel and diesel fuel. The products include liquefied petroleum gas, heating fuel, lubricating oil, wax and asphalt.

The world’s first large-scale refinery was built in Romania in 1856 at the site of the Ploiesti oil fields. The refinery technology in the mid-19th century was based on distillation. Distillation has been known since the 4th century BC when Aristotle first wrote about it.

Then it was used mostly for purifying water, and centuries later for making alcoholic beverages. It is the origin of the word still, as in a bootlegger’s still.

Distillation is a physical process, not a chemical one. Distilling separates two or more components in a liquid based on a physical property, usually the boiling point. For example, wine can be distilled into brandy to make a stronger after-dinner drink.

At modern oil refineries, fractional distillation remains the major process used to produce diesel. It separates crude oil into its component parts, or fractions. Petroleum is heated by high pressure steam to about 1110 degrees F, until it boils continuously.

This causes most of the petroleum to turn into different gases, each with different boiling points. These vapors are funneled into a distillation tower that can be up to 150 feet tall.

As the gases rise in the tower, they also cool. Once the vapor rises to a height high enough to cool it to its boiling point, it condenses back into a liquid. Collection points at different heights in the tower siphon off the various liquid fractions. The lower the boiling point, the higher in the tower the distilled product condenses and is collected.

From crude oil, propane and butane boil first and are collected at the highest points in the tower.

Since gasoline has a higher boiling point than propane, it condenses a little lower in the tower. Kerosene and diesel have the next higher boiling points and they are tapped off at even

a lower point in the distillation tower.

Separation techniques alone cannot meet the demand for higher quality diesel required by today’s computercontrolled common rail engines, so additional methods are needed to squeeze the most useable amount of diesel out of a barrel of crude.

A chemical process called upgrading is used to remove undesirable components found in fuel through use of a catalyst. The most common catalyst used in refining diesel fuel is hydrogen. This hydroprocessing technique of mixing diesel with hydrogen removes sulfur from the fuel. It is an important step, necessary to meet the stringent emissions requirements imposed by the International Maritime Organization on new yacht engines, which require the use of ultra low-sulfur diesel fuel.

Another technique used by refineries to yield more diesel is known as conversion, which literally changes the molecular structure of petroleum.

Converting larger, heavier hydrocarbon molecules by breaking them into smaller, lighter molecules is known as cracking.

Cracking is a key source of diesel fuel. Vacuum gas oil, a heavy leftover product from the crude oil distillation process, is chemically cracked to produce diesel.

Combining current advances in chemistry, engineering and metallurgy at newer refineries yields an average of 12 gallons of diesel from a 42 gallon barrel of crude oil.

For every gallon of diesel bunkered aboard a yacht in the United States, 43 percent of the cost of that gallon is used to pay for extracting the crude oil from the ground and shipping it to the refinery.

Seventeen percent of the cost is associated with the refining process, while distribution and marketing comprise 19 percent. The remaining 21 percent pays the taxes levied by federal, state and local governments.

In the next 15 years, worldwide demand for diesel fuel will reach 34 million barrels per day.

This demand will help develop more efficient refinery techniques and spur the growth of biodiesel alternatives.

Capt. Jeff Werner has been in yachting for almost 25 years. Contact him through MyDieselDoctor.com.

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Operations

The-Triton.com February 2016

Rudders and their function can fall victim to vibration trouble Engineer’s Angle Rich Merhige

Even though a rudder is part of a vessel’s steering system, which is obviously an important mechanism, it usually doesn’t get that much attention.

What action items should be addressed for rudders during yard periods?

The rudder turns the stern by way of unequal water pressures. When

the rudder is turned, one side is more exposed to the force of the water than the other. This pushes the stern away from the side the rudder is on, causing the vessel to turn as desired.

Types of rudders include balanced and semi-balanced. Balanced rudders have some of their area forward of its turning point. An unbalanced rudder has no area projecting forward.

Rudders are moved by torque provided by tiller arms on each rudder.

The tiller arms are controlled by

hydraulics, which make up the steering system. Tie rods connect the rudders via the tiller arms.

Hydraulic rams produce the force used to turn the rudders. This is activated when the steering wheel is turned. As the wheel turns, it activates the hydraulic ram, causing it to push on the tiller arm, which, in turn, moves the rudder. Since the rudders are connected by the tie rods, they are, in essence, synced together in this movement. Sometimes, there will be

a hydraulic ram on both rudders. This is usually the case if the rudders are heavy, or the vessel is on the larger side.

Just like the shaft line, rudders can also fall victim to misalignment.

When rudders are aligned, they should be positioned slightly tow in, or tow out. With the rudders positioned this way, there is less vibration from the water hitting them at these angles. If the rudders are positioned straight, there tends to be a fluttering vibration because the force of the water hitting them is much harsher.

Vibration can also come off the rudders if there is looseness in the tie rods or bushings.

Vertical alignment of the rudder stock is equally important. This is best achieved through the use of a laser alignment system, or shooting an optical scope through the top and bottom bearings.

To keep rudders up to par, there are basic maintenance tasks that should be done on a regular basis.

During haul outs, several items related to a vessel’s rudders should always be covered. Among them: 1. Measure the space/clearance between the sleeve and bushing. If the clearance is more than .75 mm, then it is worn and should be changed.

2. Have the sleeve examined closely and have the fit documented. Is it loose? If it is, corrosion from water could be the culprit.

3. Check the rudder shaft or stock for pitting by the sleeve. If it’s present, this can be repaired the same way as propeller shafts – with clad welding.

4. If the rudder stock or pintle is fitted into a stainless steel bush, it should be checked for crevice corrosion.

5. A bump test should be performed to check the wear on the rudder bearings. Bump tests are required during class surveys but, more and more frequently, surveyors are starting to request them even if the boat is not classed.

6. The plating should be closely examined for fractures. Special attention should be paid to the pintles, shaft brackets, slot welds, and stern frame. The keyway should also be checked by using nondestructive testing.

Rich Merhige is owner of Advanced Mechanical Enterprises and Advanced Maintenance Engineering in Ft. Lauderdale. Contact him through www.

AMEsolutions.com.

Crew Health

February 2016 The-Triton.com

17

Experts give advice about detecting and preventing skin cancer Sea Sick Keith Murray

Yacht crew spend a lot of time on the water and in the sun. But, as we know, too much sun can be deadly.

For this topic, I consulted an expert, Dr. Joseph Francis, a board-certified dermatologist.

During my dermatology residency in Virginia, we sometimes had patients bused in from neighboring states.

Medical specialists can sometimes be scarce in rural areas. I can remember one patient who took an 8-hour bus ride because he was concerned about a spot on his neck that I could easily tell was benign. However, he did have a skin cancer on the bridge of his nose that he did not notice. The purpose of this article is to help patients identify skin lesions that may be concerning. It is in no way a substitute for regular visits to a dermatologist.

Here are 10 things to look for: 1. Anything that appears and grows quickly.

2. A lesion that bleeds and doesn’t heal.

3. Be suspicious of lesions in sunexposed areas (scalp, ears, nose, lips).

4. Basal cell carcinomas can often have a pearl-like appearance.

5. Where something has been removed, be aware of changes around the scar such as redness, scale, or blood.

6. Lots of patients with skin cancer tell me that they notice blood on their pillows or sheets.

7. For pigmented lesions, look for asymmetry, uneven or notched borders, diameter greater than a pencil eraser, different shades of black, brown, tan, red, white, or blue.

8. Some advanced skin cancers can be painful or itchy.

9. Beware of hard, painless lumps beneath the skin of the neck. They could be enlarged lymph nodes.

10. Any pigmented lesion that change over time, including bleeding, itching, growing in width or height, changing color.

Here are a few more answers to questions I get all the time:

Q. What kind of sunscreen should I use?

A. First, it is important to understand the difference between sunscreen and sunblock. Take a look at the ingredients before using any product. Sunscreens contain chemicals that absorb UV radiation. Sunblocks (also confusingly called physical sunscreens) contain minerals such as titanium or zinc that block UV radiation from reaching the skin.

Sunblocks can offer broader UV protection than sunscreens. However, sunblocks are usually thicker and messier (think of the lifeguard with zinc oxide on the nose).

Newer sunblock formulations offer transparency with broad spectrum protection, which is usually what I recommend.

I am also a big proponent of sun protective clothing. When I am out on the water, I wear a hat that covers my ears and a long sleeve, breathable, sun-protective shirt. Watch out for the ingredient PABA or para-aminobenzoic acid, which can stain clothing and cause allergic reactions.

Q. Is SPF 100 better than SPF 15?

A. Technically, yes, but the actual difference is miniscule. The AAD recommendation is to use a broad spectrum sunscreen that is at least SPF 30 and to reapply it every 2 hours.

Q. Is the sun bad for my skin?

A. Lots of sun exposure can cause premature skin aging (sun spots, wrinkles, thinning of the skin, skin cancer). However, exposure to UV light can also be used to treat conditions such as jaundice, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, lichen planus, etc. It is also how the body naturally produces Vitamin D. Sun exposure is OK in moderation.

Joseph Francis, M.D., is a board-certified dermatologist and fellowship-trained Mohs surgeon practicing in Atlantis and Jupiter, Fla. He is also the captain of a 15-foot Mitzi Skiff but spends more time fixing it than fishing. Keith Murray owns The CPR School, which provides onboard CPR, AED and firstaid training as well as AED sales and service. Contact him through www.

TheCPRSchool.com.

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Career

The-Triton.com February 2016

Owner cannot stand in the way between a captain and the crew Owner’s View Peter Herm

In the December From the Bridge captains lunch article, captains discussed the chain of command and the state of the crew pool in South Florida. I was struck by the portion of the conversation that held owners accountable for being too nice, and somehow thwarting the chain of command.

If an owner intends to hold a captain responsible for the management of the boat and the actions of the crew, there is no question how owner/crew relations should be handled. Very

simply, the captain is the boss. Crew who circumvent the captain and deal directly with the owner on any issue should be immediately pointed back to the captain.

I am sure there are exceptions to this rule, including possible moral turpitude or suspected financial infidelities on the part of the captain, but for anything else, the captain should have the only and final say when it comes to crew management.

Yacht owners who do not give their captains 100 percent freedom to hire, fire and manage their crew cannot expect their captains to do their job effectively.

I make it clear early on that the captain is the boss and so I have not

really had any issues with this in more than 25 years of boat ownership. It’s really no different than the accepted management principles of any business. The various executives or managers in a company are hired to do a job. Their employees are their responsibility to manage, hire and fire.

It is the manager’s job to ensure that the employees do what is expected of them to achieve the manager’s – and thus the company’s – overall goals as communicated by the CEO. In the case of a boat, I guess the owner is the CEO and the captain is the president. The CEO reports to a board of directors, which in the boat analogy is often the spouse of the CEO, better known as the chairman of the board.

To keep my “job” (husband and boat CEO), I have to meet the chairman’s demands, and I count on the captain to deliver on the boating part of our business (relationship). Fortunately, my chairman is tolerant and benevolent.

I admit to being one of the owners who likes to treat a captain and crew as a part of the family. One of my old captains (now retired) regularly joins my family for holidays and other special events after more than 25 years of loyal service and, yes, friendship. I would like my current captain and his team to be around for just as long, assuming I am.

But there is still a line. I set out clear expectations up front. Half of the problems with crew circumventing the chain of command are really a failure to communicate early on in a relationship what is expected and what is forbidden.

This line is defined between me and the crew on our boat. It is crystal clear that although I may provide the funds, the crew are solely responsible to the captain; only he can hire and fire them. His job, directly and through the actions of his crew, is to enhance my enjoyment of the boat and cause the least brain damage and stress possible.

This whole business of yachting should be fun for an owner, not another painful part of a business to manage. It ain’t cheap, so it better be fun.

As for the crew pool in South Florida, a yacht owner friend has just gone through crew turnover. His stories of this process were chilling. I would agree that the crew pool could use some new, disciplined, non-entitled genes, but I don’t think this challenge is unique to boating.

The amazing thing in the candidate submissions I see is the total inability to write and the lack of regard for details on a resume. Anyone who submits a resume for any position in any industry that has poor writing, typos or grammar errors is a fool. If I get a resume that is not perfect, it is deleted or trashed.

Any crew applying for work on a yacht should have five intelligent people edit and review their resume prior to submitting it. A resume should be the cleanest, sharpest, most edited document a person ever creates. It should be flawless. No exceptions.

Bow west and high tide only.

Peter Herm is the pen name for a veteran yacht owner who is an entrepreneur based on the East Coast of the U.S. Contact him through www.thetriton.com/author/peter-herm.

Interior

February 2016 The-Triton.com

Double-Chocolate and Sea-Salted Brownies Top Shelf Chef Mark Godbeer

Any chef, but especially yacht chefs, should have core recipes, recipes you bust out by memory that always yield the same product. (Consistency is vital.) We need these for when there are leftover ingredients in the fridge looking for purpose. On long charters, we cannot account for what guests are going to consume more or less of, so having a recipe that uses unused precious fruit, for example, is a big must.

I have about 20 desserts and pastries saved in memory, including this one. I have tinkered with it over the years, and since it has no leavening agents, it allows for a more forgiving experimental window.

Ingredients: 2 cups bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped 3/4 cup milk chocolate, finely chopped 1 cup salted butter, softened 1 Tbsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup white sugar 4 large eggs, beaten 1 tsp sea salt 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Using a double boiler (Or use a pot on the stove, set at simmer, with a little water in it and a steel bowl placed on top creating a seal. Never let water touch the bottom of the bowl and never boil the water.), melt together the two chocolates and butter with a soft spatula, stirring occasionally to incorporate for a smooth end product.

Once smooth, remove from heat. Cool for 1 minute, then add the vanilla and sugar. Whisk while slowly pouring in the eggs.

Depending on if you want individual portions or bars, place in a greased muffin tray or greased baking pan of about 12 x 10.

Bake 20-30 minutes, testing after 20 minutes by poking the brownies with a toothpick, if it comes out clean, they are done. (Remember, brownies don’t have leavening agents so don’t expect them to rise like a cake.)

Place the whole pan on a rack to cool or they will break apart when removing them. Once cooled, remove them and serve immediately. If serving later, pop them back in the oven for 1 minute to warm them up.

I serve my brownies with a milk chocolate mousse and orange segments, but you can add ice cream, cream or frosting. And don’t forget to make extra for the crew.

Mark Godbeer has been a yacht chef for more than 10 years. Contact him through chefmarkgodbeer.com.

Ham Hocks and Beans Crew’s Mess Capt. John Wampler

During the holidays we served a couple of glazed and smoked hams.

After carving the ham I wrap up the ham hocks and put them in the freezer. Once I have saved four hocks it’s time to make a favorite midwestern dish, ham hocks and beans.

This hearty meal, served with honey cornbread, it just the thing on a cold winter’s day. It’s a little labor intensive, but well worth the effort.

Ingredients: 3 Tbsps olive oil 4 ham hocks 1 small sweet onion, minced 1/4 cup celery, chopped 1/4 cup bell pepper, chopped 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes 1/4 tsp dried oregano 1/4 cup dried thyme 3 bay leaves 5 garlic cloves, crushed and minced

8 cups chicken stock 1 pound Great Northern beans, rinsed and soaked overnight 1 tsp sea salt 1/4 cup parsley, chopped

1/2 cup green onions, chopped In a large cast iron stockpot, bring olive oil up to a medium-high heat.

Score the ham hocks and sauté them along with onion, celery, bell pepper, red pepper flakes, oregano, thyme and bay leaves for 5 minutes.

Add garlic and sauté one minute more. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil over high heat.

Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes.

Carefully stir in the pre-soaked beans so as to not break the skin.

Simmer for one hour more until the ham hocks are tender and beans are cooked.

Add salt and simmer 30 minutes more or until the meat on the ham hocks falls apart.

Serve with a sprinkle of parsley and green onion, and warm corn bread.

Enjoy, JW. Capt. John Wampler has worked on yachts for more than 25 years. Contact him through www.yachtaide.com.

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Crew News

The-Triton.com February 2016

Capt. Debra Marks received a medal and commendation from the U.S. Coast Guard for Meritorious Public Service, the second highest honor given by PHOTO PROVIDED the Department of Homeland Security.

Leadership, dedication, respect, earn captain high USCG honors In October, Capt. Debra Marks received quite an award: a medal and commendation from the commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard for Meritorious Public Service, the second highest honor given by the Department of Homeland Security.

She had just termed out as chairwoman of the Navigation Safety Advisory Council (NAVSAC).

“It was quite a surprise,” she said. “I guess they really liked my work.”

Capt. Marks, who holds a USCG 500-ton license, served on the council for eight years and was its chairwoman for seven. The purpose of the group, which like all U.S. federal advisory councils was set up by Congress, is to provide accurate and timely advice to DHS through the USCG. Council members focused on U.S. maritime policies and regulations, and made recommendations to the USCG to present to the IMO. During her tenure, NAVSAC examined rules of the road issues such as alternative lighting on recreational vessels and special lighting on small passenger ferries and law enforcement vessels.

In addition, the council provided guidance and recommendations on offshore renewable energy installations, unmanned maritime systems, arctic navigation, and marine planning. It also examined user requirements and operating parameters of Electronic

Chart Display Information Systems, Differential Global Positioning Systems, Aids to Navigation and the Automatic Identification System.

The USCG regulations and policy statements that ensued reflected the council’s advice and recommendations on these issues, according to a letter the USCG wrote about the honor.

“As chair, she always sought to create a climate at committee meetings that encouraged public participation and conveyed respect and appreciation for the feedback provided by all,” the letter stated.

“Her leadership and dedication to the Navigation Safety Advisory Council, the maritime community, the Marine Safety Program, and the Coast Guard are most heartily commended and are in keeping with the highest traditions of the USCG.” The Meritorious Public Service Award recognizes unusual courage in advancing a Coast Guard mission, substantial contribution to the Coast Guard that produced tangible results, and specific individual accomplishments that provide unique benefits to the public.

“It was hard work, but very rewarding to tackle difficult issues with such accomplished and knowledgeable maritime experts from many fields around the country, and USCG, NOAA, ACOE, etc.,” Capt. Marks said.

– Lucy Chabot Reed

Where in the World

February 2016 The-Triton.com

TIMEOUT: M/Y Amnesia IV, an 86-foot Cape Scott charter yacht, at anchor off PHOTO/CAPT. JACK BREDBECK Dent Island northeast of Campbell River.

New Web site gathers British Columbia’s coast in one place

By Alison Gardner Cruising British Columbia’s complex coastal waters requires a lot of homework, whether choosing a small segment to explore in-depth or taking on the entire 16,600-mile shoreline of fjords, islands, narrow waterways and open ocean in one massive adventure.

Launched in April, the AHOY BC Web site (ahoybc.com) offers wilderness exploration knowledge, a directory of services, and links to attractions and social activities in most every coastal community.

“Until now, every travel region in our vast province has had a representative marketing organization … except the sea,” said David Mailloux, chairman of the BC Ocean Boating Tourism Association. “The visitor in a boat has very different needs than the visitor in a car, so we decided to launch the AHOY BC website focusing exclusively on the sea and its shores.”

Over the past six years, about $25 million (Canadian) has been spent on marina expansions along BC’s coast.

Capt. Jack Bredbeck of M/Y Amnesia IV, an 86-foot Cape Scott charter yacht, and of M/Y Mercedes, a 98-foot private yacht, said he was drawn to the collection of images on the site.

“The pictures are inspiring,” he said.

“They really make you want to go there.

Even though I’m Vancouver-based and have been boating the BC coast since 1999, I am getting a fresh sense of the variety of adventures that first-time

visitors and veterans of the area have to choose from. The Web site captures just how vast, wild and still largely unoccupied the coastline is.”

AHOY BC is also working with Aboriginal Tourism BC to highlight native cultural experiences and with BC Parks and Parks Canada to highlight marine parks accessible only by boat.

“I really appreciate that the AHOY BC Web site is so easy and logical to navigate,” said Doug Lumley, skipper of the 95-foot M/Y Crystal Spirit. “I’ve looked at everything from the maps and customs requirements for entering Canada to details about resorts, pubs and full-service marinas in some pretty unexpected places.”

The site also includes fishing regulations that vary with place and season, a list of marinas that specialize in guided fishing charters, and outlets for gear.

The “Chart Your Course” menu encourages boaters to customize their cruise adventures in each of the province’s three boating regions (Salish Sea; Fjords, Islands and Passages; and Outer Reaches) and 11 subregions into which the coast is divided.

The interactive map provides a host of filters to identify places such as a marina with repair capabilities, an anchorage with hiking nearby or a luxury resort.

Alison Gardner is a freelance writer in Victoria, BC. Comments on this story are welcome at editorial@the-triton.com.

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Triton Networking

The-Triton.com February 2016

Triton Networking with Yacht Chandlers and IC T

S

everal hundred captains, crew and industry professionals started the new year by networking with Yacht Chandlers and International Crew Training on the first Wednesday in January.

Attendees toured classrooms, worked on simulators and navigated a model yacht in the swimming pool. The yachting industry is invited to regular Triton events on the first and occasional third Wednesday of each month. Find location details at the-triton.com. PHOTOS/DORIE COX

February 2016 The-Triton.com

Triton Networking with LauderAle Brewery

M

ore than 200 captains and crew gathered at LauderAle Brewery in Ft. Lauderdale on Jan. 20 to celebrate The Triton’s new all-color format and to kickoff the Year of Networking. We introduced Triton Conversation Cards, quippy questions to encourage attendees to break the ice. Join us on the first Wednesday in February to do it again. (See page 25 for more PHOTOS/SUZETTE COOK details.).

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Triton Networking

The-Triton.com February 2016

Triton networking starts fresh with Yacht-Mate Products In business for 17 years, Yacht-Mate Products will host Triton networking on Feb.17 in Ft. Lauderdale. Captains, crew and industry professionals are invited to tour the showroom and enjoy a snack and beverage on the third Wednesday of February. Until then, learn more about marine environmental systems for water and air treatment Handrahan from owner Sandy Hoekstra Handrahan.

Q. Tell us about your company.

Yacht-Mate Products is in its 17th year of business providing state-of-theart water and air treatment equipment.

We have a showroom and warehouse offering everything from simple water filters to small package sewage treatment plants and everything in between. We sell, service and install all products we offer.

Our main line is our water softening systems which is an easy and economical way of processing dock water. We can outfit any size vessel and can install single- or twin-tank systems and semi- or fully automatic systems in both portable or installed systems.

Our total water quality program includes treating water from dockside sources to prevent hard water issues. We do that with our softeners mentioned above or fresh water reverse osmosis systems with dockside and installed systems. These systems are membrane based so they remove all total dissolved solids/parts per million.

We recommend UV sterilizers or silver ion systems and drinking water systems for cooking and ice.

We offer a variety of other systems, including a line of hydroxyl generators for odor control in bilge and vent lines, portable units for living areas, and air conditioning units to eliminate mold and bacteria, with ion generators, a new line called Active Air, as well as the Gelair line of products. We have the Icesea fresh and saltwater flaked ice systems starting at 800 to 2400 pounds per day, which is very competitive with Eskimo, and we added a new line of products by Harsonic that prevent biofilm.

Q. Who uses your products?

Anyone who has a boat and needs clean safe water! We have many end

users of our products on their yachts and boats. Christensen and Ocean Alexander yachts install our Ecomar compact sewage plants on their new builds, and Westport installs our automatic water softeners.

Q. How did you get into this business?

I started in the water business in 1991 when I worked for a small local company selling water systems to restaurants and hotels. Then I went to work for Cuno as a regional sales manager opening and maintaining distributors of the water factory line of reverse osmosis and filtration systems for the southeast United States.

In 1998, I got involved with a small water company in the marine business and decided to go on my own in 1999.

I created and opened Yacht-Mate Products in a niche market for water softeners, which are unlike the PVC-type systems that were being offered.

I was born and raised in Pompano Beach, Fla., and still reside there. I love the Florida lifestyle and all it has to offer.

Q. What sets your business apart?

We stay focused on just water and air treatment so we can provide updated and innovative products to our clients. We are always looking for new technologies and products.

Q. What do you want everyone to know about Yacht-Mate Products?

We are a small, local company with many products to satisfy anyone’s budget. Customer service is No. 1. We have a showroom and warehouse full of stock for the most common products and offer loyalty discounts to our repeat clients. If they need a special filter or replacement we can source it easily with our contacts. We want to make sure our customers come back.

We have both wholesale and retail clients and our products are in Boat Owners Warehouse and DS Hull.

Q. Tell us about some of your staff.

When you stop by our office, you will be greeted by my Labrador Lucy and our new addition, Harper, a rescue.

Debbie DeBrocq runs the office and is the smiling face behind the desk.

For more information on Yacht-Mate Products, contact sales@yachtmate. com, +1 954 527-0112 and visit www.yachtmate.com. The Feb. 17 networking event will be at the store at 3200 S. Andrews Ave., Suite 105, in Ft. Lauderdale (33316).

Triton Networking

February 2016 The-Triton.com

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Crew key to yachting, a chance to connect at Denison on Feb. 3 Join The Triton to network with Denison Crew on Feb. 3 in Ft. Lauderdale. Captains, crew and the yachting industry are invited to the free event to learn more about crew services while enjoying a snack and beverage.

Until then learn more from Jackie Guenther and Jill Maderia in the Ft. Lauderdale office.

Q. Please tell us about Denison and the crew division.

Denison Yacht Sales, based in Ft. Lauderdale, is uniquely positioned to provide services that are all encompassing. Whether purchasing a boat, scheduling a charter, or finding crew, clients can accomplish everything under one roof. With an unrivaled family history since 1948, the Denison family has been trusted in the yachting community.

Q. Who will crew work with?

Crew will work with Jackie Guenther, yacht charter manager and crew placement and Jill Maderia with the crew division. Our crew coordinators have either worked on boats or have placed crew on boats, so they understand and can relate with the process a vessel and crew go through.

Q. Where are you located?

We are in the Quay in Suite 131 A and will soon move our permanent home in Suite 119, just next to Boatyard.

We will host our networking event on the rooftop at the Marina Boathouse Fort Lauderdale at 1601 SE 16th St., Ft. Lauderdale (33316). It’s just a short walk from our office.

Q. What sets your agency apart?

Often, it can feel like a full time job registering and managing your crew profiles, so we have streamlined the process with a user-friendly and easyto-use Web site. Crew can navigate potential opportunities with interactive profiles. We create a distinct way to help crew market themselves during their job searches.

Our next webinar, on January 27, will be Coffee Basics, featuring Dan Franklin from BREW Next Door. We look forward to hosting in-house trainings as well.

We have so many fun and educational events coming up for crew.

Q. How should crew use your services (online, in person)?

We have a new, fresh database and easy to use Web site.

Crew can register at DenisonCrew. com. Crew can ‘like’ Denison Crew on Facebook at facebook. com/DenisonYachtCrew and follow

us on Twitter at @CrewDenison and Instagram at Instagram.com/ denisonyachtcrew.

Q. Do you have advice for crew?

The best advice is to always remain professional, whether you are working at an event or staying in a crew house, you never know where your next job will come from. The manner in which you conduct yourself outside of work is telling how you will be as an employee.

Q. What trends are you seeing with yacht crew?

We have noticed crew are setting themselves apart by upgrading their skills. Whether it’s training courses for wine or table settings or upgrading a ticket, having advanced or unique certifications could mean getting hired

or not.

Q. What makes for a good CV? The best thing we can recommend for CVs would be to keep it concise and easy to read. Those in charge of hiring receive several applicants. Invest in yourself and have a professional in the industry review it. l Look the part and have a professional headshot l Target your audience when applying for a position l Have a clear objective with the position you are seeking l Check grammar and typos, have a professional review your work l Check for correct contact details.

Make sure your phone number and email are up to date.

Guenther and Maderia For more information, contact DenisonCrew.com, a division of Denison Yacht Sales, +1 954-278-9250, located in The Quay at 1515 SE 17th St., Suite 131A, Ft. Lauderdale, 33316. The event will be held at the Boathouse Fort Lauderdale at 6300 NE 1st Ave., Third Floor, Ft. Lauderdale (33334).

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News

The-Triton.com February 2016

Derecktor General Manager Micah Tucker, right, presented the concept used to build a 65-foot hybrid-electric research catamaran during the inaugural Electric & Hybrid Marine World that was held in Ft. Lauderdale on PHOTO/SUZETTE COOK Jan. 11-13.

Future of vessel power starts at 100 percent Challenge with electric, hybrid technology is training crew

By Suzette Cook

thinking and environmentally friendly vessels in operation today.”

During last month’s Electric & The challenge, Tucker said, is in Hybrid Marine World Expo, Derecktor training captains and engineers to Shipyards announced that after adapt to a vessel with an automated building a 65variable speed foot research generator.

‘We were used to catamaran, the “When the company had diesels shut down, horsepower and been contracted you don’t actually torque, and now we’re to build another lose power, but it going to have to get hybrid-electric takes a while for research vessel. your mind to adjust used to kilowatts and Its HybriDrive to this and realize megawatts.’ system will that everything is – Carl Verdonck allow for silent OK,” Tucker said. “It product specialist for operation, and can be a little nerve GKN Land Systems the addition wracking docking of keel coolers the vessel in 20 knots will minimize of breeze, when the wastewater generators shut discharge from the vessel. This, down and that’s your only input and according to Derecktor General all of a sudden they’re not there. We Manager Micah Tucker, will make found after a while, you have to pay the vessel suitable for use in highly attention more to the movement of sensitive research applications and the vessel and actually listen for the create “one of the most forwardaudible or vibration feedback.”

News

February 2016 The-Triton.com

More than 2,000 people from 40 countries gathered in Ft. Lauderdale in mid-January to hear from all sectors of the marine industry as to how electric and hybrid technology is changing the game. And it starts with commercial boats such as that research vessel.

“Hybrid power is coming, and it’s not going away,” attendee Carl Verdonck said.

“From a mechanical aspect it just makes sense. Having a diesel engine driving a transmission to a propeller has been around too long. There’s a better way to do it.”

Verdonck is a product specialist for GKN Land Systems in Dayton, Ohio. The global company supplies technology for differentiated power management solutions and services.

The advances in electric and hybrid technology have changed how his company comes up with solutions to power supply.

“We were used to horsepower and torque, and now we’re going to have to get used to kilowatts and megawatts,” he said.

Up and coming marine engineers will need to understand this new technology, too.

“They’re going to have to concentrate more on basic electrical knowledge,” Verdonck said.

“In mechanical engineering school, we had a class called motors and rotors, which is how the electric motors and the generators work and how the voltage and current applies.

That’s an entirely different world than when we’re dealing with pure mechanical force.”

Verdonck said his training did require segments of instruction that is becoming more relevant today than when he first learned it.

“There’s basic curricula for understanding some parts of electrical engineering, but for people like myself, I wasn’t interested in it,” said Verdonck, who is a mechanical engineer. “I took the class and the second that it was over, it was erased from my memory.

So, unfortunately, I’m going to have to go back and pull some dust off the books and relearn that stuff because it just became pertinent 20 years later.”

Training engineers and captains of vessels using battery power systems is a top priority for companies that make them, such as Nilar, said Richard Howlett, the Sweden-based company’s vice president of engineering.

“It doesn’t take long,” he said about getting a vessel under way. “There’s no ramping it up, ramping it down. You start at 100 percent.

“You have to get used to having all

that power,” he said.

“When slowing down, a captain has to not just pull back in reverse, he has to pull into it, or [he’ll] throw everybody out of their chairs.”

It seems that Markle everyone is watching, and waiting for some signs of success.

“The future of what we’re doing with the U.S Navy is well-rooted in the commercial industry,” said Stephen Markle, acting director of the U.S.

Navy’s Electric Ships Office.

“You guys are showing us how to get there. We’re very interested in energy storage, whether or not it’s batteries or fly wheels or anything else. Very interested in how we move that energy around the ship where and when we need it.”

More than 30 electric and hybrid marine industry experts agreed that the higher profit margin is the incentive for the commercial marine industry to jump onboard with hybrid and electric technology.

But for the megayacht industry, the pressure to take on new technology

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falls behind, said Phil Purcell, executive director of the Marine Industries Association of South Florida and a former Westport executive.

“I’m a big fan of hybrid technology,” said Purcell, who said he owns a Tesla electric vehicle, an electric Duffy Boat and a Torqeedo electric outboard.

“But nothing happens until somebody sells something. If we can’t create awareness, it’s really hard for you guys to sell it.”

Suzette Cook is editor of The Triton.

Comments are welcome at suzette@thetriton.com.

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Calendar

Upcoming Events

EVENT OF THE MONTH Feb. 11-16 28th annual Yachts Miami Beach (formerly The Yacht and Brokerage Show)

The megayacht part of Miami’s boat shows, not to be confused with the Miami International Boat Show, showcases hundreds of millions of dollars worth of yachts in-water along a one-mile stretch of the Indian Creek Waterway with an additional location at Island Gardens on Watson Island.

Free, www.showmanagement.com.

Running concurrently is the Miami International Boat Show at a new location at Miami Marine Stadium. Strictly Sail will be at the Miamarina at Bayside. Free water taxis and shuttle buses from Miami and Miami Beach, www.miamiboatshow.com.

Feb. 3 The Triton’s monthly networking event (the first Wednesday of every month from 6-8 p.m.) with Denison, Ft. Lauderdale. Join us for casual

networking, no RSVP required. www. the-triton.com

Feb. 5 Wobbly Race, Antigua. A BYOB

(build your own boat) race for yacht crew. The annual event aids ABSAR (Antigua and Barbuda Search and Rescue). For details contact ABSAR at info@absar.org.

Feb. 5-7 Miami International Map Fair.

The 23th anniversary of the fair, the largest map fair in the world. Search map fair at www.historymiami.org.

Feb. 6 27th annual Women’s Sailing

Convention, Southern California Yachting Association, Corona del Mar, Calif. Open to all women, from novice to expert, with workshops presented by top women sailors. www.scya.org

Feb. 9 Mardi Gras, New Orleans. One

of the world’s most famous celebrations for this holiday of excess before the

The-Triton.com February 2016

limits of Lent. www.mardigras.com and www.mardigrasneworleans.com.

Feb. 10 Miami to Havana Race

Inaugural race hosted by Coral Reef Yacht Club and Hemingway International Yacht Club of Cuba with SORC as race committee. www.havanarace.org

Feb. 13-21 New England Boat show, Boston. NewEnglandBoatShow.com

Feb. 17 The Triton’s monthly

networking event (the ocassional third Wednesday of every month from 6-8 p.m.) with Yacht-Mate Products, Ft. Lauderdale. Join us for casual networking. www.the-triton.com

Feb. 19 62nd annual Marine

Engineering Science and Technology (IMarEST) annual dinner. imarest.org

Feb. 24-26 MYBA Broker Seminar,

Nice, France. This broker seminar is an intensive course covering charter, sale and purchase and yacht management. www.myba-association.com

Feb. 25-28 59th Los Angeles Boat show, Los Angeles.

LosAngelesBoatShow.com

Feb. 27 51st Fort Lauderdale Billfish

Tournament presented by Marine Industries Association of South Florida. This year to benefit Marine Industry Cares Foundation. www. fortlauderdalebillfishtournament.com

March 1-5 Dubai International Boat

Show, Dubai International Marine Club. This year to host seven sectors with more than 26,000 visitors from 76 countries. www.boatshowdubai.com

March 2 The Triton’s monthly

networking event (the first Wednesday of every month from 6-8 p.m.) with Blue Star, Ft. Lauderdale. Join us for casual networking, no RSVP required. www.the-triton.com

March 4-13 33rd Miami International Film Festival, various locations in Miami. www.miamifilmfestival.com

March 5 39th annual Waterway

Cleanup, Ft. Lauderdale area.

Organized and sponsored by MIASF it is Broward county’s largest environmental event with about 2,000 volunteers and 70 boats gathering debris from the waterways, rivers and

February 2016 The-Triton.com

Upcoming Events

MAKING PLANS April 6 Triton Spring Expo, Bahia Mar Yachting Center Ft. Lauderdale

The Triton’s popular Expo is open to yacht crew and industry – both working and looking – to help them develop the contacts that can make their careers better. There will be vendors, food and beverages.Stay tuned to www.the-triton.com for details. canals. Visit www.miasf.org and www. waterwaycleanup.org.

www.cruiseshippingevents.com

March 8-13 Moscow International

Superyacht Summit, Ft. Lauderdale.

Education, networking and action for yachting industry professionals. ussuperyacht.com

Boat and Yacht Show, Russia. eng. mosboatshow.ru/boat

March 9-12 Loro Piana

Caribbean Superyacht Regatta and Rendezvous, BVI. www. superyachtregattaandrendezvous.com

March 14-17 Seatrade Cruise Global, Ft. Lauderdale. Event for cruise lines, suppliers, travel agents and partners.

March 15 U.S. Superyacht Association

March 16 The Triton’s monthly

networking event (the occasional third Wednesday of every month from 6-8 p.m.) with Nautical Ventures. www.thetriton.com

March 17-20 31th annual Palm Beach

International Boat Show, Palm Beach, Fla. More than $1.2 billion worth of boats, yachts and accessories from eight-foot inflatables to superyachts more than 150-foot.In-water portion of the show is on the Intracoastal Waterway along Flagler Drive. Show entrances are at Evernia St./Flagler Dr. and North Clematis St./Flagler Dr. Free buses. www.showmanagement.com

March 17-20 St. Barths Bucket

Regatta. A congenial, invitational regatta set in the Corinthian spirit open to yachts over 100 feet (31m). www. bucketregattas.com

April 6-8 Seatec 13th International

exhibition of technologies, subcontracting and design for boats, megayachts and ships, Marina di Carrara, Italy. www.sea-tec.it

April 20 The Triton’s monthly

networking event (the occasional third Wednesday of every month from 6-8 p.m.) with Universal Marine Center. www.the-triton.com

April 23 Yachts du Coeur, Old Port of Cannes. Yachts donate extra food to

Calendar

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benefit the Food Bank for the opening of yachting season. www.yachts-ducoeur.com

April 23-24 Blue Wild Ocean

Adventure and Marine Art Expo, Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center. Host to seminars, workshops and demonstrations on freediving, scuba diving, spearfishing, lobstering, board sports, underwater photography, videography, and marine art.

TheBlueWild.com

April 26-28, International Naval

Engineering Conference and Exhibition, Bristol, UK. Conference designed for naval engineering, designers, shipbuilders, classification societies, machinery and equipment manufacturers and others. www. imarest.org

April 27-28 Commercial Marine Expo (CME), New Bedford, Mass. The U.S. Atlantic coast’s largest commercial marine trade show. For military, tugs, repair, construction, fishing, showcasing the latest equipment and gear. www.comarexpo.com

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The-Triton.com

February 2016

Triton Survey

Refits

Captains prefer control, offer tips for successful refits Lucy Chabot Reed As the inaugural Refit International Exhibition & Conference prepared to kick off in late January, we thought yacht captains might have something to say about the process, so we asked.

There are lots of facets to the refit of a megayacht, most depending on the scope of the project.

For the purposes of this survey, we asked captains to consider their annual yard period, a mid-level refit that included a haul-out, and work that touched several departments.

About 80 yacht captains responded to this survey and provided a solid foundation for a captains roundtable discussion at the Refit show.

We started our survey at the beginning: How do you go about compiling a work list?

More than half of our respondents use multiple sources to create the work list for a refit, which includes the owner’s desires, the crew’s punch list, and others with a stake in the vessel.

“Everyone contributes, including the owner,” said the captain of a yacht 100-120 feet in yachting more than 15 years. “It helps us to have them include

things. They feel better about spending if they get some new things, too.”

“I call it her ‘master plan’, and it is always a team effort to not forget anything,” said the captain of a yacht more than 220 feet in yachting more than 25 years.

“Projects are divided into three groups: those necessary for compliance, safety and continued operation; the captain’s wish list, not imperative but recommended for maintaining the status quo or slight improvements; and the owner’s wish list,” said the captain of a yacht 140-160 feet in yachting more than 35 years.

“Stakeholders make their wish lists, then a conference agrees on the projects to be submitted to management and to the yard for quotation,” said the captain of a yacht more than 220 feet in yachting more than 35 years.

“As with all projects, proper planning prevents poor performance,” said the captain of a yacht 180-200 feet in yachting more than 25 years. “Nobody (owner, crew, yard) likes surprises.”

Slightly more than a quarter of captains said primarily focus is on the owner’s desires, then add the items they

How do you go about compiling a work list?

Owner’s desires 26%

know need service or upgrade.

“Always pay attention to the owner’s wishes, but include the obvious needs for the boat itself,” said the captain of a yacht 100-120 more than 30 years.

The rest, about 18 percent, start with the running list that the captain and crew compile while operating the yacht.

“Every day, there is a punch list that grows,” said the captain of a yacht 80100 feet in yachting more than 25 years.

No one began by hiring a surveyor or following flag or class rules alone.

“It is seldom that a surveyor is required, except when the annual involves flag state- or classification society-mandated or -regulated works,” said the captain of a yacht 140-160 feet in yachting more than 20 years.

Another key decision that should be made ahead of time is who will take control of the refit, so we asked captains Who do you prefer to have managing the refit?

A solid majority of yacht captains – 56 percent of our respondents – said they prefer to be in charge.

“Refits will always have a hiccup somewhere, either time delay or financial issue,” said the captain of a yacht 100-120 feet in yachting more than 20 years. “Being able to handle the curve balls and the constraining time to complete the projects in time for the next charter or owner’s trip is why successful captains should be hired.”

Most of the rest opted to share responsibility with members of their own crew.

None of these captains preferred to hand management of a refit off to the shipyard or even management company, although 4 percent said they preferred to team up with a project manager or the lead contractor.

So it was no surprise, then, to discover the answer to this next question: If you had to pick one person, who is most responsible for a successful refit?

We thought maybe the owner was the key person since he held the purse strings and ultimately made purchasing decisions, but nearly three-quarters of yacht captains said they were most responsible for a successful refit.

“The biggest thing is to be well organized,” said the captain of a yacht 140-160 feet in yachting more than 15 years. “A good timeline flow chart is critical as to what gets done when and what jobs will affect others. Try not to overlap contractors in the same area.

Involve your heads of department.”

Most of the rest said it was impossible to pick just one person from the respective sides with interest, including the owner, shipyard and contractors as well as the captain.

About 5 percent said it was the owner who is most responsible.

We were curious to learn How do you choose your contractors?

Is it who they know, or do they get recommendations from the yard, their colleagues or even the log book?

About 75 percent overwhelmingly preferred to work first with contractors

Who do you prefer to have managing the refit?

Who is most responsible for a successful refit?

My crew and I together 40% Crew-generated list 18%

Owner’s rep 1%

Other 4%

All/some of the above 56%

Owner 5% Me 56%

Impossible to pick one 23%

Captain 71%

February 2016

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The-Triton.com

Triton Survey

they have worked with before. After that, their methods varied almost evenly among those who had worked on the boat before, those recommended by fellow captains, and those recommended by other industry pros.

The third most common way was taking a recommendation from fellow captains or from the yard.

While many owners use a yard period to schedule crew time off, most captains resist that since they see themselves as critical to the success of the refit. So we asked, Have you ever handed off a refit, or taken over a refit as relief?

Half of our respondents answered this question in the affirmative, but it appeared that most were the ones taking over, not handing off.

“Where I have taken over, it went smoothly,” said the captain of a yacht 140-160 feet yachting over 35 years. “I have never handed over mid-refit.”

“Never handed off,” said the captain of a yacht 100-120 feet in yachting more than 15 years. “I have been interim or relief on several vessels.”

“Best not to,” said the captain of a yacht 180-200 feet in yachting more than 15 years. “There will always be areas you could have done differently or

‘better’, but that’s very subjective.”

Among those captains who had either refit a yacht not their own or left their refit to someone else, we wanted to know Did the refit go smoothly?

More than 80 percent said it did.

“When I take over, yes,” said the captain of a yacht more than 220 feet in yachting more than 35 years. “When others take over, not necessarily so.”

“Be well organized and have a realistic timeline clearly laid out, what gets done when and by whom,” said the captain of a yacht 140-160 feet in yachting more than 15 years.

Still, with a shift in captains, issues arise.

“I already had one vessel in the same yard and a friend’s vessel came in, so I did both at once,” said the captain of a yacht more than 220 feet in yachting more than 25 years. “I don’t recommend that to anyone. It got ‘a bit difficult’, as [one yard executive] said.”

“Unless I am involved in every day of the refit, the yard will inevitably make a mistake and carry on as if they did no wrong,” said the captain of a yacht less than 80 feet in yachting over 15 years.

When working with a shipyard, we asked captains Do you prefer several yard contacts, perhaps one for each

part of the refit, or just one yard point person?

Almost half wanted one liaison with the yard, while just over a third said that several yard contacts worked well.

Eighteen percent said it doesn’t matter.

How much communication is required with the yard contact person, as a minimum?

About 82 percent said it was at least daily (53 percent) or even several times a day (29 percent).

“Communication between the owner and yard is most important,” said the captain of a yacht 100-120 feet in yachting more than 30 years. “There are always changes, but to avoid problems, you must make sure everyone is aware of the reason, and the cost, both financially and timewise.”

Most of the rest said several times a week.

In addition, “Yards should be able to produce a weekly progress report for the captain and owners to better visualize project budgets and completion goals,” said the captain of a yacht 140-160 feet in yachting more than 35 years.

How about payment? Regardless of what the yard requires, do you prefer to pay as you go or to pay at the end?

Nearly three-quarters prefer to pay as a refit progresses, but not necessarily at the completion of phases or upon reaching benchmarks. Just one captain opted for that method.

We have fielded a lot of feedback over the years from captains who take issue with shipyard billing practices, so we asked How often is the bill higher than budgeted?

Do you prefer several yard contacts or just one?

How much communication is required with the yard?

How often is the bill higher than budgeted?

Most captains prefer daily communication with the yard during all parts of PHOTO FROM MARK O’CONNELL/MARKOCONNELL.PHOTODECK.COM a yacht refit.

Weekly 4% Several times a week 13%

Doesn’t matter 18%

Several 35%

Just one 47%

Several times a day 29%

At the completion of stages 1%

If a bill is higher, what percentage is acceptable?

See REFITS page 32

Never 1% Rarely 6% Every time 14%

Daily 53%

It is more likely to be higher than not, with 45 percent saying “usually,” a third more saying “sometimes,” and 14 percent saying “every time”. Add those together, and 92 percent of our responding captains say they expect the bill to be higher than accepted.

But that’s not necessarily a problem.

“There are always items that show up on refits that you do not see coming,” said the captain of a yacht 80100 feet in yachting more than 25 years.

If a bill is higher, what percentage is acceptable?

Two-thirds of captains said up to 20 percent is acceptable.

“It is always acceptable, to some degree, unless there is evidence the yard was deliberate in the excess,” said the captain of a yacht less than 80 feet in yachting more than 30 years. “I never had a budget. My task is get it done and ready by [a set date].”

“I allow for ‘discovery’, for instance, on a class survey refit, and clear it with the owner as we go,” said the captain of a yacht 200-220 feet in yachting more than 25 years. “An experienced owner knows it will run over budget.”

“I require a 10 percent clause in the contract,” said the captain of a yacht 80-100 feet in yachting over 25 years.

Most of the rest said it depends.

“Depends on the refit and the extent of each project,” said the captain of a yacht 100-120 feet in yachting more than 20 years. “Some projects may open a can of worms and may just not be able to predict.”

“All depends on the work and the unknowns,” said the captain of a yacht

Sometimes 33%

Other 26% Usually 45%

30-40 1%

No more than 10 percent 29%

20-30 5% 10-20 38%

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REFITS from page 31 100-120 feet in yachting over 30 years.

“Depends on the reason,” said the captain of a yacht less than 80 feet in yachting more than 20 years. “Did we add? Did the job require more time and/or parts?”

“The percentage varies greatly due to geography,” said the captain of a yacht 140-160 feet in yachting more than 35 years. “For example, in the U.S yards, pricing reliability is a thing of fantasy. In Northern Europe, they seem more adept to producing an accurate appraisal.”

“Depends on how much additional work is uncovered, so a set percent of invoice increase isn’t really relative,” said the captain of a yacht more than 220 feet in yachting more than 20 years.

“If we are talking about just things that were on the original list, then 10 percent,” said the captain of a yacht 120-140 feet in yachting more than 25 years. “If you include things that were found and corrected that were not in the schedule, I have had 50-60 percent higher than what we planned. In the end, the job has to be done, and done right the first time.”

Many captains include an expected overage in their communications with the owner, making them aware that it’s coming.

“In my estimates, I build in a graph for the owner to see stating that overages go up proportionate to the age of the vessel,” said the captain of a yacht 140-160 feet in yachting more than 20 years. “So a vessel less than 5 years old can expect up to a 10 percent overage as acceptable. A vessel over 25 years old can expect a 50 percent overage as things are taken apart and discoveries are made.”

One captain holds fast to the budget.

“If the bill is higher than budgeted (expected), no percentage is

acceptable,” said the captain of a yacht more than 220 feet in yachting more than 35 years. “It then comes down to negotiation, which is not necessarily a skill that the project manager has.”

Because things pop up when one begins to tear apart a yacht, we wondered Do you include less critical projects in your work list that can be eliminated so you can stay under budget and time?

Two-thirds of our respondents do not use this technique. The work list is items expected to be completed.

“I always start with the mostpotential-for-having-issues projects first,” said the captain of a yacht less than 80 feet in yachting more than 30 years. “Many times, several are under way at the same time. Priorities sometimes change daily.”

Still, about a third said doing so is a vital component to any work list.

That leads us to ask: Which is more important, the time schedule or the work schedule?

Fifty-eight percent said the work is more important, most likely as the cruising schedule is flexible.

“The work is more important,” said the captain of a yacht less than 80 feet in yachting more than 20 years. “Just like a cruising schedule, you should go with the weather as this is usually what dictates progress all around.”

“When you haul out, you want to get as much work done as possible so there is no haul out again until it’s time or you have to say ‘we should have fixed that when the yacht was hauled’,” said the captain of a yacht 80-100 feet in yachting more than 25 years.

“The owner’s schedule is, for sure, an important factor,” said the captain of a yacht less than 80 feet in yachting more than 20 years. “Not completing the tasks and leaving and having issues is not acceptable.”

“The caveat here is that the longer

Do you budget less critical projects that can be cut?

Which is more important, the time or the work schedule?

Yes 32%

The time 42% No 68%

The work 58%

Triton Survey

February 2016 The-Triton.com

a yacht is in a yard, the more it costs, period,” said the captain of a yacht more than 220 feet in yachting more than 20 years. “A well-organized refit is one that has a minimum amount of exposure to the yard, no matter what the work list includes.”

“We push to have deadlines met with a penalty rider,” said the captain of a yacht 80-100 in yachting over 15 years.

“You want to make sure you don’t have to go back into a yard soon after you have left because you put a schedule ahead,” said the captain of a yacht 140-160 feet in yachting more than 35 years. “Tough call for a charter vessel, but not that critical on a privately owned vessel. If the schedule is that important, then get more contractors. A tight schedule equates to more headaches and more money.”

About 42 percent of captains placed a priority on the schedule for just that reason, to minimize yard expenses and keep with the cruising schedule.

“Time is money, and it’s very important to keep the owner’s asset available to them, so long as it’s seaworthy,” said the captain of a yacht 100-120 feet in yachting over 20 years.

“The current boat is schedulecritical for the owner,” said the captain of a yacht 140-160 feet in yachting more

than 15 years. “The work still has to be done right, but more people may be needed to achieve desired results in the time frame.”

“We only go to the yard every two years, due to our schedule, so staying on schedule is a top priority,” said the captain of a yacht 120-140 feet in yachting more than 25 years. “I always schedule extra days in every phase when we block out yard time.”

“We organize the work well ahead of time and leave room for unforeseen problems,” said the captain of a yacht larger than 220 feet in yachting more than 35 years. “The owners don’t want their boats in the shipyard. They want to have them available for use.”

Of course, sometimes it depends.

“If the work is required, then it takes as long as it takes,” said the captain of a yacht 100-120 feet in yachting more than 30 years. “If it’s fluff, the schedule is more important.”

“Your choices are too simplistic,” said the captain of a yacht 140-160 feet in yachting more than 20 years.

“If it comes down to a time crunch and there are major repairs that have not been completed, well, then, they have to be completed, despite the yacht’s schedule. If you have prioritized the important tasks and they got

completed but minor ones can’t be because you’re out of time, well, then, you put the boat back in the water and meet the schedule.”

And finally, we asked What do you wish you had more control over in the refit process?

Almost all of our 79 respondents offered their thoughts on this openended question, and it comes as no surprise that they want to have control over things like time and the weather.

But they overwhelmingly want control over workers.

“Workers hours on the yacht. I see lots of walking back and forth, forgotten tools, parts, etc.”

“Something none of us can control to any degree that helps: how others conduct themselves. If a subcontractor or the yard says they will be there in the morning or whenever, and they do not show up, I had better get a call beforehand letting me know. Schedules get changed all the time. Just let us know so we can make the best of it.”

“Dealing with workers directly.”

“Shipyard scheduling of its labor.”

“Better oversight of workers (yard and others), more control of time, less time off the boat for whatever reason.”

“Knowing hours worked by contractors on your repairs done off

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the yacht or off premises.”

“Bad contractors, which usually means those that start a job and then leave it to do other jobs, knowing they have you over a barrel with your stuff torn apart.”

“Holding vendors responsible for the contracts they agree to and their expected finish time.”

“I wish I could tighten subcontractors’ schedules.”

“How fast others work. Nobody ever cares as much as the guy in charge.”

“Subs that say they will be onboard and don’t show because they are still trying to finish the boat next to you.”

A few captains got creative.

“X-ray glasses to see what surprise is lurking behind that bulkhead or hiding in the overhead.”

“That I had a clone that could take my time off. You never can be away from a refit. Eat lunch at the yard and sleep aboard if you can.”

And one captain got a little crazy.

What did he want to control? The boss.

Lucy Chabot Reed is editor emeritus of The Triton. Comments are welcome at lucy@the-triton.com. We conduct monthly surveys online. All captains and crew members are welcome to participate. E-mail us to be included.

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Triton Survey

The-Triton.com February 2016

Captains offer tips from their perspective for yards, owners We asked captains, If you could tell shipyards one productive thing, what would it be?

Manage your workers to be efficient and not time wasters to run up the bill. This includes using cellphones during the work day. l

l

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Communicate daily. l

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If you can’t show up that day, let us know the day prior. Always ask the vessel for tools so you don’t have to spend a few hours going back for a wrench we most likely have on board. l

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Keep your billing current, with no surprises, on a weekly basis. l

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Be accountable for your crew. Don’t make it so that I have to come find you to tell you your crew is slacking. l

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Stop being 98 percenters. Every time I’m in refit, they complete 98 percent and then start on another vessel, pulling their crew just in sight

of completion. l

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Make sure all yard technicians have the tools and equipment they need for their particular operation to cut out the time wasted – yet charged for – going to and from the shop. l

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Talk to me, the captain. Don’t treat me like an obstacle that needs to be kept in the dark. l

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Do the work you proposed, in the time you proposed, and for the price you proposed. I did not tell you what to charge, or tell you how long it would take. I asked you. Now perform what you proposed. l

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Don’t waste materials and expect it to be paid for by the owner or refit budget. l

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Make the person who started the job finish it. Don’t keep switching people between boats. l

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Create understandable billing.

We asked captains, If you could teach yacht owners one productive thing about refits, what would it be?

It is absolutely necessary to offset the effects of aging and depreciation. l

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When you get the call that there is a delay, just roll with it. Refits, even small ones, run into lots of issues that almost always cause delays and extra money. l

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Trust your captain. We are there to oversee your interest. l

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Understand that once you start dismantling components and equipment, you are likely to find more items requiring direct attention. It’s better to address them right then, even if the cost is substantial, than put the yacht back into service to try to save money or time and deal with it at a later date. l

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We will find more work as we get

into it, it will cost more, and it likely will take longer. l

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Refits are critical information on a sale to get the asking price. l

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Avoid “false economising.” Yachts are expensive toys. Investment is required, but have a representative who truly acts in your best interests and has the knowledge and skill set to manage your vessel economically and efficiently. l

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Things will pop up unexpectedly that will cause either more time or more money. Don’t get angry with me for the cost of maintaining it. l

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Agree on dates and location well in advance to allow proper planning, and don’t change the schedule. l

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Be aware that change orders cause the most expense. l

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Surprises don’t mean the crew has failed.

Crew Health

February 2016 The-Triton.com

Chefs are responding to diners who seek healthy menu offerings Take It In Carol Bareuther

Dining out doesn’t have to mean filling out an extra pant or skirt size.

Globally, two-thirds of people now seek healthy options on menus when eating in a restaurant.

This is according to the 2012 World Menu Report, a report of eatingout trends in 10 countries (USA, UK, China, Germany, Russia, Brazil, Turkey, Poland, South Africa and Indonesia) by Unilever Food Solutions, a multinational company based in Rotterdam and London.

Many restaurant chefs are listening to this diner demand by offering more healthful options on their menus. And there are a few tips and tricks to choosing what to eat when dining out.

First, see if you can get a copy of a menu in advance.

Many restaurants post their menu online or have a list of offerings available to peruse ahead of time. Check specials of the day upon arrival; these often feature healthy fresh fish or seafood, or entrees brimming with fresh produce.

Words used in menu descriptions that signify healthy choices include baked, braised, broiled, grilled, marinated, poached, roasted, steamed and stir-fried.

Beyond how dishes are prepared, portion sizes are the biggest problem when dining out. Consider splitting a large entrée with a friend. And don’t be afraid to ask for a doggie bag. It’s a great way to enjoy a great meal twice.

Here is a sampling of some of the most healthful choices from the world’s most popular cuisines: American Cajun: red beans and rice (without sausage), boiled shrimp or crawfish, jambalaya (a mixture of meat, vegetables and rice), turkey po’ boy sandwich (submarine-like sandwich served on a baguette).

Chinese: wonton or hot-and-sour soup, steamed dumplings, lightly stir-fried entrees with lots of veggies such as moo-shu pork or Szechwan pork with steamed white rice, fortune cookies.

French: Steamed mussels, oysters on the half shell, tuna tartare, coq au vin (braised chicken and mushrooms in a

Burgundy wine sauce), bouillabaisse (fish stew), grilled fish with Bordelaise or other wine-based sauces, fruit sorbet.

Germany: rote linsensuppe (red lentil soup), mohrrübensuppe (carrot soup), gurkensalat (cucumber salad), kartoffel und heringssalat (potato and herring salad), geräucherte forelle (smoked trout).

Greek: dolmas (grape leaves stuffed with a rice mixture), tzatziki (cucumber and yogurt appetizer or dip), hummus, roast lamb or shish kabob served with couscous or bulgur wheat, plaki (fish cooked in a tomato, garlic, onion sauce).

Indian: chicken or beef tikka (ovenroasted with spices) or tandoori (marinated in spices and baked in a clay oven), vegetable curries, matar pulao (rice pilaf with peas), saag (cooked green vegetable dish), chapati (thin wholewheat bread).

Italian: minestrone soup, pasta primavera (pasta topped with sautéed veggies) or pasta with marinara (tomato, onion, garlic-based sauce), chicken marsala, piccata, Italian ice.

Japanese: vegetable sushi, su udon (hot noodles in broth), sumashi soup (broth-based with shrimp and tofu), yosenabe (vegetables and seafood hot pot), chicken teriyaki, sukiyaki (beef and vegetables).

Mexican: ceviche (marinated fish and shellfish), grilled beef, chicken or fish grilled and served with beans, rice and flour tortillas, fajitas (lean chicken or beef with peppers and onions), chicken or beef enchiladas topped with salsa, tamales (meat, cheese or vegetables wrapped and steamed in corn husks), flan served with fruit.

Thai: tom yam goong (hot and sour shrimp soup), pad Thai (noodles stir-fried with tofu, egg, bean sprouts, peanuts, scallions and shrimp), khao neaw kaew (sweet sticky rice).

Vietnamese: bo xa liu nuong (grilled beef in rice paper with veggies and lemongrass), ca hap (steamed whole fish), canh chua tom (spicy and sour shrimp soup), lychee fruit.

Carol Bareuther is a registered dietitian and freelance health and nutrition writer. Contact her through www.thetriton.com/author/carol-bareuther.

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Career

The-Triton.com February 2016

Today’s fuel prices

One year ago

Prices for low-sulfur gasoil expressed in US$ per cubic meter (1,000 liters) as of Jan. 15.

Prices for low-sulfur gasoil expressed in US$ per cubic meter (1,000 liters) as of Jan. 15, 2015

Region Duty-free*/duty paid U.S. East Coast Ft. Lauderdale 342/371 Savannah, Ga. 322/NA Newport, R.I. 318/NA Caribbean St. Thomas, USVI 654/NA St. Maarten 564/NA Antigua 676/NA Valparaiso 440/NA North Atlantic

Bermuda (Ireland Island) 589/NA Cape Verde 339/NA Azores 432/1,050 Canary Islands 332/655 Mediterranean Gibraltar 400/NA Barcelona, Spain 363/912 Palma de Mallorca, Spain NA/1,159 Antibes, France 331/1,107 San Remo, Italy 456/1,454 Naples, Italy 391/1,302 Venice, Italy 530/1,434 Corfu, Greece 454/1,072 Piraeus, Greece 411/1,040 Istanbul, Turkey 522/NA Malta 725/1,300 Tunis, Tunisia 684/NA Bizerte, Tunisia 684/NA Oceania Auckland, New Zealand 386/NA Sydney, Australia 411/NA Fiji 386/NA

Region Duty-free*/duty paid U.S. East Coast Ft. Lauderdale 600/630 Savannah, Ga. 650/NA Newport, R.I. 650/NA Caribbean St. Thomas, USVI 820/NA St. Maarten 800/NA Antigua 810/NA Valparaiso 820/NA North Atlantic

Bermuda (Ireland Island) 840/NA Cape Verde 680/NA Azores 680/1,100 Canary Islands 720/980 Mediterranean Gibraltar 480/NA Barcelona, Spain 680/1,455 Palma de Mallorca, Spain NA/920 Antibes, France 620/1,420 San Remo, Italy 660/1,735 Naples, Italy 670/1,755 Venice, Italy 680/1,780 Corfu, Greece 660/1,600 Piraeus, Greece 680/1,540 Istanbul, Turkey 490/NA Malta 480/1,280 Tunis, Tunisia 460/NA Bizerte, Tunisia 460/NA Oceania Auckland, New Zealand 630/NA Sydney, Australia 640/NA Fiji 650/NA

*When available according to local customs.

Souffles will fall, but they can also rise to any special occasion chefs use lemon juice to clean a bowl completely. If they are even slightly Culinary Waves cold, the volume won’t be there either.

Chef Mary Beth Lawton Johnson 4. Whip to a peak, but not Denali mountain peaks. If they are too hard, No other dessert besides the souffle the whipped whites will have a hard can make a dining experience more time folding into the base. The key to memorable. The French cook Vincent getting a souffle to rise is to get the de la Chapelle is first credited with whites just past the not-glossy stage. inventing this dish while the famous Now comes the physics. The protein French chef Marie-Antoine Careme in the egg whites form a shield around is responsible for making the souffle the air bubbles. Remember blowing famous after the French Revolution. bubbles as a kid?

A traditional French souffle – the This is exactly what is happening.

French verb souffler means to puff or The protein protects the bubbles, breathe air – is a baked egg dish made which are fragile. Not enough beating with egg yolks and beaten egg whites. and they deflate quickly or you find It can be served savory as a main dish, liquid in the bottom of the bowl. or sweetened and served as a dessert.

(Nothing is worse than that.)

A souffle is basically prepared from Over beating and you end up with a two components: a creme patissiere, hard, over-worked meringue. cream sauce or bechamel, or puree When beating the whites, try to base; and egg whites beaten to soft have a continuous beating motion. peaks. When folded Stopping and starting together, the two an electric beater is not A traditional items create a light, the ideal way to beat French souffle airy souffle. egg whites; keep the The base will motion continuous.

– the French verb give the souffle its Once fully expanded, souffler means to basic flavor and the fold the whipped puff or breathe egg whites provide whites into the egg-yolk the lift. For savory base with a spatula. air – is a baked souffles, the addition (Don’t mix with a whip egg dish made of herbs, cheese or you will deflate it.) with egg yolks and vegetables are Fold with lots of air commonly used. by lifting the mixture and beaten egg For dessert straight up, higher than whites. souffles, the addition the meringue in the of jams, fruit, bowl, then over and chocolate or other sweets are added. under to incorporate into the base.

Typically, each is served with a sauce.

Now pan and bake. When it bakes About 5-10 minutes after it has the tiny air bubbles will expand, risen for the full length of time in the creating the risen effect you want in a oven, a souffle will deflate. souffle.

What goes up, must come down.

If you follow all the rules of the road But several factors can play a part as for a souffle and it still does not rise, to why the souffle may not even rise at check the age of the eggs, verify the all. It is plain chemistry and physics. temperature of the oven is consistent, 1. The yolks have protein and fat in and always inspect the whites for them, and the whites are pure protein. any traces of yolk that might have If you get some of the fat in the mistakenly made their way into the protein (some yolk in the whites), that egg whites. will hinder the aeration of the whites.

Serve immediately after removing No amount of yolk can be present from the oven. when beating egg whites.

Bon appetite.

2. The egg whites must be room temperature. Don’t let them sit out for Mary Beth Lawton Johnson is a hours in a hot kitchen. Thirty minutes certified executive pastry chef and Chef is enough time for them to come to de Cuisine and has worked on yachts room temperature. for more than 25 years. Contact her 3. The whites won’t whip as high if through www.the-triton.com/author/ the bowl is even slightly dirty. Some chefmarybethlawtonjohnson.

February 2016 The-Triton.com

Operations

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The Atlantic perspective of tides, currents, water levels Sea Science Scott McDowell

Boaters understand that tidal fluctuations in water level are primarily driven by the moon, with vertical ranges that vary monthly and with location. There are, however, significant geographic differences in the lunar tides that are important to understand as boaters confront tidal currents, water level fluctuations and anchoring on the east coast of the United States.

The moon’s gravitational pull on earth is 2.5 times greater than the sun’s, resulting from the moon’s relatively close proximity. When the moon is overhead, the ocean is drawn upward causing a bulge in the sea surface that travels westward with the moon as our earth rotates eastward on its axis. Horizontal tidal currents result from this bulge moving around the globe.

A second upward bulge of the sea surface occurs on the opposite side of the earth, due to centrifugal force acting opposite in direction to the moon’s pull.

This results in two moon-driven high tides on our planet at all times, perfectly balancing each other. Both bulges move around the earth in phase with the moon’s orbit, causing two highs and two lows per day at locations where tides are entirely driven by the moon.

Time-series records of water level from East Coast locations demonstrate a near-perfect sinusoid of the semidiurnal, twice-per-day, tide. Minor lunar effects may cause the height of tidal fluctuations to differ between the two highs of a single day, called a tidal inequality. Where tides are purely sinusoidal, it is proof that solar, diurnal, once-per-day, effects are negligible compared to the lunar, semi-diurnal influence.

If the earth had no continents, the high-water bulges would move around the globe without obstruction. For the North Atlantic Ocean however, the U.S. coast represents a formidable barrier, causing the tidal bulge to slosh around this large ocean basin in roughly 12 hours because each high-water event must first develop on the eastern side of the ocean. When the high tide moves away from the eastern Atlantic, it propagates northwestward then counter-clockwise, with the deep water on the left side of the tidal motion due

to interesting physics on our rotating planet.

Consequently, in the northern Atlantic high tide moves from Iceland to Greenland, Newfoundland then Maine and southward; eventually turning back toward the eastern Atlantic. Low water follows this same pattern, approximately six hours after high-water of the semidiurnal tide.

At a special location in the north Atlantic, there is no vertical variation in water-level associated with the lunar tide; the water level stays constant over 12-hour cycles. High water rotates around this position, followed by low water, ad infinitum. This position is called an amphidrome and is located between Newfoundland and the British Isles. Another lunar-tidal amphidrome exists in the vicinity of the Caribbean Islands but local tidal ranges there, in Florida and the Gulf of Mexico are relatively small, so the amphidrome effect is less pronounced.

North of Cape Cod, the southward propagation of high tide is apparent and associated with the northern amphidrome. South of the Cape, the tidal phase is more complex regionally, with coastal high tides occurring within one hour of each other from New York to Miami. Interestingly, these high tides occur two to three hours before those at locations north of Cape Cod, as they are associated with the Caribbean amphidrome and/or the transition between the two North Atlantic lunar tidal systems.

Numerical models have been developed by NOAA to predict lunar tides over time scales of minutes to centuries. The sun’s effect on our tides also is predicted but in the Atlantic the solar, diurnal tides are negligible, resulting in tides that are purely semidiurnal.

On the U.S. East Coast, atmospheric fluctuations and storms cause more variability in water level than effects of the sun.

At locations in the Gulf of Mexico, there is only a single (diurnal) high tide every day; certainly easier for line handling in harbors and marinas.

Scott E. McDowell has a doctorate degree in ocean physics, is a licensed captain and author of Marinas: a Complete Guide available at www. scottemcdowell.com. Contact him at scott@scottemcdowell.com.

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Events

The-Triton.com February 2016

T

Marine Industry Cares Foundation Gala

he Marine Industry Cares Foundation held its inaugural Chairman’s Gala on Jan. 16 at the Gallery of Amazing Things in Dania Beach. More than 250 guests enjoyed games of chance including craps, roulette, and blackjack while dining on a menu of heavy hors d’oeuvres and dancing the night away. The event raised more than $7,000, which will be used to support the foundation’s new Marine Summer Camp Program to introduce high school students to career opportunities in the local marine industry.

PHOTOS/SUZETTE COOK

News

February 2016 The-Triton.com

39

IMO keeps SYBAss; AkzoNobel opens R&D center; SYL expands IMO extends SYBAss status

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) granted the Superyacht Builders Association (SYBAss) an extension in its “consultative status” in November.

SYBAss was given provisional status in 2010 and permanent status in 2013.

To retain consultative status, nongovernmental organizations (NGO) are expected to make a substantial contribution to the work of the relevant bodies of IMO. And they must disseminate information on and promote the work of IMO to their membership and beyond. IMO evaluates the performance of each NGO with consultative status biennially and extends that status if satisfactory.

“This will help ensure that the superyacht industry continues to be represented in a professional way at the highest maritime regulatory body and be acknowledged as a unique sector,” SYBAss secretary general Theo Hooning said. “It also reinforces the role of SYBAss in protecting the superyacht sector from regulations that might jeopardize the industry.”

In other company news, SYBAss technical and environmental director Chris van Hooren retired, and Hans Huisman assumed the position at the start of this year.

Egypt to finish shipping channel

Egypt plans to complete a side channel in East Port Said, near the Suez Canal, by this summer. The channel will facilitate shipping and give vessels direct entry into the port.

The new channel will be six miles long, 55 feet deep and 820 feet wide, with a total cost projected to be $60 million, according to the SCCT. Last year Egypt launched an $8 billion canal extension project that is expected to bring in $13.23 billion in annual revenue by 2023 from just over $5 billion in 2014.

AkzoNobel opens research facility

AkzoNobel opened a $10 million research, development and innovation (RD&I) center in Strongsville, Ohio, in early December. The facility will support several of the company’s performance coatings businesses, including coil, extrusion and packaging coatings.

The center features full testing, scale-up and analytical capabilities with more than 120 staff, including 65 scientists and technicians.

“By expanding our facility in Strongsville, we are providing a central, state-of-the-art technical resource for our businesses in North America, creating the critical mass for effective RD&I to more efficiently support our customers,” said AB Ghosh, managing director of AkzoNobel’s metal coatings business. “The facility will also enable us to focus on further improving the performance and sustainability of our products.”

“This is a significant investment that underlines our focus on technology and product innovation, as well as our commitment to the North American market,” said Performance Coatings RD&I director Klaas Kruithof. “It will be an integral part of our global RD&I

function and will directly contribute to our overall growth plans.”

The company recently announced that it is investing about $3.4 million to expand its RD&I capabilities in Houston to support the company’s protective coatings, marine coatings and specialty coatings businesses.

Super Yacht Logistics expands

Super Yacht Logistics (SYL) has expanded into China with a new office and staff in Shanghai. The company now has seven permanent offices: in Florida, Australia, the UK, Taiwan and two offices in Japan. The company closed its office in Seoul in 2013, but retains a semi-permanent presence in the country.

The China office, located on the Shanghai Huangpu River, will first develop shoreside agency services for visiting yachts.

SYL China will facilitate client representation and brokerage services with SYL Japan in Tokyo.

Raymond Lee has been appointed to lead SYL China with a local support staff. Kenta Inaba of SYL Japan will support the office with yachts planning to travel to China.

SYL Japan team is working with government offices on new regulations for visiting private and charter yachts, especially for the Rugby World Cup in 2019 and the Olympic Games in 2020.

For more information, visit www. superyachtlogistics.com.

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New policy outlines USCG’s classification of foreign yachts Rules of the Road Capt. Jake DesVergers

Sovereign and other self-governing nations have the right to control any activities within their own borders, including those of visiting yachts.

Authority and control over foreignflagged ships in a country’s ports, utilized for verifying compliance with the requirements of the applicable maritime conventions, is called Port State Control (PSC).

PSC comes into the scene when ship owners, ship managers, classification societies and flag state administrations fail to comply with the requirements of international and national maritime conventions.

It is well understood that the ultimate responsibility for enforcing conventions is left to the flag state, also known as the Administration. Port states are entitled to control foreign ships visiting their own ports to ensure that any deficiencies found, including those concerning living conditions and safety of shipboard personnel, are rectified before they are allowed to sail. In the inspection regime, PSC is regarded as complementary to the inspections performed by the flag state; each of them working together toward a common goal and purpose.

Within the United States, the agency assigned with primary responsibility for port state control is the United States Coast Guard (USCG).

Historically, yachts have not been actively pursued for inspection in comparison to other ship types such as passenger ships, oil tankers, and bulk carriers. For the true merchant ship, the majority of vessels can expect an inspection by the USCG annually.

At the end of 2015, the USCG published its CG-CVC Policy Letter 1504. The document is titled, “Guidance on Port State Control Examinations for Foreign-Flagged Yachts.”

The purpose of this policy letter is to set forth procedures for examination of foreign-flagged yachts that are passenger vessels and for other such vessels measuring 300 or more gross tons as measured under the International Tonnage Convention.

The USCG acknowledges that yachts are normally operated as recreation vessels. However, those same yachts

may be subject to inspection as seagoing motor vessels depending on their size and area of operation. Under U.S. law, yachts of at least 300 GT making voyages beyond the boundary line are by definition “sea going motor vessels” and are subject to inspection.

Since compliance would require plan review and inspection for certification, it is generally impracticable and often not possible for a foreign-flagged yacht to obtain and comply with a USCG Certificate of Inspection. Alternatively, any vessel of a foreign nation that is signatory to The International Convention Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), with a valid safety equipment certificate, is exempted from the requirement to meet these specific requirements outlined in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations.

However, some flag administrations will not issue a SOLAS safety equipment certificate to vessels that are less than 500 gross tons. Instead, these foreign-flagged, motor-propelled yachts that routinely operate in U.S. ports are surveyed and certificated under a Commercial Yacht Code adopted by their administration. Due to the potential dissimilarities between these Commercial Yacht Codes and U.S. law, the USCG identified a need for guidance on acceptable standards and examination procedures.

This is to ensure that a consistent and appropriate level of safety is applied via Port State Control exams.

This new policy letter outlines how the USCG will classify a foreign-flagged yacht. She will fit in one of the three categories: Foreign-Flagged Yachts Engaged In Trade Carrying More Than 12 Passengers, Foreign-Flagged Yachts Engaged In Trade Carrying 12 or Fewer Passengers and Foreign-Flagged Yachts Not Engaged In Trade Carrying Non-Paying Guests or Valid Bareboat Charter: “Not engaged in trade,” means that the guests do not contribute consideration as a condition of carriage on the vessel.

As part of our company’s role as flag-state inspectors, we have already seen this new policy implemented in several ports around the US. None of the inspections to date have resulted in negative outcomes.

Capt. Jake DesVergers is chief surveyor for International Yacht Bureau (IYB).

Contact him on www.yachtbureau.org.

Crew Health

February 2016 The-Triton.com

41

Overcome temptations that make work, life onboard a struggle The Yachtie Glow Angela Orecchio

It’s a scenario we all know well: Getting ready for a guest trip over a long and exhausting week, being down to the wire to make it to the pick-up location, a long, bumpy passage where you haven’t slept or eaten much, and then hours of squaring away the boat before you can finally relax a bit, eat a proper meal and have a good night’s sleep.

When we are overly tired and hungry, it’s easy to indulge in comfort foods, drinks and other stimulants to change how we feel. It’s also easier to talk ourselves out of exercise for the day or become irritable with our crew mates.

Working long hours and working in less-than-ideal conditions for good health is a part of yachting. But we can prepare for those tempting moments and get back on track toward a goal of health, happiness and fitness.

Don’t skip meals. Doing so lets our blood sugar get so low that we

will eat anything, and then we get upset about everything. Reduce or eliminate caffeine. Replace it with 2-3 liters of water a day. Consume the first liter upon waking, before consuming anything else.

Get at least 10-30 minutes of exercise a day and make the best food choices (even if it’s not optimal) in the moment.

Choose whole foods versus processed foods. To feel even better, choose whole, plant-based, high carbohydrate foods such as fruit, potatoes, rice, gluten-free grains and as many veggies as possible as staples.

Resolutions to stick to New Year’s resolutions tend to fall by the wayside by March. This happens because we either make unrealistic resolutions or they are too vague. If a resolution says anything like “lose weight and eat better,” it will be hard to reach those goals.

Instead, use the following criteria to get healthy: 1. Set realistic and measurable goals.

2. Get specific.

3. Know why you want it, and have

a reason big enough to follow through with it.

4. Write in a positive voice. Instead of “Quit drinking soda”, write “Replace soda with water and fruit juice.”

5. Write in present tense 6. Put these resolutions or goals somewhere to see them every day, such as in the front page of a journal or inside a cupboard.

Here are my top picks for every healthy, savvy stew and crew member: 1. Eat a diet of whole, plant-based foods, based on an abundance of fresh, ripe, raw fruits and vegetables. Eat an abundance of water-rich, whole, ripe, fresh fruit for breakfast.

2. Find a variety of fun fitness activities to incorporate into my day 3-5 days per week. Make sure they are activities I love such as running, dancing, swimming, surfing, etc.

3. Find an activity outside of being online that feeds my soul, and do it each day, such as writing, drawing, knitting, reading a book, etc.

4. Make sleep a priority. Get to bed early and sleep 8-10 hours when possible,

5. Drink less alcohol. Find a way to have a great time with people without excessive drinking (the best way is to feel exceptionally healthy, rested and hydrated before going out).

6. Be kind to myself when I make a mistake, pick myself up ASAP and keep moving forward with my goals.

7. Spend as much time as possible in nature.

8. Spend more time having real conversations with people. Nurture only the relationships that feed my soul.

Say a loving goodbye to those that don’t.

Call my family more often and see them this year.

9. Volunteer some of my time and money to a cause close to my heart.

10. Save my hard-earned cash and put some in investments that will set me up for when I leave yachting one day.

Angela Orecchio is a chief stew and certified health coach. This column was edited from her blog, Savvy Stewardess, The Smart Girl’s Guide to Yachting. Contact her through www. savvystewardess.com.

42

News

The-Triton.com February 2016

Club offers support for yachts visiting Cuba The government will give a megayacht the same treatment as a cruise ship at those ports. around Cuba.

Instead, he recommends that yachts “Many, many people, many, many visit marinas in smaller ports, even if captains write to me saying they want the amenities aren’t up to megayacht to go to Cuba,” Escrich said. “Cuba standards. as a destiny for megayachts may be “For example, you will see that very interesting for the culture, for you won’t have electricity for the the people,” he said. “For example, megayachts, you won’t always find the scuba diving, snorkeling, fishing, the diesel installation, and probably you beach and the wonderful protected will find some difficulty getting water,” environment. You may say ‘I want to go he said. to Cuba on a megayacht to learn about The largest marina in Havana, architecture, Cuba right now is the Marina culture, Cuban ballet, Gavioto in Varadero. It has the tropical cabaret 1,200 slips, about 1,000 of but you won’t find which are functional, Escrich the infrastructure for said. megayachts.

“It is first class/world class, Escrich’s club offers the largest in Cuba, but right support to anyone now, they have low capacity coming to Cuba on a for megayachts,” he said. boat, including entry “That marina wasn’t designed information and boating for megayachts. Maybe for 10, rules. no more than that.”

The goal, he said, “Marina Hemingway might is to position the club take about seven yachts at the as the liaison between same time,” he said. “Yachts boating and the Cuban of no more than 70m with a government.

Commodore Jose Miguel Diaz Escrich founded the draft no more than 4.3m.

“As a club, we are Marina Darsena Varadero trying to become Hemingway International Yacht Club of Cuba in 1992. The the most prestigious club serves as a liaison between yacht captains and visitors can take no more than four nautical institute of and the Cuban government.

PHOTO/SUZETTE COOK megayachts of about 40m and draft of 4.3 m. Yachts much Cuba,” Escrich said. “We larger than that must head to want the government also a boatyard for repairing and Havana Harbor, he said. to listen to us as an adviser when they maintenance of the megayachts.”

According to Escrich, Marina develop the rules and regulations. We This project would be a collaborative Gaviota in north-central Cuba can take won’t be the creators of those rules; we effort with funding afforded by “no more than 10 megayachts, draft will just help adapt those rules to the the Cuban government along with 4.3m, less than 80m. world of yachting. We will pass [along] investment capital from private and “There is the small Marina Vita all of the experience we have with Gaviota that has big commercial international boating. We don’t pretend foreign investors.

“Now, it is still a dream,” Escrich boats,” he said. “Ships anchor, no slips, to substitute the government; we will said. Cuba remains a communist megayachts can anchor and take be the advisers in new times.” country, and every marina in Cuba tenders to port.

And although the Caribbean nation belongs to the government.

Cayo Largo Yacht Club Marina has is not yet ready for an influx of boating “But the club is the principle room for two megayachts 30-40m (in tourists, Escrich said he expects that to promoter of those marinas in Cuba,” slips), although more than that can change.

Escrich said. “The yacht club is the anchor outside. And Marina Santiago “We hope with an increase in only one keeping contact with the de Cuba has capacity for three or four megayachts visiting Cuba, the Cuban international boating community.” yachts from 60-70m long between slips government and all of the members of Escrich spread out a map of his and in deep-water anchorage. the government [will] decide about the country and detailed the marinas and Marina Cienfuegos, Punta Gorda marinas, they will start developing the infrastructure for megayachts,” he said. ports capable of hosting megayachts as (Cienfuegos Province) is on a large, well as the amenities offered at each. natural anchorage that can handle “That way, revenues would be “Havana Harbor, Santiago Harbor, several large yachts, although not in increasing. Maybe they will start trying Casilda Harbor and Cienfuego Harbor,” slips, Escrich said. to sell diesel, power and do repairs.”

Escrich began. “These are the four Since the U.S. government eased places where they have cruising Suzette Cook is editor of The Triton. travel restrictions on Americans last terminals. To go to those ports, Comments on this story are welcome year, Escrich has watched his calendar megayachts must have coordination at suzette@the-triton.com. Contact fill up with events and requests to with the government. These harbors Commodore Escrich through speak about what those changes belong to the transportation minister. yachtclub@cnih.mh.cyt.cu. will mean to recreational yachting

CUBA from page 1

in Cuba. He was expected to lead a session called “The Cuba-U.S. Thaw: What Opportunities Could Lie Ahead” scheduled for Jan. 28 during the International Marina and Boatyard Conference in Ft. Lauderdale.

One of the things he said he plans to discuss is a plan to convert Havana Harbor from a commercial harbor to a recreational harbor.

“They are planning no more commercial there,” he said. “Just megayachts and cruising ships, and

News

February 2016 The-Triton.com

43

Parking will be limited on Virginia Key during Show MIAMI from page 5 M/Y Unbridled, 180-foot M/Y Steel, 180-foot M/Y Sovereign, 180-foot M/Y Cakewalk, 171-foot M/Y Gravitas, 165-foot M/Y Deja Vu, 164-foot M/Y No Name, 164-foot M/Y Papi Du Papi, 150-foot M/Y Francine, 146-foot M/Y Lady L and 141-foot M/Y Copasetic.

Ground shuttle transportation from the main part of the show on Collins Avenue to Watson Island may be arranged by an exhibitor that has yachts on display at Deep Harbour. Car parking is available on site, although the general public will not have open access to yachts on display.

For captains and crew looking for accessories, electronics, engines, apparel and services, the other show to attend is the Miami International Boat Show (MIBS).

This 75-year-old show has been relocated from the Miami Beach Convention Center to Miami Marine Stadium Park and Basin on Virginia Key in Miami.

If you go: l Visit Yachts

Workers were on site at the Miami Marine Stadium Park and Basin in January PHOTO/DORIE COX for the Miami International Boat Show on Virginia Key. Getting from the megayacht show on Collins Avenue to MIBS will be different this year. Look for the shuttle bus that will pickup and dropoff south of Sunset Harbour Yacht Club at 18th Street and Purdy Avenue where water taxi service is available to MIBS. No parking is available at that location.

Visitors coming from all other

locations are advised to plan ahead and prepay for tickets and parking passes. Parking will be limited on Virginia Key. Tickets start at $20 and parking ranges from $5-50.

Dorie Cox is associate editor of The Triton. Comments on this story are welcome at editorial@the-triton.com.

Miami Beach at www.showmanagement. com. Visit Yachts Miami Beach at www.showmanagement. com. Or download the MyBoatShow app from the AppStore or Google Play. The free app helps visitors find boats and marine products in the show and also works for the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS) and the Palm Beach International Boat Show (PBIBS). l Visit

Miami International Boat Show on Virginia Key at www.miamiboatshow.com.

44

Career

The-Triton.com

February 2016

The-Triton.com February 2016

From the Bridge Veteran captains network with yacht managers and brokers JOBS from page 1 captain, of course, is that many yacht owners – especially those new to the pastime – don’t know of any, nor where to find them. So they turn to their broker, the only person they know in yachting.

“Most of the time, owners have a built-in expectation from their broker,” one captain said. “It’s like: I just bought a boat and made you all this money; set me up with a crew.”

A broker is often an owner’s most trusted source of information, and they end up making a significant business deal together.

“In business, you trust business decisions,” another captain said when asked why he thought owners relied on brokers more than their captains.

“We’re just the chauffeur to them.”

Another captain noted that while he got his job from a broker friend, he knows there’s a hidden agenda as to why he was chosen.

“I can already see that I’m the guy to put the deal together for the bigger boat,” this captain said.

“People who place captains have a vested interest in placing them,” the previous captain said. “Brokers usually want control over the owner, and so they will hire someone they can control.”

“That’s the way of the world,” a third captain said.

“Perhaps, but it’s not right,” the other replied.

The rub, of course, is that networking with yacht managers and brokers is how many veteran captains find work, even if it’s rife with rocks.

But it’s not the only way.

“People like us who have been in the industry a while have hundreds and hundreds of people to reach out to,” one captain said.

“And we have friends who might not have been in great positions years ago who now are in top positions,” said another, who noted that a mid-level crew member of his years ago is now a fleet manager at a brokerage house.

They discussed a few other groups to network with, such as lawyers and insurance brokers, but acknowledged that those relationships just get them in line for a job.

Experienced captains discuss how they find work.

Even if it gets them an interview with the owner, they still end up going through a broker or manager.

“You’ve got this block put up by the management between the captain and the owner a lot of times,” one captain said. “A broker called me in on a new build. Three days later, he tells me the management company wants to interview you first. Two days later, the manager gives it [the job] to his friend.”

“I had exactly the same experience,” another said. They discussed their desire to interact directly with owners when looking for work, and half-joked about creating a way to do that.

“Maybe there’s a social media app

PHOTOS/SUZETTE COOK

here – captains direct to owners,” one captain said, and everyone liked the idea.

In most fields, experience takes a professional far, but age begins to hold them back. It is no different for yacht captains. When asked if their age plays a part in finding work, they didn’t hesitate.

“Yes,” one captain said.

“A big part,” another said.

“Absolutely,” said a third.

“They say we have too much experience,” one captain noted. “How can you have too much experience when someone has a valued vessel of $100 million?”

“With a whole bunch of lives on it, as well?” interjected another.

“Who would you get? The best person you could find,” continued the first. “I like the argument brokers tell you: Oh, you’re too old. You tell me the age of all the pilots on these 747s and 380 Airbuses. How old do you think they are? 29? 30?”

“There you go again, throwing logical thinking into the most illogical thing anyone does in their life – and that is buy a yacht,” another captain joked (only just).

“Sometimes, they have an image of what they want,” a captain said. “In their mind’s eye, they have a young captain enjoying their yacht with them.”

But why is that captain young?

“I don’t know,” this captain replied.

“Why do we have our picture on our resume when every other industry has done away with it? We’re the last industry in the world that does that.

Why? I don’t know.

“It’s only recently that the ideal captain is 35-45 and gay, because there are no family entanglements,” this captain said.

“I’ve always figured you sell your soul, not your services, to a yacht owner.

If you can’t commit to them because you have these damn children, it can be a problem.”

“I think there’s some truth to that,” another said.

This thinking flies in the face of the comments from several younger captains at last month’s From the Bridge lunch who noted that they put on their resumes that they are married with children, noting that they want balance between work and their personal lives. (However, they were employed on smaller yachts, if that makes a difference.)

The veteran captains this month could not explain that, but noted that it’s something they would never do if they wanted to work again.

“And I will be taking my age off my resume,” one captain said. “They make judgments about me based on that. If you’re not 165 pounds, they think you are unfit.”

While age is an immediate and visible factor when looking for work, I wondered if experience was a factor, and whether having 20-plus years of it

From the Bridge

February 2016 The-Triton.com

Attendees of The Triton’s February From the Bridge luncheon were, from left, Mark Howard (freelance), Ned Stone (freelance/relief), Scott Rudisill (freelance), Mike French of M/Y No Comment, Herb Magney of M/Y Island Heiress, Mark O’Connell (freelance), and Oliver Dissman of M/Y La Tache.

PHOTO/LUCY REED was a good thing or a bad thing when looking for work.

Initially they acknowledged that experience is a plus but almost immediately they came back to it being a burden in the way captains are hired today.

“When the owner says, hey, we’re leaving, and you know it’s not safe, and he says, I own this boat and I say we’re leaving, who’s going to say no to that owner?” one captain said. “Someone with experience.”

But that doesn’t necessarily mean older.

“If your career started in your early 20s and you’ve been out and about, away from the dock, then yes, you can have experience in your late 20s, early 30s,” a captain noted. “We call them watermen.”

This sparked an interesting conversation about experience, and how it’s much more than time on a resume.

“But can they, in two years, acquire the hours it takes – 10,000 hours, 20,000 hours – to be good at it?” one captain asked. “No, they can’t.”

“There are decisions you have to make when you are fatigued, when you have to be self-reliant, when you have multiple opinions coming at you about what should be done from a couple of engineers,” another captain said.

“Having the experience to sort through that information and make a decision -- and make a decision that is respected -- you can’t get that in two years on the water.”

“And you cannot get experience by going back and forth across the Atlantic on a 60m yacht,” said a third.

“You are not going to learn the

command skills, the decision-making skills, by doing that.”

“I don’t think owners have a clue what can go on out there,” another said.

There was some discussion about the MCA changing its rules to require that some of the sea time for captains be on boats of less than 24m to make sure there is some boat handling actually taking place.

“Quick question: How many of you, when you’ve got your first officer or deckhand or whoever, running the 25- to 42-foot tender, log their time as master?” one captain asked the group.

The assembled captains mumbled.

One said, “I don’t.”

“I always do,” this captain said. “If my first is in charge of the 36-foot Intrepid, and it’s got a separate registry, that’s his boat. He’s taking the guests out, I’m not on it. He’s responsible for it.

I sign him off. He can log that time, for that reason: Under 24m, you’re running a high-speed, high-horsepower boat, taking people out. You’re in charge.”

“Even if it’s only for an hour or two?” a captain asked.

“No, but if they’re running it for the day, taking the guests out,” the first captain said. “See what I mean? That’s valuable time for somebody trying to get their ticket.”

“That’s true experience there,” said another.

“For pilots, it’s not only hours in flight, it’s how many touch-and-gos,” said a third.

“In boating, it’s that last kilometer that can be so calamitous.”

That experience of not only boat handling but of decision making – and

See JOBS, page 46

45

46

From the Bridge

The-Triton.com February 2016

Looking for work while already employed raises loyalty concern JOBS from page 45 being responsible for the decisions – is what veteran captains bring to a job.

And it’s what they say they want to impart to an owner.

The captains also discussed the awkward situation of looking for a job while working on a boat. The subject of loyalty arose first, and it made several captains uncomfortable to discuss looking for work while working. But other captains said it’s important to remain in the field, as one is never sure about the status of their job, their vessel or the owner.

“It’s always easier to find a job when you have one,” one captain said.

“And don’t leave your job until you have another one,” another said.

“Unless you want time off.”

“I have a friend who’s on a great big gigantic Feadship, everybody’s sort of dream job, and he entertains, every single time, conversations with brokers about what’s coming up. He will always have interviews to see if it’s something he would rather do.”

“Is it just because, or is there something he’s actually missing, or is he just looking for a better offer?” another captain asked.

“It’s not just about the money, but you never know what could be a better fit,” the first captain said.

“Or a better program,” said a third.

“I never turn down an opportunity for an interview,” a captain said.

“Me neither,” interjected another captain. “For the sake of just an interview with somebody who has done something to amass that kind of influence and wealth,” the previous captain continued.

“I’m going to sit front seat when I know there’s a thousand people who would love to just chew off a minute of this person’s time.”

“You always learn something from an interview,” another said.

“Say you haven’t looked for a job for two or three years, so you haven’t interviewed for two or three years.

Now, when you are going to look, it’s like oh my God, I’m sitting here in this interview with this guy and I haven’t done this for so long.”

“It might not suit you today, but you know what? It might be a perfect fit for you in 24 months,” said a third.

“And we don’t know who they know,” said the first.

“So I won’t turn down an

opportunity to sit down with some incredibly fascinating people.”

At this point in their careers, what would their dream job be?

Several noted that their lower-use boat was perfect for this time in their life when they juggle family and home responsibilities. And one likes every day to be different, working with different vessels and different owners.

“Dream job? Three on, three off, worldwide cruising program,” one captain said.

“Yup, and to have an owner who doesn’t have any PAs [personal assistants],” said another.

Nearly everyone in the room groaned. “That person who doesn’t know a thing about a boat and tries to manage your boat,” a captain said.

“They don’t understand anything you send them,” another said.

“If you ever get one of those murdered, it could be me,” said a third, and his fellow captains all laughed.

“I think being the junior captain in a rotation, too, would be a dream,” one captain said. The senior captain had too much strategy and politics, he said.

He’d rather just run the boat.

But rotation jobs were harder for older captains to land, especially if there is already a younger captain in the mix.

“A younger guy doesn’t want an older guy to rotate with; they feel insecure because of their inexperience,” one captain said. “That’s why a lot of these rotational jobs don’t go to older captains.”

“There is a shortage of leadership tools, skill sets, in this industry,” another captain said. “That’s why we have HELM being offered, and it’s mandatory.”

But no one can learn leadership in five days. “No, but you get aware,” this captain continued. “Before, it wasn’t even acknowledged. At least now there’s tools.” One captain summed it up philosophically with a quote from Carl G. Jung: Life really does begin at 40. Up until then, you are just doing research.

Lucy Chabot Reed is editor emeritus of The Triton. Comments on this story are welcome at lucy@the-triton.com.

Captains who make their living running someone else’s yacht are welcome to join in the conversation. E-mail us for an invitation to our monthly From the Bridge luncheon.

48

Boats / Brokers

The-Triton.com February 2016

Boats / Brokers Yachts sold

M/Y Marie (ex-Aquarius), the 220foot (67m) Amels built in 2007, sold by Dennis Frederiksen of Fraser Yachts in Monaco.

S/Y Twizzle, a 189-foot (57.5m) Royal Huisman sailing yacht, sold by Camper & Nicholsons and YCO/Burgess.

M/Y Breeze, a 163-foot (50m) new build Benetti (FB802), listed for 27.5 million euros and sold by Antoine Larricq of Fraser Yachts in Monaco, set to be delivered in June.

M/Y Imagine, a 164-foot (50m) Trinity built in 2010, sold by Merle Wood & Associates and IYC. M/Y Alibi, a 151-foot (46m) Delta built in 1994, listed for $8 million with Michael Selter of Fraser Yachts in Fort Lauderdale and sold by Eric Pearson of Fraser Yachts in San Diego.

M/Y Blue Ice, a 135-foot (41m) Baglietto built in 1999 and listed for $4.4 million with Filippo Rossi of Fraser Yachts in Monaco.

M/Y Gladius, a 127-foot (39m) Cantieri di Pisa built in 2007, by Merle Wood & Associates.

M/Y Northlander, a 125-foot (38m) Moonen built in 2009, sold by Michael Rafferty of Camper & Nicholsons, with Bluewater Yachting representing the buyer.

M/Y True North, a 112-foot (34m) Westport, by Crom Littlejohn of Northrop & Johnson.

M/Y Eagle’s Nest, a 98-foot (30m) yacht built by MCP Yachts, sold by Wes Sanford of Northrop & Johnson.

M/Y Competitive Bid III, a 91foot (28m) Cheoy Lee, by Jonathan Chapman of Northrop & Johnson.

M/Y Silvia M, a 78-foot (24m) Nordhavn built in 2008 and listed for 2.7 million euros with Filippo Rossi of Fraser Yachts in Monaco.

New to the sales fleet

M/Y Ionian Princess, the 150-foot (46m) Christensen built in 2005, listed for $16.8 million with Joe Foggia at Northrop & Johnson.

M/Y Triple 8, a 142-foot (43m) Royal Denship built in 2009, listed for $16 million with Dennis Frederiksen of Fraser Yachts in Monaco.

M/Y Saudades, a 118-foot (36m) yacht built in 1981 by Lavagna, listed for 1.7 million euros with Dennis Frederiksen and Kirill Anissimov of Fraser Yachts in Monaco.

M/Y Vivierae, an 86-foot (26.4m) Nordhavn built in 2007 and listed for $6.5 million with Neal Esterly of Fraser

Yachts in San Diego and Michael Selter of Fraser Yachts in Ft. Lauderdale

News in the charter fleet

M/Y Lioness V, the 207-foot (63.5m) Benetti, under the command of Capt.

Jon Armstrong, now listed with Camper & Nicholsons.

M/Y Victory, a 170-foot (52m) yacht built in 2007 by Golden Yachts, available in the western Med and now listed with Massima Piras of Fraser Yachts in Monaco.

M/Y Katya, a 151-foot (46m) Delta, is available this winter in the Bahamas and Florida, now listed with Northrop & Johnson.

M/Y Fathom, a 148-foot (45m) yacht built by Sea Dreams, available in the Med this spring and summer, listed with Camper & Nicholsons.

M/Y Emotion, a 141-foot (43m) CRN Ancona built in 2007, available in the Mediterranean and now listed with Olga Ekiert of Fraser Yachts in Monaco.

New Rapsody design unveiled

Dutch builder Rapsody Yachts has unveiled its new yacht design, the Rapsody R110 (above), designed by Dykstra Naval Architects.

Below the flush foredeck, the Rapsody R110 conceals a sports car that can be parked on shore with the help of an integrated crane.

The 110-foot (35m) yacht can be equipped with various engine and propulsion arrangements enabling top speeds in excess of 32 knots.

U.S. builder adds dealer

Wisconsin-based Marquis and Carver Yachts has appointed CenterPointe Yacht Services as a dealer-partner servicing the complete Marquis and Carver product line.

With three locations in Milwaukee, Kenosha and Sturgeon Bay, and a fourth location opening this spring in Holland, Mich., CenterPointe will serve Marquis and Carver owners around Lake Michigan.

For more information, visit CenterPointeService.com.

50

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February 2016 The-Triton.com

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DISPLAY ADVERTISERS Company

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Alexseal Yacht Coatings 13 American Yacht Agents 7 Amerijet 24 Anchor Marine 48 Antibes Yachtwear 46 ARW Maritime 12 Beer’s Group 38 Bellingham Marine (Marina Di Loano) 34 BlueStar Marine 22 Bradford Marine 10 Broward Shipyard 7 Brownie’s Yacht Diver 37 Business card advertisers 50-53 C&N Yacht Refinishing 44 Cable Marine 55 Cape Ann Towing 28 Carpe Diem Chiropractic 26 Chains and Anchors 22 Chelsea Clock 19 Clean-Exhaust 23

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SunPro Staniel Cay Yacht Club TESS Electrical The UPS Store TowBoatU.S Trac Ecological Green Products Tradewinds Radio Triton Expo Universal Marine Center Watermakers, Inc. Watermakers Air Westrec Marinas Yacht Chandlers Yacht Entertainment Systems Yachty Rentals Zeno Mattress Zodiac of Fort Lauderdale

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21 2 46 38 32 26 40 47 45 2 2 20 43 54 17 32 5

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Triton Spotter

The-Triton.com February 2016

Australia, Ft. Lauderdale

Anita Warwick of Seven Seas Health in Ft. Lauderdale carried her Triton halfway around the globe to Constitution Dock in Tasmania. She’s seen here in front of S/Y Comanche, the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race line honors winner in December’s race. “Triton gets around,” Warwick said.

Capt. Roger Sardina (left) and Mike Bailey took a break from Triton networking to learn what yacht captains said about relief schedules in midJanuary. See more photos of Triton networking on pages 22-23.

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