The Triton 200503

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MARCH 2005 Vol. 1, No. 12 www.the-triton.com

Identifying crew shortages, problems good first step The Triton made a promise to the attendees of Superyacht Conference 2005 that it will play a role in gathering information, sorting through it and eventually disseminating it to affect some change for the professional yacht crew. We invite you to be a part of the discussion. Join us at this month’s Connection seminar where we will begin by identifying the main issues facing crew. Contact lucy@thetriton.com for meeting details.

By Lucy Chabot Reed After three years of basically no growth, the number of orders for megayachts has jumped more than 28 percent for 2005, according to the latest statistics from Showboats International. The world’s largest yacht builders have orders for 335 motoryachts and 38 sailing yachts of more than 100 feet. So the question arises: Just where and how can megayacht owners and captains find qualified crew? The Triton hosted a panel discussion on this topic at the inaugural Superyacht Conference in

Ft. Lauderdale in February. The topic is complex and the panel only grazed the surface in the 50-minute session. No solutions were reached, but some interesting conversation ensued. The first step was to try and get a handle on the status of the industry. What are boats looking for and are there people out there to satisfy that need? Overall, there are more crew than jobs, but there have been more jobs lately as the economy has improved after Sept. 11, 2001, said Linda Turner, owner of the crew placement agency Crewfinders in Ft. Lauderdale. Depending on the position, though,

Aviva captain recalls industry’s costliest fire By Lucy Chabot Reed As folks gather this month in Vancouver to celebrate the launch of the rebuilt Feadship Attessa, one of the megayacht’s former captains still remembers the fire that made the ship famous half a world away. In May 2001, Capt. Eddie Cooney and the crew of the 204-foot M/Y Aviva woke in the middle of the night in the middle of the Red Sea to fight a fire that eventually would render the megayacht beyond repair. That fire is considered one of the most expensive – if not the most expensive – luxury yacht losses of all time, according to insurance sources. Now 225 feet long, the megayacht is completing an 18-month refit. When built in 1998, Aviva was equally Capt. Eddie Cooney, left, and Chief together, only now on M/Y Andale. lovely, and heralded as one of the most superb yachts ever constructed. Summer Olympic Games. Under Cooney’s command But that night in May, about beginning in January 2000, the 700 miles south of the Suez Canal, private megayacht cruised extensively everything changed. throughout Indonesia and the “It was just a weird coincidence,” South Pacific, including around New Cooney said when asked if there Zealand and Australia in time for the

U.S. Coast Guard and Customs now accept the same electronic NOA form. Page 4

Engineer Robert Millar still work PHOTO COURTESY OF CAPT. EDDIE COONEY

was anything he or the crew could have done to prevent the fire. “It was a Feadship; she was built to class from a very good yard. We had every system on board for detecting fires

See AVIVA, page 14

Why’s this little guy causing so much trouble? Page 15

some crew are having a harder time finding jobs. Turner’s database shows an interesting flip of statistics on people available vs. positions available depending on position. For example, for captains and cooks/chefs, there are more crew than jobs by about double, making those jobs harder to get. About 38 percent of Turner’s database is captains; about 15 percent of requested jobs over the past 10 years have been for captains. Likewise, cooks/chefs make up about 13 percent of her database, yet about 8 percent of See CREW, page 6

Tipping a part of game in search for marina slips Bring up the topic of dockage and the conversation invariably turns to one of tips. So when The Triton asked a group of captains at its monthly Bridge luncheon if there was really a worldwide shortage of available megayacht dockage, these eight captains looked at me as if to FROM THE BRIDGE say “duh.” LUCY CHABOT REED “There’s a shortage everywhere, especially in season,” one veteran captain said. “But it’s all about relationships. If you keep them [dockmasters] happy, you can get in.” It depends, of course, on the season and the place, and on the relationship the captain and boat has with the dockmaster. In Europe, tips to dockmasters are expected and an important factor in developing relationships.

See BRIDGE, page 13

Yachting industry loses a ‘prince.’ Page 32


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