JANUARY 2005 Vol. 1, No. 10 www.the-triton.com
Caribbean charter shows off and running Captains want more contact with guests By Lucy Chabot Reed
Even before the inaugural St. Maarten Charter Yacht show began last month, captains and crew at the Antigua show had it figured out: Antigua is for sailing yachts; St. Maarten is for power yachts. “We didn’t even think of going to St. Maarten,” said Clive Brown, captain of the S/Y Melinka. “I’ve been told it’s a powerboat show.” No one meant for the difference in the two shows to be so pronounced, but it was. “It’s obvious there’s been a tremendous decrease in the number of motoryachts” at the Antigua show compared with last year, said Capt. Jeff Hardgrave of M/Y Exuma C. “And in St. Maarten, I expect you’ll see the same [small] percentage of sailing yachts.” Hardgrave was right. According to an unscientific walk of the docks at both shows, The Triton counted 81 sailing yachts and 24 motoryachts in Antigua. In St. Maarten, the 3-to1 ratio was reversed with 10 sailing yachts and 33 motoryachts. Show organizers on both islands said they didn’t intend for the show to separate along those lines. “It should be the captain’s choice, the owner’s choice,” said Kass Johnson-Halliday, chairwoman of the St. Maarten show, which began Dec. 7, the day Antigua’s show ended. “Obviously, we have more powerboats here than they had in Antigua, but that should be the owner’s choice,” she said. “Problems arise when clearinghouses start taking stands. They should let the owners decide, then it will sort itself out.” Several brokers interviewed for this story agreed that time would tell. Many attended both shows in December but were hesitant to commit to just one show in 2005.
Now you can know what Kristy knows. Page 5.
The crew of the 112-foot Westport Symphony II sparked up the IYC yacht hop at the St. Maarten show. From left: Capt. Will Keiser, Chef Oanh Huynh Keiser, Stewardess Dawn Cameron, Engineer Richard McCrea and Deckhand Sara Lund. PHOTO COURTESY OF WILL KEISER “It’s awkward to have two shows back-to-back,” said Nick Trotter, a director with Meridian Yacht Charters in Virginia. “Going through two is twice as much trouble, but we’re not getting twice as much value.” Trotter disputed the notion that the St. Maarten show would evolve into the powerboat show and Antigua the sailing yacht show. “It’s mainly politics and economic stuff with the big clearinghouses and the central agencies” that decide where the boats go, he said. Will he attend both shows in 2005? “I would love to say no, I’m only doing Antigua next year,” Trotter said. “But the yachts will determine it. Not all boats show every year. I’m very unhappy with having to choose.” Many brokers attended only one show this year, unable or unwilling to spend 10 days or longer away from their offices at one of the busiest times of the year. “They should do what the original plan was and do the shows every
other year,” said Tim Clark, a broker with Yachting Partners International in England. “That way, it gives everybody a two-year effort to get ready for the show and make it really good. “This was a fantastic effort for a first show,” he said of St. Maarten, though he didn’t think it was necessary to scatter the in-show yachts around four marinas. “The main thing is that there was plenty of room to put all the boats in one marina.” Will he attend both shows in 2005? “Depending on the boats, you have to do both.” One megayacht captain who has been attending the Antigua show on and off for 18 years said he sensed that brokers were passing by if they had already been on his yacht because they are too rushed. In years past, he said, they would have stopped to visit, even if they had been onboard before.
See SHOWS, page 12
Read about how crew get into and out of the industry in our new features, pages 6 and 7.
ST. MAARTEN – With the Caribbean season under way, The Triton hosted its December captains’ lunch in the midst of the inaugural St. Maarten charter yacht show. (See story, this page.) We asked the six captains able to attend what they thought of chartering, why they do it, what they like and dislike FROM THE BRIDGE about it and the one LUCY CHABOT REED thing they would change about it if they could. The most telling point of discussion was what was not said. None of these captains complained about the size of their crews, the busyness of their itineraries or the workload. “That’s what we sign up for,” one captain said. They did, however, talk about brokers. Most said they would prefer more contact with guests before the charter begins so they can better prepare. The information provided by brokers is often “sketchy,” leaving many details unanswered. Often, however, brokers don’t want that personal contact, they agreed. “Brokers don’t inform the clients very well of what’s expected,” one captain said. “They don’t give enough information to the client and the broker won’t let us call.” “I’ve been yelled at by a broker for calling the client,” another captain said, even though phone numbers are provided on the contracts. That broker insisted that any interaction with the guest be made through him, this captain said. One captain suggested it was easiest
See THE BRIDGE, page 13
See what few do in Costa Rica. Page 26