The Triton 200510 by Triton News Network

Turn around New propulsion downsized to yachts

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Vol. 2, No. 7

Smiley faces

On a prayer

Shipyard attracts charter guests, too

Crossing to Panama on a 35-footer

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Crew health insurer banned in Florida

Monaco ‘05

By Lucy Chabot Reed

October 2005

Trinity opens Mississippi yard to rebuild, grow By Lisa H. Knapp

State insurance ofﬁcials have banned one of the largest crew health insurance companies from writing business in Florida. In a statement released Sept. 12, the Florida Ofﬁce of Insurance Regulation announced that International Medical Group (IMG) and its underwriter, Sirius International Insurance Corp., have agreed to “cease and desist from issuing health insurance coverage to Florida residents.” Though most megayacht crew are not Florida residents, an OIR spokeswoman said the order also prohibits IMG agents in Florida from selling the insurance. “If one of your crew members is a resident of Florida, or is offered a policy in Florida by a Florida agent, they should call the Consumer Services hotline and report this,” spokeswoman Beth Scott said. IMG has been selling international health insurance plans common with yacht crew through agents in Florida without being licensed by the state to do so. Instead, it set up an international business model with the Indiana Department of Insurance as the regulator, a format the company believed viable and legitimate, said IMG President Joseph Brougher. “Clearly, the existing Florida statutes were not

See MHG, page A23

From the bottom up, Capt. Wayne Palmer, Carol Ballnas, Kate Craggs and Colin Skelton of the S/Y Aphrodite 2 were among a growing number of sailing yacht crews at the 15th annual Monaco Yacht Show in September. Everyone seemed pleased with the weather and parties, including the Jones Boat Yard party co-hosted by The Triton. For more photos, visit www.the-triton.com. As for Aphrodite 2, she’s headed to Barcelona while Craggs and Skelton are off to South Africa to get married. PHOTO/DAVID REED

Trinity Yachts, the United States’ largest yacht builder, is rebuilding this month in a new shipyard that will temporarily house production of its luxury aluminum and steel megayachts. New Orleans-based Trinity was planning to expand into the 50-acre facility in Gulfport, Miss., at some point this year, but was forced to last month after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, ﬂooding much of New Orleans and leaving its residents without homes or access to the yard. The company has ordered more than 100 trailers to house employees, subcontractors and their families as work begins in Gulfport, where water and electric services have been restored. “Our No. 1 goal is to keep our workforce in tact,” said Billy Smith, Trinity’s executive vice president. “It’s a huge effort on our part – the social part.” All levels of employees have lost their homes, including CEO and President John Dane III who lived in Pass Christian, Miss. “We’ve been successful in locating a great number of employees,” said Jim Berulis, vice president and general manager at Trinity. Berulis said that employees are being paid while the company regroups and they are looking forward to returning to work. Most of Trinity’s New Orleans buildings See KATRINA, page A24

Perks, tips, hard work, attitude all part of crew member’s salary Working on a megayacht can bring a lot of perks. Along with the long hours and sometimes forced smiles, crew can occasionally get time off in amazing places, outrageous tips and access to some fabulous toys. So just how important is that bottom-line salary when considering FROM THE BRIDGE a position on a LUCY CHABOT REED yacht? We asked this month’s Bridge captains how they pay their crews. 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 A22.

Do they have a budget from which to draw, or does the money stretch to meet whatever salaries are necessary? “I tell owners ‘here’s what I want to pay employees and here are the increases I want to give them if they work out’,” one captain said. “A budget like that helped because I didn’t have to go back and argue with him to give the crew a raise.” “I call the crew agencies I know that are good people and I have an honest conversation with them,” another captain said. “I want to be fair to my boss and to the crew, so I ask what should I be paying them? I’ll also take references from captains and ask them what they paid the person.” “I always ask people what they are looking to get paid,” said another. “And I know what the boss is used to paying.”

These captains unanimously agreed that the use of the yacht should make no difference in salary negotiations. Many in the industry acknowledge that charter crew can sometimes be paid less because tips more than make up the difference. But that’s not really fair, these Bridge captains agreed. Crew on charter yachts should get the same, if not more, than crew on yachts in private use. “The best people on charter should be paid more, not less,” one captain said. “And any tips should be split right down the middle, equal shares for everyone.” “If you’re working hard for charter or private, the salary should be similar, with bonuses on top.” There was some discussion that private yachts often operate as charter

yachts, tending to an owner’s guests without the owner there. Those guests often will tip or discretely ask the captain if they should. “I tell them that it’s up to them, to treat the yacht like they would a resort,” he said. “If they received service they thought was worth it, they should feel comfortable tipping, but it’s not necessary.” One captain expressed that a previous captain on his boat had approached the owner with the desire that his guests tip, a tactic that all these captains agreed was out of line. “If they ask, you can tell them, but no way do you go to the boss with that.” So will a yacht pay more for a crew member it really wants? Not necessarily, they agreed. See BRIDGE, page A22

October 2005

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Advertiser directory B26 Calendar of events B26-27 Classiﬁeds B14-17 Cruising Grounds A34-35 Features Getting Started B2 The Afterlife B3 Proﬁles A6,15,16 Columnists: Fitness B20 In the Galley B6-8 Interior B10 Nutrition B9 Personal Finance B19

Safety A28 Service B12 Training B5 Fuel prices A29 The Hard Way A25 Horoscopes B24 In the Stars B25 News A1,8-10,13-14,19 Photo Gallery A18,26-27 Puzzles B18 Puzzle answers B2 Reviews B22-23 Technology A28-33 Write to Be Heard A36-39

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KRISTY’S COLUMN

October 2005

So many new boats and babies and positions, oh my We heard about a lot of new babies, new positions and new boats in September. Thanks to everyone who sent in details. After 18 months on the Ft. Lauderdale-based M/Y Mirage, Capt. Bernard Charon has decided to look for a new opportunity. He leaves the yacht LATITUDE with a letter of ADJUSTMENT recommendation KRISTY FOX from the crew. How cool is that? Bernard has spent 25 years in the industry, both traveling the world and anchored in the yard for full refits. He says he has worked for some fantastic people, so here’s hoping he finds another good boss and/or some happy charters with whom he can sail the seas. Good luck, Bernard. I just recently spoke to Capt. Paul Canavan who was in Palma when we went to press, getting ready for the Dock Express with the new 185-foot (56m) Benetti M/Y Allegro. The boat was en route to a yard here in town for the latter part of September. Paul used to run the 140-foot Oceanco M/Y Aspiration, but it was sold recently. The same owner bought Allegro, which was launched in July. The yacht has a 36-foot beam. She’s a big one, Paul. Allegro will be based out of the Dominican Republic, and Paul says he’s taken much of his crew from Aspiration with him to the new boat. When cruising, Allegro will carry a crew of 15. See you soon, Paul. Congratulations to Capt. KC and Nicole Caulfield who had another baby boy. Kyle Bailey Caulfied was born Aug. 19 and joins older brother Kaden, who will be 3 in November. KC and Nicole ran the 105-foot Broward M/Y Knot Tide, a busy charter boat, as captain and chef for three years. The boat sold in 2001, and shortly after they had Kaden. KC has been running the 95-foot Admiral M/Y Lia Fail for three years and now is bringing the new 152foot Northern Marine M/Y Lia Fail, which will have a crew of 10, from Anacortes, Wash., to the Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show. While raising a family, Nicole has been handling the charter and management at RJC (Bob Cury & Associates). More baby congratulations are in order for Capt. Brian and Julie Koch, who had a boy Aug. 8, Marlin Andrew Koch. The Kochs also have a little girl

named Daisy. Brian recently returned from a busy summer up in New England, running the 74-foot Hatteras M/Y Nereus, his regular gig. Brian is also involved with another captain on the 70-foot Horizon M/Y Easy Rider, and was ﬂying up to Newport to help bring it back to South Florida as we went to press. On June 26, Peter Maury was appointed director of marina operations and dock master at Atlantis Marina in Paradise Island, Bahamas. Peter, who was born and raised in the Bahamas, still oversees the 105-slip Hurricane Hole as marina director.

Peter joined Hurricane Hole in 1992 with the Lloyd family and was appointed general manager, a position he held for 10 years. During that time, he also opened a bar known as The Green Parrot, which became known as “The Hole” to many international travelers.

a few days and note how and when to service every item of equipment on board. He then will design a maintenance schedule. Contact him at 954-661-3749 or john@superyachtsupport.com. Visit his Web site at www.superyachtsupport. com.

John Vergo, most recently as ﬂeet manager at Camper & Nicholsons, has started his own company, Custom Planned Maintenance System. John says it is based on what is used on aircraft in the Royal Navy, where he spent 16 years as a technician. His company will visit a yacht for

We wish you all good luck with the upcoming Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show. See you around town. Send news of your promotion, change of yachts or career, or personal accomplishments to Kristy Fox at kristy@the-triton.com.

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Think Hemmingway. Think Havana. Hot music. Cool mojitos. A lot of prizes. Save the date. See you there.

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YARD HORROR STORIES

October 2005

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October 2005

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NEWS BRIEFS

October 2005

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U.S.-flagged yachts subject to electronic APIS rule While all commercial vessels must begin filing their Advance Passenger Information System messages electronically beginning Oct. 4, officials with U.S. Customs and Border Protection said they do not consider most megayachts commercial. According to the APIS rule (effecting 8 CFR 217, 231 and 251; and 19 CFR

4, 122 and 178), a commercial vessel is any civilian vessel being used to transport persons or property for compensation or hire. Since foreign-ﬂagged vessels are prohibited from doing either in U.S. waters, CBP does not consider them commercial, said Charles Perez, APIS program manager at CBP.

U.S.-flagged yachts that charter, however, are subject to the rule and must begin filing their APIS messages electronically on Oct. 4. Customs still has not finalized its fine structure but Perez said it will be available the week of Oct. 4. Check The Triton’s Web site at www.the-triton. com for that information as it becomes available.

Magazine head averts carjacking

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During a high-pressure test, a gauge exploding in his face, according to the lawsuit, and Knibbs lost sight in his right eye. Though the lawsuit does not mention a ﬁgure, Moore said his client is seeking $6 million. Lawyers for Tatoosh could not be contacted before deadline.

Merrill Stevens’ employee dies

A car being driven by SYS-CON Media founder and CEO Fuat Kircaali from Monaco to Nice was ambushed by two men when it stopped at a trafﬁc light at about 1:30 a.m. on Sept. 20, according to a report on SYS-CON’s Web site. One of the men opened the passenger door and tried to drag Carmen Gonzalez, vice president of advertising sales for the company, out of the car. Kircaali drove through the red light to get away, the story reported. Kircaali and his staff were in the South of France for the Monaco Boat Show. SYS-CON publishes Yacht Vacations and Charters Magazine and hosted the Superyacht Conference in Ft. Lauderdale in February.

Angie Verret, 40, billing manager at Merrill Stevens Dry Dock Co. for 15 years, died Sept. 9 after a thankfully brief battle with cancer. Verret, known to her friends as AK47, was extremely well liked by all who knew her, including dozens of captains and owners who dealt with her at Merrill Stevens. Described by co-workers as a dedicated employee and hard worker, Verret’s outgoing personality, infectious laugh and mischievous nature will be impossible to replace, they said in a statement. Her family asks those wishing to remember Angie make a contribution to the Rachel Verret trust set up for her daughter, who was the greatest love in Angie’s life. For more information, contact Merrill Stevens, 305-324-5211.

Crew member sues Tatoosh

Patrols begin in Straits of Malacca

A probationary crew member on M/Y Tatoosh, the 302-foot megayacht owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, has sued the yacht after he lost sight in his right eye in an accident in December 2003. According to Miami attorney Michael Moore, who expected to ﬁle the lawsuit Sept. 21, engineers on board instructed new crew member Stuart Knibb to conduct several tests to determine the nature of a gas leak.

Four Southeast Asian countries launched a joint air patrol program in September to prevent pirate attacks in the Straits of Malacca, according to a story in Maritime Executive Magazine. Representatives from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand gathered at Kuala Lumpur’s Subang Airport as the first joint patrol aircraft – a Malaysian C130 Hercules – took off. More than 50,000 ships carrying half the world’s oil and a third of all commerce, use the Straits of Malacca each year. Officials reported 27 pirate attacks last year. While that is a small number of incidents compared to the fleet, the area has the highest concentration of piracy in the world. Under the “Eyes in the Sky” project, each country will conduct two patrols a week. Under consideration are aroundthe-clock operations. The aircraft can relay aerial shots to a monitoring center but intervention will be done by the country where the attack is taking place, the magazine reported.

CORRECTIONS

Because of a typographical error, Greg Poulos’ name was misspelled in the September issue. Poulos is general manager of Rolly Marine Chef Jim Ruch worked for three years on the megayachts Excellence I and Excellence II. A story in the September issue indicated otherwise.

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NEWS

October 2005

Traveling to the Caribbean? Pack your passport By Carol M. Bareuther Beginning Jan. 1, U.S. citizens will no longer be able to cruise through the Caribbean and then re-enter the United States with only a driver’s license or voter’s registration card as identification. A passport will be required. The Office of Homeland Security initiated this new policy due to heightened concerns that terrorists could smuggle equipment or operatives into the United States from neighboring countries. This doesn’t apply if you’re only making stops in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These islands fly the U.S. flag, thus no passport is needed. However, if you cruise over to the British Virgin Islands or down to Sint Maarten, for example, U.S. immigration officials will insist on seeing a passport before they’ll let you back in the country.

Effect on crews

The effect on megayacht crew varies. For those involved with charter yachts

that operate through clearinghouses, managers say the effect will be minimal. U.S. crew who work on charter yachts that go through the U.S. Virgin Islands-based clearinghouse Flagship are required to have passports, and non-U.S. crew must have visas as well, said Carter Wilbur, general manager. Dick Schoonover, who manages Charterport BVI, a Tortola, British Virgin Islands-based clearinghouse, agreed. “Most everyone that washes ashore either on Tortola, St. Thomas or down island with the notion of crewing in mind has at least planned in some small way and has a passport,” he said. “Visas to the United States for non-U.S. crews are a greater problem.” News this summer that the U.S. government may curb or even cancel its Visa Waiver program would cause a greater problem for crew, Wilber said. “The Visa Waiver Program has been a huge, longstanding program, and a change of the magnitude involved in canceling it would deﬁnitely make it harder for anyone to visit the U.S.,”

he said. “This is especially so since citizens of those countries involved are not used to having to go through the process. Curtailing this program would deﬁnitely put the brakes on U.S. visits and USVI charter starts by non-U.S. citizens.” The Visa Waiver Program enables nationals of certain countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business for stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa. The program was established in 1986 with the objective of promoting better relations with U.S. allies, eliminating unnecessary barriers to travel, stimulating the tourism industry, and permitting the Department of State to focus consular resources in other areas. Countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program are: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the U.K.

This summer, members of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee said they were concerned that citizens from some of those countries that have terrorist afﬁliations might ﬁnd it easy to enter the United States. “Another likely result if the United States tightens up this program and makes it harder for non-U.S. citizens to visit, is that other nations could likely stop their reciprocal visa-waiver agreements with the U.S., Wilber said. “That could mean, for example, all U.S. citizens wishing to go to the UK would not only need passports, but further would have to apply to the UK embassy in Washington – and possibly visit in person for an interview – in order to be processed for a visa. “Were this to happen, it would be a big economic strain on global tourism, so I doubt it will happen overnight, since so many people rely on tourism as an economic engine both here and abroad,” he said. “Passports are only a piece of the puzzle.”

See PASSPORTS, page A10

A10

NEWS

October 2005

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Charterers urged to warn guests of passport rules PASSPORTS, from page A9

Effect on charter clients

have a greater effect on bareboat management ﬁrms. To lessen the impact, Horizon Yacht Charters – with bases in the BVI, Antigua and the Grenadines – is offering to refund the full cost of up to two ﬁrst-issue passports for U.S. citizens who book a bareboat or crewed sailing charter of seven nights or more from now until Dec. 31.

As for the charter yacht industry, Schoonover said, “Our charter guests are not the average tourists. Most of the U.S. citizens chartering aboard members of our fleet are experienced travelers who are among the 15 percent or so of Americans that already have a passport. Effect on Caribbean tourism “I do see this as being a problem for According to an economic impact the guests that want a family holiday study conducted by the World Travel aboard, where suddenly all the wee and Tourism Council on behalf of the little kids must now have passports,. Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA), Yet from the perspective of a crew the new passport member who also requirement could cost owns his/her yacht, the The passport the region as much as outlook is less positive. rule could cost the $2.6 billion and more “Roughly 15 to 20 than 188,000 travel and Caribbean as much percent of our guests jobs. as $2.6 billion in lost tourism don’t have passports,” “CHA can appreciate said Andy Woodruff, tourism and jobs. U.S. concern for who captains the its security but 63-foot S/V Stenella cannot lose sight of the impact of on week-long BVI charters. “I’m not the new regulations on Caribbean particularly keen to see a future travel and tourism, which will be a shortfall in bookings of up to 20 permanent realignment of traffic percent.” with spontaneous, last-minute Due to this, said Pamela Wilson, travel significantly reduced,” said general manager of the Virgin Islands organization president Berthia Parle. Charteryacht League, based in St. “Our position advocates an Thomas, “It’s important for crews, on extension of time for the Caribbean to their initial contact the same introductory date as Mexico with clients, to and Canada – Jan. 1, 2008 – to allow the give the clients region’s tourism to prepare better.” information about There has been no decision from the where and how U.S. Department of Homeland Security they can obtain on the extension. information about getting a passport.” Carol Bareuther is a freelance writer The passport living in St. Thomas. Contact her requirement could WILSON through editorial@the-triton.com.

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NEWS

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October 2005

Captains avoid hurricanes, liabilities By Lisa H. Knapp M/Y T Baby, a new 82-foot Sunseeker, has an ofﬁcial hurricane plan, said delivery Capt. Renee Hobart. She never had to have a hurricane plan for any yacht prior to this year, but Marsh Insurance required it for this one. When in South Florida, T Baby has guaranteed safe harbor on the Miami River. The slip costs $3,000 a year, even if it is never used. Other plans come into play when the yacht is in other parts of the world. The yacht is also covered for damage during a hurricane, and the yacht’s buyers bought a rider that covers Hobart while Sunseeker commissions the new boat. But just because a yacht is covered to the hilt does not make a captain’s decisions on how to protect it any less critical. The option insurance companies prefer is for the yacht to stay out of harm’s way. Many include provisions that yachts won’t come south before the end of hurricane season, Nov. 1. HOBART

Megayachts in a marina in Hollywood, Fla., knocked over pilings in Hurricane Katrina’s Category 1 winds. Many marinas ask boaters to sign waivers before tying up in a hurricane, releasing the marina from liability if boats are damaged. PHOTO/LISA H. KNAPP

“You can call with an exception to change your itinerary, but the riders for hurricane season are large,” Hobart said. “They want to know your plans, where you’ll be, New England or Coconut Grove. It makes a difference.” Capt. Ian van der Watt of the 131foot M/Y Queen of Diamonds calls Weather Routing every day, and moves the yacht when bad weather approaches. “It’s best to get the hell out of the way,” he said. Both Hobart and Capt. David Peden agree.

“I would rather sail against a hurricane than be tied against a concrete wall,” Peden said. Staying away or getting out of the way isn’t always possible, though, especially with the world’s largest boat show scheduled in Ft. Lauderdale in late October. So, many yachts have hurricane plans. Sometimes they are required by the insurance company, as in Hobart’s case. Sometimes, they are the call of the captain.

See LIABILITY, page A14

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NEWS

October 2005

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The Triton

Yard ‘not a place to be’ when hurricanes approach LIABILITY, from page A13

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committee in Tallahassee. He said the state has stepped in Queen of to prevent insurance companies Diamonds has from blackballing doctors needing a standing twomalpractice insurance and requiring month reservation insurers to simplify homeowners’ at Ft. Lauderdale’s insurance policies with speak-easy Bradford Marine language. during hurricane Before an incident gets to the season, so when insurance claim stage, though, captains it finds itself in should know what their responsibilities VAN DER WATT town, it gets hauled and liabilities are in the event of a out for repairs hurricane. Chief among them is that and maintenance, van der Watt said. marinas do not automatically offer safe Then you batten down the hatches and harbor. secure her the best you can. “Marinas provide slips for normal “The yard is not a place to be in a conditions, not a hurricane,” he said. “The boat can be hurricane,” said replaced easier than human life. Capt. Peden, a 40Like many yards and marinas, year megayacht Bradford requires yachts to sign captain who now a waiver, releasing the yard of any runs Green Cove responsibility if the boat is damaged Springs Marina in during a hurricane. Jacksonville. “You have to hope the liability “You dock at insurance for the yacht covers it,” he your own risk, and PEDEN said. if you stay, you Maybe, but some captains said they sign a waiver of won’t file an insurance claim unless it’s responsibility,” he said. absolutely necessary. The captain is responsible for When a yacht under her care was guests, said Capt. Brad Tate, former struck by lightening several years ago, master of M/Y Caribbean Explorer Hobart’s boss didn’t file a claim. and now general manager of Pier 17 “With $5,000 damage, it was not Marina in Ft. Lauderdale. Tate was worth it to pay a $3,000 deductible and in Sint Maarten when the Category 5 then be in the group that files,” she said. Hurricane Luis hit. The fear owners The guests wanted ‘With $5,000 damage, to stay on board, have, she said, is that yacht insurance it’s was not worth it to but Tate made them companies could disembark and pay a $3,000 deductible become like home secured land-based and then be in the insurers in Florida shelter for them. after Hurricane group that files. You’re “Insurance insists Andrew in 1992. that passengers not blackballed.’ Once in a group be allowed on board — Capt. Renee Hobart that files claims, during a hurricane,” M/Y T Baby they won’t write Tate said. “Just crew. insurance for you Or the insurance again, Hobart said. won’t cover anything “You’re blackballed,” she said. with them on board. It’s a safety issue, So if T Baby were damaged in a too.” hurricane, Hobart said she doubted if While the liability of the captain the owners would file a claim. during a hurricane is somewhat gray, “The deductible is huge,” Hobart the responsibilities of the captain are said. “It’s usually not worth it for crystal clear, said Capt. John Dial, now owners of the yacht to file a claim; with Jackson Boat Works in Nashville, they’re better off paying out of pocket.” Tenn. With a deductible of about 2 percent “Your responsibility is to the boat, on the value of the yacht, a $5 million guests and crew,” Dial said. “The yacht would pay a $100,000 deductible captain’s liability is to the ship only to file any legitimate hurricane damage – not the dock.” claim. State insurance officials don’t like Contact freelance writer Lisa H. Knapp the sound of that and urge captains at lisa@the-triton.com. to provide specifics on companies that stop writing liability insurance MORE HURRICANE NEWS for yachts in Florida or on those that have increased rates after first-time For more news on hurricanes, see claims, said Tom Cooper, legislative pages A1, A19, A25 and A38. staff director of the House insurance

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SHIPYARD PROFILE

October 2005

A15

Clean and friendly, NSY a popular marina, too By Lisa H. Knapp

“This is a fun place that everyone can come to get work done and sit in a nice marina with regattas and powerboats,” Dana said. “We want to do both.” M/Y Black Knight, a wooden motoryacht that was the committee boat for the 1983 America’s Cup, has been to every port that’s worth going to, said Capt. Steve Jakeway. This summer was his second at NSY. “This is, in fact, a working shipyard, but the owners have worked hard to make it yacht friendly,” Jakeway said.

“The services are convenient and it really is the best program in Newport.” Picking up trash consumes a lot of NSY has doubled its dockage Eli Dana’s day at Newport Shipyard. revenue in one year. It charges daily But he doesn’t mind. Keeping the and monthly rates with no seasonal bustling Rhode Island yachting center adjustments. clean is something he takes pride in as “It’s easier to make money on its dockmaster and yard manager. dockage, harder to make money ﬁxing But yacht owners get a bigger kick boats,” Charlie Dana said. out of watching his dad, Charlie, pick Still, the yard draws people, too. up trash. Charlie Dana is a former Capt. Tim Silva took delivery of the commodore of the prestigious New Burger Tenacity at the shipyard in July. York Yacht Club and president of He used many NSY services, giving Newport Shipyard (NSY). high marks in all areas, including “It’s important to keep it the treatment of Tenacity’s clean and in-line,” Eli Dana pallets and packages and new said. “We’re picking up furniture deliveries. charters now that we’re clean “They went out of their way and presentable enough.” and bent over backward to NSY has emerged as a make us happy,” Silva said. “Eli new destination for yachts, Dana took care of us.” regattas, and major marine Tenacity had to replace a businesses. With a deepbow thruster and conduct some water marina and relaxed warranty work, but the yard atmosphere, this shipyard can had no problems letting the not only accommodate total Burger reps in, Silva said. yard service and a network of “There are usually onsite industry services, but many restrictions with it can charm even the saltiest subcontractors, but not here,” of mariners and pickiest of he said. “And they didn’t tack a guests. premium on the bill.” NSY seems to know the The yard doesn’t care who mix, and it starts with feeling customers contract with, just good in a clean, fun place Charlie Dana, left, and his son Eli serve yard and marina as long as they are happy with where the customer is king. See NSY, page A17 PHOTO/LISA H. KNAPP customers with a smile.

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October 2005

YACHTING LIFE FEATURE

www.the-triton.com

The Triton

Pets provide crew creature comforts on the seas By Lisa H. Knapp

provide common ground for homesick strangers living and working together. While navigating in the foggiest Caring for the pet creates an extra weather, Capt. Don Gilkinson often chore, but it is often a labor of love, as notices his cat rubbing his leg. the pet becomes part of the crew. In these high stress situations at sea, Research has shown that animals Gilkinson’s nerves were soothed by the in the workplace provide the beneﬁts three little cats he kept on board M/Y of a family atmosphere. It’s something Savvy Lady. for everyone to share, said Stacey “All of a sudden, it wasn’t quite so Koss, a pet activist in Jupiter, Fla. who bad anymore,” he said. previously ran a program called the The cats did a lot to lighten the Association for the Advancement of the atmosphere in crew quarters, too. At Human-Animal Bond (AAHAB). night, cabin doors would be slightly “It’s amazing what it did to mellow ajar, propped open with a shoe and a the crew out, having the cats with us,” cat nip treat. said Capt. Craig Tafoya, former master “It was funny, seeing these little of M/Y Limitless. Tafoya’s cats, Nick strings outside each cabin door with and Soot, were onboard for the ﬁnal 10 every crew member courting the cat years of his 30-year career at sea. to come sleep with them,” Gilkinson “People want to cuddle something recalled. because they missed a loved one at Pets on yachts can provide home,” he said. “Just like having a pet companionship for lonely crew and also in a hospital, it brings blood pressure down.” And it’s amazing what a pet can learn, Tafoya said. Nick kept showing up at the bridge when Tafoya had left him secure in his cabin, or so he thought. “Nick learned to jump onto the couch and pull the door handle until it popped out.” But Nick’s skills came in handy. Once, when the crew was locked out after digital locks were installed, they coaxed Nick to let Nick the cat spent 10 years on one of the world’s most them back in. The luxurious yachts, helping keep the crew and guests cat was able to open content. PHOTO COURTESY OF CAPT. CRAIG TAFOYA the door just as the mate was about to

Heineken keeps watch on M/Y Queen of Diamonds, squawking when other boats get close. PHOTO/CAPT. IAN VAN DER WATT

break a window. He eventually made 14 trans-Atlantic trips in his nine years at sea. “I hate to say it, but that’s probably more than most captains I know,” Tafoya said. “But I haven’t seen a cat with a Coast Guard license, yet.” Well, how about a parrot with a passport? Heineken has been on boats for 22 years, said Capt. Ian Van der Watt of M/Y Queen of Diamonds. “Heineken has traveled everywhere with us and we can count 80 countries,” he said. Heineken has a passport issued by U.S. Fish and Wildlife and is not a problem to travel with. She stays onboard in foreign countries, as she is quarantined, and squawks like a watchdog at a boat a mile away. “She is always on watch with us and is very protective,” van der Watt said. “She makes a big fuss when someone comes on board.” But it’s not only the relatively simple-to-care-for cats and birds that get sea time. Some yachts travel with literal watchdogs, though to see

Boomer the black lab and Mac the Springer spaniel cavort with the crew on M/Y Bayou, it’s hard to imagine. The dogs are just as much a part of the crew as any member, shedding and all. “They are great company, but you have to look after them and their associated mess,” said Capt. Hamish de Frenne Chilvers. “There’s hair everywhere. And you have to plan your trips around the dogwalking schedule. You cannot leave Nantucket and run straight to New York. We have to stop in Block Island to walk the dogs.” Over three years, Savvy Lady became a home for ﬁve cats, a few ducks and a baby pigeon that fell off a bridge in New York, said Chef John Rubino, now on M/Y Lady Kathryn. For a while, the owners of Savvy Lady didn’t even know cats were onboard. One day, after a stop in Newport where pets are everywhere, the owner mentioned that it might be nice to have a little cat. Capt. Gilkinson smiled and handed him one. Many yachts carry animals belonging to owners, “but in our case, the pets belonged to the crew and the wonderful owners allowed them,” Gilkinson said. “That’s why it was so special.” Contact freelance writer Lisa H. Knapp at lisa@the-triton.com

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The Triton

SHIPYARD PROFILE

www.the-triton.com

October 2005

Yachting atmosphere attracts more than boats NSY, from page A15 the end result and want to come back, Charlie Dana said. “You’ll probably find the best boats in New England come for the fun of just being here.” Dana’s goal is to have NSY, the marine facility he saved from becoming a timeshare, considered the top docks and shipyard in New England. “We bought it because we love boats and we love Newport,” he said. “I would not let the last operating shipyard in Newport become another timeshare. The city of Newport would not be here without maritime trades.” And the maritime trades have shown their support. Many relocated to the renovated yard and wouldn’t be anyplace else. “The fact that companies such as Swan, Camper and Nicholson’s, Churchill Yacht Partners and Roger Martin Designs already had a presence at NSY further influenced our decision,” said Neal Harrell Jr., president of the executive search and recruiting firm Brooks Marine Group. Nautor’s Swan, one of the biggest builders of custom and semi-custom

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sailing yachts in the world, chose NSY as its U.S. corporate headquarters, said Steve Barker, the company’s executive vice president of sales. With a 1,500foot work dock and 28 slips for yachts over 100 feet, NSY can accommodate Swans requiring deeper drafts. Newport Shipyard’s upscale atmosphere also complements Nautor’s corporate image, Barker said. That was one reason NSY was chosen as the location for the Swan USA American Regatta held every two years. “This is going to be a place where people want to be, if you can get in,” he said. “We can’t afford not to be here.” NSY is open year round and its yard services include painting, electrical, a machine shop, carpenters, mechanics, and two travel lifts. Its network of services includes a notary that Silva used for Tenacity’s closing, and a well-stocked ship’s store. Tenacity’s owners and guests enjoyed their stay, Silva said. “You don’t feel like you’re in a shipyard,” he said. “I will be a repeat customer.” Contact freelance writer Lisa H. Knapp at lisa@the-triton.com.

N O W S C H E D U L I N G F O R FA L L & W I N T E R 2 0 0 6

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PROFILE

October 2005

www.the-triton.com

The Triton

Montigne snags Best of Show at YachtFest; watch out Ft. Lauderdale interior remodeling. The yacht just ﬁnished all annual inspections for class and a new paint job in Guaymas, Mexico [see Letter to the Editor, page A39]. She is for sale by Camper & Nicholsons International, Ft. Lauderdale, where she’s headed next. PHOTO/ JOHN

Monaco wasn’t the only place hosting a yacht show in September. YachtFest in San Diego hosted some nice boats and offered some great networking. Out on the water for the first time in four months, the crew of M/Y Montigne – from left, Capt. Martyn Walker, stewardess Clarissa, engineer Mick, chef Michael, bosun Will, Duncan the executive officer, stewardess Sukaynah, second engineer Nick and deckhand Gus – were all smiles at the show where they scooped up the People’s Choice Best of Show Award. Montigne, a 152-foot (46m) Feadship, is no stranger to awards, winning the Refit of the Year Award a few years ago from Showboats International magazine for its

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Bill Shakespeare (left) of Northern Lights shares a laugh with Doug Sharp of Sharp Design and president of the SuperYacht Society. The two networked at the Welcome Party at Fiddler’s Green Restaurant on Shelter Island, co-sponsored by ShowBoats International and Knight & Carver YachtCenter in San Diego.

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Speaking of sponsors, ShowBoats’ Bruce Vandale, left, and Knight & Carver President/CEO Sam Brown enjoyed themselves, too. PHOTO/JOHN FREEMAN

The Triton

www.the-triton.com

NEWS: KATRINA

M/Y Lady Gayle Marie safe away from New Orleans home By Lisa H. Knapp M/Y Lady Gayle Marie, which has become a fixture in New Orleans every fall, was out of harm’s way during Hurricane Katrina. The 122-foot Burger was at the Australian Docks in Palm Beach due to a schedule delay when the storm hit the Gulf Coast. Lady Gayle Marie belongs to Tom Benson, owner of the professional football team New Orleans Saints. Benson built his own dock at West End Canal, off Lake Pontchartrain near Southern Yacht Club, about 10 years ago. “We are usually in town, in New Orleans, during football season in September, October and November,” said Capt. Jack Perkins, who has been the master of the yacht for 12 years. “Mr. Benson entertains a lot during football season.” Now, it may be a year or longer before the yacht returns to its familiar berthing spot on the New Orleans lakefront, Perkins said. The Saints cannot play in the Louisiana Superdome at all this year. The Superdome, regarded as the only structure in New Orleans built to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, sustained significant roof damage during Katrina, a Category 4 storm. The dock Benson had built survived the storm and resulting flood, but is littered with debris, as is much of the waterway, Perkins said. The dock was built sturdy enough to drive a car on, all the way to the yacht, he said. “It is wood, heavy planked and can take pressure,” he said. “No boards popped up, but the garage door on the storage was a little banged up.” The Saints will divide their home

Capt. Jack Perkins is seen here on board the 122-foot (37m) Burger M/Y Lady Gayle Marie at the Port of New Orleans last winter. The yacht, a ﬁxture in New Orleans each football season, likely won’t return to to the city until next fall. PHOTO/LISA H. KNAPP games between Baton Rouge, La., and San Antonio, Texas, where Benson recently rented a home. In the meantime, Lady Gayle Marie likely will remain in South Florida when not in use. “We probably won’t be back in New Orleans at all this year.” Contact freelance writer Lisa H. Knapp at lisa@the-triton.com.

October 2005

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A22

FROM THE BRIDGE

October 2005

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The Triton

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Attendees of The Triton’s October Bridge luncheon were, from left, Gunnar Watson of M/Y Due Diligence, Chris Wallace of M/Y Neenah Z, Joe Schumann of M/Y Contrarian, Norm Fougere (looking), Chris Harris of M/Y Cachee, Bob Belschner who manages several yachts, and William Blackwell of M/Y Serendipity. Lunch was held in the ofﬁces of the Marine Industries Association of South Florida and catered by yacht chef Shaunarae Hawkesworth. PHOTO/LUCY REED

Consider real bottom line of fit, future opportunities BRIDGE, from page A1 “It’s not all about the salary, it’s a personality thing,” one captain said. “Do you fit our program?” “And you have to look at the size of the boat with the qualifications, then the attitude.” “Crew know the range; the agencies tell them,” another said. “But once they come in that range, there are other things besides salaries they should think about, and that is how the captain treats them, how the owner treats them, and the freedoms they get. “It’s a mistake for crew not to go on a boat because they didn’t get the money they wanted,” this captain continued. “You get on the boat and you move up. I always help with advancing careers.” There are other kinds of benefits, too, they agreed. One captain encourages the mate or deckhand to grab a friend and take the tender out. “It’s got to be run so he’s got access to a $50,000 tender with all the tackle and gear and he can have a nice day off,” this captain said. “It shows a bit of trust as well,” another said. One captain noted that a kind gesture can work better than money. Coming back from holiday, he noticed that the stewardess had done a great job in his absence, taking the downtime to do some extra organizing and cleaning. So the boss gave her an iPod. “It’s not a lot, but she was over the moon with that,” this captain said. “It keeps morale up.” The topic for this Bridge was suggested by a captain at a previous luncheon who uses financial incentives to keep maintenance costs in line. For example, the engineer got a percentage

of the money left unspent from his monthly maintenance budget. These captains unanimously objected to that practice. “That just lends itself to abuse,” one captain said. “He [the engineer] might be more motivated to ﬁx things himself instead of calling in the repair guys, but he might also push off doing some repairs to save the money.” “I’ve heard of boats that use incentives, but it’s hard,” another captain said. “One year, you may have no problems, but the next year the generator goes, then the budget and bonuses are way out of line.” That was another thing these captains shied away from – creating budgets. “I had an owner once who wanted a budget so the mate and I spent two days walking all over the boat and came up with one,” a captain said. “When I gave it to the boss, he had an absolute ﬁt. He said, ‘no way am I going to spend this kind of money.’ And that pretty much ended our relationship. They don’t really want to know.” “There are two kinds of budgets, there’s the maintenance budget – I don’t know how you do that – and there’s the annual operating expenses,” another said. “I try to give the owner the courtesy of knowing when a big expense is coming up. “A yacht is like a mistress,” he added. “When she’s new, money is no object. But the honeymoon wears off.” Contact Editor Lucy Chabot Reed at lucy@the-triton.com. If you are a yacht captain and in Ft. Lauderdale at the beginning of the month, contact us for an invitation to our Bridge luncheon. Space is limited to eight.

The Triton

www.the-triton.com

FROM THE FRONT

October 2005

Problems may arise when it’s time to renew policies that might take. Several independent insurance brokers in Ft. Lauderdale said they drafted with international insurance offer other plans and can help crew find in mind, so application of the existing replacement insurance. regulatory scheme to this business is a The most important thing for crew challenging proposition for everyone,” members with IMG insurance to do Brougher wrote in a letter to clients is to process any claims immediately, and agents. said Chuck Bortell, an independent The companies agreed to pay the insurance broker state $575,000 to cover and owner of Crew its administrative Read it for yourself: Insurance Associates costs associated in Ft. Lauderdale. with the two-year Visit www.the-triton.com to He also advised crew investigation, as view the consent orders, the to start researching well as $261,344.30 OIR statement about them and other carriers so in claims they had IMG’s response. they will not be previously declined. left uninsured if The bottom line, though, is that crew members who hold their renewal is impeded by the legal restrictions of the consent order. this insurance are still covered. Bortell said he helped brokers create “Even though IMG and Sirius had no license, any policy that they wrote must the insurance products for yacht crew about seven years ago. He ceased be honored,” Scott said. working with IMG in early 2003 after Problems may arise when crew try becoming concerned that the company to renew their policies. According to did not implement the controls he Scott, IMG and Sirius cannot write thought it should, as well as being in new or renewal business in Florida violation of Florida Statutes, he said. until Sirius is licensed. Brougher said the companies are filing for their Contact Editor Lucy Chabot Reed at Certificates of Authority, but neither lucy@the-triton.com. Scott nor Brougher could say how long

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October 2005

FROM THE FRONT

www.the-triton.com

The Triton

Katrina hurts Trinity’s subcontractors, too KATRINA, from page A1

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were damaged in the flood, while the administrative offices received extensive roof and water damage, Berulis said. Trinity’s new Gulfport facility is the old main yard for Halter Marine, which used to own Trinity. “We’ll be able to build bigger boats there, in Gulfport,” Smith said, noting that Trinity has 14 yachts on order, most for repeat customers. Two Trinity yachts damaged in the storm left for South Florida yards on Sept. 16. The yachts could not leave before then because of several 300ton barges obstructing the Industrial Canal, tossed about by Katrina’s winds. The 161-foot Lady Florence had minor paint damage, Berulis said. The newly launched 161-foot Zoom Zoom Zoom will require two days of aluminum repair, he said. “The bow poked into a building and hit debris, damaging the props severely, but it’s very repairable,” Berulis said of Zoom Zoom Zoom. Both yachts were en route to South Florida for repairs at press time and are expected to keep their appointments at the Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show in late October, he said. Subcontractors that conducted a lot of business with Trinity have made adjustments so their businesses can roll with the punches. Largo-based Nautical Structures is watching its discretionary spending for at least a few months, said Rick Thomas, vice president. The company provides passarelles and cranes for large yachts. Trinity comprises 25 percent of the company’s business, and Nautical Structures is rescheduling projects for other clients for the fourth quarter while Trinity catches up, he said. Ft. Lauderdale-based Finish Masters, a wood repair company, gets more than a third of its business from Trinity. “I need to find work for six guys now, got to keep them busy,” said Paul Jehlen, company president. Two of his employees were based in New Orleans to handle last-minute nick and scratch repairs on yachts ready for delivery, and he’s had as many as six there getting yachts ready. But Jehlen said he’s not worried about getting back to work with Trinity. “Only a company like Trinity Yachts could go through something like this and then come back stronger and more competitive than ever,” Jehlen said. Finish Masters is scheduled to put the finishing touches on Lady Florence and Zoom Zoom Zoom once they arrive in South Florida. Hurricane Katrina started her path of trouble in South Florida on Aug. 25

as a Category 1 storm, knocking down trees and cutting power to thousands for about a week. The storm then entered the gulf, veered north and strengthened before hitting the Louisiana-Mississippi state line as a Category 4 hurricane Aug. 29. More than a million people were advised to evacuate in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, including the first-ever mandatory evacuation of New Orleans. After having survived the worst of Katrina’s 135-mph winds, rising water from Lake Pontchartrain pushed through the levees that protect the city. More than 80 percent of New Orleans was flooded under 7 to 20 feet of water. A million homes and businesses lost electricity and plumbing. More than 730 people have died so far in Louisiana, most of them in New Orleans. During the hurricane, six Trinity employees remained at the yard. John Neal, a machinist also known as Wheels, was on Lady Florence when one of the bow lines snapped. When he tried to retrieve it, he was washed overboard with his life jacket on, said Felix Sabates, Trinity’s chairman. Neal was “very aware of where he was,” Sabates said in an e-mail to employees and associates. “He let the current carry him as he knew it could only take him toward our inside docks, rested with the current pushing him flush to the pier, stayed there for a few minutes, and as the water came up he was able to get out of the water, and run for higher ground. “You would think he would want to get out of there [when rescue vehicles arrived], but he was the first one that volunteered to stay,” Sabates wrote. In addition to rebuilding its business, Trinity must also do damage control. “There are rumors of brokers telling clients that their boat is sunk,” Smith said. “Those rumors are false. … “The industry has been supportive and we can’t say thank you enough, although it’s a shame that some competitors are trying to steal our employees, but that goes with the territory. If it’s a place for employees to land on their feet until we [rebuild], well, that’s a different thing.” Once Trinity’s New Orleans facility reopens, Trinity will have more than doubled its space undercover, total acreage and production capabilities, thanks to the new Gulfport facility. In a statement, the company said it would be able to build up to 10 megayachts a year up to 400 feet. The New Orleans facility would then focus on refit and repair, Dane said. Contact freelance writer Lisa H. Knapp at lisa@the-triton.com.

The Triton

www.the-triton.com

LESSONS LEARNED: THE HARD WAY

Hurricane preparation: An engineer’s rant We’re in a private marina on the west side of the Intracoastal in Ft. Lauderdale. Three yachts are moored stern to, pointed more or less due east. I’ll call them yachts A, B and C. Northernmost is Yacht A, 135-145 feet, commanded by Captain A (CA for short) who was not present, leaving the mate and his girl who did an outstanding job before and during the storm. Next slip south is empty, the yacht that was there, commanded by Captain Diligent, was moved to a safer location prior to the storm. Smart guy. Next slip south is Yacht B, 115-125 feet, commanded by Captain B (CB for short). Second in command is Engineer Frightened (me) along with my best friend, Engineer Careful, in Ft. Lauderdale for a little vacation. Talk about wrong place wrong time. He’ll probably never visit me again, regardless of where I am in the world. Next slip south is Yacht C, 100-110 feet, commanded by Captain C (CC for short). Hmmm, this is starting to sound like some kind of demented algebra problem. If CA=CB=CC and they all drown, do the fish care? Right, enough of that. The day before the hurricane, Yacht A gets tied to three sets of pilings on her north side, along with assorted stern lines and a line to the bow of Yacht B. Anchors out. Yacht B gets tied to a triple piling about midships on the port side, assorted stern lines and two bow lines to Yacht C. No anchors down. Yacht C – with both anchors down, not quite correctly – is tied to a weak piling on her starboard side, ditto the stern lines. Four times during the day, Engineer Frightened suggests to CB that they “pull this thing out, drop and set both anchors and put 300 feet of chain on the ground so we’ll be secure.” CB’s reply: “Too much hassle, disconnecting shore power and the lines. Besides, it’s only going to be a tropical storm.” Quite a confident prediction. Maybe this guy should work for NOAA. Later in the day, in complete defiance of CB’s orders, Katrina (such a pretty name for a vicious, murdering monster), decides to become Category 1. Oops. Now CB has to call the owner of the yacht and revise his earlier prediction. Engineer Frightened again suggests that we might want to drop our hooks and be more secure. “No worries,” says CB. “The divers and tugs are coming at 1300 tomorrow. We’ll get them to pull our anchors out and drop them.” Engineer Frightened, being less than qualified to have an opinion, says nothing but grows ever more nervous at the prospect of the anchors being simply dropped in the mud as opposed to properly set. CB leaves for the day, has to pick up his girlfriend at the airport. Engineers

Frightened and Careful wander around the ship, adjusting and tightening lines, with much muttering and cursing of captains in general. Later, they both retire to the local tavern and spend the evening telling the cute Beer Fairy all the captain jokes they know. The Beer Fairy is mildly amused, but spends most of the time shaking her head and rolling her eyes, no doubt wondering what she did to deserve these clowns. So, Thursday morning dawns clear and calm. On the TV, oops, Katrina’s arrival time has been changed from 0200 Friday to 1600 Thursday. Damn unpredictable, unreliable, never-ontime, vicious ... sorry, ranting again. CB rolls in at about 1000 hours, quite surprised that the ETA has changed. He’s not worried though, the divers and tugs will be here at 1300. Engineer Frightened, being a glutton for punishment, suggests, yet again, that it might be prudent to pull out, etc., etc., being as it’s a nice calm day and all. Nope. CB’s not having any of that. “Divers/tugs will be here at 1300.” Divers and tugs arrive at about 1400 and reposition Yacht A’s anchors, and haul out and drop Yacht B’s anchor. But by the time they ﬁnish that, it’s way too windy too reposition Yacht C’s anchors. CB takes a bunch of photos to prove he’s taken “all reasonable precautions” and heads for home, leaving Engineers Frightened and Careful to hunker down in the main salon and watch the local news, which is full of lovely graphics describing the “cone of death.” The wind picks up for the next few hours and it becomes apparent that there is going to be a problem. Blowing initially from the north, the wind is pushing all three yachts’ bows toward the south, and it appears that the piling on Yacht C’s starboard side is not strong enough. (Properly set anchors would have helped a lot.) About this time, Engineer Frightened calls CB and requests the honor of his presence ... immediately ... as in right now. Hanging up the phone, Engineer Frightened is praying that CB can get here without having a trafﬁc accident. Not long after, CB arrives, and with much rushing around (in 50 knot winds, mind you), additional lines are put in place. For a while it appears we’ll be OK, then the inevitable happens. The piling that Yacht C is counting on for support snaps, leaving all the load of the yacht hanging on two lines to Yacht B’s bow, which is free to move, thanks to improperly set anchors. Yacht B is now putting way too much strain on the lines on her port side, one of which snaps. To make a way long story shorter, Yacht C had to be cut loose, which involved a total of eight people (one of whom was a heck of a “stand-up-girl” who takes way too many risks) rushing

around in what turned out to be 75 knots of sustained wind, releasing lines, removing shore power cables, etc. Finally, Yacht C pulls away from the dock – in the teeth of a hurricane remember – retrieves one of her anchors and motors away, headed for a safer moorage. Giving credit where it’s due, CC did a miraculous job of keeping her off the beach. Without the additional load on her bows and after another line was set on the port side, Yacht B made it through the rest of the storm with minor damage, Yacht C found a safe mooring and we all survived OK. I’ve written this with the beneﬁt of 20/20 hindsight and tried to inject a little humor, but it’s not funny. All of us involved that night were very lucky. The situation could easily have resulted in the total destruction of two large yachts with heaven knows what kind of environmental damage, not to mention personal injury or worse. The morals of the story: 1) Luck is not an acceptable substitute for good practice, and 2) The time to learn and apply due diligence is before, not after, the situation requires it. Though Engineer Frightened is not worried about being identiﬁed, The Triton is not identifying him in fairness to the captain. The point remains.

October 2005

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EarningYourStripes CAREER NEWS FOR CAPTAINS & CREWS

The Triton

www.the-triton.com

October 2005

A picture speaks a thousand words on a crew resume Spit and Polish By Lisa H. Knapp

hile crew agents and human resources experts stress describing accomplishments versus just listing duties on your resume, captains say they are more interested in whether “they recognize your face” from around the yard and if references hold up under scrutiny. “I take all resumes with a grain of salt,” said Capt. Chuck Limroth who runs M/Y Caprice, a 123-foot charter and private yacht that runs with a crew of six. He hires about two people a year.

I don’t always remember a name, but I’ll know the face. – Capt. Mark Howard

“It’s easy to write stuff down,” he said. “It’s not that I don’t believe people. It’s just easy to present yourself in different ways.” Limroth places more value in the interview, where he gets a gut feeling for a potential crew member. That said though, a resume still should be neat and must include a photo, he said. “I don’t always remember a name, but I’ll know the face,” he said. “You may have seen someone around but not know their name.” If no photo is included on a resume, Capt.

Mark Howard puts it at the bottom of the pile. Photos on crew resumes have gotten so common that it is now almost required, Howard said. Since incorporating a digital photo is so simple, not showing one raises the question as to why. “Has this gal got a bone in her nose?” Howard said. “Does the guy have dreadlocks?” Howard gets 15 to 20 resumes a year for M/Y Huntress, a 180-foot Feadship with a crew of 13. Otherwise, both captains prefer resumes that present potential crew members as they really are, with up-to-date references and basic licenses. Nationality and visa/ immigration status should be included with a job objective to help them match candidates with the right position. The best resumes also show job longevity. Longevity in previous positions shows a crew member had a job and liked it, Limroth said. “And it means that the captain liked having them on board and they were doing a good job,” he said. “He kept that person on for a reason.” A job applicant with a bad reference is nixed even if he/she had a good resume and interview, Howard said. “If a reference like a captain or department head says, ‘Someone left me hanging,’ it probably will be repeated.” Contact freelance writer Lisa H. Knapp at lisa@the-triton.com.

Captains gravitate toward crew resumes that have: • A photo • A job objective • Licenses and experience consistent with the position • Nationality, visa/immigration/citizenship status • References that are easy to contact and that vouch for longevity

1 9

EASY

October 2005

HOW I GOT MY START IN YACHTING

A little Provo, a little rum, a little love By Tanya Magney I got my start in yachting when my girlfriend Sandy said, “Let’s go somewhere that’s warm and by the beach.” Working as a zoo keeper at the Calgary Zoo allowed for traveling during the winter months; not a lot of activity in freezing weather. The Caribbean sounded very nice. Once we arrived in Provo, Turks and Caicos, we checked into the Turtle Inn. I knew this was going to be nice. I met Capt. Herb “Mongo” Magney during a day-sailing trip on a schooner named “Atabeyra.” Many rum punches later, we found ourselves in the Virgin Islands on an Irwin 68 in dire need of repair. Time to go home. Capt. Magney kept e-mailing and writing with invitations to come down and spend some time in the Virgin Islands. Well, that was a no-brainer. Sandy and I went down for several weeks of island hopping in the BVIs and U.S. Virgin Islands. The Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke is still one of my all-time favorite places. I found out fast it was not all fun

and fruity drinks at Duffy’s Love Shack. Between the afternoon rides on the wave runners and Sundays dancing on the Willie T., we helped develop a brochure to market this boat for charter. By the time the trip ended, we had cleaned, redecorated, carpeted, varnished, repaired and done everything humanly possible to prepare the boat for the fall charter broker show. What an event. Meeting the brokers and other crew was so interesting, and still is. If there was one person who stood out, it was Larry Ebbs, then of Flagship, now of International Yacht Collection. His support, enthusiasm and guidance sparked my interest in yachting. At this point, I had not only fallen in love with a boat captain but with being on the water as well. I spent another winter freezing with animals at the Calgary Zoo before Herb convinced me to move to San Francisco where he had started a charter and yacht management company. I took a job at a zoo in San Jose but it did not take long to grow tired of the 60-mile commute. I started helping him on the boat and really enjoyed waterfront life in San Francisco. One hitch was I still did not have my Green Card. My choices were to

go back to Canada, or to some other sailing destination. Herb had a friend with a homemade 60-foot trimaran he was planning to do charter and dive excursions with in the Bahamas. I spent the next nine months traveling through the Exumas, Harbor Island and Nassau. I learned about bilge pumps, cramped quarters, odd personal habits, Kalik, conch in every meal, hull scrubbing, cranky outboards on Ribs navigating shallow waters, picking the right guide, diving and prepping a boat to ride out a hurricane. That year ended with me back in Canada for a few months of waiting for my papers. Then it was off to Ft. Lauderdale and Herb and mine’s ﬁrst job as crew on an older Broward. We did a charter in Maine for the New York Yacht Club’s Summer Cruise. It was stressful and fantastic. Then we cruised slowly from New York down the ICW with the owners. The owner’s wife taught me all about Silver Service, breakfast, lunch and dinner. Capt. Marcus Van Oort taught me all about cooking and dealing with charter guests, crew and owners. We returned from a great introduction to yachting. How did you get your start in yachting? Send your story to lucy@the-triton.com. Who knows? You might inspire someone.

www.the-triton.com

The Triton

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The Triton

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THE AFTERLIFE: LIFE AFTER YACHTING

October 2005

One consuming job led her to another By Lisa H. Knapp “This business absorbs my whole life,” said Carole Cloonan, “but working 18-hour days in yachting prepared me for it.” A former megayacht chef whose career began in St. Thomas in 1979, Cloonan now owns Bright Mornings, a small café in Fernandina Beach, near Jacksonville, Fla. “It ﬁlls a niche in town,” Cloonan said of her restaurant, which serves breakfast and lunch and offers private catering. Cloonan started with four brick walls and completed a renovation in ﬁve weeks time, opening the café in July 2004. Cloonan built her yachting career in the slower days of the 1980s and 1990s. “It was a smaller industry with smaller boats, where owners just tried to recoup part of their cash outlay,” Cloonan said.

‘I miss my friends and being at sea, but Ft. Lauderdale got to be too much of a city.’

— Carole Cloonan, who has settled in northeast Florida and runs a small café

Her first job was cook on a 75-foot cutter, S/Y Sirocco, originally owned by the late Errol Flynn. She made many trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific trips and attended prestigious culinary schools such as LaVerenne in Paris and the Culinary Institute of America in New York. Cloonan started freelancing and also served as a private chef for exclusive families on land in western Florida. She got the itch to open her own restaurant after organizing and launching an American-style bakery in Santiago, Chile, for a yacht owner in the 1990s. She hopes to add a bakery to the offerings of the Bright Mornings café soon. Freelancing provided the flexibility required to transition off the yacht into a different life, she said. “I miss my friends and being at sea, but Ft. Lauderdale got to be too much of a city,” Cloonan said. She likes the slower pace on Fernandina Beach’s Amelia Island much better. Cloonan warns that it’s almost impossible to make a direct transition from the yacht to land, financially speaking. Working as a chef in private homes was an economic equalizer to the salaries she earned crewing, but private homes had many of the same

demands and downsides. “Start saving $10 a week, or whatever, to prepare to leave,” Cloonan advised yachties yearning to dry their feet. Having a little cash will make starting over less of a struggle, she said. Contact freelance writer Lisa H. Knapp at lisa@the-triton.com

At Bright Mornings, Cloonan prepares breakfasts and lunches and offers private catering. PHOTO COURTESY OF CAROLE CLOONAN

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PERSONAL FINANCE

October 2005

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www.the-triton.com

Captain of your money By Mark Cline

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The Triton

Financial planning, where do you begin? Planning a trip to a new foreign port, where do you begin? Two different objectives but the answer is the same for both. Having been an active captain myself until 1998, I find that financial planning is very much the same as planning any voyage. If you know who to talk to so you can get the right information, this will ensure a successful trip. If you had the chance, would you ask questions of a captain who just finished the trip? What kind of information do you need for a trip? To start off with, an overall chart is a must so you can see the whole trip. To plan your financial stability you must be able to see where you are now and where you ultimately want to be at retirement. In the financial industry there are many versions of charts. The most common reason that people procrastinate putting together a financial plan is that they don’t know where to start. Most people will put more time into planning their summer cruise than they will put into planning their retirement. Obviously, we know which one is more fun. When you sit down with a financial

consultant to help plan out your trip to retirement there are some things you should consider. Some companies charge more than $1,000 to have a financial chart created. I personally do not charge clients to map out their financial goals. A map, as you know, is a necessary tool to develop the right directions. If your financial adviser or consultant does not do a financial chart, then beware they may just be nothing more than a salesman. You may always wonder if they sold the right product for you or just one they sell. When it comes time to chart your financial future make sure you not only interview with a financial consultant you can understand, but also interview with other professionals such as attorneys and accountants so they are all working together for you as a team. Captains select and lead a crew on every trip so it is a natural for them to select a team for their own financial future. Mark A. Cline is a former captain and national marketing director for Capital Choice, a full-service financial services firm with offices in Ft. Lauderdale. Contact him at (954) 761-3983 or mark.cline@capitalchoice.net.

The Triton

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FROM THE EXPERTS: TRAINING

October 2005

Crew numbers impact preparedness drills The big difference between doing drills on a small cruise ship and a yacht is the number of crew and passengers. It may seem obvious, but the real reason that this is significant is that there is more crew to do different tasks. On a ship, it is possible to put together a fire team, have an onscene leader, and back-up support THE DRILL for the fire party, CAPT. MICHAEL for example. On a MURPHY yacht with a crew of five or six, this is just not possible.

Crew needs clear focus

On the M/Y Kakela, we run with ﬁve crew. For nearly each scenario, the mate will be at the scene for ﬁre, collision, grounding, etc. The chef is responsible for clearing the crew quarters and securing the galley before reporting to the bridge. The stewardess checks the passenger cabins and guest areas,

Do drills with the light off, or blindfold the crew. Have crew practice evacuating from various areas of the ship on their hands and knees. It is surprising how these changes can throw you off. secures these areas, musters all guests, and then reports to the bridge. The engineer goes to the engine room to man any systems necessary or secure power and ventilation. The captain is on the bridge for the most part making the necessary calls, and planning his best options. The chef and stew know to secure any doors in the areas they check. This will contain ﬂooding or ﬁre. The engineer may be able to assist the mate at times and the stewardess and chef – after checking in with the captain – could be sent to assist where needed as well. You can’t really designate a muster area for every situation because the nature of the situation may prevent that area from being a feasible option. For training purposes, we use the seating area behind the bridge. This keeps people in sight yet not under foot. Do drills with the light off, or blindfold the crew. Have crew practice evacuating from various areas of the ship on their hands and knees. It is

surprising how these changes can throw you off.

Analyze your practice results

Talk through the drills when you finish to find out what each person noticed that was either a good or bad point. Note these and make modifications if necessary. Write your drill summary in a chronological sequence, and write observations that were noted. Be sure to include the names of the crew who participated.

Write down what changes you plan to make, and address the changes the next time you run that sort of drill. Keep a master log of just the date, the location, and the type of drill as a reference sheet. If you are inspected, this is one of the most important pieces of information you may need. If the inspectors want speciﬁc data, then you show them your drill summary. Once you get a system in place, it is just a matter of keeping it up to date, and ﬁne tuning it as you go. This also

helps you keep track of the frequency that you do drills. This all sounds like a pain in the neck, but if you survive just one incident, you will appreciate your efforts tenfold. Capt. Michael Murphy took over the 120-foot M/Y Kakela in July. He spent the previous 18 months running the 217-foot cruise ship Spirit of Endeavor with a crew of 26, conducting at least two safety drills a week. Contact him through editorial@the-triton.com.

October 2005

FROM THE EXPERTS: IN THE GALLEY

www.the-triton.com

The Triton

Prima donna chefs need attitude adjustment I recently interviewed a yacht chef who was so egotistical that the experience of merely talking to him left me hoping I don’t develop the same attitude he has. I came away from the experience ticked off, questioning my own attitude in an industry that tolerates prima donna chefs. We’ve all worked CULINARY WAVES with or heard MARY BETH about prima donna LAWTON JOHNSON chefs who rule with an iron ﬁst from stainless galleys. Prima donnas believe the yacht centers around what they produce and that the guests only

come onboard for what they prepare. They demand considerably more from the team (crew) than they contribute back. Even worse are chefs who don’t even speak to fellow crew or want to have anything to do with them. With the wave of a hand, they dismiss crew mates as though they were bread crumbs on a tablecloth. These chefs do not put themselves on the same level or category as the rest of the crew. Unfortunately, these chefs have not learned that they are not the only ones who have paid their dues and educational expenses to get where they are. Most of the crew they work with have undergone an equal educational route and have worked equally hard to obtain their status. So why is it that some chefs demand

help from the rest of the crew when it comes to restocking and cleaning dishes yet do not offer to lend a hand when it is time to do work outside of their galley? “I can’t figure out why they feel that they must operate on a separate basis from the rest of the crew,” said Capt. Mark Munson on M/Y Astra Dee. “Every crew member that comes onboard this yacht should be able to work as a team member. I really just don’t understand what possesses them to believe that they should be treated differently in the first place.” To break down the ego we must first look at what the ego is hiding. I say it’s pride. We sometimes let pride dictate our behavior, thus we lose our humility. Did we develop our attitudes from teachers in culinary school who

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taught us to hold our heads high and take a pledge? Some of us have spent thousands to claim the title and certiﬁcate of chef, but does that give us the right to be rude? Have we built a pedestal too high to climb down from? I interviewed a few more captains to see the picture from a their viewpoint. This is what one has witnessed from 35 years of running yachts and working with professional chefs. Mary Beth: From my own experience of trying to interview yacht chefs for The Triton, I am ﬁnding they are not very approachable. Why are chefs held in such high regard? Why do they seem more distant than the rest of the crew? Captain: From my experience, chefs are more of an entity unto themselves either by not realizing that they are part of the team that makes up the crew or by not wanting to recognize that they are not special. I have a hard time talking to them in general as well. They need to understand that they also go through the same fundamentals as the other crew members who make up the team – STCW, training drills, team efforts – and they are just like the rest of the crew, even if they don’t realize it. Mary Beth: You started this interview by saying, “The output of a functioning team is greater than the sum of its parts.” Please explain. Captain: The team, meaning the crew, should not be and is not there to support the chef. The chef should be a functioning member of the team. For example, when time allows – and that is a big if – how often do you see a chef helping the crew scrub the decks or chamois the yacht? Yet, when time allows, how often do you see the crew helping the chef

See WAVES, page B8

The Triton

www.the-triton.com

Dueling desserts These miniature desserts welcome cooler months with their flavor pairings. They definitely show an attitude, so serve these when you really want to impress your boss. Serve one or both. This takes advantage of new baking transfer sheets on the market. I bought mine from Qzina Foods in Pompano Beach, Fla. They have the best selection and the sheets are from PCB Creations in France. The cake design is up to you. Hazelnut Gianduja Bavarian with Chocolate Mousse Cake For the decorative lining on the outside of the cake, use a baking transfer sheet and top with the biscuit preparation of your choice. Special Equipment Silpat mat Baking sheets Baking transfer sheet 12 ring molds, 2 x 2 or size of choice for both recipes. Pick out a baking transfer sheet of choice for the outer lining of the cake. Lay a silpat mat on a baking sheet and then top the silpat with the transfer sheet. Biscuit Sponge 7 oz. powdered hazelnuts 6 oz. confectioner’s sugar 2 oz. cake flour 9.5 oz. whole eggs 6.5 oz. egg whites 0.25 oz. sugar 2.5 oz. melted butter Makes 2 lbs. (two sheet pans’

worth). Mix hazelnuts, confectioner’s sugar and ﬂour in a mixing bowl. Add eggs one at a time. Mix well after each addition. Whip whites with the sugar until stiff peaks form; fold egg mixture into whipped whites. Fold in melted butter. Lay a silpat mat in bottom of a half-sheet pan. Lay baking transfer sheet on top of silpat mat. Using nonstick spray, coat sides of baking pan so batter won’t stick. Spread batter thinly over silpat mat. Bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes until ﬁrm to touch. Remove from oven and baking pan. Peel baking transfer sheet away from cake sponge. Cut into strips for lining ring molds. Remember to handle carefully to not break strips and to cut out a bottom and top for the dessert. White Chocolate Mousse 8 oz. white chocolate, chopped

FROM THE EXPERTS: IN THE GALLEY 1 2/3 cup chilled heavy whipping cream 2 tsps. sugar Stir white chocolate and 2/3 cup of cream over low heat until chocolate is melted. Transfer to a bowl to chill, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes. Beat remaining 1 cup of cream with sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold into cool mixture. Cover and chill for 1 1/2 hours or until set. Place mousse in a piping bag. Pipe into the base of the small individual cakes or large cakes halfway to top. Refrigerate covered so the biscuit will not dry out. Chocolate Mousse Make the same way as white chocolate mousse except use milk chocolate couverture. Pipe mousse on top of the white chocolate mousse inside the ring molds to top of cake lining. Refrigerate covered so the biscuit will not dry out. Ready to serve. Hazelnut Gianduja Bavarian Special Equipment: Ring molds of choice Acetate sheets Round bases cut from sponge sheet for bottoms of ring molds. Use ring molds to cut round bases out of sponge cake. Creme Anglaise: 8 egg yolks 8 oz. sugar 1 qt. milk 1 tsp. vanilla extract Combine egg yolks and sugar in the bowl of a mixer. Beat until thick and light. Scald the milk. While mixer is

running, gradually pour the milk into the egg mixture. Pour the mixture back into the pan and heat until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. (185 degrees) Immediately remove and set over an ice-water bath. Add the Gianduja Bavarian ingredients. Gianduja Bavarian (pronounced John Doo Yah) Bavarian creams and mousses are very similar. The only difference is in the amount of gelatin added or reduced and the ingredient proportions. Usually for a mousse, gelatin is reduced to make a softer texture. Basic Creme Anglaise 10 gelatin Sheets 12 oz. Hazelnut Gianduja (available from specialty suppliers) 1 lb. heavy cream Soak gelatin sheets in cold water and drain once soft. Add to the hot Anglaise. Melt the Gianduja and add to the Anglaise. Once it starts to set, fold in whipped cream. Using acetate sheets, line ring molds of choice. Spoon Bavarian into molds. Spread top smooth. Freeze until ready to serve. At serving, remove acetate sheets. To garnish, I use chocolate cigarettes, chocolate designs and chocolate piped onto the plate with caramel sauce and fresh fruit. Refrigerate leftovers immediately to be used for separate desserts.

October 2005

FROM THE EXPERTS: IN THE GALLEY

October 2005

www.the-triton.com

The Triton

The food should get the attention WAVES, from page B6 scrub pots? Every team has a weakest link. How often do you see a chef request or demand crew members stop what they are doing to help carry or put up groceries or go to the store for Expert leather, them? Mary Beth: Are you saying chefs vinyl and should do it alone? plastic repair Captain: I am not saying that the and recoloring. chef should carry and stow thousands of dollars worth of food by themselves. We repair Sure they need help like the rest but scuffs, cuts, scrapes, some take more advantage of it than discoloration, ink marks, tears, others. Mary Beth: What do you think cracks, stains, scratches, etc. contributes to an ego in a chef? Is it their culinary knowledge, strokes from the boss or guests who rave about their food? Do owners contribute by adding to We Repair... the ego by bragging about their chefs? Captain: Yes, chefs are on the Cushions forefront and take the ultimate credit Headliners for a meal on the table, but very few people including the owners realize Panels that the support system behind the Upholstery chefs should get half the credit. Is it given to them? No. Coaming Pads Because the chef gets so many and more strokes and because they are good at what they do, they begin to believe that Professional Mobile Service Since 1995 it is all their doing and all about them. 11110_WM_Triton_Sept_05 8/15/05 5:36Just PM like Page 1 a captain, when told what a great yacht they have, the captain rarely

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says, “I have a great support team that helps me.” A good crew can make a bad captain look good. Owners have to understand that these chefs who attended the most prestigious culinary schools put their pants on the same way the rest of the crew does and should not be held higher than the rest of the crew. It took more than the chef to make the evening special. Mary Beth: How can the chef become more of a functioning member of the crew and drop the ego? Captain: Change is pain motivated. If the chef is in danger of losing his or her job, then what the chef has to ponder is this: How can I contribute to the functioning of the crew (team) outside of my galley? If I am constantly getting help, how can I return the help to make the team stronger? If this makes you uncomfortable it is because you might be hearing what captains and crew say about you when you aren’t around. Think about it. Do you help when asked? Will you serve meals when the steward is sick? If you have nothing to do for an afternoon, do you offer to help the crew? Prima donna behavior can color the yachting industry to the point that chefs are no longer a needed commodity. Don’t think it happens? It already does, when yachts hire stews

without attitudes to get the job done. One culinary-trained chef who was once a charter chef and is now on a private yacht noted that he is sorely disappointed in the industry for choosing pretty young things with little education to do a job that requires experience. He has taken calls at the crew house by these inexperienced cooks asking him how to prepare a meal. He has been called in at the last minute a few times to save a charter, and he says he can tell if the chef he is replacing had an attitude based on what he threw out of the pantry; over-priced gourmet foods were a give away. Because of the nature of our positions, we chefs need to have a certain flair in our personalities and in our cuisine. But I believe the food should have the attitude, not the chef. As for me, I may have an attitude, but not as much as some. But trust me, after talking with these captains, I am definitely working on it now and threw away my gold-plated pedestal. Instead, I will use my tiptoes. Mary Beth Lawton Johnson is a certified executive pastry chef and Chef de Cuisine. A professional yacht chef since 1991, she has been chef aboard M/Y Rebecca since 1999. Contact her through editorial@the-triton.com.

5/13/2005 12:54:07 PM

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In the heart of Fort Lauderdale Beach and minutes to Port Everglades, this marina is a four season port. The first marina in Fort Lauderdale to receive the Clean Marina designation from the State of Florida, Hall of Fame’s mission is to provide guests with 100% satisfaction.

With over 20 marine businesses on site, guests find everything they need in one place. The annual winner of Broward County’s Emerald Award, the Green Boatyard Award, 2003 Marina of the Year, and the first marina in South Florida to receive simultaneous Clean Marina and Clean Boatyard designations.

A favorite of mega yacht captains and crew, this marina sets the standard for world class facilities. Steps away from the exclusive shops of the Galleria Mall and walking distance to beautiful Fort Lauderdale Beach, the service and privacy here is unparalleled. A State of Florida designated Clean Marina.

In the heart of the Caribbean in a protected deepwater harbor, this new marina complex provides state-of-the-artfacilities and a perfect stopover for those cruising yachts. An international Blue Flag facility, the Marina offers personalized service, and a perfect spot for cruisers and mega yachts alike.

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Navigating the good life

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FROM THE EXPERTS: NUTRITION

October 2005

Staying hydrated is essential when it’s hazy, hot and humid Haze, heat and humidity can create water. a powerful thirst. That’s great. Keeping Don’t get thirsty? Actually, you well-hydrated is essential. Yet, it is shouldn’t wait to feel thirsty to drink what you hydrate with and how much water. This is because the thirst that defines the sensation actually means that you’re difference between already beginning to get dehydrated. If good and poor you’re not drinking enough water, set a health. water goal and gradually increase your Water is water intake. considered a Tips for increasing your intake of vital nutrient. Its water include: functions in the * Take water breaks instead of coffee body are many. breaks, This fluid helps * Have a glass of water before meals TAKE IT IN to regulate body and snacks, CAROL BAREUTHER temperature * Substitute sparkling water for through perspiration, transports alcoholic drinks at parties and social nutrients throughout your body, gatherings, cushions joints, protects body organs * Keep a bottle of water nearby to sip and tissues, helps with food digestion on every few minutes, and rids your body of waste products. * Drink water every time you pass by Not drinking enough water leads to a water cooler, dehydration. Symptoms of dehydration * Drink a cup of water after each include fatigue, time you urinate, impaired physical * Bring a supply To make sure that you ability, weakness, of bottled water are drinking enough dizziness, headache when traveling. water, check your urine. and even death. To make sure Water also has the Almost clear to pale that you are advantage of being drinking enough yellow urine means a weight control aid. water, check your that you are properly Many studies have urine. Almost shown that people hydrated, while darker- clear to pale yellow who increase their means that colored urine indicates urine intake of water can you are properly that you need to drink lose unwanted body hydrated, while weight over time. darker-colored more water. Proper The reason for this urine indicates that hydration means you is that drinking you need to drink urinate every 2 to 3 water can dampen more water. As a your appetite. If you hours. If not, drink more good rule of thumb, drink water with your water. proper hydration meals, you are more means that you likely to feel full. Also, urinate every 2 to 3 drinking water helps the body burn hours. If not, drink more water. fat more efficiently. If you don’t drink Finally, there can be dangers in enough water, the body may retain drinking too much water. An article fluids that show up as extra weight. in the May 2005 issue of the New How much water do you need? England Journal of Medicine reported Drinking eight 8-ounce servings of that 13 percent of runners in the 2002 water daily will meet your body’s Boston Marathon had a condition need for proper hydration under called hyponatremia. This condition usual circumstances. However, your is marked by excessively low levels of individual need for water can increase sodium in the blood and is caused by for various reasons. These reasons drinking too much water. Symptoms might include exposure to extreme hot of over-hydration include lethargy, or cold weather, eating a high-fiber diet, confusion, agitation, seizures and and participating in vigorous exercise. ultimately life-threatening swelling of If you don’t like the taste of water, the brain. here are some ideas: add a squeeze of If you are in a situation where fresh lemon or fruit juice to the water you’re perspiring profusely, it may be or flavor water with a non-caloric drink beneficial to include a sports beverage mix such as Crystal Lite. You can also that contains electrolytes such as meet part of your water requirement sodium, potassium and magnesium in through other fluids such as skim milk, addition to plain water in your daily 100 percent fruit juice and broth-based diet. soups. Remember too, that many fruits and vegetables contain 80 percent to Carol Bareuther is a registered dietitian 90 percent water. Caffeine, found in and a regular contributor to The Triton. coffee, tea and cola-based beverages, Contact her through editorial@theand alcohol can cause your body to lose triton.com.

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B10

October 2005

FROM THE EXPERTS: INTERIOR

www.the-triton.com

The Triton

Freelancing crew always on the move As I sit at my computer catching up on a week’s worth of e-mail, my unpacked backpack (the one that needs to be re-packed by 8 a.m. tomorrow) taunts me from the couch. I’m trying to ﬁgure out how I’ll see my friends and deal with my mail, pay my rent, talk to my accountant and follow-through on future job STEW CUES opportunities DAWN KUHNS before I’m off to the Bahamas again in 24 hours. Did I mention I just got back from there yesterday? Such is the life of a freelance stew. The more I hear crew (particularly those in-demand stewardesses) wanting to freelance, the more I wonder how many are really ready to deal with the stress of constant change that comes with the life of a successful freelancer. I made the move to freelancing (this time) because the wonderful yacht I had been working on sold unexpectedly. I have yet to stumble upon a captain-boat-owner situation as ideal as that one was for me. And although I certainly like the idea of being “my own boss,” the reality is deﬁnitely a mixed bag. There are all kinds of considerations and concerns that don’t come up when you’re working a permanent position.

Scheduling

If you’re busy, this can get a little crazy. I ﬁnd myself feeling compelled to “make hay while the sun shines” and take lots of work when it’s offered. After all, if I’m not working, I’m not getting paid. But beware of over-scheduling. At a certain point you do need a break, otherwise your performance and personality onboard will suffer.

Commitment

Perhaps the most important skill you can bring to freelancing is simply showing up. Once you’ve committed to a job, stick with it. You will often get many phone calls shortly after you’ve

committed to one job, and it’s not unusual for them to be more attractive financially, geographically, or schedulewise. But canceling on a captain that you’ve already committed to is not only unprofessional, it’s damaging to your reputation as a freelancer. You also need to be aware that this commitment doesn’t go both ways. Owners cancel trips and you’re not needed. Charters fall through. And captains finally hire someone full-time after hiring you to do a season. Oops, sorry. This can throw you onto the emotional and financial rollercoaster, but just get out there and start making those contacts again.

Financials

When you’re never positive where and when your next paycheck is coming, you need to be organized and disciplined with your money. You also need to be clear up-front with captains about your rate and what/how/when you will be paid. It’s quite a change from the days of no bills and virtually all of your income being disposable. You deﬁnitely need to go into freelancing with a two-month pad in the bank to fall back on during slow times or when someone is slow to pay.

Being local

So many stews say they want to freelance so that they can have a home base and be more “local” – spend more time in one spot, take a class or two, “have a life.” Uh-huh, right. Freelancing, by nature, means that you will almost always be out-of-town while you are working. So the busier and more successful you are, the less you are at home. Funny how that works.

Chaos

On the job and in your personal life, chaos can reign when you’re a successful freelancer. Even as an extremely organized and professional stew, you are constantly walking into situations on yachts where the person before you may not have been organized or may not have known what they were doing. Sometimes the captain has no idea that the yacht isn’t actually clean and ready for the charter that starts in 12

See INTERIOR, page B11

The never-ending parade of crew, owner and guest personalities can be, well, challenging some days. But particularly as a freelancer, your smile can never falter. After all, you’re only there for a few days or weeks. How rough can it be? It can be plenty rough, but you can never let it show.

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FROM THE EXPERTS: INTERIOR

It’s easy to underestimate the demands you’ll face INTERIOR, from page B10 hours. Or that there are only eight water glasses and you’re expecting 11 guests. And it’s up to you to pull it together, whether you have the correct tools at your ﬁngertips or not. Lots of frustrations and curveballs make up a freelancer’s day. The upside: At the end of the trip, you walk away with a smile and a nice paycheck, ready to move on to the next set of frustrations and curveballs.

Personalities

Demands

Whatever the demands of the freelance job – and as we all know, there are some off-the-wall expectations out there – you must always do your absolute best and leave

on a happy note if you want to be asked back. There is little room for a bad day in freelancing. You never know what you’re going to get when you take a job. I’ve done charters where partying guests kept me up until 8 a.m. almost every day. And I’ve done other trips where I got to hang out at Harbour Island and go to bed by 9 p.m. every night. Both were great trips in their own way. But if you’re not ready to deal with the unexpected constantly being thrown at you, you’re not ready to freelance. You love it or you hate it. Me, I love it, but I do ﬁnd it wearying. It’s easy to underestimate the amount of time it takes to line up jobs and keep your schedule in order, to track your invoices and make sure you get paid promptly or sometimes at all, to keep your expenses and accounts in order. So be ready, and don’t forget to take care of yourself along the way. Thirteen years ago, Dawn Kuhns took a fun little six-month job as a stewardess. Having since traveled the world working on yachts large and small, she settled in Ft. Lauderdale and is still at it. Contact her at dangerousstew@hotmail.com.

October 2005

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October 2005

FROM THE EXPERTS: SERVICE

www.the-triton.com

The Triton

Alumni relations a powerful service ally “We’ve got spirit, yes we do, we’ve got spirit, how about you?!” Remember this simple, enthusiastic cheer from high school sporting events? There was and is nothing like being part of something and showing your loyalty. When we join an organization and become part of something, most of us are motivated to contribute and want to feel like what we SERVE IT UP do matters. We are ROBERTA NEDRY proud of “our team” or “our department” or “our division” and will rally around strong and caring leaders. And, even when we leave that organization, perhaps to move on to bigger and better or different things, many of those positive feelings remain. We retain pleasant memories of our employment and most of the people with whom we worked. We make

Let’s learn a lesson from major universities around the country. Alumni relations are critical to fund- and fan-raising success. Highly paid ofﬁcers are hired just to manage the relationships with former students and harvest dollars from loyal graduates. Why wouldn’t the megayacht and related industries do the same? lasting friendships and build personal networks from those experiences. Your former crew members are a powerful market target. They already know the message and product. They “bought in” to what the organization was all about when they joined. They do not need lots of advertising messages and persuasive literature to familiarize them with a yacht or vessel. Your crew members, past and present, could and should be one of your most valuable conduits for new business.

‘Who’ is solved; now the ‘How’

So how do you reﬁne service levels to this powerful group?

This point really hit home for me when contacting one of my former employers, a resort company, for whom I have tremendous respect and enthusiasm in addition to wonderful memories. This would be the ﬁrst time I would introduce my family to a place that was so meaningful to me, and I was excited. I wrote a personal note to the general manager with the hope that he would acknowledge my contributions as a former employee and show me some level of recognition. I was not looking for a discount or preferential treatment. What I wanted was a “welcome back” and appreciation for a “family” member that had returned, with lots of extra dollars to spend. Instead, he apparently handed the letter off to an assistant, who sent me a form letter, directing me to call the general toll free reservation line, just like everyone else in the world. My loyalty diminished, and sadly, my memories tarnished. All sorts of opportunities to have someone personally address my stay and encourage me to increase dollars per day spent were immediately lost. What if they had only instead offered a friendly “welcome back” message, and perhaps helped with my arrangements. Considering that crew leaders and owners probably spend lots of time and dollars ﬁguring out how to reach new guests, why do

some totally miss the opportunity to take advantage of this target market? This one was easy and would have had no cost. It’s Relationship Marketing 101. Effectiveness in hitting target markets doesn’t have to always be the result of costly shotgun approaches, when often the best targets already consider themselves part of the relationship.

Ample opportunity for megayachts

The megayacht industry employs hundreds of people in both short- and long-term roles. Some are seasonal and some spend a lifetime with one vessel. Some crew members stay within the yachting industry but move to other destinations or types of vessels. Some move into other industries with meeting, business and entertainment needs for the yachting industry. Each of these employees has families and friends and business associates. Word-of-mouth is one of their favorite advertising mediums and they love to talk. Boating people are usually people people. Let’s learn a lesson from major universities around the country. Alumni relations are critical to fundand fan-raising success. Highly paid ofﬁcers are hired just to manage the relationships with former students and harvest dollars from loyal graduates. Why wouldn’t the megayacht and related industries do the same? Former employees are such an easy sell, and you know who they are. How can the megayacht community score big with employees as a target audience? How should crew leaders service those who used to be in service? How can former employees be reached and what will motivate them to become guests themselves?

Six winning strategies

Consider these winning strategies for big hits on the service scoreboard that drive sales effectiveness: * Thank them. When their employment ends, send a thank you note for their time with you. Let them know their time with you was valued and you want to stay in touch. * Secure accurate contact information and keep track of them. * Invite them to come back, take a trip, and refer new crew members, family members and friends. Tell them you want their business. Give them some preferential or easy way of making the connection. * Send personalized letters or other mailings on a frequent basis to update them on new routes or ports, upgrades or renovations. Make it easy for them to spread the word and tell others once they get your message. See SERVICE, page B13

The Triton

www.the-triton.com

Ex-crew can chip in referrals SERVICE from page B12 * When they do come back, welcome them. Train your existing employees to recognize former crew members. * After they leave, thank them again. Keep building the relationship and momentum, and the dollars.

Loyalty can drive revenue

Your former crew members are in a unique position to refer business. It’s not that they don’t want to, it’s just that they may not think about it and don’t know the latest. Out of sight, out of mind. Since thousands of dollars are spent on guest loyalty programs and statistics prove how much more proﬁtable loyalty dollars are, why would we neglect doing the same with former employees, who know the product even better than loyal guests? Catch the team spirit. Pay attention to your alums and welcome back dollars with familiar faces. Everybody wins with team spirit as a powerful service ally. Roberta Nedry is president of Hospitality Excellence, consultants in guest experience management and audits, service excellence training for management and frontline employees, and concierge development. To learn more about the programs her ﬁrm offers and their service expertise, visit www. hospitalityexcellence.com. She can also be reached at 954 739-5299 or roberta@ hospitalityexcellence.com.

October 2005

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FROM THE EXPERTS: SERVICE

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PUZZLES

October 2005

Calm

4 3 8 5 4 7 1 2 8 8 2 5 7 6 5 8 3 9 3 6 2 1 9 5 8 5 3

Try these new puzzles based on numbers. There is only one rule for these new number puzzles: Every row, every column and every 3x3 box must contain the digits 1 through 9 only once. Don’t worry, you don’t need arithmetic. Nothing has to add up to anything else. All you need is reasoning and logic. (Answers, page B2) Start with the Calm puzzle above. Then try your luck in the Stormy seas at right. Tips and computer program at www.sudoku. com. Good luck.

EASY

8 1

7 3

2 6

7 4 9 4 8 7 3 6 2

5 3 6

HARD

5 6

2 3 7 5 6 3 1 2 8 9

1 3 9 4 8 6 7 2

8 2 4 7 9 5 3 1

5 1 3 9 2 7 6 4

4 6 2 1 3 8 9 5

2 6 9 1 6 2 39 7 8 4 9 8 6 5 4 2 3

5 2 4 3 1 7

1 8 7 9 5 6

EASY

4 7 1 3 2 5 6 4 9 8 4 5 3 7 8 1 8 7 6 1 8 2 9 5 3 5 1 1 7 5 5 9 1

EASY

7 5 6 1 4 8

6 389 74231 857 26764 1 3 4 2

5 9 8 1

8 2 5 7

6 3 7 1 4 8 2 9

4 8 9 2 6 5 1 3

3 9

1 7 4 9 2 6 3 5

5 2 3 8 7 4 9 6

9 1

8 6 6 9 5 5 4 9 2

HARD

EASY

3 2 5 1 3 9 7 6 8

2 1

6 5 7 5 6 2 7 8 9 2 9 7 2 8 1 2 3 1 1 8 1 3 5 7 4 8 9 1 6 3 9 4 1 2 5 6 9 8 8 9

The Triton

4 7 1 9 8 5 4 9 7 9 2 7 1 5 9 3 5 6 9 5 8 2

3 1

9 2

Stormy

www.the-triton.com

5 1 9

3 9 6 8 5 3 1 7 4

1 6 3 5 7 8 4 9

5 2 9 4 1 6 3 8

7 8 4 9 3 2 5 1

2 5 7 1 8 9 6 4

8 6 7 7 3 1 2 9 2 6 8 4 9 6 5 1 2 7 2 35 9 4 8 7 6 3 1 2

3 1 6 2 5 4 9 7

3 8 2 #4

1 4 4 9 5 3 2 7 8 6

6 9

6 8 3 9 1 5 2 7

8 9 6 447 1 5 3 9 5 7 4 2 1 2 7 8 5 6

2 3 4 6 9 1

8 5 2 3 4 9

6 7 8 9 1 3

5 7

9 1 6 4 7 8

2 3 7 8 5 1 6 4

8 6 5 4 9 7 3 2

9 1 4 6 3 2 8 5

The Triton

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FROM THE EXPERTS: FINANCE

Three ways to improve credit now Once upon a simpler time, the measure of a person’s financial wellbeing was how much money he had. Nowadays, those feisty analysts at the credit bureaus have creative ways of measuring an individual’s financial position. Only by being aware of their tools can we increase our creditworthiness and expand our INTO ACCOUNT opportunities. PHAEDRA XANTHOS And as much as we may protest, these credit companies will have a dramatic impact upon our lives. Here’s what you can do to improve your credit score: X. Be sure to use credit. No one will be eager to lend to you unless you have a history of borrowing and responsibly paying back. Think of it this way: You wouldn’t marry someone you’d never dated would you? You look for a track record to decide how to proceed in your own life. Banks are the same. They want to see that you have credit lines open and that you use them. If you have thrown away every card you don’t absolutely need, check your credit report to find out if the accounts are still open. If so, request new cards and start using them for monthly expenditures. As long as you pay your bill each month you won’t incur any interest charges. Y. Keep your ratio of current balance to available credit low. The total of all your current balances divided by the total of all the credit available to you is a percentage that is very important to the people you want to lend you money. For example, let’s say that you have

one card with a $5,000 line of credit and a $3,500 balance and a second card with a $2,000 line of credit and a $1,200 balance. Add up the balances ($3,500 + $1,200) and divide by the sum of the available credit ($5,000 + $2,000). That makes your ratio 67 percent. You want to shoot for 50 percent or lower at all times. Z. Always (and I really mean always) pay the minimum due each month. You don’t have to pay your bill in full each month. You don’t have to make progress toward reducing the principal you owe. But you absolutely must pay the minimum due. If for any reason this is impossible, always call your credit card company to make alternative arrangements. You may be surprised at how willing they are to grant an extension here and there for a good reason. But they can’t help you if they don’t know what’s going on. For those of you living lifestyles that don’t seem to require good credit, take another look. Even if you happen to

If it’s not possible to pay the minimum each month, call your credit card company to make alternative arrangements. You may be surprised at how willing they are to grant an extension here and there for a good reason. be at sea much of the time and don’t currently worry about getting approved for mortgages and car loans, you still want to be prepared . Building your credit can take years, so start now and you’ll reap the rewards the first time you decide to buy a home or a car. Phaedra Xanthos, a licensed financial adviser, owns Transcontinental Financial Group in Ft. Lauderdale. Contact her at phaedra@transcontinent alfinancial.com.

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October 2005

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B20

October 2005

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FROM THE EXPERTS: FITNESS

www.the-triton.com

The Triton

Getting ﬁt takes time When we think of getting back into shape, we forget that it is a process. It was a process – and time – that got us out of shape and time is what it will take to get us back. Your muscles have memory. When you were younger and in better shape, you established muscle. When we don’t work to maintain or improve that GO FIGURE muscle, it loses its PAT TEODOSIO integrity. As we do our workouts with more consistency, the muscle will re-establish itself. It’s there, just be patient. If you remember how long it took to get out of shape, that will help you get started and really become focused on getting back into shape. Let’s work this month on abdominal muscles and on cardiovascular conditioning. Start by lying on the ﬂoor with the ball between your ankles. Lift the ball about 8 inches off the ground and put it back down. Repeat this for approximately one minute. You can increase the intensity of this move by tucking your chin down to your chest. Now do one minute of jumping jacks. Next, lie on your back and again grab the ball between your ankles (as you see in the photo below). This will be a crunch move, so while lifting the ball, lift your upper torso and reach up to touch your toes. Do this for 1 minute (or as close to 1 minute as you can). Do another minute of jumping jacks. Next, put the ball against the wall about waist high and lean against it (as you see in the photo at the top of the page). The ball should be resting in the small of your back with your feet about shoulder-width apart and slightly in front of you. Now make the motion as though you are sitting in a chair, pushing back on the ball. Stand and repeat for about 2 minutes. Yup, you guessed it, another minute of jumping jacks. If you read these and do these exercises, you will begin to get into the

While making a sitting motion, push back on the ball. rhythm of what we want to accomplish. Next, grab your dumbbells and hold them at your sides. Go up onto your toes and down. Repeat for 2 minutes. Do a minute of jumping jacks. Next, hold the dumbbells at your sides again and do a 2-minute set of lunges. These are done by stepping forward and dropping on knee to the ﬂoor, then standing up again and stepping forward with the other leg. Do a minute of jumping jacks. An important thing to remember is to do weight exercises slowly. Concentrate on the muscle group you are using. Visualize the movement of the muscle while performing the move in both the contraction of the muscle and in relaxing it, in the crunch as well as in the release. You will double your results. If you are going through the effort to train, you might as well get the most out of it. Until next month, be strong. Pat Teodosio has been in the ﬁtness industry for 30 years and owned Southport Gym in Ft. Lauderdale for 13 years. He now owns Go Figure, a 30minute workout studio on 17th Street. Contact him through editorial@thetriton.com.

Like you’d expect from a crunch move, you need to simultaneously lift the ball, lift your upper torso and reach up to touch your toes. Keep going for up to a minute, or as long as your stamina will allow.

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REVIEWS

October 2005

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What we’re watching, reading

New Direction By An Old Favorite Perennial South Florida favorite Carl Hiassen has begun a series of books for young adults. “Flush,” being released this month and aimed at the “10-and-up” audience, contains toneddown versions of familiar Hiaasen characters and themes. Noah’s father is jailed for his efforts to stop a casino boat from dumping sewage offshore. To free his father, Noah must catch the casino boat owner in the act of dumping. Allies include an endearing pirate, with the boat owner and environmental terrorist as the standard Hiaasen bad guy. Hoot was the ﬁrst book of the series and will be released in paperback in December. Hoot begins

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with Ray – the new kid – being welcomed by the school bully. As the story progresses Ray joins a struggle to save burrowing owls from an unscrupulous developer. Hoot is being made into a movie with another local legend, Jimmy Buffett, as producer. Film crews were see around South Florida this summer at a number of Ft. Lauderdale locations. In both books, the arguments to preserve the environment are straightforward but not simplistic, which make them equally readable for adults. – Donna Mergenhagen Well-Read, Ft. Lauderdale PHOTO BY ELENA SEIBERT

Frank Miller’s Sin City: violent but watchable

Bad Education succeeds in Almodovar’s hands

This ultraviolent trip into the depths of graphic-novel depravity provides two hours of adrenaline buzz and stunning eye candy. Co-directed by Frank Miller, author of the graphic novels that form the basis of this film noir, and Robert Rodriguez, director of the cartoonish Spy Kids and El Mariachi series, Sin City proves fast-paced and brutal. In case you’re wondering just how viscerally violent this flick is, consider that Quentin Tarantino gets a guest director credit. In this dystopian version of Gotham, women are prostitutes in dominatrix garb, cops are crooked and heroes and villains absorb countless bullets and still keep fighting. Sin City is shot in surreal black and white, with color appearing only in the form of blood, or women’s dresses, on the vintage convertibles the characters drive, or on the jaundiced skin of a child-molesting serial killer. There are stars aplenty here, with Bruce Willis playing a heroic cop, Benicio Del Toro as a menacing girlfriend-batterer, and an unrecognizable Mickey Rourke as a supercriminal with an unerring moral compass. Sin City has been dismissed as soulless and misogynist, which it undoubtedly is. Even so, it’s a joyride worth taking. – Jeff Ostrowski

Pedro Almodovar’s latest film finds the Spanish director at the peak of his perverse and captivating powers. Defying easy categorization as always, Almodovar makes Bad Education by turns a screed against child-molesting priests, a film noir thriller and a paean to first love. The plot is too multilayered and convoluted to explain, but the action centers on Ignacio and Enrique, two Catholic-school boys who are reunited after decades. Ignacio (Gael Garcia Bernal) was molested by a school priest as a boy, and he suddenly appears at the door of Enrique, who has become a famous movie director, to pitch the tale of their childhood as a film. The pair resumes their romance, with Garcia Bernal, the Mexican heartthrob, showing a good bit of courage in appearing as both the promiscuously gay Ignacio and as his transvestite alter ego Zahara. Bad Education quickly veers into a pleasant state of confusion, with flashbacks to the characters’ school days, then enters an even deeper labyrinth as it becomes unclear if Ignacio really is who he says he is, and whether Enrique believes that his lover is the true Ignacio. In lesser hands, these identity crises and chronological tricks would be mere gimmickry, but Almodovar pulls off the subterfuge deftly. – Jeff Ostrowski

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REVIEWS

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October 2005

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What we’re watching, reading, listening to The Big Red One: The Reconstruction after World War II War movies don’t get any better than The Big Red One, and this reworked version of Sam Fuller’s masterpiece adds nuance and texture to the film that hit theaters a quarter-century ago. In this semi-autobiographical account, the late Fuller follows a small group of dogfaces from the First Infantry Division as they fight their way through Algeria, Italy, France and Belgium in World War II. Even at 162 minutes, this longer version moves quickly. The Big Red One strikes a convincing balance between the terrifying realism and absolute absurdity of war. While Fuller professed not to believe in heroes, the nameless sergeant played by Lee Marvin clearly is one. Marvin turns a virtuoso performance, stoically swinging between brutality (knifing unarmed German soldiers) and tenderness (offering food to hungry orphans). The gruff and competent Marvin offers a stark contrast to the callow Griff (Mark Hamill), who battles his reluctance to kill another man. The original film included numerous unforgettable scenes; the new version brings back gems such as a shot of the dogfaces lying in a trench while Germans broadcast a honey-voiced woman reminding the troops that their wives and girlfriends are back home sleeping with draft dodgers. – Jeff Ostrowski

Miss Inclined is fun and thougtful One of the most enjoyable features of Eileen Quinn’s music is the lyrics, and her newest CD takes them to a new level with profound understanding. Quinn is well known in the cruising community for her incisive insider’s view of life aboard a boat, from building it to docking it with an audience, from wind prayers to having to give it all up. There are also the colorful character archetypes she so aptly describes – the aging pirate, the selﬁsh cruising partner, the wayward daughter. The puns, the innuendo, the double entendres keep one’s ears pricked and the lyric book nearby. Her songs about “true luff ” in the boating scene are legendary, but “...a new porpoise in her day”? Ouch. Given the clever, humorous, often poignant lyrics, Quinn’s newest collection also has a synergy that questions those who by default live lives that indicate an absence of making tough choices. Personal relationships, lifestyles, levels of independence all come under her scrutiny. She tells us there is “Always a Choice,” a way out of the landlocked grind. And she describes in “Where Have All the Pirates Gone?” an aging pirate who ignored his choices and sails his dreams after dark on a bar stool. Those who make the choice to cruise do not escape Quinn’s prodding when they have been “Cruising Too Long,” e.g., there’s “nothing like experience to help you get it wrong.” They get some sympathy however in “Anchor Lights,”

Devil’s Teeth paints sharks as complex creatures Great white sharks, according to conventional wisdom, are little more than mindless killing machines, sinking their rows of teeth into anything in their paths. The fascinating study of great whites in Devil’s Teeth paints a more complex portrait. The sharks are crafty and deliberate hunters, for instance. More surprisingly, magazine writer Susan Casey finds, the creatures possess distinct personalities and undeniable charisma. Devil’s Teeth focuses on Casey’s repeated trips to the forbidding Farallon Islands, only 20 miles from San Francisco but a world away from civilization. There Casey meets up with biologists who brave constant wind and rain, not to mention pesky rodents and marauding seagulls, to study the animals. Eyeing the feasting giants at close range from small fishing boats, Casey and the biologists find the sharks

terrifying yet captivating. To her credit, Casey broadens this tome beyond the boundaries of mere shark tale. Her story is part adventure, part natural history, part social commentary, all tied together with literary grace and page-turning suspense. Casey makes the sharks, and the biologists who study them, the heroes of her story. The scientists endure grueling living conditions to understand – and perhaps protect – the great whites. The villains are many. They include the U.S. military, which decades ago dumped nuclear waste near the islands, the commercial ﬁshermen who pillage the sharks and their food supply, and an indifferent public. In this fascinating study, Casey offers a compelling case for caring about great whites. – Jeff Ostrowski

reflecting on the life left behind after making the choice to leave. Even when one is faced with the end of life, there are still choices. In “Sailing On,” a tear-jerker for anyone who has had to say good-by for the last time, the options after a terminal diagnosis are “two long years of misery or one short year to cruise.” That’s pretty heavy stuff, but happily, it’s tempered with lighter fare. A Carly Simon “You’re So Vain” kind of song, “Shellfish Man” is filled with wordplay about a wayward snorkeler who “had a good woman but you lobster” when

he brought home “a case of crabs.” The rhythm of “Going Home” captures the joy of taking a short break from this dream life. Also on the independently produced CD are Quinn’s stock-in-trade compositions that paint vividly the ordinary but meaningful moments of cruising that make the compromises and sacriﬁces worthwhile. With words, music and rhythm, “Wing’N’Wing” puts the listener on the boat ﬂying downwind, heart in mouth, on a “tricky point of sail.” So are we to just take Quinn’s word and choose to leave land behind? A sea gypsy “Dancing with the Moon,” she teases us to seek a “chance of adventure and romance ... throw caution to the wind ... banish sadness, welcome madness...” The title song, “Miss Inclined,” is an appropriate one for a songster named Eileen (I lean – groan) who “used to be a good girl” but now, like a mermaid, seduces us to make proactive choices for our lives. Is Quinn’s call to freedom subversive? Is escaping conformity worth the price? Even more than her previous CD’s, Miss Inclined offers solid food for thought as well as good fun. – Ellen Sanpere S/V Cayenne III

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IN THE STARS

October 2005

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The Triton

Good news for Libra crew: Time to get out of the house HOROSCOPES By Astronomer Michael Thiessen

LIBRA (Sept. 24-Oct. 23) Try to work out of your home this month. You can get solid advice from relatives or close friends you trust. You may ﬁnd travel to be rewarding. Dazzle them with your intellectual conversation.

Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Sunday. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Refuse to get involved in idle chatter; it will only make you look bad. You can surprise your family, which will bring you a pat on the back. You won’t impress anyone by being overly generous. Don’t let friends or relatives

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make you feel guilty if you’re not able to attend one of their affairs. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Friday. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Take a day to relax with loved ones. Your health may suffer if you don’t control your situation. Don’t let your partner start any arguments. Responsibilities with respect to older relatives may be a burden. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Sunday. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) Get out of the house this month. You have done all you can to sort things out a personal level. You will enjoy lavish forms of entertainment and should consider making arrangements early. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Sunday. AQUARIUS (Jan. 21-Feb. 19) Try to get away with your mate. Sudden trips may take you by surprise; try to include your mate, mixing business with pleasure. Delve a little deeper if you really want to know the score. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Thursday. PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Don’t let domestic problems interfere with your objectives. You can come into money you don’t work for. Put energy into moneymaking ventures. You may want to make changes in your home. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Tuesday. ARIES (March 21-April 20) Romance appears. Get involved in worthwhile endeavors and meet new friends. Be prepared to lose friends or alienate loved ones due to your stubborn nature lately. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Saturday. TAURUS (April 21-May 21) Keep

everyone on your domestic scene too busy to complain. You may make someone else look bad. Don’t overdo it. You need to enjoy yourself. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Saturday. GEMINI (May 22-June 21) Your persuasive nature will win the heart of someone you’ve had your eye on. You may be more emotional than usual. Problems with females you live or work with will try your patience and cause temper ﬂare ups. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Sunday. CANCER (June 22-July 22) You can help a close friend ﬁnd solutions to personal problems. Nothing can be resolved if you don’t want to talk about it. Social activity should be on your agenda this month. You can expect changes in your living arrangements. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Tuesday. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Sit back and observe, regardless of how hard that might be. Be prepared to neutralize any threats. Get together with friends who like to participate in indoor sports. Losses are likely if you aren’t careful where you leave your valuables. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Thursday. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 23) Don’t be shy; if you want to spend more time with a special person, make a commitment. You will learn easily if you put forth an effort. Monitor your budget to avoid unnecessary stress. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Saturday. Astronomer Michael Thiessen maintains the largest astrology site on the Internet. See more at www.astrologyonline.com.

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IN THE STARS

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October 2005

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Autumn’s cosmic square replaces summer’s cosmic triangle By Jack Horkheimer

each night until Sunday the 16th, when they’ll have their closest meeting of all when only three full Moons separate them, little more than 1 and 1/2 degrees apart. So Oct. 16 is the night when the brightest planet visits the rival of Mars. Then if you turn around and face east, you’ll see October’s magnificent full Moon, which we call the Hunter’s Moon, just rising. It should look very colorful, reddish-orange pumpkin colored, almost like last month’s Harvest Moon. It will look full Oct. 17-19. The reason it is called the Hunter’s Moon is because that is the name given to the full Moon one month after the Harvest Moon. In September, farmers traditionally harvested their fields by the light of that full Moon, thus giving it its name. One month later, the Moon was named for the hunters who would venture out under the light of the full Moon after sunset hunting for the small game that came out to glean the fields by moonlight. Also on Oct. 18, use this Moon to

In October, two planets dazzle the sky. On Oct. 6, about 45 minutes after sunset, facing southwest where you’ll see an exquisite crescent Moon parked right beneath our twin sister planet, the 8,000-mile-wide Venus, which is a sight that will truly knock your socks off. On the next night, Friday the 7th, the Moon will almost slam into Antares, whose name literally means “the rival of Mars” because it resembles Mars in color and brightness. But Antares is not an 8,000 mile wide planet like Venus; it is a super star 500 million miles wide. So huge that if we placed one edge of it where our Sun is it would stretch out past the orbits of Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars and Jupiter. So during the ﬁrst week of October, you have a chance to see our 2,000mile-wide Moon visit both Venus on the 6th and Antares on the 7th. After which it will move farther and farther away, night after night. But then something magical happens between Venus and Antares because they will slowly approach each other and have a super-close meeting on Oct. 16. I guarantee that if you go out every night just after sunset and keep track of these two, you will be amazed at how dramatically they’ll change their position from night to night. On Oct. 7, when the Moon is close to Antares, Antares and Venus will be 10 degrees apart. Since a full Moon is one half a degree wide, they will be 20 full Moon widths apart. But not for long. The following night, they will be two full Moon widths closer, only 9 degrees ad_triton_june2005.qxd 6/16/2005 apart. They’ll continue to get closer 11:56

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ﬁnd brilliant Mars, which is racing toward us and is the third-brightest thing in the sky right now after the Moon and Venus. Look for it about three hours after sunset when it has risen high enough to clear most buildings and trees. And please, if you haven’t been watching Mars yet, watch it at least once or twice a week from now on because it will be at its closest, biggest and brightest Oct. 29, brighter and closer than it will be until 2018. Face south at midnight and almost overhead you will see bloody red Mars at its closest and brightest for 13 years. Just to its left you’ll see the tiny star cluster the Seven Sisters, long associated with Halloween and other days of the dead. Long ago the superstitious believed that the Pleiades were overhead at midnight during the great biblical ﬂood and the sinking of Atlantis. The Aztec and Maya believed that the world had been destroyed and recreated four times on such nights. Aren’t you glad you’re not superstitious? Happy Halloween.

Jack Horkheimer is executive director of the Miami Museum of Science. This is the script for his weekly television show co-produced by the museum and WPBT Channel 2 in Miami. It is seen on public television stations around the world. For more information about stars, visit www.jackstargazer.com.

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS

October 2005

ADVERTISER DIRECTORY Company

Page

2005 Ft. Laud. Int’l Boat Show A4 Alexseal Yacht Coatings A18 Andrews Accountancy B19 Antibes Yachtwear B4 Antigua Charteryacht Meeting B11 Argonautica Yacht Interiors A36 ARW Maritime A24 Automated Marine Systems A8 Available Yacht Crew.com A24 Bahia Mar Yachitng Center A38 The Beard Marine Group A17 Bennett Brothers Yachts B24 Bluewater Books and Charts A20 Boat Blinds International A23 Boater’s World A20 BOW Worldwide Yacht Supply A40 Bradford Marine A32 Broward Marine A15 Brownie’s B4 Business cards B14-17 C&N Yacht Reﬁnishing A2 CME Marine Electronics (Calypso) B26 Camper & Nicholsons International A33 Camille’s Cafe A21 Cape Ann Towing A37 Capital Marine Alliance A9 Charlie’s Locker A21 Concord Marine Electronics B13 Cool-Temp Design B7 Crewﬁnders B24 C-Worthy Corp. B6 Diesel Fuel Solutions A23 Dunn Marine A29 Ecoland Expeditions A36 Edd Helms Marine A22 Elite Crew International A35 Essential Boutique A21 Finish Masters B25 Florida Marine B2 Fort Lauderdale Marine Directory B19 Global Marine Travel A7 Global Satellite A19, A20 Global Ship Systems B28 Global Yacht Fuel A30 Gourmet Market Caves Village B12 The Grateful Palate B10 H2O Radio A35 Harbor Shops A20-21 Harbortown Marina-Ft. Pierce B22 Heidi Kublik A15 Inlet Fine Wine & Spirits B3 Island Marine Electric A23 Island Marine and Industrial Services B27 Japan Radio Co. B5 J.F. Recruiting A18

Company

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Lacasse Services A8 Lauderdale Marine Center A31 Lauderdale Propeller A13 Lauderdale Speedometer & Compass B9 Lifeline Inﬂatable Services B25 Light Bulbs Unlimited B20 Mackay Communications A29 Mail Boxes Etc. B9 Maritime Professional Training A12 Marshall Islands Yacht Registry A19 Matthew’s Marine A36 Meridian Marine A10 Mrs. G. Propeller B19 The Mrs. G Team A25 Nauti Tech B6 Nautical Structures B23 Northrop & Johnson A16 Ocean Marine Yacht Center A17 Ocean World Adventure Park & Marina A3 Oregon Camera Systems B13 Orion Yacht Solutions B20 Performance Marine Coatings B25 Perry Law Firm B26 Peterson Fuel Delivery B10 Pier 17 A37 PM Restoration B8 Professional Tank Cleaning A33 Puerto Isla Mujeres B13 Quiksigns A14 Resolve Marine Group A30 Rich Beers Marine B22 River Supply River Services A13 Rolly Marine Service A11 Rossmare International Bunkering B9 RPM Diesel Engine Co. A31 Sailorman A2 Scalise Marine B11 Schot Designer Photography B10 Sodablast Solutions B20 Southern Drydock A25 Sunshine Medical Center B7 Thunderbolt Marine B20 TowBoatUS B12 Turtle Cove Marina A35 Universal Travel B27 Virgin Islands Charteryacht League B24 Wesmar B27 Westrec Marinas B8 Wet Effects A22 Wotton’s Wharf A32 Xtreme Yacht Products A20 Yacht Entertainment Systems B11 Yachting Pages B19 Yacht Toys of Florida A10

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The Triton

Jazz, boat shows and golf Oct. 2 Sunday Jazz Brunch, Ft.

Oct. 8-9 Columbus Day Regatta,

Lauderdale, along the New River downtown, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., free. Five stages including a variety of jazz types. www.fortlauderdale. gov/festivals.

Biscayne Bay, Miami. More than 200 racing and cruising sailboats expected. http://www. columbusdayregatta.net/2005

Oct. 5 The Fox Network, 7 p.m.,

Boat Show, Genoa, Italy, at the marina Duca degli Abruzzi. 1,500 exhibitors expected and nearly 2,000 boats on display. www. salonenautico-online.it

Ft. Lauderdale. Networking social hosted the ﬁrst Wednesday of every month by The Triton’s Kristy Fox. (954) 525-0029, kristy@thetriton.com.

Oct. 6-10 36th annual U.S. Sailboat Show, Annapolis City Dock and Harbor, Annapolis, Md. www. usboat.com.

Oct. 8 Tenants Nautical Garage Sale, Lauderdale Marine Center, 2001 S.W. 20th St., (954) 713-0333, 8-noon, free.

Oct. 8 Harbortown Recycled Raft Regatta, Harbortown MarinaFort Pierce. Live entertainment, food and activities. (772) 4667300, www.harbortownmarinafortpierce.com

Oct. 8-16 45th International

Oct. 14 The Triton’s second annual Kick-off Party at Inlet Liquors, 759 S.E. 17th St., Ft. Lauderdale, 7-10 p.m. Theme: Hemingway’s Havana. Come network and win some fun prizes. Free. (954) 525-0029.

Oct. 14 Inaugural Masters Golf Tournament, hosted by Allied Richard Bertram Platinum Group, Hillcrest Golf and Country Club, Hollywood. Free for captains, limited to 72. Call Capt. Wes Sanford to play. (954) 806-7036

Oct. 19-21 International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition &

The Triton

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

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EVENT OF MONTH Oct. 27-31, 46th Annual Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show

Get ready for the granddaddy of all boat shows. The Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show is the world’s largest, featuring more than 200 in-water megayachts and equipment from every major manufacturer in the industry. The show encompasses more than 3 million square feet of space on land and in water at six sites: Bahia Mar Yachting Center, Swimming Hall of Fame, Hyatt Pier 66, Marriott Portside Marina, Las Olas Marina and the convention center, where The Triton will have a booth. Come visit and win prizes. www.showmanagement.com.

Conference (IBEX), Miami Beach. For trade only. www.ibexshow.com

Five stages including a variety of jazz types. www.fortlauderdale.gov

237-3258 www.miamibookfair.com

Oct. 22-30 44th annual Barcelona

Nov. 8-10 31st annual St. Thomas

International Boat Show, Gran Via M2 and Moll d’Espanya del Port Vell, Barcelona, Spain. More than 550 exhibitors and 175,000 guests. +34 93 233 2363, www. salonnautico.com

Fall Charteryacht show, Crown Bay Marina. (800) 524-2061, www. vicl.org.

Nautical Flea Market, Pompano Community Park, 830 N.E. 18th Ave., Pompano Beach. $3, parking is free. www.nauticalﬂeamarket. com

Oct. 26 Superyacht Society membership meeting and breakfast, 8-10 a.m. at Bahia Mar, Ft. Lauderdale. (954) 525-6625, www.superyachtsociety.com

Oct. 27 Superyacht Society Gala Awards, Ft. Lauderdale, 8 p.m., Marriott Harbor Beach Resort, (954) 525-6625, www. superyachtsociety.com

Nov. 10-13 ShowBoats International magazine’s Yacht Rendevous at Fisher Island to beneﬁt Boys & Girls Club of Broward County. 954-563-2822, www.yachtrendezvous.com

Nov. 15-17 Marine Equipment Trade Show (METS) 2005, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. For trade only. At least 900 exhibitors expected. www.mets.nl

Nov. 15-17 Project 2005,

Services Awards and luncheon, noon, Bahia Mar. (954) 525-6625, www.superyachtsociety.com

Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Hosted by The Yacht Report. Presenters include Hein Velema of Feadship, owner Bill Joy to discuss the new build of S/Y Ethereal and a captains panel titled “Who’s looking after the boss’ interests?” 645 pounds. Register online at www.theyachtreport.com.

Nov. 2 The Fox Network, 7 p.m.,

Nov. 17-20 28th annual St.

Ft. Lauderdale. Networking social hosted the ﬁrst Wednesday of every month by The Triton’s Kristy Fox. (954) 525-0029, kristy@thetriton.com.

Petersburg Boat Show, Bayfront Center Yacht Basin, St. Petersburg, Fla. www.showmanagement.com

Oct. 28 Superyacht Society Crew Training seminars, 10-3, Bahia Mar. (954) 525-6625, www. superyachtsociety.com

Oct. 28 SYS Distinguished Crew

Nov. 4-6 24th annual BVI Fall Charteryacht Show, Village Cay Marina, Tortola. www. bvicrewedyachts.com

Nov. 6 Sunday Jazz Brunch, Ft. Lauderdale, along the New River downtown, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., free.

Nov. 18-20 22nd annual Miami Book Fair International, the largest in the country with more than 250 authors and a half million visitors. Guest authors include Margaret Atwood, Joan Didian and Candace Bushnell. On the streets surrounding MiamiDade Community College. (305)

Nov. 19-20 16th annual

Dec. 2-4 St.Maarten-St.Martin Classic Yacht Regatta. www. classicregatta.com

October 2005

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The Triton

GettingUnderWay T E C H N I C A L N E W S F O R C A P TA I N S & C R E W S

Pages A28-33

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October 2005

Invasion of the Azipods

The ﬁrst change to screws in 200 years causes quite a stir

Give shipyard employees some fresh air

GettingUnderWay By Bransom “Rocky” Bean

In a nautical age of stealthy wave piercers, gas turbine water jets, hover craft and hydrofoils, it surprises even some maritime professionals that basic hull design really hasn’t changed all that much since mariners first switched from sail to steam almost two centuries ago. During almost the same period, the means of delivering power from the ship’s engines – its propulsion – hasn’t changed much either. The humble propeller still occupies the propulsion pride-ofplace at the stern of most of today’s vessels. Following a flirtation with grossly inefficient paddle wheels, the rather unfortunately named “screw propeller” was actually patented early in the 19th century by, well, somebody: Josef Ressel, a Bohemian forest warden of all people,

has one of the earliest patents in 1827. Englishman Francis “Screw” Smith ﬁled one in 1836. There are something like 200 more. Yet in the ﬁnal decade of the 20th Century, along came the azimuthing-

as they are significant. Hydrodynamic and fuel efficiencies make them environmentally friendly and cheaper to run. Their maneuverability at low speeds makes mariners happy, and the low noise and vibration levels are easy on passengers. For larger vessels, flexibility of design makes designers very happy as well. Azimuthingpoddedpropulsors should not be confused with their primordial ancestors, mechanically driven Z drives. True azimuthingpoddedpropulsors are always mated with an electrical power plant propulsion arrangement and have their electric motor in the submerged pod. Rolls Royce – the jet engine people, not the luxury automobile maker – builds them, as does SSP, a

T E C H N I C A L N E W S F O R C A P TA I N S & C R E W S

podded-propulsor or Azipod, as it is often known. Since its creation by ABB in 1990, more than 100 vessels – ice breakers, tankers, offshore supply vessels, drilling rigs, passenger ferries and passenger ships including Queen Mary II – are propelled by Azipods. The reasons are as straightforward

See AZIPOD, page A32

120-year-old yacht coming back to life in R.I. By Lisa H. Knapp Tom Potter rests a hand on the paint-ﬂecked hull of the 133-foot Coronet and talks about his job as shipwright leading the restoration of the classic gilded schooner. He described taking the frame apart and ﬁnding a scribed line that was the layout for the boat when it was built. It stopped him cold. “Someone laid this line with a tape measurer 120 years ago,” he said. Coronet, a sailed-powered wooden hull with no auxiliary power, is the great granddaddy of the megayacht. Launched in 1885, she was a trendsetter at a time of transition in maritime history from wooden hulls to iron and from sail to steam. She raced Dauntless across the

The ability to provide a safe working environment onboard a marine vessel, especially for work inside confined and enclosed spaces, is one of the most important responsibilities for any employer. The objective of good ventilation is to remove any hazardous gas and to stabilize the space by providing SAFETY MATTERS continuous fresh BLAIR DUFF, CMC air. The potential hazards associated with confined spaces are oxygen-deficiency, oxygenenrichment, flammable vapors and toxic gases and vapors. There are two main methods of ventilation: mechanical forced air and local exhaust ventilation. Forced air ventilation is used to remove air contaminants, provide oxygen and to keep the air as clean as possible. It is best to blow air into the spaces to dilute any contaminants while drawing it out simultaneously from a different location. When there is only a single entry point or when only a single fan is available, the air should be blown into the bottom or far end of the confined space with a hose or duct. Local exhaust ventilation is used to remove contaminants from the proximity of the worker, especially of welders that may be producing hazardous fumes. Workers who are sanding, sand-blasting or producing any type of dust need to have the particles removed while working in a confined space. When dealing with a fuel tank, it is important that no fuel remains in the tank. The permissible exposure level of diesel vapor is only 15 ppm for an eight-hour day, a low level. Any liquid left will off-gas diesel vapors into the atmosphere and it will take longer to make the space safe for entry. When ventilating a fuel tank, the diesel vapors should be exhausted

storm-tossed Atlantic from New York to Roche’s Point, Ireland, in March 1887, winning in 16 days, 1 hour and 43 minutes. Her tall racing topmast carried more than 8,300 square feet of sail. Her sparred length, including bowsprit, was 192 feet. From 1895 to 1897, she sailed more than 45,000 miles in the service of science. Her second owner placed her at the disposal of a Japanese-American expedition to see a total eclipse of the sun in 1896 in northern Japan. Now, she is among the last of the large cruising yachts from the era still aﬂoat and close to her original form. “America burned in a shed,” said Charlie Dana, president of Newport Shipyard and former commodore of the New York Yacht Club. “Coronet is a

See CORONET, page A31

Coronet awaits a reﬁt. PHOTO/DAVID REED

See SAFETY, page A29

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FROM THE TECHNOLOGY FRONT

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October 2005

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Be aware of static electricity before entering confined space SAFETY, from page A28 outside the vessel. It is not acceptable to have fuel vapors or odor distributed throughout the vessel into the living spaces. The ideal configuration for ventilating a fuel tank is to blow fresh air into the tank through one opening while using a second blower to remove vapors via a second opening. Many fuel tanks are under other living quarters and require this method of ventilation. After cleaning tanks, adjacent areas must be cleaned to eliminate spills. All fuel lines into the tanks must be isolated – either disconnected, blanked off or double-valve blocked – to prevent fuel from running back into the tank. It is important that the fresh air intake not be contaminated. Check the area around the fan and make sure there are no paints, solvents or even exhaust from a combustible engine, such as a portable generator. All equipment used should be intrinsically safe and properly grounded to reduce the chances of any electrical discharge into the space. Static electricity could have serious consequences if the space contains flammable vapors or dust hazards. Standards 2015 and 2016 of

the American Petroleum Institute can provide more information. Air should be exchanged at least three times to eliminate a contaminant prior to entry. You need to know the volume of the space and the rating of the ventilation fan being used, usually listed as cubic feet per minutes or CFM. If the space is 8 feet wide by 10 feet high and 10 feet deep, the volume is 800 cubic feet. If the fan is rated at 200 CFM, it would take about 4 minutes to exchange the air, about 12 minutes for three exchanges. Since ventilation proceeds by dilution, and is not 100 percent efﬁcient, it takes at least twice this time to be effective. Always test a space before entry and test at multiple levels, i.e. top to bottom or front to back. Continuous forced air ventilation controls atmospheric hazards, but it doesn’t eliminate them. It is always better to make the space safe for the worker, instead of making the worker safe for the space. Blair Duff is a marine chemist in South Florida. Contact him at 305-469-7594 or at marinechemist@gmail.com. Contact other chemists at www.marinechemist. org. For OSHA shipyard regulations (29 CFR 1915) visit www.osha.gov.

Today’s fuel prices

One year ago

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

Prices for low-sulfur gasoil expressed in US$ per cubic meter (1,000 litres) as of Sept. 15, 2004.

Region Duty-free*/duty paid U.S. East Coast Ft. Lauderdale 577/616 Savannah, Ga. 582/NA Newport, R.I. 622/NA Caribbean St. Thomas, USVI 656/NA Trinidad 589/NA Antigua 630/NA North Atlantic Bermuda (Ireland Island) 657/NA Bermuda (St. George’s) 705/NA Cape Verde NA/NA Azores 569/NA Canary Islands 555/NA Mediterranean Gibraltar 569/NA Barcelona, Spain 629/1,205 Palma de Mallorca, Spain NA/1,156 Antibes, France 602/1,356 San Remo, Italy 702/1,385 Naples, Italy 718/1,391 Venice, Italy 698/1,387 Corfu, Greece 713/1,150 Piraeus, Greece 661/1,125 Istanbul, Turkey 560/NA Malta 562/NA Tunis, Tunisia 525/NA Oceania Auckland, New Zealand 588/NA Sydney, Australia 563/NA Fiji 601/NA

Region Duty-free*/duty paid U.S. East Coast Ft. Lauderdale 408/437 Savannah, Ga. 384/NA Newport, R.I. 402/NA Caribbean St. Thomas, USVI 472/NA Trinidad 400/NA Antigua 407/NA North Atlantic Bermuda (Ireland Island) 443/NA Bermuda (St. George’s) 498/NA Cape Verde 382/NA Azores 425/NA Canary Islands 398/NA Mediterranean Gibraltar 385/NA Barcelona, Spain 482/902 Palma de Mallorca, Spain NA/888 Antibes, France 444/1,146 San Remo, Italy 481/1,182 Naples, Italy 423/1,182 Venice, Italy 443/NA Corfu, Greece 463/NA Piraeus, Greece 437/NA Istanbul, Turkey 385/NA Malta 387/NA Tunis, Tunisia 390/NA Oceania Auckland, New Zealand 415/NA Sydney, Australia 406/NA Fiji 423/NA

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Two-way crew communication works I have found that second to the time-tested method of screaming at your crew and your crew mumbling something in response with an amusing assortment of hand gestures, that the most frequent method of transferring information while docking is the hand-held VHF radio. Clear CAPTAIN’S CALL communication HERBERT MAGNEY can be as elusive and ﬂeeting as ﬁnding a stewardess with an American passport. It does not have to be that way. Reliable, compact, hands-free, two-way radio communication is just a phone call or click of the mouse away. Whether it is for two people to have free exchange TD 900 (full duplex) with each other – no buttons to push to talk, just plain speaking – or systems for teams where up to 40 wireless users can be in touch, TD 901 Interface w/ ProLine is the product. We found ours at EARTEC of Narragansett, R.I. Ryan Bagley of EARTEC is helpful and knowledgeable at keeping people in touch. The units can be ordered over the phone or online

at www.eartec.com. The units we opted to use were the TD 900 two-unit set up. It is hands-free and two-way. The units are rechargeable via the supplied 110v charger so there is no need to feed the things batteries. The headset is comfortable and stays on most heads well. I found that even with my large head (proportional), I could put the headset on and jam my hat on over it. The radio pack is made to clip onto the belt or pants or whatever. Our crew has found if placed in the front pocket of one’s shorts there is less chance of it catching on things. The units are lightweight though fairly rugged. They are not submersible nor weather tight so I would not recommend accidental or incidental dips in the ICW. We found the unit easy to operate and the instructions, which my wife made sure I read prior to using, easy to follow. No need for licensing. Once they are on we have ﬁve hours of talk time. Granted, this may not be enough time for some cases, though it should be more than enough to cover the prep and set up coming into the harbor for lookout and all docking moves plus the connection of shore power. When it is time to charge them, just plug them in and the included Ni-

Cad batteries do the rest. There is no complicated base station. The quoted range of a quarter mile is realistic and truly hands free. Do not expect them to work in the elevator or down in the engine room of a big metal boat. That is just not the intended use. Neither are they a substitute for planning and preparation. Discuss your Plan A, Plan B and Plan C with your entire crew and possibly the line handlers on the dock prior to arrival. You also have your choice of head sets. We chose the Eclipse for its compact design and light weight. For high wind and super comfort, the Monarch deﬁnitely does the job. For large scale applications, the TD901 Interface Series or the Digicom Digital Wireless did the job. This was for the more than two dozen security personnel on board. The TD901 works for the ABs and the engineers to communicate with the bridge for our docking and anchoring operations. There is no question about it, our life on board is more productive and less stressful because of the enhanced hands-free communications equipment supplied by EARTEC. If you have a product you’d like to see reviewed, contact Editor Lucy Chabot Reed at lucy@the-triton.com.

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FROM THE TECHNOLOGY FRONT

Students will restore classic schooner, piece by piece CORONET, from page A28 yacht that should be restored.” Restoring Coronet will take seven years and $12 million, but it’s a task at the heart of the International Yacht Restoration School (IYRS) is Newport, R.I. Her construction 120 years ago took only 15 months. Potter, a shipwright versed in construction of wooden ships for 22 years, is overseeing an elite group of IYRS graduates to restore Coronet. All the work on her hull, rig and historic interior is taking place in public view at the IYRS campus. Currently, Coronet is stripped to her hull, with the interior and everything else having been documented before being removed. “We’ll restore to period with as few modern changes as possible, no engines or electricity,” Potter said. “We removed the interior before disassembly and the carvings and stained glass were in fairly good shape.” Restoring means replacing, piece by piece, said Jesse Clarke, an IYRS graduate employed on a fellowship to restore the yacht. It will take two to three years to restore the hull and deck to make her ready to get back into the

water. The ship is being prepared for reframing, replanking, and a new deck. IYRS teaches craftsmanship through programs that train documentation, measurement and lofting, yacht design, navigation and seamanship, steam bending of frames, planking, spar making, joinery work, marine hardware and rigging, and independent projects. IYRS takes on many restorations of wooden boats as part of the curriculum for students in its program, but only those donated as total wrecks so that it doesn’t compete with service yards. The core of its program is restoring boats under 30 feet. The Coronet is its biggest endeavor. Clarke had to craft a dovetailed tool chest and wrote an extensive essay on the boat’s history to win a job on the restoration team. Now, he will be a part of her history and future, as he examines her sawn frame where wood was cut into shape. “As a student, this is one of the best schools that I could go to,” Clarke said. “I’ve learned so much through this great program and the Coronet.” Contact freelance writer Lisa H. Knapp at lisa@the-triton.com.

October 2005

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October 2005

FROM THE TECHNOLOGY FRONT

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Twin 2500kW Compact Azipod propulsor units were prepared for shipping PHOTO COURTESY OF ABB and installation in M/Y Air in the spring of 2004.

Azipod takes advantage of propellers’ best traits fine for steering, just as long as you’re going ahead with the wash flowing past the rudder. But the unbreakable rule in cooperation between Siemens and conventional vessels is no flow, no steer. Schottel of “Rudder Propeller” fame. So to steer a conventional vessel you And then there’s the international have to keep her moving – or hire one industrial giant ABB, Azipod’s creator. or two expensive tugs. ABB called its units Azipods and The first Azipods were built with registered the trademark. And the large vessels in mind and therefore too name stuck. Now fast becoming a generic name, Azipod is to azimuthing- big – up to 20 megawatts – for smaller, if not humbler, craft like megayachts. podded-propulsors what Kleenex is to So in 2000 ABB created the Compact tissues. Azipod. Rated from 1/2 to 5 megawatts, To get a picture of an Azipod, visualize the lower unit of a gargantuan these smaller versions have been outboard motor, which has been sawed installed in or contracted for 40 vessels, according to ABB. off from the rest of ‘In fact, we’ve just Now, the company the engine. Hang is installing them this lower unit under scratched the surface in megayachts a ship’s stern and with the Compact beginning with the mount it so that Azipod. We’re currently 300-foot (90m) M/Y it can turn in any working on quite a lot Air, delivered by direction, with the propeller normally of new-build superyacht Lurssen in May, and two yachts to be facing forward, and projects with them delivered this year: there you have it: specified.’ Benetti’s 215-foot a living, breathing — Thomas Hackman (65m) Ambrosia III Azipod. Although many Area manager, marine and and a 235-foot (71m) people think it turnbocharging at Alstom Marine. Regular attendees pushes, a propeller ABB of yachting industry actually sucks a conferences have heard ABB’s Thomas vessel through the water. The Wright Hackman explain the benefits of this Brothers realized that a propeller is a technology applied to luxury vessels rotating wing that draws the airplane larger than 130 feet (40m). Hackman through the air. But it didn’t take long is the area manager of marine and for aeronautical engineers to move turbocharging for ABB, which is based the propeller up front into clear air, undisturbed by the turbulence from the in Finland. “In fact, we’ve just scratched the fuselage, wings and engine. surface with the Compact Azipod,” he Unlike the modern airplane said. “We’re currently working on quite propeller however, a conventional a lot of new-build superyacht projects ship’s propeller still lies in the wake with them specified.” of a number of hydro-dynamically The Azipod, coupled with a power messy things such as its own shaft and possibly a skeg. Forward of the rudder See AZIPOD, page A33 (except in nuclear submarines) this is

AZIPOD, from page A28

Boothbay Harbor, Maine Tel 207.633.7440 • Fax 207.633.7290 • www.wottonswharf.com

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A33

M/Y Air sea trials described as dramatic AZIPOD, from page A32 plant propulsion arrangement, gives great performance and efficiency. First, with its fixed propeller on front in clear, undisturbed and efficient flow, an Azipod can get “a good solid bite.” Next, because it’s actually aimed down a few degrees, directly into the flow rising up from under the hull, there’s a 10 percent increase in hydrodynamic efficiency. Then, by carefully designing the vessel’s underwater profile, particularly at the stern, even greater gains are possible. Under way, the pod casing also increases efficiency by reducing energy lost to swirl. Some pods manufacturers attempt to improve this even further by attaching a second screw on the back of the pod. The Azipod is the ultimate in control. Even small course corrections can be made at the slowest speed because the pod can be pointed in any direction and turned on or off, providing instant steering, even when the vessel is motionless. Turning circles have collapsed and crash-stop performance has been described as dramatic during sea trials of M/Y Air. Azipods can be trained independently, thus lending them perfectly to dynamic positioning Naval architects are happy too, especially with large vessels. Because the motor inside the pod is electric, it doesn’t have to be connected to a long, heavy shaft running through a space-wasting shaft alley in order to be able to bolt to heavy reduction gear, necessarily on the back of a big engine that, because of all this, must be located right there. An Azipod basically just needs an extension cord, or bus bar, plugged into the ship’s electrical power supply. So, the engine can be anywhere in the

vessel and that same engine can be used for other things, such as power for ship’s service or hotel loads. All space that otherwise would have been used for a shaft alley and stern thrusters can become tanks. So with an Azipod, a vessel can have a power plant with banks of diesel engines or gas turbines spread throughout the ship in spaces where it didn’t want anything else. Add to this a modern power management system and these engines will almost always be turning at a constant speed and optimum power to maintain the frequency. As the electrical load changes, engines start or shut down as required. This not only reduces fuel consumption but also greatly reduces NOx emissions. Finally, Azipods are just quieter. The engines can be mounted with more acoustic padding. Because there’s no reduction gear, noise is cut dramatically and the hydrodynamic effect of the Azipod reduces underwater vibration even more. Of course, like everything else in life, there are one or two niggles with Azipods, which may explain why there’s not a stampede at the local Azipod shop. Having an electric motor under 10 to 50 feet of saltwater is ﬁne – until the seal leaks. The only thing that does more damage to an electrical circuit than water is saltwater. Hackman of ABB says the company has spent a lot of time getting the seals right, and an engineer can even climb down inside the bigger ones. Then there’s initial cost, which is higher than a conventional arrangement, until an estimated net present value of the fuel savings is factored in. Potential buyers also

seem to be concerned with having the propeller forward, hanging out in the clear. The Azipods in ice breakers seem to be doing OK. All that notwithstanding, that’s not the last branch in the Azipod family tree. Realizing that counter-rotating screws are even more efﬁcient, in 2002 ABB introduced the CRP Azipod, which puts an Azipod just astern of a conventional screw and chops off the redundant rudder. By incorporating two independent propulsion systems face to face around a conventionallooking single skeg, efﬁciency is increased 15 percent. A passenger ferry operator in Japan operates two new ferries equipped with the CRP Azipod. It has reported that the new vessels capable of 32 knots are 1 knot faster than the smaller vessels they replaced while achieving a fuel savings of 20 percent. Just when you thought there was nothing new under the sun, there may be a whole new technological species evolving just under the stern of megayachts. Dynamic positioning anyone? Bransom “Rocky” Bean is a yachting industry business consultant and ocean sailor. Contact him through editorial@the-triton.com.

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A34

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October 2005

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Uncharted delivery starts with planning, a prayer By Capt. Blurge Brown After running Penny Perfect, a 35foot sport fish, in conjunction with M/Y Katharine in the British Virgin Islands and Sint Maarten, my next task was to transport her from St. Thomas to Panama. Ruled-out Option 1 was to head south to Venezuela and Colombia, which we saw as too risky. Ruled-out Option 2 was to follow Katharine the 1100nm direct to Panama and refuel under way. That was crossed off because of the weather forecast and the environmental issues. Since we were unable to tow the boat safely, we were left only one option: Drive it. Having never been to some of the areas I would be visiting, I asked fellow crewmen for advice but was met with a strikingly similar response. “You are trying to do what? Are you insane?” Taking a 35-foot bathtub on this kind of trip was new to me, and nobody was filling me with confidence. Next, I had to find someone equally as crazy to accompany me. I knew a victim, I mean friend, Neil Newson, who was freelancing (a.k.a. between jobs) and who I knew would be willing and who is certainly able. On New Years Eve, I took delivery of four 55-gallon drums, two sheets of plywood and eight come-along straps. In no time, the plywood covered the deck and the Coca-Cola and Sprite syrup was cleaned out of the barrels. Neil flew in Jan. 2 and within the hour I had explained the trip, with maps and calculations on a napkin. Neil had few questions, which confirmed my suspicion: he either had faith in me or was crazier than I thought. After filling the barrels and noticing that the water line had risen 4 inches and water was lapping in under the door on the transom, I was questioning my decision. But a short sea trial proved the boat would still plane. We were ready to leave.

Calm seas to begin

At 1400 hours Jan. 3, the adventure began. Weather was supposed to be good, but worsening in about four days. With a 2- to 4-foot following sea, we headed for Puerto del Rey on the east coast of Puerto Rico. The following day’s weather was identical, which made for a great run along the southern coast to Boqueron on the southwest tip. This stop was chosen to enable us to check the weather and make an early start to cross the infamous Mona Channel. I was already in unfamiliar territory and the reputation of the Mona Passage was not one to mess with. However, the gods gave us a relatively easy crossing to the Dominican Republic. A marina in Puerto Haina, west of Santiago, was our destination. Contacting an agent to arrange

Penny Perfect 35-foot Buddy Davis sport ﬁsh Fuel capacity: 350 gallons Range: 200nm clearance and fuel seemed unnecessary, until we found Haina to be a commercial port. The GPS coordinates for the marina I found on the Internet put me about a mile inland, up a river that my electronic chart refused to show details of. Speaking to the secretary of the marina was a fruitless exercise, but the fast-approaching police boat – with lights ﬂashing – gave us hope. Our lack of Spanish and their lack of English left only the words “Marina Haina.” They guided us up the river. The fuel truck arrived in under an hour and a man with a gun in his belt wanted to board to check for drugs. We paid him $60 for the pleasure. Feeling not particularly safe, despite the people being friendly, we departed at midnight, to put us in Haiti in the morning. I knew it would be a lumpy ride, but we felt safer in the ocean than in that marina. The seas probably peaked at about 6 feet, which the boat handled perfectly.

a gallons counter, we hand pumped fuel into a 15-gallon barrel, then into our tank, making for a primitive and tedious method of calculating how many gallons we took. The resort owners, Francois and Didier, couldn’t do enough to help us. Their accommodations were simple but clean and comfortable, and the food was delicious. After what seemed like a mini vacation, we sadly departed Port Morgan on the morning of Jan. 7 bound for Port Antonio, Jamaica. With constant Christmas winds, the weather hadn’t changed from the 20-knot eastnortheast winds, making for another day of surﬁng the waves. After another uneventful crossing,

There is something to be said for traveling at night. A certain amount of excitement can be gained from being able to hear the waves curling above you, but not actually being able to see them and also surﬁng down the face of a wave and not knowing when you are going to plow into the back of the next. Traveling at an average speed of 23 knots put us in Georgetown by 0900 Jan. 12. Waiting for the agent to clear us in was like waiting for Christmas, so I contacted the Port Authorities myself and proceeded with the clearance and fuel arrangements. However the agent did arrive with the extra barrels and his hand out for the full fee, which I refused to furnish. So with payment for the barrels and

Finding a gem in Haiti

Rounding a southern peninsula of Haiti provided us with a little shelter from the northeast seas and a good time to transfer fuel. Leaving the boat idling and following the swell seemed to be the calmest direction of travel while pumping fuel from the barrels to the tank. The hand pump worked perfectly during our sea trial, but add more movement and you have a different story. Much of the time, we were hand pumping the fuel with short spells of siphoning. Idling in a 6-foot swell in the pitch black with the aroma of diesel fuel in the air and on your hands is a perfect recipe for feeding the fish, which Neil did once or twice. Not many people had nice things to say about Haiti. In fact, most of the advice was warnings. But as the sun rose, the seas were perfectly calm as we neared Port Morgan on Isle a Vache. If someone had said we were in the South Pacific, I would have believed them. Small, traditional fishing boats littered the entrance, making for a slow pass into the bay, enabling us to savor the scenery. Port Morgan was probably the most spectacular stopover of the entire trip, with a perfectly protected bay giving shelter from any wind direction and a 5-mile buffer zone from the civil unrest on the mainland. Fuel had to be transported in by towing the barge to the mainland and filling 55-gallon drums. Being unable to prime the 12-volt pump, which had

Capt. Blurge Brown says a prayer as S/F Penny Perfect prepares to leave St. PHOTO/CAPT. NEIL NEWSON Thomas en route to Panama. we entered the rugged entrance to Port Antonio, fueled and cleared in, then tied up in a slip to be surprised by how nice our surroundings were. The new Port Antonio Marina is a ﬁrst-class facility with a good restaurant, internet access and a friendly, professional staff.

Testing our fuel calculations

According to the weather forecast, M/Y Katharine was in about 10- to 12foot seas, giving me a certain amount of comfort knowing I wasn’t with her. Local conditions were worsening also, making the leg from Grand Cayman to Guanaja more uncomfortable than it needed to be, hence the decision to sit it out for a few days in Jamaica. Constantly checking the weather – like it is really going change the more you look at it – had us departing Jan. 10. The wind was about 25 knots and the seas forecast at 6 to 8 feet. At least it was subsiding. We pulled out of Port Antonio at 1830, just as the sun was setting. The 290nm leg along the northern coast of Jamaica will test our fuel calculations. I arranged to pick up two extra 55-gallon barrels in Georgetown.

an exchange of words, we were cleared in, out and fueled. I suppose I should thank the agent for making us wait as that allowed us a few hours sleep and a quick rinse down. By 1600 on Jan. 12, Georgetown was behind us and Guanaja, Honduras, was in our sights. I never wanted to stop in Guanaja, as it meant me having to turn around and head east, back into all the weather I had been running, in order to head south toward Panama. But no fuel agent could arrange for fuel at the end of my range, on the curve of Honduras, leaving only one option. Arriving in Guanaja at 0730 put us in another beautiful, remote setting in ﬂat calm conditions. A heavy rain shower rinsed us off just prior to entering the bay and ﬁnding our agent, Beatman Ebanks. After another long night, it felt great to drop the hook and get our heads down to await our agent. Our slumber was soon interrupted by Beatman knocking on the hull. Now, here was one enthusiastic agent who went out of his way to make things happen, and all for a modest fee (which

See DELIVERY, page A35

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CRUISING GROUNDS

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Red flags went up taking green, lumpy diesel fuel DELIVERY, from page A34 included his flight from Roatan.) With a miserable run through the shallow banks off the Honduran coast, we finally headed in a more southerly direction, allowing us to run a little faster in the 4- to 6-foot easterly seas. Time was also against us and I pushed to make it to the bay of Providencia in daylight. The planned 16-hour day turned into 24, seeing us secured at the dock by 1700. I opted to leave the fueling until morning when it would be light and when we were rested. Mr. Bush of Bush Agency took good care of us, arranging for a hotel room and pointing us to his favorite restaurant. So much for the 0800 fueling appointment. The dock was completely blocked by what seemed like the monthly arrival of provisions that took the best part of the day to distribute. At 1400, the fuel truck arrived and the necessary equipment was unloaded to begin fueling: a length of nasty hose, a piece of PVC piping and a hose clamp. The truck end of this apparatus was simply a valve fitting like a faucet and a man holding on his end of the hose. This raised the flags in my mind, but what could I do? Send him away and call the next fuel company? Due to the primitive method used, there was some spillage. I was convinced we were being sold sewage. I have never seen green diesel with lumps in it before.

Filter precautions

It was then that Neil and I decided to change the Racors filters. I informed the captain of Katharine of our plans to leave Providencia that afternoon. We’d call again in the morning from Colon, Panama, 300nm away. By 1630, we had just left the bay and were heading south in the 3- to 5-foot easterly swell. Making good time and happy that this was the last leg before the canal, our spirits were high. That was, until 1900. One engine was losing RPMs and the transmission appeared to be running harder, leading me to believe I had something in the prop. The symptoms worsened, to the point where we altered course for San Andres. With the sunlight long gone, I didn’t feel comfortable negotiating the reef, so we headed for a bay on the west coast to spend the night anchored and investigate the problem in the morning. At first light, I took a swim to find nothing in the props or shafts. Baffled, we took a look at the filters, convinced it couldn’t be them as we changed them just 70nm earlier. Sure enough, the filters were thick with sludge. Pleased with ourselves, we soldiered on, to arrive at Panama Yacht Club by 2300 on Jan. 16. I checked in with

the captain of Katharine at 0900 the following morning, 24 hours later than I should have. I have never heard so much relief in his voice when he answered my call. He was on another line arranging a helicopter search.

Pulling out all the feders

Happy that we – but probably more likely the boat – were safe, the plans to transit the canal began. I have completed the trip into the Great Lakes on numerous occasions, so I had a good grasp on locking through, but being a virgin in the famous Panama Canal, I heeded to the advice of others and fendered well, especially when I was told we were to tie up against the wall despite choosing any other method. By 0300, we had completed the Panama Canal, the line handlers had been dropped off and the guide took us to Flamenco Marina and we were once again secure in a slip and in a deep sleep, only to be interrupted at 0730 by the dockmaster, John Cole, informing me of a call from Katharine. In a half sleepy state, I read my work list of cleaning the boat, oil change, reinstall the outriggers, etc. The captain “encouraged” me to have everything done as soon as possible and to be in Pinas Bay, 120nm away, by sunset. With a small army of day workers and after awaiting a shipment, Neil and I were under way by 1600. We arrived in Pinas Bay at 2300, rinsed down and I started a month of fishing at 0430. So, after 15 days and 2200nm that adventure was over. Things I learned on the way are numerous, but first of all, I am so happy that I had Neil as my crew. Having a friend who is supportive – no matter what tired state – is invaluable. Second, planning is everything. Despite us flying by the seat of our pants on certain legs, our decisions were well thought out and risks were calculated beforehand. Although, we do admit that luck had a little to do with it. Third, I felt fortunate to have dealt with and met the people I did on the way. And lastly, I would like to thank everyone who discouraged me from making this trip. In the face of the challenge, your comments only encouraged me to press on and prove everyone wrong. I took a 35-foot powerboat over 2200 miles through some of the most interesting and misunderstood areas of the Caribbean. In the process, I had an adventure of a lifetime that few will ever experience.

Capt. Blurge Brown runs the 72-foot M/Y Lysandra in Miami and is actively seeking his next great adventure. Capt. Neil Newson runs the 87-foot M/Y Noble Monarch II based in Boston and Miami.

October 2005

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WRITE TO BE HEARD

October 2005

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Thrill of the chase sends solo sailor across ocean and back By Lia Ditton

19 Aug.

Despite the gadgetry littered around the cabin, there are moments when I peer over the edge of the stretcher bunk to watch the water swish fore and aft on the cabin sole, that I think, “Are you out of your mind?”

Then there are other moments, like crawling out of the cabin this morning at 5:30 a.m. just as the sun broke out amidst a crimson smudge. The call of adventure, the thrill of the chase, entices me to want to be out here again and again. Simultaneously, the very thought of it scares me to death.

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25 Aug.

“Ah, but do you know how to go fast?” a friend asked, his eyes sparkling. This is not a question that may be satisﬁed with a yes/no answer, speed being dependant on a number of variables, open to experiment and beyond it (i.e the weather). I was at this point about to launch into a symposium on the physics of boat design (for its purpose) versus the importance of sail cut and attention to trim, waterline length and mast height, when I was summoned on deck by speed itself, and the necessity to reef. In the usual sequence of things, one reef is followed swiftly by another (I am sure there is an exponential graph to mathematically support this argument), except for last night, where one reef was followed by no wind at all.

26 Aug.

Just as I am about to crawl into the cabin, I hear a pilot whale slowly exhale a jet of water. A few feet away he exhales again. I am entranced. There is not another sound. Marooned in a breathless sea, I am touched that there is another creature out here and that he has come to bid me goodnight.

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5 Sept.

“Whoa,” I said before clutching a winch and sitting down. It felt like Shockwave had just run aground. A whale, having circled the boat twice, was now nudging the main hull. This whale wants to mate with Shockwave. Snorkeling off a reef in the Dominican Republic I encountered a fish about the same size as me. “If I flee,” I thought, “it might chase me. If I chase it, well, that might backfire. If I stand up, it might bite me on the leg.” What makes a fish scarper? Noise. It need not be said that under a full audience of stars, the combination

At 24, Lia Ditton was the youngest and only woman to finish the Original Single-Handed TransAtlantic Race (OSTAR) from Plymouth, England to Newport in May and June. Then she turned her 35-foot trimaran around and sailed home. Here’s some of her story. For more, visit www.aureliaditton.com. of jumping up and down on the cockpit floor combined with my finest imitation of an outboard motor at full tilt worked. The horny whale bumped Shockwave’s bottom one more time and, with a surge of water, was gone.

13 Sept.

“Swing low, sweet chariot, coming forth to carry me home.” (I have 709 miles to Plymouth.) I am singing as I steer. Singing because the sound of my voice reminds me I am alive. It is blowing 20 knots (15 knots apparent on a broad reach) but with an interesting sea state. The waves whipped up by the wind are in my favor but a set of ocean rollers with a long fetch is surging from the opposite direction. As Shockwave slips down the back of the swell, she catches a wave and rides it. Then another, and another, wave after wave, in a rocketing continuum. 8.7 knots shoots to 11.1, 13.7, 14.8, while the endorphins party in my head. “That’s it for you, now,” my friend Ned said, shaking his head. “What do you mean?” “You’re hooked.” You can’t beat this insane, on-thebrink-of-out-of-control adrenalin rush.

14 Sept.

My navigation lights (masthead tricolor) will not run when the battery status is below 12 volts. I pull out emergency nav lights for the bow and pop a D-cell in each. They are good to go. The GPS tracks max speed at 18.8 knots, UTC 09:46, as I scramble into foulies and onto deck. Time for a reef don’t you think? Another wave picks up Shockwave and propels her into an almighty surf as I ease off the main halyard. We are on a reach with a 5-6 foot following sea. All horses go fastest in sight of the barn. It is the home run.

15 Sept.

Lia Ditton arrived safely in Queen Annes Battery Marina, Plymouth after 29 days at sea.

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WRITE TO BE HEARD

Cap taught me it’s possible to create the perfect crew

October 2005

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By Lisa Cicone

What a great experience. Absolutely everything on that boat failed; the auto With every new boat comes pilot, radar, stabilizers, cooling systems, new hope, new places, people and everything. I learned how to do all the experiences. How cool is this job and at things that I had been shown over the the same time, how very difficult. years but never allowed to apply. The one thing I hope for most when In San Diego, the owner decided the changing boats is “the perfect crew,” a boat wasn’t what he wanted and flew crew with the same work ethic, respect back to Ft. Lauderdale to buy another of others’ space and things, and a desire one. Again, I was called for the delivery, to enjoy the job with all its possibilities. only this time, I was able to stay. A good crew can make washing I noticed something very different a tender seem like about Cap. Any time volunteering at a high someone asked him a school car wash. A crew question that any crew with tension, well, we all member could answer, he know what that is like. told them to ask the girls. As interior crew, I’ve been It’s not that he didn’t written off more times than know what was going on not. The general statement but that he forced people is, your job is to take care to respect his crew. We of the guests not (fill in the weren’t just “the girls;” we blank). Interior crew are were his crew. Capt. Bill Chapple a valuable resource left In the past when untapped by a lot of captains. docking, I would ask a dock hand to I have been on boats with only put my line on a specific piling or cleat one other crew member and still not only to have them ask the captain allowed to help with lines. I can talk to or put it wherever they wanted. Not captains all night long at a crew getwith Cap. He told them every time to together or in an interview and they “listen to the girls; they know what all say how important cross training is they are doing.” I was so excited by the – which it is – only to be hired and not possibilities of this new boat. allowed to touch anything. March of 2004 we started the trip to If the interior crew isn’t allowed to San Diego with several visits scheduled practice the theory, they will not be by the owner along the way. During an able to perform during an emergency. early visit with guests, Cap got dizzy They will not learn to read radar, plot when he looked up. He wrote it off. the boat’s position or use a radio, A month into the trip he woke up nevermind use hurricane boards or with a headache and double vision. man-overboard maneuvers. The doctors told him it was calcium Fortunately, I had the great honor to deposits and would go away in a work with a captain that truly believed couple of months. When the headache in cross training. I had been in yachting continued for over a month, Cap flew for a year before getting a job on M/Y home for some tests. Crystal with Bill Chapple. The boat The source of the problem was a was scheduled to spend two months in tumor behind his eye and later he the Virgin Islands before slowly making would be diagnosed with cancer. Cap its way to New England for the summer. came to San Diego just after the boat For the first time, a captain asked got there in June for a weekend, still me to plot the boat’s position. And I convinced – or at least he wanted was on the watch schedule. us to be – that he would get better Bill Chapple wanted everyone to and return. That was the last time I know everything. Then the owner sent saw him. On Sept. 12, 2004, Capt. Bill the boat to California and seriously put Chapple died. it up for sale. The crew was cut to two: The industry lost a great captain the captain and the stew. and I lost a mentor and a friend. I will It would be two years before I had forever be a better person and a better the pleasure of working with the two of crew member having known him. them again, only now the stewardess So what happened to the perfect was the mate. During their time crew? Menkin is running boats in together, Cap taught his only crew California (look for her; she has member everything, including docking. greatness in her) and I am the sole Menkin Nelson had taken time after crew member on a 112-footer. Do I get the sale of the boat to get her captain’s along with the crew onboard? I’ve been license. Meanwhile, Cap made a lame known to duke it out with myself from attempt to retire. As a favor, he met time to time but that’s another story. with the friend of a friend and left with No bad days Cap. a job running an 82-foot Jefferson. The boat was in Ft. Lauderdale and needed Lisa Cicone is the chef, stewardess, to be brought to San Diego, and they deckhand, etc. on M/Y Segue. Contact called me to stand watch and cook. her through editorial@the-triton.com.

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WRITE TO BE HEARD

October 2005

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Even a flood can’t wash away family ties to New Orleans I was born and raised in New and 25-foot storm surge. The eye went Orleans. N’awlins is my hometown. But over his home, like it was a bulls-eye. the gold and black fleur-de-lis tattoo on There is no logical reason to believe his my right hip may be the only part of my home is still there, as he left it. heritage that wasn’t Seeing the aerial shot of my mother’s washed away by neighborhood in West Lakeshore under the biblical flood water is a shock I will never get over. I and hurricane that just stared and froze. I don’t know how ravaged my city. long I sat there, in disbelief and horror, The fleur-deas I watched my hometown drown lis means New while the rest of America drank its Orleans. It is the morning coffee. I counted the blocks French symbol for that were now rivers and found our good luck. I think block. I saw green patches that were TIED UP IN KNOTS about the fleur-detreetops, not grass, peeking through LISA H. KNAPP lis and “luck” a lot the water. these days. Weeks later, Mom’s neighborhood is We can’t tell for sure because of still not accessible. That may be a good the barriers to re-entry, but my family thing, as whatever’s left will be harder may have lost three homes in Katrina. for the loathsome looters to get at if My brother’s three-story beach condo they have to swim for it. in Pass Christian, Miss., is most likely My Page immediate family evacuated BMR-8516 The Triton LO7 9/19/05 1:20 PM 1 demolished from the 135 mph winds and is safe. Thank God. But so many

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people aren’t safe. I have tracked down a few close friends who understand that their home is a wash, too. “We lost everything,” is what they all say. There are few places where people can actually live, if and when they are able to return to New Orleans. I occasionally glance at the 2005 New Orleans phonebook on my shelf. But I don’t pick it up. It’s a useless relic. No one lives there anymore. In my mind, I retrace familiar steps that I walked so many, many times. I keep wondering which neighbors are still trapped in their temporary tombs, otherwise known as attics. What a choice, to be stuck in your attic, waiting for either rescue or death. I’m pissed off seeing news reports where journalists were able to take pictures, but bureaucrats couldn’t manage to deliver bottled water to hungry, delirious people in despair.

I wonder if my father’s grave is intact. I wonder if there are any birds to chirp in the morning. And I wonder when I will get to go back to New Orleans and what I will find with no television cameras to filter my view. I’m not really sure about anything anymore. My family may stay at my home in Florida for awhile as they re-adjust to having ... nothing. They fled with the clothes on their backs. My family may not have much anymore, but we still have each other. That’s all we really need and more than others have. I guess we’re pretty damn lucky after all, fleur-de-lis or not. Lisa Hoogerwerf Knapp is the wife and granddaughter of a captain and the daughter and granddaughter of a marine engineer. Contact her at lisa@the-triton.com.

Ft. Lauderdale yards may win here, but don’t beat Europe I read your article about choosing yards with interest [From the Bridge: “In shipyards, captains choose what’s familiar,” page A1, September 2005]. I have come to Ft Lauderdale for the first time to refit and have found a lot of good reasons to come back. Unfortunately, I have also found many reasons not to come back and the bad currently outweigh the good. A Bridge captain commented on how anyone in Ft Lauderdale can get work on a boat. That seems very true. I have found it very difficult to get the yacht quality that I expect from many companies here. I feel that with many of the companies I have used, they don’t tend to use many qualified or experienced staff. For example, I was having a large amount of electrical work carried out in the living accommodation on board and the company I contracted at one point had 12 people on the boat, only two of them had any electrical experience. This was not satisfactory, especially when I got the bill and saw they still wanted to charge the full $65 an hour for each of them. As you can imagine I pulled the plug with this company and had a different company finish the work in a satisfactory way. Getting quotes here seems almost pointless as the contractors often ignore the quote when they submit the final bill. I even had one contractor who added the cost of taping up and removing masking tape, saying it wasn’t included in the quote for the varnish work they carried out. The majority of my refit experience is in Europe and the whole business ethic is very different and much better to work with than I have

experienced here in Florida. If they make a mistake, they are very keen to rectify the problem so as to ensure their reputation is kept intact. Here, they blame all and everyone to try and get away without any more expense to themselves. In reality Ft. Lauderdale needs to stand back and look at itself, and consider that the yachts are getting larger yet the Intracoastal and its rivers are not. If you want the work, start thinking that the yacht is doing you a favor giving you the business, not that you are doing the yacht a favor by working on it. Watch the quality control. If you must use cheap labor (and I really can’t blame people for doing so) make sure someone can check that the work is being completed to the yacht quality we expect. Ft. Lauderdale is likely to be one of the best places to reﬁt this side of the Atlantic, certainly taking the Caribbean into account. My yacht spent 10 months in Trinidad (where I became the captain) only to leave the yard in a worse state than it entered. To add insult to injury, the owner had large amounts charged to his credit card two months after the yacht had left the yard, using forged signatures on paperwork. Be careful if you head down there. In conclusion I will be returning to Ft. Lauderdale but not to do major reﬁt work. I will come here for parts and minor work mainly because we have a free dock, but unless things change I will be heading back to Europe for my yachting needs. Capt. Chris Wallace M/Y Neenah Z

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October 2005

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It takes more than desire to work on yachts I can understand what Capt. Figuenick said in “What does it take to break into world of white boats?” [August 2005, page A30] but I have some comments. I spent 40 years as a megayacht captain and back in the 1960s and 70s there was little or no regulation. All that was really needed to be a captain was for an owner to trust you with his yacht. In that era, I recollect several instances of commercial captains coming into the yachting industry and although these people were better qualiﬁed – in regard to training – than a lot of the yacht captains, they had problems. Yachts don’t generally have tugs, pilots, agents, etc., so yacht captains are practiced in getting into small places and, unheard of in the commercial side, dropping one or two anchors before backing into a tight space between two immaculately painted yachts. In other words, the yachting industry is different in many ways. Experienced yacht captains and crew have been indoctrinated into a cult of immaculate paintwork and tidy, well-dressed crew. They are concerned about teak decks and paranoid about scratching the Awlgrip paint job. Yacht captains deal with paperwork and customs and immigration formalities of different countries where there may well be a language barrier. Yachts frequently operate close to shore and in very restricted spaces. I don’t think agents would rather have younger people in favor of an older, experienced yacht captain, but they certainly want someone who will run the yacht the way the owners want. This does not mean that the captain does not know how to run a yacht or crew. In opening, I said that 30 to 40 years ago commercial licensed masters were, in many cases, better qualiﬁed than yacht captains, but that is not true anymore. I am not a lover of regulations (Ah, the good old days) but with all the MSA/MCA and STCW requirements nowadays, I think current yacht crew from the captain on down are the best they have ever been. Capt. David L. Peden

Harbor pilots have ‘greatest job in the world’ I enjoyed your article about the pilots beginning to charge foreign flag vessels for pilot “services.” [“Pilot fees hit megayachts cruising U.S. East Coast,” page A1, September 2005] Let’s hope that the Florida harbor pilots don’t find Section 310.141(a) and (b) of the Florida Statutes, which mandate a pilot on any vessel drawing 7 feet or more entering or leaving ports or when under way on the navigable waters of the state. That includes my 34-foot racing sailboat. The greatest job in the world is harbor pilot. (One of my heroes is Sir Durward Knowles, harbor pilot in Nassau who has competed in the Star class in at least five Olympic games and won the Gold medal in 1964.) I’ve often thought that the airplane pilots missed a good deal; they should have the last ten rows of the plane filled with the pilot who will land it at Fort Lauderdale, the pilot who will land it at Atlanta, etc., just like the harbor pilots. All in the name of national security. Y’all be careful, now. Jay Wood Ft. Lauderdale

Stop whining, red-ﬂag boats These people who are complaining about these fees are the same ones who don’t pay U.S. taxes on their multimillion-dollar vessels. Business Manager/Circulation Peg Soffen, peg@the-triton.com

Publisher David Reed, david@the-triton.com Advertising/Business Development Kristy Fox, kristy@the-triton.com sales@the-triton.com

Administrative Assistant Samanta Smith, sam@the-triton.com Graphic Designer Christine Abbott, sales@the-triton.com Abbott Designs Distribution Ross Adler, zakad68@aol.com National Distribution Solutions

Take it like a man. Most of your fortunes were made in the United States, or did we forget? I’m just another captain tired of non-tax-paying red-ﬂagged vessels. Capt. Tim Benson

Mexican paint job shines I am delighted to inform you that we did go to Mexico and had a complete paint job, which has turned out excellent. With the main contractors being Astelleros Pacifico/Vallarta and Virgin Yacht Refinishing from Ft. Lauderdale acting as consultants, the final result and costs are a reason for any yacht on this west coast of Mexico to consider the venues available. Not for the faint of heart on our commitment and as the first project that I know of this size to be completed for sure in Guaymas, the outcome is first class. As with any new venue, there were problems that we had to overcome. But Duncan McGregor, our yard first officer who is fluent in Spanish, was able to eliminate all and any hurdles in our way. We had first-rate day workers who completed the mundane tasks such as painting bilges, lockers, etc., at a price unbeatable. I estimate savings there to be enormous. Being as we arrived some six months earlier than the companies had Editor Lucy Chabot Reed, lucy@the-triton.com Contributing Editor Lawrence Hollyfield Contributors Carol Bareuther, Bransom “Rocky” Bean, Capt. Blurge Brown, Lisa Cicone, Mark Cline, Blair Duff, John Freeman, Jack Horkheimer, Capt. Scott Hume, Chef Mary Beth Lawton Johnson, Capt. Paul Jukes, Lisa H. Knapp, John Kropf, Stewardess Dawn Kuhns, Capt. Herb Magney, Tanya Magney, Donna Mergenhagen, Capt. Michael Murphy, Roberta Nedry, Capt. Neil Newson, Jeff Ostrowski, Steve Pica, Rossmare Intl., Ellen Sanpere, Michael Thiessen, Pat Teodosio, Capt. Wendy Umla, Capt. Chris Wallace, Phaedra Xanthos

expected, I can only say “viva Mexico.” Capt. Martyn Walker M/Y Montigne

Yachtswoman Langford dies Yachting lost one of its greatest and most renowned yachtswomen July 11 of congestive heart failure. Frances Langford was married for many years to Ralph Evinrude. She was a championship angler and fished with great gusto well into her late 80s. She cruised, and entertained extensively on Chanticleer, her 110foot Burger, and every summer went through the Erie Canal system to her home on an island in Georgia Bay, Canada, on the Northern Great Lakes. She loved boats and knew virtually everything about them, physically and mechanically. She cruised extensively with her four best friends, all ardent fisherwomen. She is perhaps best remembered as Bob Hope’s band singer for his many USO tours of the Pacific during World War Two. Her best friend and companion, Patty Thomas, was a major part of that tour, and was with her until the end. I had the pleasure of being her captain for a year and a half. She was a great gal, game as hell with no pretensions, and with a great heart, which gave out on her. Capt. Bill Harris Vol. 2, No. 7.

Contact us at: Mailing address: 757 S.E. 17th St., #1119 Visit us at: 2301A S. Andrews Ave. Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316 (954) 525-0029; FAX (954) 525-9676 www.the-triton.com

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