June 2005 Vol. 2, No. 3 www.the-triton.com
U.S. Customs will require yachts to file electronic ANOAs By Lucy Chabot Reed Beginning Oct. 4, all commercial vessels regardless of size or flag will have to file their advanced notices of arrival to U.S. Customs and Border Protection electronically. CBP has updated its requirements for Advance Passenger Information System messages, requiring them to
be filed electronically to facilitate a central database and enhance security measures. The electronic version of the forms has been voluntary for months. In a rule posted in the Federal Register in April, CBP makes them mandatory for commercial cargo vessels beginning June 6 and for commercial passenger vessels, including yachts, Oct. 4.
The U.S. Coast Guard has not made the electronic version mandatory, but is considering it, officials said. Both agencies operate under the Department of Homeland Security. Being able to file the electronic advanced notice of arrival or departure (e-NOA/D) requires having a sufficiently sized computer and the appropriate software (Microsoft’s
Infopath 2003). “They’ve got to get the infrastructure requirements in place to file their advanced notice of arrivals on the high seas or have someone on shore do it for them,” said Charles Perez, APIS program manager for CBP. After Oct. 4, CBP no longer will
See ANOA, page A13
Managing a successful crew begins with respect, authority
About 75 captains, crew members and marine business leaders attended The Fox Network and wine tasting with The Triton’s own Kristy Fox in May. PHOTO/KRISTY FOX For more photos, visit www.the-triton.com
In a room filled with captains whose average length of service was about 20 years, it seemed an appropriate time to ask for tips on managing crew. The topic was the suggestion of a young captain eager to motivate his crew without using threats of firing or other retribution. From the Bridge Several veteran Lucy Chabot Reed captains also have expressed frustration in the past few months of having to put up with crew members who don’t take their positions onboard seriously, leaving colleagues to pick up the slack. So we asked The Triton’s Bridge captains how they handle underperforming crew. How do they motivate
without threats? How do they make crew accountable? As always, individual comments are not attributed to any one person so as to encourage frank and open discussion. Attending captains are identified in a photograph on page A15. The conversation started seemingly off-track with a discussion about traditional behaviors that reinforced a captain’s standing on a yacht – and how they have fallen out of practice recently. One captain told of an owner – the best owner he ever had, he said – who respected maritime law and honored the captain’s role as the person in charge on a yacht. Friends for years, these men called each other by their first names off the boat. But on board,
See THE BRIDGE, page A15
Connection: Crew unwisely rely on yachts to protect their health The first thing to know about health insurance is that if you think you have it, you probably don’t. You’ll know you have it if you’ve signed some papers to that effect – and re-sign them each year – or if there’s an extra bill you pay each month. But in most cases, according to industry experts at The Triton’s recent Connection seminar and an informal poll of Triton readers, you The Connection don’t have the health insurance you Lucy Chabot Reed
Megayachts have a voice in Ft. Lauderdale politics, page A4.
think you do. The difference between thinking and knowing is subtle, but significant. Nearly all yachts carry P&I (Protection and Indemnity) insurance that covers crew while they are in service to the yacht. So if you fall down the stairs carrying a load of laundry and break an ankle, you’re covered. You even might be covered if you crash your scooter into a house on your day off, the idea being that you wouldn’t have been there riding that scooter had you not been working on that yacht.
When the yard gets stressful, the stressed go boating. Section B
But that’s not health insurance, the experts say. That’s accident insurance and it covers the yacht owner’s liability for his/her crew much in the same way workers’ compensation insurance covers a landbased business owner. If you get the flu or cancer, the yacht’s liability insurance will not pay for doctor’s bills or surgery expenses. Nor is it likely to cover you if you break a leg on a skiing vacation. And it does not exist for you
See THE CONNECTION, page A16
A bottle of red; a bottle of white. Meet the 60-second Wine Steward, page A25.