Amazon dreamin’ Captain finally gets chance to cruise The River.
B1 Step one
Playing defense
Longshore bill passes House.
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Vol. 5, No. 3
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DHS unveils small vessel strategy; captains meet.
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June 2008
By the numbers: CNI report dissects yacht market
Editor’s Notebook Lucy Chabot Reed
How many megayachts would you guess are in the world? Five thousand? Seven? More? Some yachting publications have printed a number as high as 8,000. And at least one crew-based business has latched onto that number, extrapolating how many crew that means, and sent out a press release alerting the industry there was a crew shortage crisis. Not so fast. We never really believed those high
numbers, but we didn’t have proof they were off. Until now. At special events in New York City and Ft. Lauderdale in May, Camper & Nicholsons International unveiled The (Super) Yachting Index (also called the Little Handbook of Superyachting). The worldwide brokerage firm did not conduct original surveys for this index, but rather compiled and analyzed data from existing sources, including those wild
numbers from glossy yachting magazines, and its own “private” data. While that might not seem like much new information on the surface, the report really is remarkable. Take the number of yachts, for example. The index figures there are 3,800 megayachts in the world. All the numbers are based on the premise that a megayacht is at least 80 feet in
Captains’ retirement: few specifics, varied hopes
SURVEY: WHEN THE YACHT IS IN TRANSIT, DOES THE PAYCHECK GO, TOO?
Most yachts compensate crew full time even when a yacht is in down time, as the 125-foot M/Y Milk & Honey was PHOTO/BRUCE GALBRAITH in May for an 11-day transit from St. Thomas to Palma.
Captains, managers protect crew income By Kelly Cramer The more professionally a megayacht is managed and the larger it is, the less likely crew will be forced to take time off without pay, according to this month’s Triton survey. At the request of a captain shipping a vessel to the Med for the summer, we asked megayacht captains what arrangement they or their vessel make
for crew members who may not be needed on the vessel for short periods of time. For example, most of this captain’s crew of seven were forced to take paid vacation time (if they have it) or are being temporarily laid off while the yacht is in transit. So we asked other captains how they handle these situations, which can span from a day of fumigation to a two- to three-week
See INDEX, page A23
transit. “I have not laid off any crew nor have I heard of it being done,” said the captain of an 118-foot private yacht. “I do not like to give the crew time off in the yard as that is when I need the most man power (and woman power). The boat should pay the crew and give them time off if they yacht is being shipped.
See SURVEY, page A16
Yachts and captains have been around for generations, but this contemporary business of running yachts has really only developed in the last 40 years. The time is coming when pioneers in yachting – not From the Bridge just captains Lucy Chabot Reed – have hit retirement age. Anecdotes abound of captains who hit certain points in their lives – most often, young children – and seek to come ashore. And there are others who use the occasion of children leaving the nest to get (back) into the industry. So we wanted to know how megayacht captains retire. Do they think about it and plan for it? Will age determine when it’s time, or is it something else? Will they work part-time at Wal-Mart and play golf? Will they ever stop handling boats, or will they sail until there’s nothing left? It seems their answers can be found in almost all of the above, although no one plans to work at Wal-Mart.
See BRIDGE, page A20
A June 2008
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WHAT’S INSIDE Talk about transportation
Bradford transported these bikes for a good cause. Read about it on page A19.
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LATITUDE ADJUSTMENT
Craig leaves Double Haven in favor of the M/V Solea After three years, Capt. Conor Craig has left the 51m M/Y Double Haven to take command of the 36m M/V Solea, a steel expeditionary vessel. She’s got no stabilizers or bow thruster and a single engine, yet Capt. Craig reports that she maneuvers “extremely well.” “The exterior has tidied up well though no fairing on hull, Latitude and the topsides Adjustment are rather basic,” Lucy Chabot Reed he said. “Imagine $75,000 for a repaint rather than close to half a million if it was faired!” She’ll run with a crew of six and a chef while on charter “The new owners want to explore the farthest reaches of the world and I believe this is a wonderful opportunity to offer charter trips in these remote areas between guest periods,” he said. “We are planning trips to the Orinoco, far north Canada’s east coast, then west coast of South America and on east to Indonesia. “Personally I am looking forward to molding a top-quality team of long-term crew that will enjoy these off-the-beaten-track spots. To be sure, it’s a change from the plush, formal aspects of a large private yacht, but for me it’s indeed a breath of fresh air long overdue.” Watch for Solea in the Mediterranean this summer and in Ft. Lauderdale for some refit work in October, then the Caribbean for a winter cruise before heading off. Capt. Ian McCombe has taken over M/Y Lady D, the former Quest, and reports in with this news: “This 180-foot explorer vessel (1,300 grt., full displacement) was built in Ft. Lauderdale in 1989. The current owner completed a major refit in Seattle, where everything was brought up to class, all new electronics, safety equipment, etc. “Unfortunately the starboard main engine (Wartsila) took a dive on the voyage from Seattle to La Paz, as she rounded Cabo San Lucas and has been anchored off La Paz for the last month. The engine is being repaired, free of charge to owner, by Wartsila technicians from Mexico, Brazil and Sweden.” The owner, who lives aboard, is a former American who has sailed the globe on his own sailing boat. Lady D plans to sail from La Paz for the Marquesas in early June, then on to Tahiti, Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu, Australia,
Sorong, Irian Jaya for fuel, then home to Singapore. The crew are made up of seven Indonesians (only one who is fluent in English), the Australian McCombe, and American chief engineer (who will not make this trip), and a Canadian dive master and carpenter. The yacht, which has accommodations for 30 guests, will charter after Singapore “I have been convinced since I first
See LATITUDES, page A4
June 2008
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From left, Solea Mate Philip Krause, Deckhand Stefan Martinke and Engineer Grant Lelliott as the drydock in Sud Moteurs, a semi commercial yard next to ITM in Marseille, fills up. “We were in for two weeks and they did a great job,” Capt. Craig said. “They have one of the best engineering shops in France.” PHOTO/CAPT. CONOR CRAIG
A June 2008
LATITUDE ADJUSTMENT
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Barsin takes over M/Y Invader LATITUDES, from page A3
Crew of the M/Y Invader before leaving Ft. Lauderdale for the Panama Canal, Mexico, San Francisco and British Columbia for the summer: From left, Capt. Scott Barsin, Deckhand Will Christopher, Steward Craig Callahan, Stewardess Michelle Press, Second Engineer Chris Reid, First Mate Sarah Kynoch, Chief Engineer Sean Stratton, and Chef Ben Davidson. PHOTO/CAPT. TOM SERIO
went to sea as an Officer Cadet 46 years ago that the South Pacific, Southeast Asia and Eastern Indian Ocean was the best place to be on Planet Earth, and my 38 years skippering on the Mediterranean, Caribbean, United States and Canada have only confirmed this.” Capt. Scott Barsin has taken over the 164-foot Codecasa M/Y Invader to complete a five-month refit at Ocean Marine in Virginia. Barsin was most recently with Floridian before she sold last fall and had taken some time off before the Med season. Chef Ben Davidson, formerly sous chef on M/Y Galaxy and chef on Floridian, has joined Invader. And team Sean Stratton (chief engineer) and Sarah Kynoch (first officer) have joined from M/Y Charisma. Capt. Gui Garcia has taken over M/Y Tuscan Sun and is looking forward to a full summer of charters and owner aboard. Capt. Ned Stone has taken command of M/Y ErosKyanos. Capt. Hunter Parker will serve as first mate. Watch for them at their base in Monaco this summer.
For more crew names and faces, see photos from our most recent networking event on page C2.
Sara Ventiera, the cook/stew/ mate on the 70-foot M/Y Carry-On, has completed the sommelier course at Le Cordon Bleu in South Florida. The eight-week course kept Ventiera busy two nights a week sampling wines and learning everything from varietals to vintages and how to do a PHOTO/CAPT. CRAIG JONES technical tasting. The mornings after were sometimes difficult, but the new skills paid off on a recent trip with the owner to the historic Graycliff restaurant in the Bahamas, renowned for its impressive wine cellar. “I was in heaven,” she said, referring to this photo sampling the Chateau d’Yquem dessert wine. “It was phenomenal. I probably drank half the
See LATITUDES, page A5
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LATITUDE ADJUSTMENT
June 2008
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A 30-month refit, a quiet wedding ceremony and a crew agency LATITUDES, from page A4 bottle.” So how will she use her new knowledge? “I have no idea,” she confessed. “But since learning about it, my interest in wine has peaked.” Ventiera said she plans to work with the owner to help compile a wine list for the yacht and is more interested in pairing wine with her cooking onboard. Capt. Richard Johnson and Chef Mary Beth Lawton Johnson are out of the shipyard. After a 30-month refit in Savannah that was interrupted when the Global Ship Systems yard closed last summer, M/Y Rebecca could be seen in the Caribbean in May. Watch for stories of the massive and lovely refit in the glossy magazines later this year. Capt. Brad Tate and freelance Stew Jennifer Bruckman were married April 18 in a quiet ceremony at the Broward County Courthouse in Ft. Lauderdale. The bride left the next day for a season in the Med. A larger ceremony and fun honeymoon will follow later in the year. Capt. Rick Lenardson and the crew of M/Y Status Quo expanded
their resumes this summer when they took over running the 70-slip marina in Spanish Cay in the Abacos when the boss’ manager and maintenance guy decided to marry and move stateside. Suzanne and Scott had been “fixtures” at Spanish Cay for the past eight years. The newest Richmond Yachts launch, the 142-foot M/Y Richmond Lady, is expected to launch in July so watch for her and Capt. Lenardson at YachtFest in San Diego and the Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show this fall. Canadian Ulrich Schade (aka Uli) has joined the 151-foot M/Y After Eight as chief engineer. Schade has an unlimited horsepower license and 30 years of deep sea shipping experience. Linda Frickel, formerly chief stewardess on M/Y Passion, has moved to Ft. Lauderdale and started a crew agency that specializes on interior crew. After five years on charter yachts and more than 20 years in the hospitality industry, Frickel said she was inspired to start a crew agency
after her experience of trying to find her own replacement. “Even though we were quite clear about what we were looking for we still received a stream of resumes of candidates who were completely unsuitable,” she said. “It is time consuming and costly to hire, train and then lose a crew member that is unqualified or a poor fit for the job, not to mention the effect on the morale of the crew. “We all know that the magic is created by a crew that is in harmony and focused on creating the best
experience for the owner or charter guest,” she said. “So at Nautic Crew International we will always endeavor to match our candidates with the captain or owner’s requests and also take into consideration the make-up and culture of the team that already exists.” Contact Frickel at +1-954-695-4006 or through www.nauticcrewintl.com. Have you made an adjustment in your latitude recently? Let us know. Send news of your promotion, change of yachts or career, or personal
A June 2008
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The cost of hiring 126 illegal aliens: $6.8 million Company vice president gets 3 months in prison; family fishing business was based in Virginia By Kelly Cramer A family owned commercial fishing business in Virginia and two of its owners paid $6.8 million in fines and forfeitures after pleading guilty to hiring 126 illegal aliens to work on their boats. The charge is a misdemeanor and federal prosecutors had recommended home confinement in addition to the monetary penalties, but U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson sentenced Yvonne Michelle Peabody, the company’s vice president, to three months in prison. At the sentencing hearing last month, the judge said he was making
an example out of Peabody, who had served on the Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Council’s law enforcement subcommittee at the same time illegal aliens had been working on the family’s eight scallop boats. She paid a $50,000 fine and will also spend an additional four months on home confinement after her release. Her father, William Peabody, will serve five months of home confinement and paid $100,000 in fines. Hiring undocumented workers or foreign crew already in the United States on a B1/B2 visa who are or were employed by another megayacht at the time of their entry is prevalent in the yachting community. The prosecution
of the Peabodys is a reminder that when federal authorities choose to enforce the law, the penalties can be stiff. John E. Holloway, the Peabodys’ attorney, had argued in court that the “government took a permissive approach to the presence of illegal aliens on commercial fishing vessels.” The IRS mailed notifications that some of the alien registration numbers or social security numbers workers had provided the Peabodys could be fakes. Also, U.S. Coast Guard officials boarded the Peabodys’ boats at least 13 times from 2003 to 2007 and issued only warnings when illegal aliens were found aboard. Miami attorney Michael T. Moore said he hasn’t seen this severe of a punishment in a case like this before. “Illegal aliens are under the screen and that is very, very frustrating for the Department of Homeland Security,” Moore said. “The fundamental confusion that most people make is they get lost in the weeds over the flag, but you never can violate the immigration laws of the United States no matter the flag.” The yachting community is as vulnerable to the same kind of prosecution in the event the U.S. government decided to enforce the immigration laws, Moore said. But he also cautioned against drawing too many parallels to the Peabody case for a few reasons, chiefly because of how the Peabodys caught the attention of law enforcement. Prosecutors became interested in the Peabodys only after Yvonne Peabody’s boyfriend, a chief petty officer in the U.S. Coast Guard, got into trouble at work for e-mailing her confidential Coast Guard information. According to court documents, in 2004 Yvonne Peabody asked boyfriend Morris Wade Hughes to send her a Coast Guard picture showing areas
closed to commercial fishing. Hughes then accessed a government database, downloaded the picture and sent it to her. The picture was not classified information, but Hughes’ superiors were not happy when they found out about it. They launched an investigation into Hughes that uncovered the illegal aliens working for the Peabodys. In December, Hughes was indicted on seven charges, including unlawful access to a government computer, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and unlawful disclosure of confidential information. At his February trial, prosecutors called to the stand Yvonne Peabody to testify against Hughes, who had also been charged with sending her information about the investigation into her family’s business. The Peabodys cooperated with prosecutors and worked out a plea deal, agreeing to the hefty fines and forfeitures. A jury convicted Hughes of three misdemeanors for passing along confidential information to Yvonne Peabody. But he was acquitted of the more serious conspiracy charge, which was a felony. He is scheduled to be sentenced later this year. Moore also said Newport News, Va., where the Peabodys’ business was based, is a tougher port because of its proximity to the U.S. Navy base in Norfolk. “When we have yachts going to Newport News, we ask them: ‘Do you have to go there?’” Moore said. “We’ve had too many troubles there. I have spoken to no less than then the head guy at Homeland Security, and at that location, they are taking no prisoners.” Kelly Cramer is managing editor of The Triton. Comments on this story are welcome at kelly@the-triton.com.
A June 2008
Kristina Hebert, center, accepts a U.S. flag for her efforts to get yard workers on vessels less than 165 exempt from the Longshore Act. U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and U.S. Rep. Ron Klein attended the press conference in May to support South Florida’s marine industry. PHOTO/LUCY REED
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Changes to Longshore Act passes Houses, awaits Senate By Kelly Cramer Changes to the Longshore Act that would enable U.S. shipyards, subcontractors and vendors who work on yachts up to 165 feet to be exempt from costly insurance requirements cleared a big hurdle in April. Members of the U.S. House of Representatives approved the U.S. Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2007, a piece of which exempts yacht workers who obtain state worker’s compensation insurance from being required to carry insurance under the Longshore and Harbor Worker’s Compensation Act. Before the measure can become law, however, the bill – and in particular, this part of it – must pass the U.S. Senate. It is uncertain when U.S. senators will vote on the bill, but politicians expect it to pass. At a recent press conference in Ft. Lauderdale, South Florida marine industry leaders celebrated the House vote by thanking Ron Klein and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, two of South Florida’s representatives in the U.S. House, for their work on the bill. “It wouldn’t have passed without their help,” said Kristina Hebert, vice president of operations for Ward’s Marine Electric and a past president of the Marine Industries Association of South Florida. “This was a fight every day, every week, every meeting,” said Hebert, who has been making regular trips to Washington D.C. to lobby for the change for the past seven years.
She will continue to go to the capital to explain to senators why the change is needed. “Because of duplicative requirements, you are at risk, seriously, of losing your business to other countries,” Wasserman Schultz said. “It’s not something we can afford to risk, especially in an economic downturn like we’re in now.” Both legislators touted the marine industry’s contribution to the economy, which the MIASF puts at 162,000 jobs and a $13.6 billion economic impact in South Florida. “The marine industry is a critical economic engine in our area, yet it is being hit hard in these difficult economic times,” Klein said. “I am proud that by making a commonsense change, we can create jobs and save small businesses hundreds of thousands of dollars.” The U.S. Coast Guard Authorization Act includes $8.7 billion for spending by the Coast Guard. It also includes provisions that would enhance homeland security and require boats to install ballast water treatment systems. “If enacted, this legislation will have a major positive economic impact on South Florida as well as the rest of the country’s recreational marine industry,” Herbert said. “Representatives Klein and Wasserman Schultz have been diligent in their efforts and have shown tremendous leadership.” Kelly Cramer is managing editor of The Triton. Comments on this story are welcome at kelly@the-triton.com.
Branham replaces Kunkel in Coast Guard’s 7th District A new leader has taken over the U.S. Coast Guard’s 7th District. Rear Adm. Robert S. Branham took over the command from Rear Adm. David W. Kunkel on May 2. Kunkel, who had been the district commander since April 2006, is retiring. Branham most recently worked at the Coast Guard’s headquarters in Washington D.C. as the assistant commander of resources and the chief financial officer. In addition to overseeing District 7, which stretches from the northern South Carolina border through mainland Florida, Branham will also become the director of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s southeast task force. In 2005, Branham was promoted
See BRANHAM, page A9
Rear Adm. David W. Kunkel, outgoing 7th District commander (left), and Rear Adm. Robert Branham, incoming 7th District commander, at the changing-of-command ceremony on May 2. PHOTO/NICK AMEEN/USCG
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CREW NEWS
“Because he’s a yachtsman himself, Mr. [Tom] Perkins knows what it takes to maintain a boat of this stature. It’s a lot of hard work, but he’s the best boss I’ve ever worked for – hands down.’
— Justin Chriostou, lifelong sailor who has served five years as captain of Atlantide
Christou aboard Atlantide: Living history and loving it By John Freeman For Capt. Justin Christou, nothing compares with being aboard the classic sailing ship Atlantide. “She has so much Old World charm,” Christou said of the 122-foot yacht that dates back to 1930. “There aren’t many more boats afloat that have as much character as she does. She has such a colorful history. To be part of that is quite a privilege.” Owned by celebrated venture capitalist and yachtsman Tom Perkins, Atlantide serves in large part as a shadow vessel to Perkins’ Maltese Falcon, one of the world’s largest privately owned sailing yachts at 289 feet. Atlantide recently spent several months undergoing service and extensive paint work at Knight & Carver YachtCenter in San Diego, and Maltese Falcon is expected this month. “Because he’s a yachtsman himself, Mr. Perkins knows what it takes to maintain a boat of this stature,” said Christou, a lifelong sailor and native of Banff, Canada, who’s served five years as captain. “It’s a lot of hard work, but he’s the best boss I’ve ever worked for – hands down.” True to its “gentleman’s yacht” design, the sleek Atlantide served as a backdrop for the classic 1962 movie “Tender is the Night,” based on the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel. In 1940, then known as Caleta, she was part of the Little Ship brigade, one of the most inspiring stories of World War II lore. The fleet of several thousand British-owned vessels of all shapes and sizes evacuated 250,000 stranded Allied soldiers, including
Capt. Justin Christou lives history every day aboard the nearly 80year-old sailing yacht Atlantide. PHOTO/JOHN FREEMAN
many U.S. troops, from the Germanoccupied harbor of Dunkirk, France, and nearby beaches. “I’ve always had a keen interest in history,” said Christou, who heads a full-time crew of five. “Being on this vessel gives me the opportunity to live that history every day.” John Freeman is director of communications for Knight & Carver Yacht Center. He spent more than a dozen years as a journalist at the San Diego Tribune and Union Tribune newspapers before joining the marine industry. Comments on this story are welcome at jfreeman@knightandcarver. com.
Branham hold 2 master’s degrees BRANHAM, from page A8 to flag rank in 2007, he received his second star. He has served six tours at sea, including the command of the M/V Cape Hedge. He was a part of the Mariel Boatlift operation in 1980. A 1977 graduate of the Coast Guard Academy, Branham earned a degree in marine engineering. In 1987, he earned a master’s degree in business
administration at Case Western Reserve University; and in 1999, he earned a second master’s degree in National Security Strategy from the National War College. Headquartered in Miami, the Seventh District encompasses a 1.8 million square mile area that stretches to the Caribbean basin and includes the two busiest ports in the county. – Staff report
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Homeland Security closes small vessel vulnerabilities By Lucy Chabot Reed
strategy, in fulfilling this vision, must balance between the freedoms, security The U.S. Department of Homeland and economy of small vessel operations Security (DHS) released in late April its and expand education and outreach for Small Vessel Security Strategy (SVSS), safety, security and trust-building. which is designed to close security Specific objectives in the SVSS include: gaps and reduce risks associated with the potential exploitation of small 1. Continue to develop and leverage maritime vessels. a strong partnership with the small Small vessels are readily vulnerable vessel community as well as both to potential exploitation by terrorist, public and private sectors in order to smugglers of weapons of mass enhance maritime domain awareness; destruction, narcotics, aliens, and other 2. Fortify maritime security and contraband, and other criminals. Small safety with a more robust, layered vessels have also been successfully defense including better identification employed overseas by terrorists of small vessels operating in U.S. to deliver Waterborne Improvised waters, expanded radiological/nuclear Explosive Devices. detection capabilities, improved The SVSS identifies specific goals situational awareness and information for which security efforts can achieve sharing, and enhanced data analysis to the greatest impact without excessive identify high-risk concerns; imposition upon the freedom of 3. Leverage technology to enhance operation common to the nation’s the ability to detect, determine intent waterways, according to a DHS and when necessary, interdict small statement. vessels; and “We saw quite 4. Cultivate For details on the Ft. coordination, vividly with the Lauderdale group that cooperation and U.S.S. Cole attack that violent communications will discuss how the extremists will between federal, megayacht industry not hesitate to state, local and might participate use any means, tribal partners in large or small, in addition to the in security, write to their efforts to private sector lucy@the-triton.com inflict blows to our and international or call 954-525-0029. maritime assets,” partners to leverage DHS Secretary capabilities and Michael Chertoff improve security said. “This strategy ensures all small operations within the maritime vessel stakeholders across our ports environment. and coastal waterways can play a role The Triton hosted a preliminary in unified threat mitigation efforts brainstorming meeting on May 20 and replaces today’s seemingly honorwith U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Suzanne based neighborhood watch program Englebert, chief of the prevention with an efficient and successful division of the 7th District; Chris Weiller, means to combat terrorism along our port security specialist with the 7th waterways.” District, several megayacht captains In November 2006, Secretary and business and association leaders Chertoff directed that a dialogue to discuss the strategy. be opened with the small vessel We agreed to form a working group community. In response, a DHS to meet again and discuss how the National Small Vessel Security megayacht industry might participate Summit was held in Arlington, Va., in security while offering solutions to in June 2007. About 300 small vessel some of the regulatory inconsistencies stakeholders representing government, megayacht captains and crew face, private and public sectors attended including a yacht crew visa, designated the summit and provided comments, yacht clearance officers and a corps of insights and recommendations. The volunteer coastal watchers. most consistent recommendation was To participate in Ft. Lauderdale that DHS develop a strategy for the in the working group, contact Triton reduction of threats from small vessels Editor Lucy Chabot Reed at lucy@ within the maritime domain. the-triton.com or 954-525-0029. For a The SVSS can be summarized copy of the DHS’ 57-page Small Vessel as ensuring a secure maritime Security Strategy Plan, visit http:// environment where small vessel www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/smalloperators are able to safely earn a vessel-security-strategy.pdf. (Note, the living, travel, and recreate freely, file is about 1MB large.) without unduly burdensome government regulation and with the Lucy Chabot Reed is editor of The freedom to sail upon the navigable Triton. Comments on this story are waters of the United States. The welcome at lucy@the-triton.com.
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NEWS BRIEFS
Feadship first after 40 years: new semi-series megayacht For the first time in nearly 40 years, Feadship has launched a new semiseries megayacht called the SL39. In April, the Dutch shipbuilder launched the first in the series, the M/Y Ocean Mercury, a 128-foot (39m) megayacht. With a steel hull and an aluminum superstructure, the yacht has a top speed of about 14 knots, the company said. “When we initiated the first designs for SL39 in 2005, we needed a client with the foresight and courage to take the series from the drawing board to reality,” said Henk de Vries, the company director. “After extensive cooperation with Ocean Mercury’s owner, the result is truly a fine Feadship, a new generation of yachts with a beautiful classic style.” More SL39s are in production and available for delivery next year. Ocean Mercury will be based in the Mediterranean. Also in April, the 155-foot M/Y Inevitable Feadship completed an 18month refit and was redelivered by Koninklijke De Vries Scheepsbouw. Her hull was painted dark blue. “This project can more accurately be described as a rebuild than a refit because it touched every aspect of the yacht,” said Sijbrand de Vries, managing director at the Makkum yard. Since the Makkum yard opened three years ago, three other Feadships have been refit there: M/Y Siran, M/Y Utopia and M/Y Aurora.
Prison for Ft. Lauderdale broker
A Ft. Lauderdale yacht broker was sentenced to four years in prison after a jury convicted him of a money laundering charge. Roger E. Demarest, 67, owned and operated the Parrott & Herst Yacht & Ship Sales out of an office on 17th Street Causeway. He lived in Lauderdale by the Sea. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, undercover agents posed as drug traffickers who wanted to buy a sailboat with cash that they told Demarest came from their drug operation. They also wanted to him to help them hide who really owned the boat. Witnesses testified at Demarest’s trial in April that the licensed broker took $180,000 in cash, created a dummy corporation in Delaware that would own the yacht and then put its title in the name of the fake company. They also testified that they told Demarest that the money came from selling drugs and that they planned to use the yacht to transport illegal drugs in the future. The Criminal Investigation Division of the IRS and the Broward County Sheriff ’s Office investigated the case.
U.S. ports to add biometrics
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced in May a notice of proposed rulemaking that will establish biometric exit procedures at all U.S. air and sea ports of departure. The majority of non-U.S. citizens and non-permanent residents except for Canadians are already required to submit digital fingerprints and a digital photograph for admission into the country. The US-VISIT Exit proposal would require nonU.S. citizens who provide biometric identifiers for admission to also provide digital fingerprints when departing the country from any air or sea ports of departure. “The 9/11 Commission called for biometric entry and exit records, because biometrics confirm that travelers are who they say they are and the purpose of their travel is as they claim it to be,” said Michael Chertoff, the U.S. secretary of homeland security. “We’ve built an effective entry system, and combined with the proposed exit system, we’ll have made a quantum leap in America’s border security. Air and sea carriers would actively participate in the proposed exit system, and I look forward to an ongoing dialogue on solutions to meet this key 9/11 Commission recommendation.” For now, current exit procedures will remain in place and those who are departing the U.S. should continue to return their paper Form I-94 or Form I-94W to airline or ship representatives. The proposal calls for commercial air carriers and cruise line owners and operators to take the biometric information from international visitors and transmit it to DHS within 24 hours of their departure. Small carriers, vessel owners and operators, or general aviators are not affected by the proposed rule.
TWIC deadline extended
The U.S Department of Homeland Security has extended the deadline for U.S. licensed mariners to obtain a Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) to April 15, 2009. TWIC was established in the Maritime Transportation Security Act and the SAFE Port Act to serve as an identification program for all Coast Guard credentialed mariners as well as personnel requiring unescorted access to secure areas within a port. Several ports, however, will be required to comply with TWIC regulations this year. Owners and operators of facilities within Captain of the Port Zones Boston, Northern New England, and Southeastern New England will need to comply by Oct. 15.
See NEWS BRIEFS, page A12
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Watercraft accident leaves two with serious injuries NEWS BRIEFS, from page A11 These three ports were selected based on favorable conditions that facilitate near-term implementation, according to a DHS statement. Mariners can pre-enroll online at www.tsa.gov/twic. Additional information can be found on the U.S. Coast Guard’s Homeport site, http:// homeport.uscg.mil.
Child loses foot in PWC accident
Two people were seriously injured – including a child whose foot was severed – when two personal watercraft collided north of Key Biscayne at Bear Cut in early May. One of the PWCs involved in the collision had left the scene leaving the two persons from the other PWC injured in the water. The driver of the PWC suffered a broken leg while his 10-year-old son suffered a severed foot and was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami.
MROP, GMDSS: lifetime licenses
Effective March 25, 2008, the requirement to renew the MROP and GMDSS Operator’s Licenses every five years was been changed. The licenses are now good for life. Holders of either license who would like one that does not show an expiration date must apply to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for a duplicate. It is advised that mariners do this so officers in other countries don’t see the expiration date and think it is no longer valid. Reported in a recent edition of Wheelhouse Weekly, a newsletter of the International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots.
USCG officer pleads guilty
David G. Williams, a Chief Warrant Officer in the U.S. Coast Guard and the Main Propulsion Assistant for the Coast Guard Cutter Rush, pleaded
guilty on May 1 in U.S. District Court in Hawaii to one count of making a false statement, announced Ronald J. Tenpas, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Environment & Natural Resources Division and U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawaii Edward H. Kubo Jr. Williams was indicted by a federal grand jury on Aug. 8, 2007, for lying to investigators about his knowledge of the direct overboard discharge of bilge wastes through the ship’s deep sink into the Honolulu Harbor. As the main propulsion assistant, he oversaw the maintenance of the main diesel engines and other machinery in the engine room of Rush, a 378-foot high-endurance cutter stationed in Honolulu. “Today’s guilty plea stands as notice that the Department of Justice will enforce the nation’s environmental laws in an even-handed and thorough manner,” said Assistant Attorney General Tenpas. According to the plea agreement, on or about March 8, 2006, Williams had knowledge of the direct discharge of bilge wastes into Honolulu Harbor. The Engineering Department personnel “engaged in an unusual and abnormal operation and configuration of engine room equipment to pump bilge wastes from the aft bilge to the deep sink and overboard into Honolulu Harbor, thereby bypassing the oily water separator (OWS) system.” On or about March 13, 2006, the State of Hawaii Department of Health received an anonymous complaint stating that Rush crew members were ordered to pump about 2,000 gallons of bilge waste into Honolulu Harbor. On May 1, 2006, USCG investigators received confirmation from personnel who participated that bilge wastes had been discharged into Honolulu Harbor. When interviewed by investigators,
See NEWS BRIEFS, page A13
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NEWS BRIEFS
U.S., Netherlands sign pact to facilitate citizens’ travel NEWS BRIEFS, from page A12 Williams denied knowledge and stated that he was not aware of the pumping of bilge wastes to bypass the ship’s OWS system. Sentencing has been set for Aug. 19, 2008. Williams faces a statutory maximum of 5 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, plus a term of supervised release of up to 3 years.
Simpler entry for Americans, Dutch U.S. Customs and Border Protection signed a joint agreement on May 19 with the government of the Netherlands to develop a process to integrate CBP’s Global Entry program with the Dutch “Privium” program to facilitate travel of U.S. and Dutch citizens between the two countries. The signing event occurred at John F. Kennedy International Airport between CBP and representatives of the Netherlands Immigration and Naturalisation Service. “We are very pleased to be part of this joint effort with the government of the Netherlands to integrate our international trusted traveler initiatives,” said CBP Deputy Commissioner Jayson Ahern. “This agreement is an important next step in extending the benefits of expedited and automated CBP processing to additional low risk international travelers, and at the same time providing for reciprocal benefits for US citizens traveling abroad.” “This expanded partnership with the Netherlands continues to extend the zone of security beyond our physical borders and strengthen our international relationships by facilitating travel between our countries,” Ahern said. The Global Entry pilot will kick off for U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents on June 10 at three initial airports: John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, George Bush
Intercontinental Airport in Houston, and Washington Dulles International Airport. CBP started taking online applications May 12. It is expected that citizens of the Netherlands will be invited to apply by the end of 2008 or early next year.
Temporary bridge closure
Florida’s Department of Transportation will be closing the Davie Boulevard bridge in the down position with waterway restrictions to large marine vessels between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m., Monday through Friday for the month of June due to barge placement in connection with water/sewer improvements on land. Vessels that require less than 21 feet of vertical clearance at mean high water and less than 25 feet In June, of horizontal the Davie clearance can Boulevard pass through bridge will be the bridge. The locked down contractor has from 7 a.m. also requested to 1 p.m. that the bridge remain in the weekdays. closed position from 4:30 to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. The waterway channel will remain open for vessels that require less than 21 feet of vertical clearance at mean high water and less than 60 feet of horizontal clearance to pass through the bridge. If weather conditions, emergencies or other conditions threaten the safety of marine traffic, the contractor will cease operations and clear all barges and equipment from the channel, according to a DOT statement. The Davie Boulevard bridge will be closed to all vehicular traffic from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on two weekends, tentatively scheduled as June 21-22 and June 28-29. A detour will be signed and advertised two weeks in advance.
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MARINAS / YARDS
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Pier 17 gets final OK from politicians; work to begin Pier 17 received final site plan approval in May from Ft. Lauderdale city commissioners. The unanimous approval allows the project to begin. With 26 covered slips for sale and three side-tie transient slips, the marina will be able to handle boats up to about 160 feet. It sits on the site of the old Summerfield Boatworks on the north bank of the New River across from Lauderdale Marine Center. Plans and approvals have been more than a 20 months in the government process. The first stage of the property renovation will be reconstructing the
seawall, which is expected to begin this month, said Brad Tate, a former megayacht captain who is project manager of the marina. – Lucy Reed
Marina near Barcelona opening
Investors have committed 33 million euros to build Vilanova Grand MarinaBarcelona, a megayacht marina in Vilanova Port near Barcelona on the Mediterranean Sea. The new marina would cover 100,000 square meters, including a 30,000 square metert shipyard, and will
have the ability to accommodate 76 boats between 20 and 60 meters. It will have concrete piers with a draught of up to seven meters, service bollards designed to provide the power output and volumes of water required by large boats, refueling berths, private working areas, store rooms for every berth, exclusive areas and services, and a heliport. The repair and refit yard is planned to have an 820-ton Travelift, which would be the largest in Spain, according to a company statement. A dry dock will feature an area for workshops and two painting booths 18 meters high, one 60 meters long, the other 40 meters long. The marina will be ISPS compliant. Construction began in 2006 and berths are now for sale. Construction is expected to be complete next spring, in time for the 2009 charter season.
Tricon opens yard in China
U.S.-based Tricon Marine, a builder of FRP/composite megayachts up to
RENDERING COURTESY OF VILANOVA GRAND MARINA
180 feet, recently broke ground on China’s first North American-owned and operated shipyard, the company announced in a news release. Located just outside the city of Zhuhai in China’s Guangdong province, Tricon’s 55,000-square-meter, state-of-theart facility is designed to operate at the highest American and European standards of craftsmanship, cleanliness and security. An initial $8 million investment is budgeted for Phase I with a total investment of $21 million over five years, according to the release. Production and employee training began in early 2007 on an 88-foot high-performance offshore vessel at a temporary facility adjacent to its new yard. The new shipyard is expected to be fully functional by August. At full capacity, the yard will have
See MARINAS, page A19
A16 June 2008
TRITON SURVEY: Down time
What do you do with crew in times when a full crew is not needed? Paid vacation or comp time required – 6%
Temporary layoff – 1%
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Captain: ‘We respect our obligation to pay [our crew]’ “On our yacht, all crew are considered full-time workers “I would not want to work and we respect our obligation for an owner that would lay the crew off. Most yacht crew to pay them,” said the captain of a 121-foot charter yacht do not get enough time off and it is only fair to pay them.” who is the sole decision maker. “Permanent crew are A vast majority of yachts not disposable. We don’t have – 90 percent of the 71 the right to cut their pay to captains who responded – keep their crew employed in look nice to the owner.” Most of these decisions some way. Some require they take accumulated time off or on how to handle crew were made by the captain (76 vacation time; some assign See SURVEY, page A17 them alternate duties. SURVEY, from page A1
Other – 7% Time off unpaid – 7% Time off, paid as usual – 53% Give them alternate duties, paid as usual – 25%
Who makes this decision? Owner – 6%
How are your crew members classified? Management company – 4%
Day workers – 6%
Other – 16% Collaboration – 14% Captain – 76%
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Corporate employees of the yacht’s parent company – 13%
Employees of the yacht’s holding company – 63%
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TRITON SURVEY: Down time
June 2008
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Even when a yacht is not in use, it needs to be maintained days without taking a day off. So we need to evaluate all of percent of the time). And that and be fair to everyone. nearly all – 52 of the 54 Happy crew: Happy boat.” captains in this group – said “Crew are not penalized they made sure the crew was because of the yacht’s compensated. schedule,” said the captain of “If the crew is forced to take a 220-foot yacht. time off due to the yacht’s Another said it’s not just the schedule, Dockwise transport respect that causes him to pay for example, they are paid, consistent wages. and this does not count as “If you fire crew every time their vacation time that they you have a little downtime, planned for,” said the captain you’d never keep any good of a 98-foot private yacht. crew,” he said. “It doesn’t “There are plenty of other matter that your owner has times when they work many told you his $10 million yacht
isn’t going to get used. It still needs to be maintained and that needs more than one or two people.” Among respondents, three said the yacht’s management company made the decision on whether to pay, and all three keep paying as usual. “Down time makes up for the 18-hour days and no weekends during the season,” a captain said. More than half the captains responding, 61.9 percent, reported that they and their crew were employees of their
Decision-makers who gave time off:
How employees who got paid time off were classified:
SURVEY, from page A16
Management company (1) – 3%
Owner (1) – 3%
Collaboration (5) – 13%
yacht’s holding company. More than 15 percent were employed by the yacht owner’s corporation. Only 4.2 percent reported employing crew as day workers while the remaining 18.3 percent said they had another, unspecified arrangement. “For me, down time is when crew uses up accumulated time off, vacation time, schooling, uncompleted or delayed boat tasks, and alternative task training,” said See SURVEY, page A18
Day workers – 3%
Other – 15%
Captains (32) – 82%
Corporate employees of the yacht’s parent company – 15%
Employees of the yacht’s holding company – 67%
A18 June 2008
TRITON SURVEY: Down time
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Percentage of crew who got time off (by decision maker) 100% 3-3
80% 8-10
Collaboration
Captain
93% 41-44 82% 9-11
25% 1-4 Management company
Percentage of crew who got time off (by emp. category) 100% 13-13
96% 52-54
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Owner
33% 1-3
Other Employees Corporate Day of yacht’s employees of workers holding yacht’s parent company company
Crew should feel lucky they ‘have a job’ SURVEY, from page A1 the captain of a 165-foot private yacht. “I am reluctant to terminate or pay good crew differently than normal. I have invested considerable time and money to get the best possible crew and retraining or trying to get the ‘magic’ back is difficult.” The captain of a private, 85-foot yacht who is employed by the yacht’s holding company, said layoffs, even temporary, are a no-no. “I can’t believe an owner would lay people off at crossings, shipping or otherwise,” he said. “Most crew plan ahead to take holidays.” Only six captains said their yacht’s owner makes the decision about whether to stop pay when work stops, and the decision is to stop paying. Four of those six owners opted to
temporarily lay off their crew. Two were on yachts 100-feet or longer. “The way things are going in this country, crew only should get paid when they are needed,” said the captain of a 50-foot private yacht who works for an owner who doesn’t pay for downtime. “They should feel lucky they even have a job and a good one at that.” Only one other captain expressed a similar sentiment and he reported that he and the 90-foot yacht’s owner jointly made the decision not to pay. “The owner and I have been taken advantage of with time off and benefits [for crew],” he said. “Work a day, get paid a day.” That captain and owner only hire freelance crew or independent contractors. Other captains noted down time can be an opportunity. “For a major yard period, we have laid off interior crew in the past,” this captain said. “For normal yard periods or other down times, we maintain a full crew and give them other duties and/or vacation time due. Obviously, if we have a crew member who is marginal in performance, we’d take that opportunity to let them go and replace when needed.” But overall, among the 71 captains who completed the survey, most agreed that crew should be compensated for full-time work, even when the yacht is in down time. “Crew that work well together need to stay together,” said the captain of a 130-foot private yacht. “I as captain will do whatever I can to keep good crew. The dollars spent on keeping crew together and happy are minor compared to the dollars spent on constantly switching crew out.” Kelly Cramer is managing editor of The Triton. Comments on this story are welcome at kelly@the-triton.com.
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MARINAS / YARDS
June 2008
Bradford sponsors, helps in Bahamas cancer ride MARINAS, from page A14 a production capacity of 16 yachts indoors and in-water work on two yachts up to 55 meters at its pier. “Tricon Marine is committed to strictly adhering to client specifications and contractual obligations while offering unmatched craftsmanship and quality at a competitive price that sets a new value standard in the industry,” said Christos Livadas, chairman and CEO of Tricon Marine. “We intend to put China on the map as a place for world class yacht construction.” Tricon’s management team has more than 75 years of combined industry experience employed by recognized names like WestBay and Ocean Alexander. Prior to founding Tricon, its principals also commissioned and supervised the construction of 14 yachts with China’s local builders since the beginning of this decade. The company has 64 employees and expects to grow its skilled labor pool to 210 workers over the next 18 months. All specifications, contracts, change orders and other documents are written in English. For more information, visit www. triconmarine.com.
Bradford aids cancer riders
What does Bradford Marine Towing’s 40-foot, ex-Navy, fast-response towing and assist vessel based in Freeport Harbour, Grand Bahama, have to do with a Cancer Society of the Bahamas bike-a-thon on the island of Eleuthera, 130 miles south? The answer puts a surprising new twist on corporate sponsorship and showcases Bradford’s creative talents in the marine industry. Bradford filled the boat with bicycles and carried them – free-of-charge – to the dock within a few miles of the starting line so cyclists from Grand Bahama could participate in the Ride For Hope Bahamas fundraiser, which took place on April 5. Capt. Mike Stafford of the Mr. C – named after Bradford Marine founder Mr. Cosman – and the team at Bradford Marine Bahamas fitted the cabin of the vessel with custom-built bike supports to allow for the secure, upright transport of 14 bicycles. “My wife and her friends are avid cyclists and have been participating in the Ride for Hope since its inception,” Capt. Stafford said. “She has a pretty fancy bike and each year we have to take it all apart and watch it be stuffed in the belly of the small plane that flies to North Eleuthera. “This year, there were so many cyclists from Grand Bahama who wanted to attend that she suggested if Bradford would agree to be a corporate sponsor, and allow us to use the boat, then a lot more cyclists from here could attend and no one would have
to worry about disassembling or damage to their bike.” Despite some heavy seas on the trip south, Mr. C and her cargo arrived in perfect shape, well ahead of the riders who were presented with their two-wheeled treasures clean and sparkling on the deck of the boat at her slip on Harbour Island. The Ride for Hope Bahamas raised more than $300,000 for cancer care and treatment programs in the Bahamas. – Vicki Stafford
Vicki Stafford stands with the bicycles of 14 riders in the Ride for Hope Bahamas that have arrived safely at Eleuthera from Grand Bahama, thanks to Bradford Grand Bahama and the M/V Mr.C.
Loggerhead adds 11th marina
Seven Kings Holdings, a South Florida marina development and holdings company, has added Loggerhead Club & Marina – St. Petersburg to its marina group of now 11 marinas and nearly 3,000 slips.
PHOTO/CAPT. MIKE STAFFORD
Loggerhead Club & Marina – St. Petersburg is open to the public at 5821 32nd Way South, St. Petersburg, Fla., on Frenchman’s Creek near the Gulf and Tampa Bay (N 27º 43.314’ W 82º 40.996’). The 470-slip marina includes dry storage for 327 boats up to 45 feet and 143 wet slips for boats up to 60 feet.
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A20 June 2008 FROM THE BRIDGE: Retirement plans
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In today’s world, retirees still have to support themselves BRIDGE, from page A1
Attendees of The Triton’s June Bridge luncheon were, from left, Paul Corgill of M/Y Dare to Dream, Jeff Hardgrave of M/Y Mimi, Glenn Pitassi of M/Y Ava L, Richard Mason of M/Y Islander, Chris Evans of M/Y Intrepid, Rocky Miller (looking), and Randy Steegstra of M/Y Tsalta. PHOTO/ LUCY REED
on this,” said a third. “I just plan to keep myself healthy and keep working. “In four years, I want to be out of ... We’re hoping to inherit my wife’s the full-time boat driving business and parents’ property.” move up north to raise my kids,” one So at what point will you stop captain said. “Can I retire full time? No, running megayachts? Is it when you hit not money-wise. My goal is to go into a a certain age, or something else? job share, a rotation, or pick up enough “Some people come to a point when freelance work.” they stop enjoying it,” a captain said. “I As always, individual comments don’t see that happening with me.” are not attributed to any one person “It used to be you had to be 28, with in particular so as to encourage frank a full head of hair and a flat stomach, and open discussion. The attending or no owner wanted you,” another said. captains are identified in a photograph “It’s not like that anymore. Insurance on page A18. companies love This captain was us because of our Moving down to a the only one in the experience.” smaller boat means room with a plan. These captains A few captains had talked a bit about less money and fewer dreams for moving the compromises crew to do all of ashore, but no involved in reaching the things an older details on how to an experience point make that happen. in one’s career captain might have But all admitted about the time they outgrown, including they didn’t envision might want to be washing the boat a time that if they closer to home. were working, it down every other day. Moving down to a wasn’t with boats in smaller boat means some way. less money and “The whole idea of retirement in our fewer crew to do all of the things an society has changed,” one captain said. older captain might have outgrown, “People are not really retiring in the including washing the boat down every same way they used to. You may retire other day. from your main career but you still “There is a stigma, with age,” a have to support yourself.” captain said. “I don’t think you ever really retire,” “There’s still oil boats, when you another said. can’t work on yachts anymore,” another So do captains think about that day said. when they’ll stop running boats full“I’d like to keep sailing, making time? Do they plan for it? deliveries,” said a third. “You can “I’ve been thinking about it for 15 choose.” years,” one captain deadpanned. “If I had enough money,” one captain “I don’t really have a plan,” another said, “I’d be silly enough to go out and said. “I save.” “I’ve buried my head in the sand See BRIDGE, page A22
A22 June 2008 FROM THE BRIDGE: Retirement plans
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Advice: Work hard early, save money BRIDGE, from page A20 buy a boat. I love it.” “That’s the stupidest thing I ever heard,” another captain said, only halfjoking. These captains agreed, though, that the best part of being a yacht captain is driving the boat, and it was something they wanted to do as long as possible. A few years ago, when Capt. Steve Huggins retired from running yachts as a new father at age 43, he recalled the advice he got early in his career: If you get to be 45 and are still in yachting, you’ve done it wrong. Is that really true? “I got in at 21-22,” one captain said. “At 40, I should be able to have enough money to retire. It’s not happening. If I had stayed on a big boat, on the fast track, maybe. But then I wouldn’t have my family.” Not all plans work out the way they should. One captain who had a life and career before yachting has recently started a family. “I did everything backward,” he said. “Having a child [in my 50s] is not the normal retirement plan. Trying to live in South Florida with a wife who is not working and a child ... I had no idea how expensive moving back to land would be.”
Each month, The Triton invites a group of yacht captains to lunch to talk about industry issues and trends. Our goal is to create a forum for the professionals in this industry. Sure, there has been some venting, but with that has come brainstorming and some interesting conversation. The lunches also allow professional captains to meet each other and talk, an important task that gets lost amid
Another captain said he made the decision not to have a house and mortgage. He and his wife work together and have no external expenses. The captains talked about taxes and the various ways to structure their working lives. “You have to figure out ways to maximize your income and minimize your expenses,” one captain said. “You can save a tremendous amount of money in this industry.” “My advice to young crew is to get on the biggest, busiest boat you can find and work really hard while you are young,” a captain said. “That’s when you make a lot of money and have no expenses, when you make the most contacts, and when you get all your knowledge of cruising areas. “You see too many young kids spending all their money,” he said.
everyone’s busy schedules. If you are a megayacht captain and would like to attend a future lunch, contact Editor Lucy Chabot Reed at lucy@the-triton.com. Most lunches are held in Ft. Lauderdale but we have held them in other places when we travel, including Newport, R.I. , Antibes and St. Maarten. Be part of the conversation and meet your colleagues.
“When I have young people in the crew, I tell them to please put some money away. I got in owing a lot of money from college. But I was debt-free after a year and a half. That’s when my mom realized I was in a real career.” So what does “retirement” look like for a megayacht captain? “Finding another job, another career,” one said. “Even when I retire, I’ll still be boating, for fun,” said a third. “I can’t see stopping sailing just because I have enough money. There’s a lot to see in this world and I want to see it.” Comments on this story are welcome at lucy@the-triton.com. If you make your living working as a yacht captain, contact Editor Lucy Chabot Reed for an invitation to our monthly Bridge luncheon, lucy@the-triton.com.
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www.the-triton.com FROM THE FRONT: The Yachting Index
Laurent Perignon, CNI’s director of marketing, and Bob Saxon, president of Camper & Nicholsons USA, at the launch of The Yachting Index at the New PHOTO/DAVID REED York Yacht Club in New York City in May.
More than 100 shipyards build yachts 80 feet or longer INDEX, from page A1 length. Do you have a guess at how many crew are out there? (At least 25,000.) How many yachts would you guess are for sale? (About 1,000.) The index, however, includes much more than numbers. It breaks down the megayacht fleet by type, size and age. It crunches all the numbers for new builds and “pre-owned” yachts on time and value. It dissects the charter industry, too. It offers some standards for yacht owners hoping to recoup their expenses through chartering, and there’s even a little section for potential crew – A Career Awaits You. Prepared and written by Laurent Perignon, CNI’s director of marketing, the index is still a marketing tool for CNI. It’s a primer for the industry for wealthy people outside the industry. Let’s not forget that only about 10 percent of the people who can afford a yacht actually have one. Some interesting stats: l About 80 percent of the worldwide fleet are private motoryachts, or about 3,000; the rest of the fleet, about 750, are sailing yachts.
l The largest group of yachts are between 100 and 130 feet (1,520 yachts). Those between 80 and 100 are about a third (1,310). So about 75 percent of yachts afloat today are less than 130 feet. l The average yacht size is 111 feet, and the median size (meaning there as just as many vessels smaller than this size as there are larger) is 122 feet. l More than 100 shipyards around the world build yachts over 80 feet. l About half the world’s yachts are larger than 100 feet. l More than 20 percent of the worldwide fleet is available for charter, so about 830 yachts. I found the section on distribution by age to be one of the most interesting. Basically, a quarter of all yachts around today were built before 1990; a quarter of them were built between 1990-2000; a quarter were built between 2000-2005; and a full quarter of the 3,800 yachts floating today have been built and launched since 2005. Looked at another way, 55 percent the yachts in the world today were built before 2000 and 45 percent have been built since. Wow.
See INDEX page A25
June 2008
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A24 June 2008
PHOTO GALLERY
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Above, the fun folks at Rybovich near West Palm Beach are back at their Friday crew bashes. The last Friday in April was a Greek fest, with some crew from S/Y Mikado, M/Y Lady M, M/Y Party Girl, S/Y Yanakee Two, M/Y Freedom and M/Y Islandia. At left, the first Friday in May was to celebrate Cinco De Mayo, with some of the crew from M/Y Indefensible.
High up in the blue Florida sky was Capt. Tucker White, tending to some repairs half-way up the mast. White, captain of the private S/Y Alemar, will head to Jacksonville for some upgrades, then Newport for PHOTO/CAPT. TOM SERIO the summer.
PHOTOS/MARIO BYRNE
Capts. Alex Proch and Laura Moss of M/Y Quiet Place attended the Palma Boat Show not on the yacht, but as representatives of Micfil International, a filter company. A dealership was recently opened in Spain, with Johan Kist at the helm (www.micfil.es, +34 676 773 688). Soon after the show, Quiet Place was off to Tunisia, Malta, Greece, Turkey, Croatia and then Italy. She’ll be back in Palma for the winter. PHOTO/LAURA MOSS
Paige Ferraguto, human resources director at Merrill-Stevens, works the phones as her office is ferried across the Miami River to new administrative offices at the south shipyard facility. Work continues to expand the yard to PHOTO/MARK BAILEY be able to haul megayachts up to 250 feet.
Aboard the 85-foot Cheoy Lee M/Y Trilogy, mate/engineer and self-proclaimed fixer-of-everything Jason Lachance was busy again fixing some lighting. New to this yacht but not the boating scene, Lachance will be aboard when Trilogy heads to her homeport of Newport for the summer. PHOTO/CAPT. TOM SERIO
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www.the-triton.com FROM THE FRONT: The Yachting Index
Getting 12 charter weeks is a good year for a yacht INDEX , from page A23
market. l The majority of the worldwide We’ve all heard the saying that every charter marketplace is made up of yacht is for sale, and perhaps they yachts between 100 feet and 165 feet. are if the right deal walked aboard. There are about 500 such vessels or 60 But only about a quarter of the 3,800 percent of the fleet. megayachts (1,000 of them) were active l The remaining 40 percent are split on the brokerage market at the end of between the 80- to 100-foot range (27 2007. percent of the fleet, with 224 units), and And, according to the index, the yachts over 165 feet (the remaining 13 fleet for sale tends to mirror the overall percent or 110 units). existing fleet in terms of size. Yachts The index notes that except for M/Y between 80-100 feet (24-30m) occupy Christina O at 324 feet and S/Y Maltese about 38 percent of the marketplace Falcon at 288 feet, no yachts above 240 or 372 vessels (and 35 percent of the feet are available for charter. Therefore, fleet) while those between 100-130 the average size of a yacht in the feet (30-40m) represent 40 percent of charter fleet is about 130 feet. the marketplace or 391 vessels (and 40 Internal CNI analysis suggests that percent of the fleet). at least a third of charter clients on Yachts between 80-100 feet have an private charters tend to turn to yacht average value ownership after of about US$4.3 repeated charter million each. experience, which “At this stage, it is Yachts a worth noting that, when represents between 100significant pool of 130 feet have an combined, these two potential owners. average value “Based on the size brackets represent nearly double the number of charters 78 percent of the smaller size at handled in 2007, brokerage market for US$9.1 million this accounts for each. a potential 1,300 superyachts 24m (80 “At this stage, or so superyacht feet) and above, and yet it is worth noting owners in the years account for less than that, when to come,” the index combined, these reports. half its potential value two size brackets The 46-page – at US$5.1 billion, or represent 78 report goes on to about 44 percent of the percent of the discuss charter brokerage market potential value.” destinations (70 for superyachts percent of all — The (Super) Yachting Index 24m (80 feet) and charters occur in above, and yet the Mediterranean account for less with the Western than half its potential value – at US$5.1 Med having close to 60 percent of billion, or about 44 percent of the chartered yachts in summer or an potential value,” the index reported. average of 135 charters a week) and The index takes into account the the demographics of charter guests. difference between asking price and Americans and English guests were selling price, as well as the exchange 60 percent of charterers in 2007, rate fluctuations at the end of 2007. and the Russian market, though it On the charter market, the index has blossomed in the past few years, pointedly warns owners and potential accounted for about 8 percent of owners that it would be “wrong” for charters in 2007. “However, Russian brokers to tell them “that they may clients contribute 15 percent to the actually fully recoup such investment. charter business in value, which When chartering out, the primary indicates that they spend close to twice objective usually remains to try and as much as any other nationality on cover the operational costs involved their charters, a sign that they tend to in the running of the yacht – as book larger yachts for a longer period mentioned before, the usual 10 percent of time than any others. rule of thumb.” Most importantly, perhaps, the And it offered these guidelines for index sets the stage for this first edition chartering: to be just the beginning, that more, l Given a yacht’s busy schedule, 12 better indexes will follow in the years weeks of charter a year is a good year, ahead. Much like the yachting industry, assuming peak weeks are available. more is expected. l Marketing a yacht for charter takes time before results start to show. Lucy Chabot Reed is the editor of The Allow one year without income for a Triton. Comments on this column are new yacht coming onto the charter welcome at lucy@the-triton.com.
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Michael Bach leaves Rybovich for development job at Thunderbolt Michael Bach, formerly with Rybovich in South Florida, has joined Thunderbolt Marine of Savannah, Ga., as vice president of business development. Bach will remain based in South Florida pursuing refit sales, customer service, and recruiting efforts for Thunderbolt, according to a company statement. Thunderbolt Marine had a recordbreaking first quarter for 2008, serving megayachts such as Blue Moon III, Daybreak, Domani, Huntress, Independence, Kanaloa, Kisses and Neon Rainbow. The yard is actively engaged in a multi-year expansion plan that involves new buildings, docks and syncrolift expansion.
San Diego yacht group formed
West Coast marine industry leaders have formed the San Diego Superyacht Association (SDSA), a coalition of San Diego’s marine-related companies that serve the local large-yacht industry. The group’s mission is to promote San Diego as a world-class superyacht destination and provide a conduit to marine services and suppliers. “We all agree that the time has come for all of us to work together to attract even more large yachts to San Diego,” said Paul Daubner, a San Diego-based yacht management specialist and the group’s elected president. “We can provide the vast array of products and services these boats require, which in turn stimulates the local marine economy. By joining forces, we can enhance San Diego’s position as one of the world’s leading yacht destinations.” SDSA’s 16 founding members include representatives from yacht brokerages, yacht repair firms, marinas and other leading yacht-industry businesses. The coalition is the first such association on the West Coast of the United States. Founding members of the non-profit corporation are Paul Daubner of Fraser Yachts, Neil Wilson of Driscoll Boat Works, Deborah Pennell of Shelter Island Marina, Terry Ruppert of Knight & Carver YachtCenter, Capt. Mark Drewelow of C2C, Ron Dehne of Hawthorn Power Systems, Dean West of Honor Marine Electronics, Peter Taliercio of Kona Kai Marina, Fred Larsson of Marine Group Boat Works, David Roscow of Northrop and Johnson, Craig Stephens of Rocket Research, Judy Donnelly of San Diego Marine Exchange, Doug Sharp of Sharp Design, Ernie Buck of Valley Power Systems, Cris Wenthur of Wenthur Law Group, and Pacific Superyacht Promotions, producers of YachtFest San Diego. For more information, contact Paul Daubner at +1-619-225-0588 or paul. daubner@fraseryachts.com.
A1JLT changes name
BWA Yachting, formerly operating under the names of A1JLT and the Blue Water Alliance, announced its new identity, headquarters and management structure during the MYBA Charter Show in Genoa in early May. BWA managers include CEO Stefano Tositti; Edward Pegan, commercial manager; Kosmas Sakalidis, operations manager; and Paschalis Patsiokas, finance manager. With headquarters in Lugano, Switzerland, BWA Yachting offers complete yacht agency services throughout the Mediterranean, with offices in the South of France, Italy, Croatia, Montenegro, Greece and Turkey as well as Ft. Lauderdale, which serves the United States and the Caribbean. For more information, visit www. bwayachting.com.
Rosebud Racing joins team DYT
Dockwise Yacht Transport (DYT), a yacht logistics company with its own fleet of semi-submersible ships, announced that Rosebud Racing has joined forces with the company to become Rosebud Racing/Team DYT. The Farr-designed Rosebud was launched in June 2007 as the world’s first STP65, a “box-rule” collaboration between the Storm Trysail Club and the TransPacific Yacht Club. Owned by Roger Sturgeon of Ft, Lauderdale, it has recently won the overall IRC handicap title in the famed Rolex Sydney Hobart Race at the end of 2007. In that race, Sturgeon also became the first American in 30 years to take overall regatta honors, joining only two other Americans: Jim Kilroy (Kialoa III in 1977) and Ted Turner (American Eagle in 1972). “The Rosebud campaign has had an exhilarating journey, and the future will prove even more remarkable,” said Sturgeon, adding that Rosebud Racing/ Team DYT will use DYT services for shipping the team’s prized race boat to race destinations around the world.
See BUSINESS BRIEFS, page A27
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Sonar company opens testing lab, Taylors start charter firm BUSINESS BRIEFS, from page A26 DYT operates four semi-submersible yacht carriers, including the new 687.5-foot (209 meter) Yacht Express, which takes regular runs between Ft. Lauderdale and Genoa, Italy. Rosebud will sport its new Team DYT sail and hull graphics when it competes in New England this summer at Block Island Race, the New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta presented by Rolex, the Newport to Bermuda Race (which was won by Sturgeon’s previous Rosebud, a TP52, in 2004), the Edgartown Yacht Club Round the Island Race, and the New York Yacht Club Race Week at Newport presented by Rolex. After it crosses the Atlantic, it will compete in the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup (Sardinia, Italy) in September and the Rolex Middle Sea Races (Malta) in October, before heading back with other sailboats on a DYT ship to Ft. Lauderdale at the end of October. A designer of computer software and a member of Lauderdale Yacht Club as well as Hyannis Yacht Club in Massachusetts, Sturgeon is joined on the crew of Rosebud Racing/Team DYT by his wife, Isobel, and noteworthy international sailors. meteorological monitoring system, which samples, measures, records and transmits 140 For more information, visit www. yacht-transport.com.
have started their own venture, Taylor’d Yacht Charters. After almost 10 years in the yachting and marine industry covering experiences in crew placement, yacht support and charter management, the Taylors will open their business in Natchez, Miss., to be near Sandy’s father, and return to Ft. Lauderdale regularly. Sandy learned about the yachting industry from Bob Saxon, now president of Camper & Nicholsons USA. She also developing the wholesale and retail charter management and crew placement divisions at Northrop and Johnson. For more information, visit www. taylordyachtcharters.com.
Sonar company opens testing lab
Speakman joins ACR
FarSounder has opened a new 1,250square-foot test facility in Warwick, R.I., the same town as FarSounder’s main office. The space enables the company to conduct transducer testing more efficiently, said engineering Vice President Matt Zimmerman. “We are extremely excited at what this will mean for our operation, not just in terms of streamlining our manufacturing process, but the opportunities it will offer for our various R&D projects,” he said FarSounder specializes in sonar technology in a part of the country renowned for its underwater specialties in this field. “In this unique field we recognize the importance of having such a facility and are willing to work with other companies who may need the use of such an environment for their own testing,” Zimmerman said. Also in April, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office awarded FarSounder its fourth patent.
Taylors launch charter firm
Sandy and Tom Taylor, formerly of Northrop and Johnson Luxury Yachts,
ACR Electronics, a manufacturer of safety and survival technologies, has appointed Charles Speakman
See BUSINESS BRIEFS, page A28
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Yard, MarineMax partner; TowBoat gets new franchisees BUSINESS BRIEFS, from page A27 to the position of technical sales representative. In his new position, Speakman will train outdoor and marine retail associates for ACR dealers throughout North America. Most recently, Speakman served as a general manager for West Marine, the nation’s largest boating supplies retailer. He also worked seven years as a police officer in South Miami. ACR Electronics, designs and manufactures a complete line of safety and survival products including EPIRBs, PLBs, AIS, SARTs and safety accessories.
Knight & Carver adds partner
Knight & Carver YachtCenter and MarineMax, the nation’s largest boat retailer, have joined forces to provide service to luxury yacht clients. “We view this as a perfect blend of our two specialties,” said Kate Pearson, Knight & Carver’s vice president of business development. “This new relationship gives their clients a direct link to achieving the utmost in service for their elite yachts.” Knight & Carver repair/service crews will be made available to all of MarineMax’s clients within the West Coast yacht cruising region from Mexico to the Pacific Northwest. The focus will be on such brands as Ferretti, Bertram, Pershing, Mochi Craft and Riva yachts, among others offered by MarineMax. “We are pleased to join with Knight & Carver to provide our clients with the finest in yacht repair and marine services,” said Mark Gibbons, yacht sales manager of MarineMax’s office on San Diego’s Shelter Island. Knight & Carver recently was named “Boatyard of the Year, 2007” by the American Boat Builders & Repairers Association. MarineMax ranks as the largest U.S. yacht brokerage with nearly 100 retail locations, three in Southern California.
Hartman Yacht expands north
Hartman Yacht Maintenance has expanded its mobile marine repair and scheduled maintenance capacities in South Florida to include Broward County. Hartman Yacht was established in 1990. The new branch office will be managed by marine veteran Dominic Murphy and is located at 2424 N. Dixie Highway. Contact Hartman Yacht at 954-561-5422.
New franchisees at TowBoatU.S.
Capt. Ian Cairns is the new owner of TowBoatU.S. Port Canaveral, an onthe-water towing service that provides assistance to Space Coast boaters.
Cairns purchased the port from former owner Capt. Jess Cooley, who moved offshore and now operates two TowBoatU.S. ports in the Bahamas. Cairns has stationed USCG-licensed captains Jonathan Nagle-Alexander and William Chandler at the port. A former ship’s navigation officer, Cairns is a marine surveyor and also the former owner of an offshore salvage company. He holds an unlimited British Second Mates Certificate, and is a member of the National Association of Marine Surveyors and Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers. TowBoatU.S. Port Canaveral is equipped with four response vessels from 25 to 32 feet. The most common request for assistance in the area is from recreational boaters who have inadvertently grounded on river shoals. Contact TowBoatU.S. Port Canaveral at 321-783-5600; by VHF radio on channel 16; or through the BoatU.S. toll-free Dispatch Service at 800-3914869. In South Carolina, Capt. Steve Little, and his wife, Marisa, have purchased TowBoatU.S. Charleston. Capt. Little purchased the port from his former employers, Capt. Joe and Cora Beasenburg, who have retired. Capt. Little previously held various positions in the local marine industry including working for Isle of Palms Marina, Tidal Wave Water Sports and Boat Works. He holds a U.S. Coast Guard 100-ton Master license. TowBoatU.S. Charleston is equipped with five response vessels from 15 to 28 feet. Contact TowBoatU.S. Charleston at 843-745-5977; by VHF radio on channel 16; or through the BoatU.S. toll-free Dispatch Service at 800-391-4869.
Boat Bunkers names new sales VP
Bradenton, Fla.-based Boat Bunkers International has named Ken Overman vice president of sales. Boat Bunkers produces an in-water mooring station that keeps boat hulls clean and eliminates the need for anti-fouling paints. Formerly with Mustang Marine and Luhrs Marine Group, Overman brings more than 14 years of industry experience in dealer development, sales, management and marketing to the Florida-based manufacturer. “Boat Bunkers offers an environmentally sensitive, economical solution to growing worldwide concern over the environmental impact of boating,” said Bruce Nelson, CEO of Boat Bunkers International. “Ken’s background in domestic and international dealer development
See BUSINESS BRIEFS, page A29
The Triton
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Security firm wins UK ‘Small Exporter of the Year’ award BUSINESS BRIEFS, from page A28 and experience cultivating strategic business partnerships will assist us greatly as we build our worldwide network of Boat Bunkers dealers.” Boat Bunkers offers a simple and effective solution to control biofouling without the use of any toxic components. Mooring stations are available in a range of sizes for boats up to 50 feet. The mooring stations create an isolation chamber that the boat floats in. The isolation prevents oxygen flow and food sources, which in turn prevents growth of barnacles and other marine life. For more information, visit www. boatbunkers.com, call 800-576-2511 or +1-239-541-5356 or e-mail sales@ boatbunkers.com.
EOS lands UK prize
The Minister of State for International Trade and Investment, Digby, Lord Jones of Birmingham (former chief of the CBI) awarded Eos Risk Management, the international security risk management practice, the prestigious UKTI Small Exporter of the Year Award at the annual UKTI Trade
Awards Ceremony held at Millennium Point in Birmingham. In a speech to UK industry, Lord Jones stated how proud he and the government were to have flourishing ambassadors for trade, such as Eos Risk Management, pushing out British Standards and expertise into overseas markets. As a provider of security services to the marine industries, Eos was nominated for the awards due to its recent security projects. Of note, these included the reduction in frequency and severity of security incidents on a major cruise line through the introduction of trained and vetted hotel security personnel. This was complemented by its range of innovative training programs covering areas such as crime scene and forensic evidence preservation, ship security officer certificate, and conflict resolution. The company is also engaged in non-lethal technology programs and high-threat-level transit security via the provision of onboard security officers and equipment. For more information, visit www. eosrisk.com.
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Warning: Content on weblogs could well be contaminated By Lisa Greenberg Falconi
brand. Something similar happened with me, except the information was If there is one right treasured above off. all others in a democratic society, it is There was serious misinformation freedom of speech. The ability to speak in this particular blog, the same blog one’s mind, to challenge or criticize that was found by a captain who at the policies of the government without one point had assured me he’d use my fear of recrimination by the state is the company when the time came, but was essential distinction between life in a turned off after having found a negative free country and in a dictatorship. It commentary in a weblog. has been described as “the matrix . . . Weblogs are the mavericks of the indispensable condition of nearly the online world. They are in the every other freedom.” This permission unique position of riding just outside to speak freely has been epitomized mainstream media, yet have the during this new age of Web logging. ability to broadcast information and For the sake of those reading this commentaries throughout the world that are perhaps a little less Web within seconds. savvy, I went to look up “weblog” The first point listed in the Society in the Urban Dictionary under the of Professional Journalists’ Code of assumption that it was contemporary Ethics is that a journalist should seek jargon that wouldn’t possibly be listed truth and report it. “Journalists should in a mainstream dictionary. Boy, was I be honest, fair and courageous in wrong. gathering, reporting and interpreting Much to my amazement, our old information. They should test the favorite Encyclopedia Britannica had accuracy of information from all it listed as well. That book defines it as sources and exercise care to avoid “an online journal where an individual, inadvertent error. Deliberate distortion group or corporation presents a is never permissible.” record of activities, thoughts or Weblogs, on the other hand, have beliefs. Some blogs no such code. operate mainly They are written Weblogs are ... in as news filters, mostly by the unique position collecting various nonprofessionals online sources and are mostly of riding just outside and adding short uncensored and mainstream media, comments and uncontrolled. yet have the ability to Internet links. Other Many would blogs concentrate consider this broadcast information on presenting a virtue, but and commentaries original material. others, who have throughout the world. In addition, many fallen victim blogs provide a to one person’s forum to allow bad mood or visitors to leave comments…” need to vent, can easily find their very It is that last line that takes me to livelihood at stake. the point of this blog-style entry of my There is no denying that weblogs are own. and will continue to be a great resource Being a small business owner of a to sailors cruising or planning a company that offers various support voyage who need information on good services to yachts, I depend on wordanchorages and good services wherever of-mouth above any other form of they are headed. But sailors beware. advertising out there. My reputation What you read is many times hearsay and that of those who support my and should be considered just that. efforts are my bread and butter. Bloggers should be responsible We all know captains and crew talk with their words and clear with their (a lot), but this new superhighway of statements. If you are speculating, say information has taken the ‘ol “chat at so. Write in good faith; state it as fact the pub” to an entirely new level. This only if you know it is so. And certainly is normally a good thing for someone be willing to publicly correct any like me. What better than to have one misinformation. yachtie addressing hundreds of other If you own a blog and post yachties (all potential clients) about my comments from others, perhaps a services. Free advertising, right? Yes, mediator should be considered and and it’s great. But, as I recently found perhaps contact information for he/she out, it can easily take that bread and that is being commented about should butter (and jam) right off your table. be provided. If you have ever been shopping online and read the reviews on the item Lisa Greenberg Falconi is the owner of in question, you’ll generally find that Pacific Bound Yachts, a ships agent for even after reading eight good reviews, yachts heading to the Pacific Ocean. once you run into one that says the Contact her at lisa@pacificboundyachts. item is lousy, you move on to the next com.
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June 2008
WRITE TO BE HEARD
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Recalling a megayacht transport trauma Those of us who have been around (at least in years) all have an “I used to have to walk to school uphill both ways barefoot in the snow” story. But your feature on the new Dockwise ship [“Transporting a yacht in style,” page B1, May 2008] brought back memories of my first trip on Dockwise from Vancouver to Ft Lauderdale about eight years ago. The ship was actually on its way to Holland to be fit for yacht transport, so it wasn’t yet equipped for that sort of thing. I was one of two riders on the ship. I had a newly built boat that we hadn’t been able to test the air conditioning on because the water in May in Canada is too cold to test it effectively. After we got South of San Diego and the water warmed up, we discovered that the air conditioning water flow wouldn’t work effectively. It was 104 degrees offshore in Cental America and I was in the salon with all of the doors open trying to survive. After then sleeping in the Hospital Room of the ship for several days, the Captain finally instructed his engineers to “make my air conditioning work,” which they did with the help of a fire pump to actually feed me the necessary water flow. Remember, they were not equipped to feed the water yet. Of course, those experiences make us better people, crew, etc. And in the end it was a great experience. We had no TV, no lounge, obviously no pool, nothing. It was like camping for 17 days. But it’s nice to see how things can change so much for the better. Capt. Brad Tate Project Manager Pier 17 Marina
Antigua can’t touch St. Maarten charter shows In regard to your article “MYBA show dates (Dec. 6-9) collide with Antigua’s (Dec. 4-9),” page A4, May 2008], let us be realistic. Antigua lacks the infrastructure to continue to host a world class charter show, the road from the airport to the show site is poor at best, and accommodation in English Harbor limited. Other than a good place for the crew to have a piss up, there are few reasons to be in Antigua in the first place. St. Maarten on the other hand, has an abundance of hotels all within minutes of the show site, most megayachts make St Maarten their home during the Winter and support services are right there. As a former yacht manager, I have first-hand experience trying to get materials from the U.S. to Antigua. I was once told order twice what you think you will need, as only half will make it through the gauntlet of customs officers, brokers and other “officials.” Peter J. Ho Ex-manager of M/Y Te Manu and Christianne B.
Web resource for TWIC information
I found the article “U.S. Coast Guard affirms that U.S. mariners need TWIC” useful [page A10, April 2008]. I have compiled a small Web page that helps sort out all the information about the Production Manager Patty Weinert, patty@the-triton.com Advertising Sales Peg Soffen, peg@the-triton.com
Publisher David Reed, david@the-triton.com Editor Lucy Chabot Reed, lucy@the-triton.com Business Manager/Sales Peg Soffen, peg@the-triton.com
Graphic Designer Christine Abbott, sales@the-triton.com Abbott Designs Contributing Editor Lawrence Hollyfield
TWIC and licensed mariners, and I cite the specific CFRs applicable. I have essentially reached the same conclusion that your article has. Perhaps your readers will find my Web page useful: www.5goulds.com/twicilious.html Capt. Douglas Gould Surveyor Associate, SAMS
Two birds, one stone
In regard to your article about entering St Maarten [“S. Africans need agent letter to enter SXM without visa,” page A25, February 2008] and visa requirements for non North American or EC citizens, I suggest the following: If one is going to a Netherlands consulate anyway to ask for a visa for the Netherlands Antilles, also ask for a visa for Aruba. While Aruba is also part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands it has it’s own visa requirements and will not accept the Netherlands Antilles visa. We have run into this problem a few times with yachts that had South American and South African crew. I understood that one yacht had flown their crew to the U.S. embassy twice: Once for the visa for St Maarten and once for the visa for Aruba. The agent’s letter accepted by the authorities in St Maarten will not work in Aruba. See: http://brochures.aruba.com/entryreq/ Managing Editor Kelly Cramer Contributors Carol M. Bareuther, Ian Biles, Mark A. Cline, Mark Darley, Jake DesVergers, John Freeman, Bruce Galbraith, Jack Horkheimer, Cleveland Jennings, Chef Mary Beth Lawton Johnson, Capt. Craig Jones, Alene Keenan,Randy O’Neill, Steve Pica, Capt. Mike Price, Rossmare Intl., James Schot, Capt. Tom Serio, Capt. Mike Stafford, Vicki Stafford
2007entryrequirements.pdf Sander Vellinga East Wind Marine Services Renaissance Marina Aruba
‘Wonderful’ article, well-read paper
A quick thank you for the wonderful article you wrote about my son Steven and I [Latitude Adjustment column, page A3, May 2008]. Not only did I get well wishes from friends and colleagues, but I got solicited by numerous vendors, which goes to show you the Triton is indeed read by the boating community. Capt. Bryan Pridgeon M/Y Triumphant Lady
Networking fun continues
Last night’s networking event was the first I have been able to attend and it was super. There was a great cross-section of people. I am a very satisfied V-Kool customer so it was good to see Joe and Hillary showing products. I look forward to the next event. Oh yeah, we’re hosting it at the dive shop. See you there! Capt. Len Beck M/Y Battered Bull Editor’s Note: Capt. Len and Chrissy Beck are hosting our June networking event at Lauderdale Diver on 17th Street. For more details, see page C3. Vol. 5, No. 3.
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Fun or frightening Field engineering can be an invigorating challenge or a nervewracking drama; it all depends on where you are when the need arises.
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Click quick Find out what it is like to shoot photos on assignment.
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Sun and fun The summer solstice, June 20, is a chance to admire nature.
Section B
Category is: Cays & Islas
Superyacht Association
Captains Sherry Burger, left, and Lee Rosbach, check in with their smiles and their Tritons. Find out exactly where they were spotted.
On June 23 at the Newport Shipyard, the U.S. Superyacht Association is holding a captains briefing/ reception on the Northeast.
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June 2008
Organotin ban in hull paint begins Sept. 17
Exotic to odd to commonplace, the Amazon has it all. From left: the capybara (the world’s largest rodent); PHOTOS/CAPT. MIKE PRICE livestock in the water; boys with a horse.
Amazon trip a dream come true Wait of nearly two decades ends aboard the M/Y Patience. By Capt. Mike Price I have wanted to go to the Amazon since I was 7 years old. After 17 years yachting around the world and no opportunity to get there, I had all but given up on going. So when the call came from my good friend, Capt. David Gunn, that he needed extra delivery crew to go up the Amazon, I almost could not contain my excitement. Now, I just had to convince my new boss and my wife, who would be left at home with two kids under 3, that I needed to go. Fortunately, they both signed off on the trip. Soon, I was on a flight to Trinidad with Gunn’s second recruit, Matt Jewell. Once there, we took a taxi to Crews Inn Hotel and Yachting Center
Capt. Mike Price saw 800 miles of the South American river. where we waited for the 83-foot M/Y Patience to arrive from St. Lucia. On March 23, we cleaned the boat and provisioned while waiting for fuel the next day. From then on, I kept a
diary of the trip.
March 24
We moved across the channel to the
See AMAZON, page B16
An international convention banning the use of harmful organotin in anti-fouling paints used on the hulls of ships and yachts will enter into force on Sept. 17. Organotin compounds are those based on tin with hydrocarbon substituents. The International Rules of the Road Convention on the Control Jake DesVergers of Harmful Anti-Fouling Systems on Ships (AFS Convention) was adopted on Oct. 5, 2001 by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) as well as the United Nations’ specialized agency with responsibility for safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine pollution by ships. Under the terms of the Convention, it enters into force 12 months after 25 states representing 25 percent of the world’s merchant shipping tonnage have ratified it. With the ratification by the Republic of Panama in September, the AFS Convention was ratified by 25 states, with a combined 38.11 percent of the world’s merchant shipping tonnage. When the Convention is in force, ships and yachts will no longer be permitted to apply or re-apply organotin compounds, which act as biocides in their anti-fouling systems. Yachts either shall not bear such compounds on their hulls or external parts or surface or, for yachts already
See RULES, page B4
B June 2008
IN THE YARD: Winging It
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Field engineering: fancy way to say ‘winging a repair’ By Cleve Jennings Field engineering can be fun. However, the fun factor will probably depend on just where you are when you encounter a problem with your vessel that needs immediate attention. Let’s define field engineering first. Usually, it’s a contradiction between what should be done to arrive at the matter of correctness and what must be done at the time to resolve the moment’s necessity. An imperfect yet coherent synthesis, if you will. And now: Just where are you? If, for example, you’re sailing at 42 degrees south, 20 degrees west, near the Tristan da Cunha Group in the deep South Atlantic where it’s cold and the sea and wind conditions are dangerously roiling (out where mom can’t come and get you) you may rue the day. If, on the other hand, you are anchored off the Musket Cove Yacht Club on Malolo Lailai Island, Fiji (I happen to be a member, No. 4782) the situation will be looking much better.
You could also be in Ft. Lauderdale, or any other modern worldwide location, where there are plenty of shipyards surrounded by a community of international maritime infrastructure waiting to support your vessel’s engineering problem.
Efficiency emphasized
Whether you’re offshore, in an isolated location or in a shipyard, it’s often necessary to execute quickly and as efficiently as possible an improvised fix for a problem. Let’s look at some considerations of an extemporaneously contrived field engineering solution. It’s important to recognize that field engineering – or perhaps jury-rigged solutions appropriate to a purpose – may be expensive partly because of the necessity of rework at a later time. This is especially true when the fix or change fails to meet the requirements of an applicable specification from an equipment or machinery manufacturer or a classification society. This is called off-specification work that will require a future inspection by
a representative from the equipment or machinery manufacturer or ABS, Lloyds, MCA or others who may require the subsequent rework.
The mother of invention
It’s also useful to note that to invent or perform with little or no preparation, with a lack of procedures or protocols, without adequate engineering consultation or drawings, and only the available material on hand, the event becomes excitingly difficult. Some engineers or technical people are particularly skilled at or given to these unrehearsed performances and can adapt very well. They appropriately get paid very well. Others are not suited for these situations. I like the field engineering solution when in the northern Philippines we tore down a street stop sign from a dirt road, cut it to shape, and used it for a winch backing plate. It’s also amazing what duct tape and line can do. Another consideration that is costly is the outside help you may require. Frequently, an emergency rate will apply; a rate that is established to meet an immediate and pressing need without regard to normal day-to-day rate factors. In other words, reach for your wallet. These quick emergency room fixes may cost a bundle and often require a substantial up-front deposit. These do-it-at-any-cost decisions are made all the time in our industry.
Communicate your needs
When you’re offshore or isolated, it’s critical to communicate immediately with someone in the modern world who can take responsibility for supply chain and logistical management of the materials and technical help you may need. This person will act on your
behalf and initiate the sequence of activities and follow-up necessary to assist you. Ideally this person will be a former project manager familiar with the vessel or perhaps someone from the vessel’s last shipyard. If it’s a new vessel the shipyard that built it should take on the responsibility to assist you. In the case of the offshore fix, there likely won’t be any immediate cost because no outside help can get to you; in the Malolo Lailai situation, travel of technicians, shipping of materials, and communication will exacerbate the cost; in Ft. Lauderdale, jumping through hoops to meet artificial deadlines will be costly. And it’s costly when you must jump through hoops in Ft. Lauderdale and have outside help travel to Malolo Lailai to accomplish the fix. Artificial deadlines are the worst when you’ve got a problem and you’re near a perfectly good shipyard. The owner’s daughter has a wedding date; a charter has been scheduled and paid for; a must-meet deadline for sailing to the Mediterranean looms; a capricious decision. They all may force you to field engineer today and rework tomorrow. So when everyone is gathered around the problem and having a toolbox meeting to discuss just what to do and how to do it, please think about options. Also, think about the end user’s or owner’s wallet. Cleve Jennings, a former captain, has 30 years experience in the marine industry. He has held senior management positions in shipyards, with the Whitbread Round the World Race, and in banking. He has worked as a project manager on new builds and repair/ refits. Comments on this column are welcome at editorial@the-triton.com.
B June 2008 FROM THE FRONT: Rules of the Road
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New paint rules apply depending on flag on board or at port RULES, from page B1 carrying such compounds on their hulls, a coating that forms a barrier to such compounds will have to be applied to prevent them escaping from the underlying non-compliant antifouling systems. The Convention also establishes a mechanism to evaluate and assess other anti-fouling systems and prevent the potential future use of other harmful substances in these systems. Anti-fouling paints are used to coat the bottoms of yachts to prevent sea life such as algae and mollusks from
One of the most popular anti-fouling paints, developed in the 1960s, contained the organotin compound tributylin, which was proven to cause deformations in oysters and sex changes in whelks. attaching themselves to the hull, which would slow the yacht and increase fuel consumption. The AFS Convention defines antifouling systems as “a coating, paint, surface treatment, surface, or device that is used on a ship to control or prevent attachment of unwanted
organisms.” In the early days of sailing ships, lime and later arsenic were used to coat ships’ hulls. More recently, the modern chemicals industry developed effective anti-fouling paints using metallic compounds. These compounds slowly “leach” into the sea water, killing
barnacles and other marine life that have attached to the ship. One of the most popular antifouling paints, developed in the 1960s, contained the organotin compound tributylin (TBT), which was proven to cause deformations in oysters and sex changes in whelks. Unknown to the industry when initially introduced, long-term studies since then have shown that these compounds persisted in the water, killing sea life, harming the environment and possibly entering the food chain. Today, there are a variety of effective anti-fouling systems available that do not contain TBT, such as organotinfree anti-fouling paints and biocidefree, non-stick coatings that have an extremely slippery surface. They prevent fouling from occurring and make it easier to clean when it does. The Convention will apply to all yachts flying the flag of a party to the Convention, as well as yachts not entitled to fly their flag but that operate under their authority and to all yachts that enter a port, shipyard or offshore terminal of a party. In other words, either your flag of registry will require compliance, or the port where the yacht calls will require compliance by the September deadline. For private and commercial yachts of 400 gross tons and above, an initial survey must be conducted by the flag administration for issuance of the International Anti-Fouling Systems Certificate (IAFSC). Any future changes or replacements after the initial survey must be endorsed by the flag administration on the IAFSC. For private and commercial yachts more than 24 meters in length but less than 400 gross tons, owners have the option of obtaining an IAFSC or self-declaring the type of antifouling system used on the hull. This declaration must be supported by specific documentation issued by the paint contractor. In addition, the declaration shall be drawn up in the form corresponding to the model given in Appendix 2 of the AFS Convention. Remember, the deadline for compliance with this international regulation is only three months away. Capt. Jake DesVergers is chief surveyor for International Yacht Bureau, an organization that provides inspection services to Marshall Islands-registered private yachts of any size and commercial yachts up to 500 gross tons. A deck officer graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, he previously sailed as master on merchant ships, acted as designated person ashore for a shipping company, and served as regional manager for an international classification society. Comments on this story are welcome at 954-596-2728 or www.yachtbureau.org.
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TECHNOLOGY BRIEFS
On Call International to be Fraser’s emergency call center Fraser Yachts and On Call International have partnered and the medical and travel assistance company will serve as the emergency call center for Fraser Yachts and all of the yachts under the company’s management. Doctors and medical personnel are available all day, every day, according to On Call. They can give captains and crew immediate medical advice and the company will supply all the managed yachts with medical kits. Also, the company will manage evacuations and coordinate any needed land-based medical care of guests and crew. “We are proud to provide such vital services to a leading management company like Fraser Yachts, known for its high level of client service,” said Michael Kelly, president at On Call. “As a provider for several maritime clients, including most of the major cruise lines, we share Fraser Yachts’ standard of customer care, and look forward to applying our best practices for its discriminating clients.” On Call is based in New Hampshire and has been in business since 1997. Fraser Yachts is based in Ft. Lauderdale.
New antifouling paint available
Pettit Marine Paint has released its new antifouling paint, Vivid Free, in 24 colors. The paint, which was approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, uses the newest biocide technology. Vivid Free protects against slime, algae, barnacles and other marine fouling without using copper or
See TECH BRIEFS, page B6
June 2008
B
Today’s fuel prices
One year ago
Prices for low-sulfur gasoil expressed in US$ per cubic meter (1,000 liters) as of May 15.
Prices for low-sulfur gasoil expressed in US$ per cubic meter (1,000 liters) as of May 15, 2007
Region Duty-free*/duty paid U.S. East Coast Ft. Lauderdale 1,047/1,115 Savannah, Ga. 1,066/NA Newport, R.I. 1,125/NA Caribbean St. Thomas, USVI 1,156/NA St. Maarten 1,112/NA Antigua 1,069/NA North Atlantic Bermuda (Ireland Island) 1,191/NA Cape Verde 1,038/NA Azores 991/NA Canary Islands 1,066/1,215 Mediterranean Gibraltar 1,094/NA Barcelona, Spain 1,043/1,880 Palma de Mallorca, Spain NA/1,872 Antibes, France 1,141/2,187 San Remo, Italy 1,237/2,313 Naples, Italy 1,205/2,203 Venice, Italy 1,231/2,122 Corfu, Greece 1,155/2,002 Piraeus, Greece 1,139/1,987 Istanbul, Turkey 1,120/NA Malta 1,078/1,272 Bizerte, Tunisia 1,065/NA Tunis, Tunisia 1,065/NA Oceania Auckland, New Zealand 1,103/NA Sydney, Australia 1,120/NA Fiji 1,247/NA
Region Duty-free*/duty paid U.S. East Coast Ft. Lauderdale 594/635 Savannah, Ga. 543/NA Newport, R.I. 580/NA Caribbean St. Thomas, USVI 718/NA St. Maarten 675/NA Antigua 685/NA North Atlantic Bermuda (St. George’s) 833/NA Cape Verde 567/NA Azores 584/NA Canary Islands 612/730 Mediterranean Gibraltar 580/NA Barcelona, Spain 617/1,294 Palma de Mallorca, Spain NA/1,305 Antibes, France 641/1,432 San Remo, Italy 742/1,573 Naples, Italy 686/1,608 Venice, Italy 697/1,595 Corfu, Greece 817/1,351 Piraeus, Greece 735/1,220 Istanbul, Turkey 607/NA Malta 565/NA Bizerte, Tunisia 570/NA Tunis, Tunisia 565/NA Oceania Auckland, New Zealand 625/NA Sydney, Australia 635/NA Fiji 648/NA
*When available according to customs.
*When available according to customs.
B June 2008
TECHNOLOGY BRIEFS
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Mack Boring doubles size of New Jersey diesel training division TECH BRIEFS, from page B5 TBT, the company said. It is safe for aluminum, fiberglass, wood and steel hulls, outdrives and outboard motors in fresh, salt and brackish water. The paint retails for $199 a gallon and is available at retailers nationally. For more information, click on www. pettitpaint.com.
Mack Boring & Parts Co. expands
Mack Boring & Parts Co. has doubled its New Jersey diesel training services division.
The company added 1,400 square feet to the existing 1,300 square-foot classroom and workshop. Mack Boring also has locations in North Carolina, Illinois and Massachusetts and has a total now of 6,000 square feet dedicated to training facilities. “We have 55 Yanmar engines for hands-on education,” said Larry Berlin, training services director. “We’ll soon introduce industrial and marine dealer training for Mitsubishi and Isuzu engines.” Kurt Haseloff, a master technician, recently joined Berlin as a trainer.
Since 1969, Mack Boring has trained 20,000 owners, mechanics, OEMs and military personnel. The company offers a one-day, basic seminar that covers engine components and operations, common problems and winterizing. A two-day class offers instruction on basic service and emergency repairs. For more information, click on www. mackboring.com.
New T-Top cover available
Taylor Made Products is now offering a new T-Top boat cover. The New York-based company has
eight sizes available for the cover, which can fit on boats from 17 feet to 25 feet in length and a maximum beam width of 102 inches. “The uniquely designed cover is divided into two sections fitting the bow and stern,” said Dave Karpinski, vice president of marketing, Taylor Made Products. “This feature facilitates simple installation by a single person from inside of the boat.” The center portion of the cover that slips over the console and under the T-top includes two adjustable straps which lift and secure the two halves over the console body and under the T-top. A wider base and a narrower top allow the tube to fit better while a quick-release buckle on both sides of the cover mean one person could work with it. For more information, click on www. taylormadeproducts.com.
Scandvik: new battery monitor
Scandvik Marine has designed a new battery monitor to work with what the company calls increasingly complex onboard electrical systems. The Florida-based company designed the monitor, dubbed the Vision 4 Battery Monitor, to support the newest navigational, weather, communication and entertainment systems. It has a digital filter to block out false readings that can be caused by engine startup, fuse faults, unballasting and other anomalies. It can show voltage and charge status on up to four battery banks and retains configuration data even if power is lost or interrupted. For more information, click on www. scandvik.com.
Keep track of the tender
Florida-based Paradox Marine has unleashed a wireless leash for megayacht tenders that can send signals up to 400 feet. The Nav-Tracker 2.0 TenderTAG, which is an enhanced model of its NavTracker 2.0 wireless boat location and GPS tracking system, will activate an alarm whenever a tender breaks away – whether a line breaks, it is stolen or it sinks. It works like this: a transmitter is mounted onto a tender, creating a wireless “leash,” while a receiver is mounted onto the megayacht. The system also comes with switches that allow a captain to remotely disable the tender’s engine or its navigation lights. The system can also send status updates via email or text messages every 15 minutes. For more information, click on www. paradoxmarine.com.
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Suppliers to visit shows in ’63 Trumpy A group of marine suppliers will be showcasing their products aboard a classic Trumpy yacht at boat shows along the U.S. East Coast. The 1969 63-foot M/Y Showtime has been undergoing a refit at J&J Marine in Somerset, Mass. Workers there will build and install a new pilothouse, galley and three Techma heads. At the same time, L&L Electronics will be upgrading navigation systems. Marine suppliers Raymarine, Interlux, Awlgrip, Imtra, Ronstan and Edson, as well as Yacht Record, are sponsoring the project. Showtime was launched as and after a re-launch June 20, the yacht will go to its first show at the American Superyacht Forum in Newport, R.I. on June 23. Next year, the yacht will be open to the public for tours at eight boat shows, starting with the Woodenboat Show in Mystic, Conn. “Showtime will showcase the finest in marine design, craftsmanship and product development,” said marine marketing consultant Jock West, organizer of the promotional tour. “The yacht will feature a wide range of products that can be used on all sizes and types of boats, power and sail.” For more information about Showtime, visit www.showtimeyacht. com or call Jock West, 1+401.640.3416.
International Yacht Collection
International Yacht Collection has announced the sale of three yachts, and several new listings with its charter division. Recent sales: Bob McKeage’s central listing, the 1989 162-foot M/Y Braveheart Swedeship, has sold. Kevin Bonnie recently sold a new 184-foot Perini Navi yacht to be named S/Y Cadre Noir. Kevin Bonnie also recently sold a new 164-foot motoryacht to be built by Trinity. The project name for the tri-
See BOATS, page B11
BOATS / BROKERS
June 2008
B
B June 2008
PHOTOGRAPHY: Photo Exposé
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An insider’s look at shooting photographs on assignment Welcome aboard photo enthusiasts. enough, depending how I shot (Raw, Since last month, I am sure you have Tiff or jpg). It certainly would not be all seen the pictures of the April 16 big enough if I hadn’t cleared it of old birthday party hosted by The Triton. photos. It’s like washing the blackboard What can we before writing on it again. say… every Triton So, I headed out for the job prepared. party is a hit. I’m At the time, I was thinking about sure all of you who digital file format. I have the ability attended enjoyed to shoot in the robust and large Raw it as much as I format (some of you may have a enjoyed taking large Tiff format available) or the less photographs of all versatile, compressed and therefore of you – 250, total. smaller JPG format. Of course space All of you have the JPG format on Photo Exposé in the newspaper your cameras. Shooting Raw would be James Schot is limited and the overkill and it would take much more editors made their selections, changed time for me to process. JPG photos the photos to black and white and shoot smaller so more can be taken on cropped them to fit their pages. Part of my memory card. But when shooting my job, or you can say my challenge, is in this smaller format, I can’t afford to to provide them with nearly all properly be sloppy because smaller means there exposed, attractive and usable images. isn’t much room to correct them. I aim for and (knock on wood) always Using a flash or flash fill will help seem to achieve more than a 95 percent in this regard. First, let me explain the rate of return. You never completely difference between flash and flash fill. know which pictures will be deemed I use the flash when there is little to no most important by the people you work ambient light and not using it would for, or even by your result in not family and friends. getting a picture. I I think following my So I thought I use flash fill when would write this there is enough thought processes and month about what preparations for this job ambient light it’s like to work on to get an overall will provide you some assignment, in this usable photo, applicable guidance and but it would be a case for The Triton. Not everything better shot with a tips. will apply to your little fill in light. photography, Here is the because for most of you taking pictures best example I can give: You are taking is for fun and memories. Nevertheless, a photograph of your sweetheart at I know you want your picture-taking noon; it’s the only time you have in this to be successful and I think following location and the sun is directly above. my thought processes and preparations You take the shot without flash fill and for this job will provide you some you see that most of your sweetheart’s applicable guidance and tips. face looks fine, except for the eyes All photography, especially if it is which look like raccoon eyes and unplanned, begins with preparations. have no definition. With flash fill you If your batteries are nearly discharged, eliminate this problem. you will not be taking many shots. For Let me get back to the party this job, I knew I would be dependent assignment. The first thing I like to do, on flash fill, so I made sure I had especially because parties often begin charged batteries and had back-up with some ambient light before the power supplies on hand. nighttime light falls, is take overview These Triton parties are always shots. packed with happy sailors and I always In film, this is called establishing know I’ll often be snapping in close shots and it lets the viewer know proximity to wild party-goers, so, if where you are and where the event is there are lens options I’m thinking taking place – in this case, we were at from normal (50mm) to wide angle the Briny along the New River in Ft. (28mm) equivalents for a 35mm Lauderdale. format. Next month, I will return to Shooting wide-angle, as I have talked Lightroom, the topic I was discussing about before, is good because it is more last month. For now I’ll ask permission forgiving and has a much greater depth to come ashore. of field. Wide-angle also offers a lower aperture for better use in low light James Schot has been a professional conditions. photographer for 27 years and owns One last thought on preparing for Schot Designer Photography. Feel free this job: I knew many shots would be to contact him at james@bestschot.com taken. I have a two gigabyte memory with photographic questions or queries card that may or may not be big for future columns.
The Triton
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Fraser Yachts: Ardis II sold BOATS, from page B7 deck aluminum yacht is Hull T056. New charter listings: The 150-foot 2007 M/Y Hokulani Palmer Johnson available in the western Med. The yacht is available for 175,000 euros a week for the summer and 160,000 euros during the winter. The 1995 130-foot M/Y Charisma Hatteras, which was refit last year, is available in the Bahamas for the summer and the Caribbean for the winter. Summer rates are $88,000 a week and winter rates are $92,000. The 1997 142-foot M/Y Pure Bliss Palmer Johnson is available in the Med for the summer and the Caribbean in the winter. Summer rates are $165,000 a week and winter rates are $140,000.
Fraser Yachts
Fraser Yachts has announced the sale of one yacht, and several new listings with its brokerage and charter divisions. Sales: The 2006 94-foot M/Y Ardis II De Cesari has sold. Alex Mazzoni in Milano was the central agent. New listings for sale: The 221-foot M/Y Stephan Jantzen is a custom built Icebreaker Expedition. Jose Arana Jr. in Ft. Lauderdale is the central agent and the asking price is $3.5 million. The 108-foot 2007 M/Y Fansea Cyrus is listed at 6.9 million euros. Jan Jaap Minnema in Monaco is the central agent. The 102-foot 2007 M/Y Santa Catalina Astondoa is listed at 7.9 million euros. John Solomon in Monaco is the central agent. The 101-foot 2002 M/Y Ladies First Ferretti is listed at 4.75 million euros. Jan Jaap Minnema in Monaco is the central agent. The 98-foot M/Y Obrigado MCP Yachts is listed at 4.3 million euros. Rob Newton in Ft. Lauderdale is the central agent. The 84-foot 1998 M/Y Calypso is listed at 1.95 million euros. John L. Solomon in Monaco is the central agent. The 84-foot M/Y Endeavour II Viking is listed at $3.4 million. Sean Doyle in Ft. Lauderdale is the central agent. The 80-foot M/Y Scrooge Mangusta is listed at $2.2 million. Jose Arana Jr. in Ft. Lauderdale is the central agent. The 78-foot S/Y Indio Wally Yachts is listed at 4.2 million euros. Luca Sbisa in Milan is the central agent. The 75-foot 1958 M/Y Sealord De Vries Lentsch, which was refit in 2006, is listed at 1.3 million euros. Jan Jaap Minnema in Monaco is the central
See BOATS, page B14
BOATS / BROKERS
June 2008
B11
B12 June 2008
IN THE STARS
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When June 20 arrives, bask in summer solstice By Jack Horkheimer
Sunrise is typically a time of peace. COPYRIGHT JOE STONE; IMAGE FROM BIGSTOCKPHOTO.COM
ancient ancestors can observe if you take the time. Greetings, greetings fellow star So the last two weeks of June, gazers. Friday, June 20 officially why not celebrate summer the really marks the first day of summer for the old fashioned, astronomical way by northern hemisphere and is called the watching the sunrise and sunset at its summer solstice. northernmost points for the year? But just what is the summer solstice On the weekend of the summer anyway? Well, to explain we’re going to solstice, watch the sunrise. Many of have to go back in time a bit to the first you may have seen thousands of them. day of spring, which is called the vernal But believe it or not, although you equinox (vernal meaning green and may have seen thousands of sunrises, equinox meaning equal night, which very few people have ever taken the means simply that on the equinox, the time to completely experience what’s hours of daylight are equal to the hours happening all around them as the of night). sun rises because sunrise involves a Now on that day, the sun rises complex series of steps as night slowly exactly due east and sets exactly due turns into dawn and finally, into day. west. And on each successive day it Simply get up 15 minutes before will rise and set just a little bit farther twilight begins, while it is still dark to the north until the summer solstice, outside. It doesn’t matter if you live in the first day of summer, when the sun the heart of a city or out in the country reaches its northernmost point along because it’s not the sun itself you’re the horizon and actually seems to going to observe, but the effects of stand still and rise and set almost in sunrise on everything around you as the same place for a few days. your part of the world slowly turns In fact, the word solstice means from night into day. “sun stands still,” which is exactly what It is better to be outside, but if you appears to be happening. cannot, just sit by an open window. And as everyone knows, the first day Now, for the rules which are absolutely of summer is also essential: no radio, the longest day of no television, no the year, with the doing your normal Watch the delicate most daylight and wake up routine. interplay of light, color the least night. All distractions and shadow. Listen and So that’s what the must be you will hear the sounds eliminated. Simply summer solstice is all about. But there sit quietly inside of our world. is more than one or outside and solstice. After the when you see the summer solstice, the sun will appear to sky slowly start to brighten look, listen reverse its direction and will rise and and feel what happens all around you set just a little bit farther south on each because a sunrise is more than visual. successive day. And each successive Watch the delicate interplay of light, day, the time of daylight will grow just color and shadow. Listen and you will a little bit shorter until the autumnal hear the sounds of our world and its equinox – the first day of autumn creatures waking up. You’ll feel the when the sun will once again rise due wind change, the temperature change east and set due west and the hours and much, much more. of daylight will again be equal to the Keep track of all the subtle hours of night. changes you notice and record your After which the Sun will continue its observations on paper or into a voice journey southward rising and setting recorder. Then read or listen to your a little bit farther south each day and observations a few days later. daylight will continue to get shorter Believe me, if you’ve never done this and nighttime longer until the first day before you’ll be absolutely amazed at of winter. On the winter solstice, the what a star rise over a small planet sun will reach its farthest point south can do for you. Of course remember to and will once again appear to stand still never look directly at the Sun at any and rise and set at the same place for a time, only observe its effects. Keep few days. And the northern hemisphere looking up. will experience the shortest day of the year meaning the day of least sunlight Jack Horkheimer is executive director of and most night. Then the sun will the Miami Museum of Science. This is appear to retrace its steps and rise and the script for his weekly television show set just a little bit farther north on the co-produced by the museum and WPBT horizon each successive day until once Channel 2 in Miami. It is seen on public again we’ll be back where we started television stations around the world. on the vernal equinox, completing a For more information about stars, visit yearly cycle which you yourself like our www.jackstargazer.com.
B14 June 2008
BOATS / BROKERS
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Northrop sells Hathor, its central listing BOAT BRIEFS, from page B11 agent. The 75-foot M/Y Fredrikstad Smedvik Mek is listed at $2.5 million. Jeff Partin in Ft. Lauderdale is the central agent. The 74-foot 1989 S/Y Le Cochon Noir V CNB, which was refit in 2002, is listed at 800,000 euros. David Legrand in Monaco is the central agent. The 66-foot M/Y Rivaldi Sunseeker is listed at $2 million. Jose Arana Jr. in Ft. Lauderdale is the central agent. New charter listings: The 165-foot M/Y Mystique Oceanfast is available for the summer in New England for $140,000 a week. The 150-foot M/Y Magic Trinity is available for the summer in New England for $145,000 a week.
Northrop and Johnson
Northrop and Johnson has announced the sale of one yacht, and several new listings with its brokerage division. Recent sale: Gregg Child’s central listing, the 46foot M/Y Hathor Wilbur/Newman, has sold. New sales listings: The 2005 72-foot M/Y Exile Nordhavn, has been listed with Michael Nethersole. The 1976 105-foot M/Y AB-7 Poole Chaffee has been listed with Kevin Merrigan.
The Sacks Group
The Sacks Group has announced several new listings with its brokerage and charter divisions. New central listings: The 1998 84-foot M/Y Lady Di Monte Fino, which was refit last year, is listed for $2.7 million. Bruce Schattenburg in Ft. Lauderdale is the central agent. The 2004 80-foot M/Y Jody Lee Lazzara is listed at $3.65 million. Bruce Schattenburg in Ft. Lauderdale is the central agent. The 1992 76-foot S/Y Cap II CNB is for sale. Ann E. McHorney St. Maarten and Bruce Schattenburg in Ft. Lauderdale are the co-central agents. New charter listings: Refit in 2006, the 130-foot 1986 M/Y Golden Rule Feadship has rejoined the group’s charter division. The yacht is available for the summer season in New England and for the winter season in the Bahamas. Rates are $75,000 a week. The 2004 106-foot M/Y Bella Contessa Lazzara is available in Florida and the Bahamas. Rates are $38,000 a week for up to six guests and $43,000 a week for up to eight guests.
B16 June 2008 CRUISING GROUNDS: The Amazon
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Bartica is an Essequibo River town in Guyana.
The Triton
PHOTO/CAPT. MIKE PRICE
Without channel makers, ‘Cruising Guide’ invaluable AMAZON, from page B1 fuel dock where we met the manager, who couldn’t have been more helpful. He told us that he could have done the provisioning for us, and he drove us to customs and immigration. After more than two hours and 2,190 gallons of fuel, we set off on what can only be described as a washingmachine ride since Patience, a Marlow Explorer, is a wet boat in any sea. Twenty-four hours later, we arrived at the mouth of the Essequibo River in Guyana. I am glad we arrived in daylight because there are no channel markers, the water is very brown and there are a lot of fishing nets marked only by the smallest of sticks sticking out of the water. Thank goodness that the waypoints in Chris Doyle’s “Cruising Guide to Trinidad and Tobago” were right on the money. We hooked up with Kit Nascimento, an agent every yachtsman should speak to when planning a visit to Guyana. He owns Hurakabra River Resort in Bartica, which is on the west bank of the Essequibo River about two hours from Georgetown, the capital city of Guyana. He had told us that fuel was available only in Bartica, 40 miles up the river. There is fuel in Georgetown at the mouth of the Essequibo but he did not recommend stopping there; apparently it is safe as long as you do not stay too long. Nascimento organized a pilot to take us up the river as well as customs and immigration clearance in Bartica instead of Georgetown. We were grateful for cell phones as the pilot had no radio. We pulled alongside an old rusty fishing trawler in Georgetown to pick him up. The pilot turned out to be the manager of
Nascimento’s resort. He was pleasant and has made the Trinidad-to-Guyana run many times. He knew the river and easily guided us the 40 miles to Bartica and pointed out features along the way. The Essequibo has 365 islands, most uninhabited, and ruins from original Dutch settlers. The shore is lush and green and jungle-like. If this was a taste of what we would see, then I am looking forward to it. We pulled up alongside a fuel dock that definitely did not have yachts in mind when it was made. With our fenders working overtime, we were handed a massive nozzle to fill the tanks, one too big to fit in the fill pipe. A Gatorade bottle, duct tape and some blue tape later, we had a perfect fit. I must say I was impressed with Global Yacht Fuel, our fuel agent. The folks there went to great lengths with Nascimento to formulate a method of payment because American Express and MasterCard are not accepted in Guyana. By the time we had finished fueling, we were too late to get back up the river before nightfall, so we moved to anchor off Nascimento’s resort. There is good holding and calm anchorage, but we had to keep in mind the 10-foot tidal range. We went ashore and checked out Nascimento’s resort. It is beautiful here, with the rain forest coming up to the edge of the river with only a few clearings for homes and resorts. I would like to come back some day. After dinner, we addressed the leak in the starboard engine coolant return from the turbo. To maintain warranty, Caterpillar told us that all we could do
See AMAZON, page B17
The Triton
www.the-triton.com CRUISING GROUNDS: The Amazon
June 2008
B17
‘The water was like chocolate milk’ at the river’s mouth AMAZON, from page B16 was apply more Marine Tex and top up the fluids. It was a beautiful night: not too hot or humid, and no mosquitoes. The stars are similar to being far out to sea as there are no lights. The major difference was the sounds – howler monkeys screaming in the bamboo, and bats. We rigged up a fishing rod and were enjoying the night when we realized our line was going the wrong way according to the current. We wound in the line to find we had caught an interesting-looking, noisy and sharp catfish.
March 26
Anchor up at 6:15 a.m. and we cruised back up the Essequibo River through a beautiful morning with no wind. At about 10:30, we dropped off the pilot in Georgetown and headed back out to sea. We expected the equatorial current to be working against us, so we stayed shallow to reduce the amount we had to work against. What we didn’t expect was 4 knots against us in 75 feet of water. This part of the trip would take longer than planned. We did not want to go closer to shore because there are no accurate charts of the area. The water is so brown it’s impossible to get any clue as to the depth. With the slower ground speed, we also worried about running out of fuel. We turned off one engine and cruised along at 8 knots. There was not much to look at during this leg. We saw no marine life and only a few small fishing boats.
March 29
We arrived at the last waypoint at about 9:30 a.m. and made the turn toward the mouth of the Amazon. The water was like chocolate milk. There was a 2-knot current running against us but the wind was behind us, so the temperature reminded us of how close to the equator we were. At 3 p.m., we got our first good view of the jungle. The trees were tall and the jungle dense. There was not nearly as much traffic along the river as I had expected. We saw only a few fishing trawlers and lots of fishing nets; it pays not to cut the corner but to go to the main channel. Once the river flattened out and we realized we had enough fuel, we opened up the throttles and made a dash for Santana, 50 miles upstream from Macapá. The river was still brown and a few floating logs needed to be avoided. Just before sundown, it started to rain – thanks for the free wash down. There was a bit more traffic by Macapá, but still not as much as I expected.
M/Y Patience on the Amazon River, heading to the fuel dock in Santana.
PHOTOS/CAPT. MIKE PRICE
March 30
We woke up to an overcast day but no rain. The temperature was perfect, cooler than Florida with a nice breeze on the river. We waited on customs and immigration to come aboard and clear us in so we could hook up with Miguel Rocha da Silva, the expedition leader, on our itinerary and where we could get fuel. Eventually, eight customs officers arrived on a launch, and the inquisition began. There was much concern that we did not have a rubber stamp. They were polite, but they seemed to like paperwork more than the French. After about three hours of paperwork – all in triplicate – we finished with customs and the agent took our passports away to do immigration. We were allowed to take down our Q flag. We put the tender in the water and went to pick up the gang: the pilot; Mike Basten, the co-coordinator; da Silva; and two guards. I had doubts when I heard we were taking two local guards with machine guns. (I had visions of hobnail boots and accidental discharges.) The guards were dressed casually and were polite and discreet. If I had not helped carry their bags onto the boat, I would have doubted that they had any weapons at all. The gang had provisioned for us while we were clearing customs and I picked up everyone at a beach. It was just like anywhere else in the world. People were having a good time on their day off. They swam and sunned themselves, and many people enjoyed themselves at a restaurant just beyond the beach. The guards did not hesitate to help us load and unload provisions in the tender, and once everyone was on board we weighed anchor and moved about two miles further up river to the fuel dock in the town center. Hundreds of river boats in varying degrees of repair and size were
Healthy livestock stay dry on the banks of the Amazon River between Santarém and Manaus. everywhere. Each boat had a roof – it is not called the rain forest for nothing – no windows but covers and hammocks. Boats are obviously a way of life here and many people live onboard. From what I could see, they all had twostroke, inboard engines so it sounded a bit like a motorcycle convention. But I was impressed by their boat handling skills, even those of young children. Finally, we began fueling. It would take about five hours for 2,000 gallons of biodiesel. The town was colorful and bustling. There were signs of poverty everywhere and we stuck out like a sore thumb. The guards earned their wages to keep people off the yacht. They were quietly forceful, and people respected them. I do not believe anyone meant us harm, but they were curious and wanted to get to the fuel dock. The guard noticed our struggle to find Caterpillar coolant and, after a few phone calls, he announced we’d have it in the morning. While fueling, I saw my first pink dolphins, hanging out at the fuel dock. I
was surprised at how pink they were. After fuelling, we moved off the dock and anchored on the other side of the river. It got hot when the wind died, just before it started to rain.
March 31
We woke up to another pleasantly cool but overcast morning. The guards, who had been up all night, were happy when I made coffee. They had to show their guns last night when a boat came alongside us and would not leave. I’m glad I slept through it. Chatting with da Silva over coffee, he shared some of his amazing life story. The son of a rubber-tapper, he was brought up in the forest and didn’t go to town until he was 7 years old. At that age, he’d never had ice cream and said the frozen treat amazed him. From these humble beginnings, he has achieved a lot. He owns a hotel in Manaus and has led expeditions for famous explorers including JeanMichel Cousteau and Sir Peter Blake.
See AMAZON, page B18
B18 June 2008 CRUISING GROUNDS: The Amazon
www.the-triton.com
The Amazon, just before Menaus.
The Triton
PHOTO/CAPT. MIKE PRICE
Forest was dense and tall all the way to the river bank AMAZON, from page B17 Da Silva has also worked extensively with several crews producing BBC documentaries. He has a non-profit foundation dedicated to restoring the forest and helping the locals. Da Silva is an unassuming, charming and attentive host who did everything in his power to help us and shared his love of the forest. Later in the morning, I went ashore with Capt. Gunn and one of the guards to pick up our coolant and fuel for our tender. There was a much more commercial feel to town today since it was a Monday. Everyone looked busy with work. I took the tender exploring while Gunn and the guard went into town. I passed what looked like a shipyard. Old, dead boats had been picked through and anything salvageable was reused in new boats. It was impressive, especially since it looked like they had only hand tools to work with. By 9:30 a.m., we are off up the river proper. What can I say about this river? A picture speaks a thousand words, but I don’t believe a thousand pictures could do the Amazon justice. The forest seems unending. It is easy to see why some people are not concerned about stripping it; it would be easy to believe that the forest is a limitless resource. The forest came right to river bank and sometimes was very tall. It was always dense, making it difficult to see much wildlife, but I know it’s there. It was here that I saw my first toucan flying upstream. Along the bank, we suddenly came upon a house on stilts where a family has carved out a livelihood from the forest. Because the water level is so high with two months of the rainy season remaining, the locals have been worried. Their livestock spend so much time in the river and are greatly affected by the height of the river. On the river itself, there were isolated patches of weeds and large
logs floating downstream. The logs were big enough to spoil the day of any mariner not paying attention. There were many ships, barges, ferries and little river boats. The general rule is for vessels coming downstream to stay in the middle while upstream vessels stay on the edge. This is to counteract the current, which runs at 6 knots in places. There are some big swirls and eddies that can catch you off guard. We were told that sometimes barges lose control and go tumbling through the water until they can regain control. It got dark before we reached our stopping point and we slowed down. We had an anxious hour avoiding logs until we came to the mouth of a small tributary we could sneak into and drop anchor. We moved the spotlight around, trying to find the right spot to anchor. The light confirmed our suspicions about wildlife; we saw many pairs of reflective eyes. Caymans splashed on the side and da Silva said this was a good spot for anacondas. I decided against a swim. Fishing seemed safe, though so we rigged a couple of hand lines and within a few minutes we caught our first kandaroo. These are the carnivorous catfish that are said to swim upstream if you relieve yourself in the river. We had caught the bigger version and they look like small sharks with lots of small grinding teeth that apparently don’t let go. After about 15 minutes we had caught six of these nasty guys. I wondered why the locals swam in this river and da Silva noted that they got out of the water at dusk. Made sense to me.
April 1
We were up early to be off at sunrise. A quick walk around the boat showed a host of bugs that had been attracted to the lights overnight: big ones, little ones, nasty-looking ones, moths, some I recognized as praying mantises and the biggest mosquito I had ever seen.
See AMAZON, page B19
The Triton
www.the-triton.com CRUISING GROUNDS: The Amazon
Caymans, anacondas lurking, so swimming not a good option AMAZON, from page B18 Jewell got trapped on the aft deck by a bat fluttering between him and the door. Much to our chef ’s dismay, the standoff ended with the bat in the main salon. We got it out with a towel before any damage was done. Later in the morning, we stopped near the edge of the river and two locals jumped into canoes and delivered three bags of cooked, freshwater shrimp and a pot of catfish-head stew. They said that had we given them more warning they would have pulled in their nets and given us all kinds of fish. They didn’t want to be paid and we were told not to give them anything. Just after noon, we arrived in Santarém and tied off. Santarém and Macapá were like chalk and cheese. Santarém was clean and the people polite; they seemed to have a lot of pride in their town. Sadly we bid farewell to our guards. It will surely be more difficult without them. While da Silva and Basten left to organize biodiesel without money, Jewell and I went to explore Santarém and practice our Portuguese. I never once felt uncomfortable, except with my inability to communicate. The town is duty free so anything for sale in China was available here. We all got back to the boat at the same time as a fuel barge to deliver 10,000 liters of biodiesel.
At 4 p.m., a school must have closed because a flood of school children came to check out the yacht. They looked smart in their uniforms and practiced their English directly from their schoolbooks on us. An hour later as people got off work, another wave of onlookers arrived. It was apparent not many luxury yachts make it to this part of the world because by 7 p.m., a camera crew from a Brazilian news station arrived to interview us. By now, I had plucked up the courage to try the catfish stew. You have to break open the skeleton of the catfish, which is a bit of a fiddle, but you are rewarded with a small but sweet piece of meat, which tastes very much like crab. To eat the broth you have to add Farhinha de Mandioca, which is a type of flour made from something that will kill you in 30 seconds in its raw form due to the cyanide content. Mandioca is a Brazilian staple. It was surprisingly good. A black river, Tapajos, joins the Amazon at Santarém. Its color comes from the nutrients the water picks up on its journey downstream but it was not muddy at all. There were white sand beaches on the riverbank, and in places the river is 12 miles wide so you can’t see the other side. This area has
See AMAZON, page B20
Capt. David Gunn with catfish snagged in the Essequibo River. PHOTO/CAPT. MIKE PRICE
June 2008
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B20 June 2008 CRUISING GROUNDS: The Amazon
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Views from Manaus, at one point one of the world’s wealthiest cities. At left, the base of a statue. At right, the Manaus Opera House.
The Triton
PHOTOS/CAPT. MIKE PRICE
Young students reveled in a chance to speak English AMAZON, from page B19
Our eyes strained into the darkness looking for the logs we knew were there.
been nicknamed the Caribbean of the Amazon.
April 3
April 2
We got under way at 6 a.m. today. There was more farming along the river here. The jungle was constantly changing but always the same: different types of vegetation but always lush and green. Just after 2 p.m., we dropped anchor by the home of some people da Silva knows. A young boy of about 10 came charging along the river bank, bareback on a horse, jumped off and dove into the water to join his father. They came up in a motorized dugout, which looked as if it had an adapted weed whacker sticking off the back. We bought some good-looking fish and then got on the dugout for a trip up a small tributary. This place was absolutely fantastic and I could have spent all 10 days in this little stretch of water. Except for the sound of the jungle, there was no noise. I heard cicadas, birds and rustling leaves. It sounded as if we are being attacked because birds cracked nuts and dropped the shells in the water. The trees were tall and joined overhead, housing myriad birds: kingfishers, toucans, woodpeckers, macaws, vultures, eagles, falcons, weaver birds, storks and herons. At one point we saw a palm tree growing out of the middle of an even bigger tree. I saw what looked like a lobster pot in a tree. It turned out to be a wasp nest, and they were everywhere. We saw the figs used to make biodiesel and I couldn’t help trying to imagine how many we had used to bring Patience up the river.
Sloths are every bit as slow as they’re made out to be. On the way out, the locals said they had seen a sloth in a nearby tree. After about 10 minutes, we saw it 20 yards away. We banged on the canoe and clapped our hands to get it to move and at full-speed, we didn’t need high-speed film to capture it. Unfortunately, we only spent about an hour there, but it was one of the best hours of my life. Back at the yacht, we decided to make the most of the remaining daylight and get to an anchorage for the night. We picked a place that was deep but had a rocky bottom.There were no more protected anchorages between here and Manaus. After several attempts, the anchor held and we started our new routine of fishing and bug-watching. After about an hour the GPS alarm went off and we realized the anchor was dragging. And our windlass failed – great timing. We manually lifted the 250 feet of chain and decided to run the river at night since there was only about six hours until dawn. We crept along at slow-speed idle, about 3 knots, in about 40 feet of water an eighth of a mile off the bank.
By 5 a.m. it started to get light so we sped up a little. An hour later, we had full light. A quick inspection revealed no damage, so we went full-speed ahead for Manaus. About 10 miles out, we noticed a distinct change in the water. One side of the river was the same brown we had gotten used to, but the other side was black and clear. The reason for this is that the Rio Negro joins the Amazon in Manaus, but the two rivers do not mix for about 10 miles. Manaus is a much bigger city than Santarém. There are even a few highrises and floating fuel barges that take something other than Visa. This was the end of the trip for me because the owner was coming in that evening and we had to get the boat cleaned, fueled and beautified. I did notice while we were fueling that there were some large boating facilities here. It seemed that this is where the ferries and a few private boats are made, repaired and stored. After a hectic afternoon we had the boat ready. Jewell and I got into the taxi that dropped off the owners and went to da Silva’s hotel for a much-needed sleep. The hotel was a beautiful laidback place with a forest theme in the middle of bustling downtown Manaus. Knowing I had to fly out at lunchtime the next day I went to bed determined to get up early and see some of the city. The main thing on my agenda was the opera house.
April 4
After a wonderful breakfast of native fruits, fresh rolls and coffee with da
Silva, who had managed to find time to check on us and say goodbye, we hooked up with a taxi driver who agreed to take us to the opera house and then to the airport. It is difficult to describe the city. The old parts were obviously left over from an affluent time. The new stuff was like most bustling, overcrowded South American cities. The opera house was a treat and a must-see for anyone visiting Manaus. The guided tour in English was fascinating and full of good information about the area during the opulent time of the rubber barons when Manaus was one of the wealthiest cities in the world. It had electric street lights before Europe did. The cobblestone roads around the opera house are still in good condition and we were told the town used to pour rubber over them when there was an opera to muffle the noise of the horsedrawn carts. The opera house itself must have cost a fortune to build. The floor is made of native wood that was sent to Europe to be shaped and finished then brought back and put together like a puzzle. Pity, but I had to get to the airport so soon. The Amazon region is an amazing place. I went 800 miles up the river in a short period of time, but I did see enough to know I’d like to investigate more. And, as da Silva told me, “You now have friends in the Amazon.” I know that I will go back. Capt. Mike Price spent 17 years on the water aboard megayachts before joining The Triton as a sales representative for The Captain’s Mate. He lives in Ft. Lauderdale with his wife and two daughters. Comments on this article are welcome at mprice@tcmate.com.
The Triton
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Summer means sports: tennis, volleyball, golf on the agenda Through June 8 The French Open,
June 7 27th annual Great Chowder
June 1 Sunday Jazz Brunch (first
June 7 7th annual Women’s Sailing
Paris. One of the four grand slam tennis tournaments. Played on clay. www.fft. fr/rolandgarros Sunday of every month) along the New River in downtown Ft. Lauderdale from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. www. fortlauderdale.gov
June 3 The Triton Bridge luncheon,
noon, Ft. Lauderdale. A roundtable discussion of the issues of the day. Yacht captains only. RSVP to Editor Lucy Reed at lucy@the-triton.com or 954-525-0029. Space is limited.
June 4 Networking Triton style (the
first Wednesday of every month), 68 p.m., with our sponsor and Triton advertiser Lauderdale Diver in Ft. Lauderdale (1334 S.E. 17th St., just east of Carlos and Pepe’s).
June 6-8 AVP Pro Beach Volleyball
Tour, Hermosa Beach, Calif. This will be the seventh tournament of the 2008 series, which features more than 150 of the top athletes in this sport. www.avp. com
June 2008
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EVENT OF MONTH
Cook-off, Newport Yachting Center, 401-846-1600, www.newportfestivals. com Conference, sponsored by BoatU.S. and organized by the National Women’s Sailing Association, Corinthian Yacht Club, Marblehead, Mass. $115 for NWSA members, $130 non-members, plus $15 late fee. www.BoatUS. com/women and click on Training/ Seminars, 866-631-6972.
June 8 World Ocean Day. Events in
Cannes; Surrey, British Columbia; at Monterey Bay Aquarium in California; and Seattle Aquarium, among others. www.theoceanproject.org/wod/
June 9-15 The U.S. Open, Torrey Pines Golf Course, San Diego, Calif. One of golf ’s major tournaments. www.usopen.com
June 13-15 New York Yacht Club’s
154th annual Regatta. Precedes the Newport-to-Bermuda race by a week, attracting many of its yachts. Open to yachts 25 feet and larger. www.nyyc.org
More than 100 people attended the USSA’s captains’ briefing in St. FILE PHOTO Maarten in January.
June 23, 4 p.m. USSA’s Captains briefing/reception, Newport Shipyard (at Belle’s)
The day before the opening of both the Newport Spring Charter Show and the American Superyacht Forum, the U.S. Superyacht Association is hosting a captains briefing on the Northeast. Captains and senior officers of large yachts are welcome to attend. It’s an opportunity to ask questions and hear updates from government officials. www.ussuperyacht.com, +1-800-208-5801
June 13-Aug. 8 Starlight musicals in Ft. Lauderdale, Holiday Park at U.S. 1 and Sunrise Boulevard. Every Friday (except July 4), 7-10 p.m., free. Bands range from pop to country, rhythm and blues to tropical rock. www. fortlauderdale.gov
June 14 Sunset Music Festival,
Newport Yachting Center. First act in the summer-long series is Boz Scaggs ($60). 401-846-1600, www. newportfestivals.com
June 15-28 JVC Jazz Festival-New York featuring 300 artists in 100 concerts
See CALENDAR, page B22
B22 June 2008
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
www.the-triton.com
The Triton
Music in New York, Newport CALENDAR, from page B21
July 6 Sunset Music Festival, Newport
to Bermuda Race. 224 boats have applied to race. www.bermudarace.com
Yachting Center. Second act in the summer-long series is Melissa Etheridge ($95). Future acts include Plain White T’s with Mae and The Kung Fu Girls, Jimmie Vaughan, Indigo Girls, and John Hiatt and the Ageless Beauties. 401-846-1600, www. newportfestivals.com
June 20-22 AVP Pro Beach Volleyball
July 11-13 AVP Pro Beach Volleyball
in 30 venues across Manhattan and Brooklyn. 212-501-1390/1393, http:// jazz.jvc.com
June 20 101st running of the Newport
Tour, Belmar Beach, N.J. This is the 8th tournament of the 2008 series featuring more than 150 of the top athletes in this sport. www.avp.com
Tour, North Avenue Beach, Chicago. This is the 10th tournament of the 2008 series featuring more than 150 of the top athletes in this sport. www.avp.com
June 23-July 6 Wimbledon, London.
July 14 First start of the West Marine
One of the four Grand slam tennis tournaments. www.wimbledon.org
Pacific Cup race. www.pacificcup.org
July 16-18 8th annual MAATS (Marine
June 24-27 26th annual Spring
Aftermarket Accessories Trade Show), Las Vegas Hilton & Convention Center. www.maats.net
Charter Yacht Show, Newport Shipyard, Newport, R.I. Dozens of charter yachts will be on display at this industryonly event. Yacht hops, industry seminars, crew kick-off party and a fam trip have all been planned. www. newportshipyard.com
July 18-20 6th annual Newport
Bucket Regatta, Newport Shipyard, Rhode Island. The Newport Bucket (the second generation of the 15year-old Nantucket Bucket) is an invitational regatta open to yachts over 90 feet (27m), previous participant or by special agreement. The regatta is limited to 25 yachts. www. newportbucket.com
June 24-27 American Superyacht
Forum, Newport. Hosted and organized by The Yacht Report, this is the U.S. version of the popular event formerly known as Project in Amsterdam each fall. Attendance is limited to 300 delegates and the cost is $1,220. Ends with a Friday night regatta aboard historic 12-meter yachts. www.synfo. com/asf
July 19-27 New York Yacht Club Race
Week, Newport, R.I. The first weekend, historic 12m vessels join in the 100th birthday celebration of yacht designer Olin J. Stephens. The second weekend, up to 200 modern racing vessels will converge for IRC, PHRF and one-design competitions. Shore-side activities will be hosted at Harbour Court, the NYYC’s clubhouse on Newport Harbor. www.nyyc.org, 401-845-9633
June 25-29 ShowBoats International
Rendezvous Monaco. This is the 19th annual Monaco Rendezvous. Events include the ShowBoats Awards and the Bal de la Mer Gala dinner and fundraiser at the Hotel de Paris to benefit the International Commission for the Scientific Exploration of the Mediterranean and The International SeaKeepers Society. Invitation only. www.showboats.com
Mid-October Volvo Ocean Race begins in Alicante. Only U.S. stop is Boston in mid-May 2009. www.volvooceanrace. org
MAKING PLANS Sept. 24-27 18th annual Monaco Yacht Show Port Hercules, Monaco
More than 530 exhibitors and 95 megayachts are expected. Forty of the yachts will be making their first public appearances. Tickets are 60 euros. www. monacoyachtshow. org
FILE PHOTO
The Triton
www.the-triton.com
Triton Spotters
Capt. Sherry Burger of S/V Sassy took her Triton with her on a sailing charter to Great Guana Cay in the Abacos. Guana is on the outer cays between Green Turtle Cay and Cat Cay and West End. “It has an awesome marina and great reef diving. The hot spot is Nippers’ with swimming pool, stunning view and famous Sunday boar/pig roasts.
Capt. Lee Rosbach of the M/Y Mostro sent warm wishes from Isla Mujeres in Mexico. “Have been here about two weeks. Fishing has been good and the weather better.”
Where have you and your Triton been lately? Send photos to lucy@the-triton.com. If we print yours, you get a T-shirt.
SPOTTED
June 2008
B23
Review, preview Check out the networking photos from The Triton’s May event, and clear your calendar: 6-8 p.m. on June 4 at Lauderdale Diver.
C2-3
Going green Tips on how stews can encourage conservation on board.
C6-7
South of Napa California has a notable wine region between L.A., San Francisco.
Section C
C10
Treat of the month Are you craving Caribbean Lobster Cakes with Coconut and Curry? You will be after reading the recipe.
C8
www.the-triton.com
Refit completed, Capt. Blackwell is back to driving. By Kelly Cramer
See LAID BACK, page C4
A contractor applies fairing; two others work up top. PHOTOS/CAPT. WILL BLACKWELL
The Laid Back went 18 years between paint jobs.
Check them out, continuously updated online, with features such as alerts.
C19-23
June 2008
Taking Laid Back back to sea Out on sea trial with Capt. Bill Blackwell, he mentioned that he hadn’t driven a yacht in more than a year. That’s the time he spent overseeing the refit of the nearly 19-year-old Burger M/Y Laid Back, and he had been missing his favorite part of being a skipper – running. Nearly six gigabytes of pictures documenting every step and eight boxes of invoices later, Blackwell is happy to be off the hard and back on the water. His “boat-driving skills” don’t seem to have suffered at Blackwell all from the time in the shipyard and he obviously enjoyed hopping over the starboard-side railing on the fly bridge and using the new remote control to steer the 89-foot Laid Back out of its slip. Laid Back was Blackwell’s second refit. He’d finished his first on another yacht just before he took over the Burger. But redoing this yacht was more complicated, he said. That’s because it had its original paint job. “We had blistering paint,” Blackwell said. “Once it starts, it’s like a cancer. It went 18 years without a paint job so that meant we would have to redo the
Free Classifieds
Caribbean food gets some spice from visitors the world over For a little history in how the Caribbean has such a diverse cultural heritage in food, you really have to understand that the warm tropical waters beckon world travelers. Each time travelers come to the Caribbean, they leave their imprint on the food in some regard. The Caribbean Culinary Waves conjures white Mary Beth white beaches Lawton Johnson and fresh seafood, from fresh-caught fish to crab and conch. Who wouldn’t want to be there? The food is what makes it so unique. A culmination of myriad cuisines, the Caribbean has evolved from simple, indigenous fare to worldwide gourmet over the past few years. Spas and resorts now reign in the Caribbean and with this, new concepts in updated Caribbean fare is presented. Sure, you can still find conch fritters and cracked conch and conch salad but now the Caribbean can be likened to America, a veritable melting pot where cultures overlap and traditions are shared with other countries. If you want to think of Caribbean cuisine as one typical item that can be found on all the islands, you have to understand that there is no one true West Indian method of cooking
See WAVES, page C9
C June 2008 NETWORKING: Last month
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early 300 people joined us at The Downtowner’s Maxwell Room in Ft. Lauderdale on the first Wednesday in May to network with the V-Kool guy, Scott Frischhertz. Crew members got leads for jobs, captains found potential crew, business people shared war stories and everyone enjoyed some nice appetizers and great company.
PHOTOS BY DAVID REED, LUCY REED AND KELLY CRAMER
The Triton
The Triton
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NETWORKING: This month
June 2008
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Lauderdale Diver taking off on strength of its training, instructors Even though the Summer Solstice won’t arrive in the Northern Hemisphere until June 20 (or June 21, depending on where you are), temperatures in South Florida have already been driving up into the 90s. As one broker quipped at last month’s Triton networking soirée, forecasters are predicting one more cool day this year – in October. Good thing the AC was running at the Downtowner Saloon, keeping everyone who made it out cool. So if you’re in South Florida, join us on the first Wednesday in June at the remodeled Lauderdale Diver store at 1334 S.E. 17th St. from 6-8 p.m. and catch up with old Beck friends. The first Wednesday falls on June 4 this month. In the meantime, find out more about June’s sponsor, Lauderdale Diver, as we chat with former yacht stew Chrissy Beck. Q. Tell us about your new Web site. We hired the Corporate Creative Group to work with producing our new Web site and we have spent the past six months producing lots of data and incredible photographs and ideas
to come up with a student load has Triton networking beautiful, visual, grown and it seems informative Web event: June 4, 6-8 p.m. like the seats in the site. It really helped classroom never get to work with such a chance to cool off. great, inspired young professional When we have periods at the end of the designers with fresh new ideas and typical yachting summer or winter, we I would highly recommend them. experience a higher number of crew Take a look at their work at www. desiring additional certifications. lauderdalediver.com. Q. How experienced is your staff and We wanted a professional site with who can folks expect to meet? a crisp, clean logo so we could portray Our instructors are well-qualified not only a professional image but show to assess skill levels and advise on that we offer customers lots of options training times and student aptitude. and information from local dive and Jose Negroni and Rob Davis, our fullwreck sites, weather conditions, dive time instructors, have been diving for travel, compressors, gear, lessons and more than 20 years and are extremely equipment servicing to our online store passionate about the sport they love to and many other goods and services. teach. We wanted the staff to “feel” like Q. Tell us about your expanded crew with a very friendly and serviceclassroom and training schedules. oriented disposition while maintaining When we started, the classroom a professional outlook. It’s as if the was almost non-existent. We wanted dive shop is another boat, with the a professional and functional space same professionally minded people you dedicated to instruction. We created might find on any well-managed yacht. a smart-looking area that doubles as Q. What made you decide to add storage but has the feel of an intimate beachy clothes and shoes to your lineup? classroom with ample teaching We added resort wear since not equipment. Whether the student is everyone comes into the shop looking sipping a latte between lessons or for a mask or snorkel. We get a lot of being grilled on dive table problems, tourists – walk-in cruise ship traffic they’ll be in comfortable surroundings. – during the season with at least seven We have had independent instructors large ships based at Port Everglades. ask if they can rent our classroom. We also have found that many local We have beefed up training since our customers are interested in the
clothing lines we now offer. Q. About how much of your business is related to megayachts? About 50 percent of our business comes from the yachting sector. Since we took over the business last year, our yacht customer base has steadily grown through our industry contacts and we continue to see more yacht equipment, dive training and compressor systems inquiries. For years my husband, Capt. Len Beck, fielded questions from captains whose itineraries were taking them through the Pacific and Asia about logistical support, places not to miss, and dive areas. Now we have a lot of those same successful captains and crew contacting us for quotes. Q. What is your most favorite diving spot (or spots) and why? We have been extremely fortunate to have traveled extensively aboard the M/Y Battered Bull but I think that the best place for large pelagics and big current would have to be the Toumoto Atolls in French Polynesia. There is always an abundance of sharks, giant manta rays, and big tuna, marlin and sailfish. It is pretty awesome to see three or four sailfish “balling up bait” just above you while a school of whitetip sharks barrels past. The current in the Atoll cuts can be in excess of 6 knots so that’s a real thrill but not without challenges.
C June 2008 FROM THE CAREER FRONT
Laid Back on the hard.
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PHOTOS/CAPT. WILL BLACKWELL
New refrigerator had to be slipped in through windows LAID BACK, from page C1 fairing.” Everything had to come off and though the owners hadn’t set a fixed budget or deadline, Blackwell thought the job could be accomplished in a year. The owners didn’t micromanage and the work progressed, mostly on schedule. But, still, it took five months longer to complete. The owners wanted it done right, Blackwell said, and were patient, even as the months wore on. Blackwell said he had hit it off with them when they called him to come to Eleuthera, in urgent need of a captain. His son had been working as a mate on Laid Back and thought of his father when the captain’s job came open. The refairing was a major undertaking. “Everything comes off and nothing can come back on the same way,” he said. Blackwell took hundreds of pictures as contractors shed the yacht of its original fairing and painstakingly applied the new fairing. Next was the paint: Stars and Stripes Blue on the hull, Matterhorn White on top and Vivid Red for the bottom stripe. The paint was the second – and third – thing to get done. It didn’t pass inspection on the first go-around. “It happens,” Blackwell said. Next, workers rebuilt the yacht’s twin engines from MAN Engines & Components. Then the electronics and navigations systems were replaced. A new refrigerator went in through the window in the galley. New ladders went on, new custom coolers were installed and a new Nouvarina went on. All new teak was installed. At the same
Detail of the fairing work. time, the 28-foot Intrepid tender was also refit. Except for the fridge, the interior – finished with Birdseye Maple – stayed mostly the same. Would he Blackwell back-to-back refits again? “Probably not,” he said. “This will be my last one.” Really? Because later in the day, it seemed Blackwell had forgotten that vow. “A refit is a great education,” he said. “My next refit, I’m sure it will be a small one.” Meantime, Blackwell is taking Laid Back back to where he joined her – Eleuthera. The owners have missed cruising around and have a full summer of destinations planned. And Blackwell will be doing what he likes best: boatdriving. Kelly Cramer is managing editor of The Triton. Comments on this story are welcome at kelly@the-triton.com.
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C June 2008 INTERIOR: Stew Cues
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Bring the ‘go green’ movement to yachts There has been a lot of talk about global warming, recycling and going green, and frankly, it is overwhelming to sort out all of the information available. The yachting community uses literally tons of products and foods every year that impact the earth. On April 22 we celebrated Earth Day, and Stew Cues one of the best Alene Keenan things about it, in my opinion, was that we received lots of useful information that could be helpful in choosing the products, foods and services we use. Yachting has a huge economic impact on the Earth and making wise choices can make a real difference. In sorting through some information, I found an article by Elizabeth Rogers from her book, “The Green Book.” It provides some perspective that many of us will appreciate. The little things we do to “go green” can really add up. For example, simply separating paper, plastic, glass and aluminum from the trash and recycling it will
make a huge reduction in the amount of trash sent to landfills. Space is always an issue on yachts, but often cans and plastics can be compacted. Target sells the Ecopod Recycling System, which holds and crushes 50 plastic and aluminum beverage containers and has space to hold glass bottles, newspapers, and plastic bags all in one space until it’s time to take them out. Not every port is recycling friendly, so this is not always an option, but it would help if we took advantage of the opportunity to do our part when we can. Maybe if enough of us speak up about it, more marinas will provide recycling facilities. Yachts are notorious for the amount of water used daily. It is hard to comprehend just how much difference saving any little amount could make, but here’s an interesting comparison: Turning off the tap while you brush your teeth will conserve up to five gallons of water a day. This is the amount of water the average person in Africa uses a day for cooking, drinking, cleaning and bathing. Flush the toilet one less time per day and you’ll save another five gallons. How much does the yacht pay per gallon a day for each person? This could add up to a huge savings. The next time you provision, try
to choose products with minimal to no packaging. If just one out of 10 products you buy had minimal to no packaging you would eliminate more than 50 pounds of waste annually. Also, $1 out of every $11 you spend at the supermarket pays for packaging so think about that the next time you do your receipts. If every household did this, the amount of waste reduced would be enough to cover Central Park in New York City to a depth of 27 feet. Since yachts consume and dispose of huge amounts of products every day, this could make a big impact. In her book, “Gorgeously Green,” Sophie Uliano helps us understand organic foods. To be classified as organic, food must have been grown without pesticides or herbicides, is not genetically modified, and is not irradiated. Uliano stresses that organic labeling is not a marketing ploy; it is very difficult to become certified as an organic farmer. Since it is not feasible to throw out everything and start fresh, she offers some tips on getting started. First, concentrate on the foods and products you use the most. Organic dairy products are a wise choice, as no
See CUES, page C7
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INTERIOR: Stew Cues
Soak and scrub produce to remove pesticides CUES, from page C6 growth hormones or antibiotics that could affect humans are used, and the cows are fed a specific diet. This includes, milk, cheese and yogurt. Most yacht crews consume large amounts of dairy products and many of us would gladly go organic if the budget permited. Some cereals and grains are grown with pesticides, so choosing organic grains is better. Organically raised beef, pork, chicken and eggs are free of the growth hormones and antibiotics that some conventional farmers use. Conventional processed foods, including chips, popcorn, and peanut butter often contain organophosphate pesticides. Peanuts are often grown using fungicides to treat mold. Sad to say, but at this time there are no organic Cheetos or Pringles, but maybe even the junk food companies will soon give us that option. It makes sense to buy organic produce if possible, or, at least to wash produce carefully to remove pesticides. The most heavily sprayed produce items include potatoes, green beans, and strawberries. You can make a simple washing solution using a cup each of water and white vinegar, one tablespoon of baking soda and 20
The most heavily sprayed produce items include raisins, potatoes, green beans, and strawberries. You can make a simple washing solution using a cup each of water and white vinegar, one tablespoon of baking soda and 20 drops of grapefruit seed extract. drops of grapefruit seed extract. Mix the ingredients and pour into a spray bottle. Spray your produce and rinse it thoroughly after a good five- to 10minute soak. In addition to our old standby, the vinegar-and-water mix, there are many commercial products to choose from that are nontoxic and naturally derived from plants instead of petroleum, and are never tested on animals. Some good ones to try include: l Method Home, which also includes some pet care items. Check out www. methodhome.com. l Seventh Generation is one of the foremost brands, available at Whole
Foods and some grocery and Target stores. Go to www.seventhgeneration. com. l Shaklee has been producing natural cleaners for more than 50 years. Go to www.shaklee.com. l Mrs. Meyerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Clean Day specializes in cleaners made with ingredients such as sugar cane, coconut and palm. Go to www.mrsmeyers.com. Also, try to cut down on use of paper towels and disposable items by using washable and recyclable micro fiber cloths. Recycle plastic and paper bags from shopping, or eliminate them entirely by using washable cloth bags. I also found some other great Internet sites if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re up for more investigation. I liked www.earth911. org, www.greendimes.com, www. stopglobalwarming.org, www. americanforests.org, and www. treehugger.com. Have you hugged a tree today? Alene Keenan has been a megayacht stewardess for 16 years. She is the founder of Stewardess Solutions, which offers training and consulting for stewardesses to improve their jobs and careers. Comments on this column are welcome at alene@stewardesssolutions. com.
June 2008
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C June 2008 IN THE GALLEY: Culinary Waves
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Caribbean Lobster Cakes with Coconut and Curry Recipe and photo by Mary Beth Lawton Johnson
The essence of summer is found in fresh seafood, and a trip to a sandy beach along the Georgia coast. What better way to celebrate the summer with family and loved ones than with a moist and succulent lobster cake. I came up with this recipe while in Guana Cay in the Abacos and had several lobster to use up before we left the island. This is a wonderful base recipe that you could substitute other seafood for instead of lobster. It would taste delicious with crab and fish or even shrimp. You could serve these as either an appetizer or even as a main course if made into larger patties. Serve with a favorite salsa or Asian Chili Sauce. This recipe is a combination of Caribbean and Indian flavors which compliment each other but can be adapted for a southern Georgia lifestyle. Makes eight 5 oz. cakes 1 ½ cups of mayonnaise 1 cup of Panko bread crumbs (more as needed) 1 cup of sweetened grated coconut
(more as needed) 3 eggs 3 tablespoons of parsley 2 tablespoons of Matoukâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hot Sauce 2 teaspoons of Colemans yellow mustard 1 tablespoon of onion powder 1 tablespoon of garlic powder 2 extra large tablespoons of curry Salt to taste Pepper to taste 2 8 oz lobster tails, boiled, removed from shell and diced small (add lobster boil seasoning if desired) Peanut Oil for frying Create a wet mix with the mayo, eggs and seasonings. Add the bread crumbs, coconut, and lobster, and fold well. Add more bread crumbs and coconut if necessary. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Remove from refrigerator and form into small patties or cakes. Heat oil until it reaches 350 F. Deep fry cakes, turning to brown on each side for a couple of minutes. Remove when slightly brown and drain on a single use towel. Serve while hot with your favorite pepper jelly or favorite salsa over leafy greens.
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IN THE GALLEY: Culinary Waves
Like cooking meat over fire? Thank the Arawak Indians WAVES, from page C1
are put to use as bed and breakfasts, restaurants and honeymoon hideaways. in the Caribbean, and no one country Coffee plantations in Jamaica, along in the Caribbean dictates Caribbean with the Chinese who cultivated rice, cuisine. Rather, the cuisine is a mix of greatly influenced the diets that are still European, African and Asian influences in existence today and rice remains a over centuries. main staple. Some of the islands add The Arawak Indians, during peas to their rice while others add Columbusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; time, left behind words and peppers, fish and a red sauce. cooking techniques that are still in use Goat is also a popular protein staple today such as maize, potato, barbecue in St. Maarten, St. Kitts and Nevis and and quava. Their bread was made from the popular way to cook it is with curry. cassava, which had poison that had to Fish curries and seafood curries are be extracted before grinding into flour. now a prevalent way to cook seafood They were the in most of the first to perfect islands, especially the art of cooking Trinidad and West Indians have meat over fire. Tabago. been most influenced I have written Lime, in their preparation of an article on nutmeg, garlic barbecue and food by the French and and cinnamon how the Arawak are the spices English, both of whom Indians kept their that influence fought to break the rule meat roasting over Caribbean by the Spanish. The third cooking today a fire that was quite high off the and are prevalent major influence in the ground. just about Caribbean diet has been in In the earlier every cuisine. the Dutch. days, none of Indian food as the settlers had well as dishes the citrus crops from Indonesian that make the Caribbean what it is and Pakistani cultures are found today and what it is known for. The throughout the Caribbean and, when Europeans brought the Old World mixed with other regional influences, crops such as olive trees with them and transform the local cuisine into a world found that they didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take well. They cuisine. did find that rice did moderately well and fruit flourished. The Spanish, who Mary Beth Lawton Johnson is a inherited their skills from the Moors, certified executive pastry chef and were partial to their orchards of figs, Chef de Cuisine. A professional yacht oranges, bananas and lemons. When chef since 1991, she has been chef they came, they brought their native aboard M/Y Rebecca since 1998. (www. flora and fauna, which eventually themegayachtchef.com) Comments on became staples in the Caribbean this story are welcome at editorial@thecuisine we see today. triton.com. West Indians have been most influenced in their preparation of food by the French and English, both of whom fought to break the rule by the Spanish. The third major influence in the Caribbean diet has been the Dutch, who formed the first West India Company. The Treaty of Paris was the start of the golden age for Martinique and Guadeloupe with plantations producing sugar and rum in great quantities. Gradually, West Indians realized that to rely wholly on sugar was too dangerous and cultivation of yams, corn, and spices as well as coconuts, pineapples and breadfruit was encouraged. Breadfruit was once considered a peasant food but is used quite frequently in most Caribbean cuisine and often replaces the potato. Today one can still see the abandoned sugar mills and ruins in Nevis and St. Kitts where at one point, sugar was the gold that sustained the islands. Today, those sugar mills
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C10 June 2008 WINE: By the Glass
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Find notable California wines between L.A. and San Francisco Areas of California that have been attracting more attention in recent years are Paso Robles, Edna Valley and Santa Barbara, located almost half way between San Francisco and Los Angeles. They occupy both plains and mountain terrain and are producing some real wines of note. I have been particularly By the Glass drawn to these Mark Darley wines because of their good value for money, complexity on the palate in many cases as well as good fruit. The tendency toward making Rhone-type wines is also of interest as this enables wine drinkers to broaden their interests to include these incredible varietals. Santa Barbara has attracted attention with the rise in popularity of pinot noir largely based on the 2004 film “Sideways,” which made a number of the wines from there internationally famous, though it is home to good chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and Riesling, among others. Although this region is considerably warmer than the more famous areas around San Francisco, it has a unique feature that allows more fragile varieties to flourish. The river valleys run east to west, which allows cool air and pacific fog to move inland from the coast. This cooling effect allied to warm days enables the production of unusually complex and interesting pinot noir and chardonnay, in particular. While a number of familiar names exist here such as Cambria, Gainey and Sanford (made famous in the film) there are many wineries making highly distinctive wines. Among my favorites are such wines as Foxen where the trend in recent years has been to produce cabernet, chardonnay and pinot noir in a more European style. Zaca Mesa have always made really good Rhone varietals based on syrah in particular as well as good viognier, roussanne, Rhone blends, and of course chardonnay. Specialty producer J Wilkes makes really good pinot noir and unusual pinot blanc, which grace the list of the famous French Laundry restaurant in Napa Valley and are well worth seeking out. Other wineries producing top wines include Qupe, rightly famed for its syrah, Au Bon Climat, which sold well in England for many years before Californian wine became well-known there, Foley, Fess Parker maker of really good syrah, pinot noir and chardonnay, and of course Sea Smoke, makers of
highly sought after pinot noir made famous in “Sideways.” Edna Valley is very cool due to its largely maritime climate and good chardonnay is the focus of wine production in the area. I have always been a fan of Mount Eden wines. They produce a chardonnay that ages well and can mimic good Burgundy. The 1999 will always remain in my memory as one of the most enjoyable American chardonnays I have had. Other wines made here include Baileyana, Concannon, Talley and Bianchi – all of which make wines across the price range that reward sampling. The Edna Valley winery is by far the largest winery in the area. Paso Robles has always been a focus of interest for me. As a fan of Rhone wines, I am drawn to the syrah, grenache, viognier and even marsanne and rousanne grown in the area. One winery, Cass, has done amazing work with these grapes producing one of the best Californian viognier wines I have had. The area sits astride U.S. Route 101 with large plains to the east and mountains to the west. The argument goes that the best wines are made on the higher ground, though major producers such as Justin – makers of the in-demand Isosceles blend – Tablas Creek and Peachy Canyon prove otherwise. Because the days are hot, the area lends itself to growing Mediterranean varietals which is why Rhone grapes seem to do well. On the west side of the highway, the already mentioned Cass as well as J Lohr whose Seven Oaks cabernet is well-received. Robert Hall makes fantastic cabernet and syrah wines that reflect incredible value for money when pitched against their more famous northern counterparts. The region makes really wellbalanced wines with good fruit and enough complexity in many cases to make them partner with food quite well. Eberle, a new facility for Bianchi, EOS and Firestone are also worth looking out for. There has been a serious marketing push in the past year or so by Paso Robles in particular, which has made many of the wines available in Florida. Ask your retailer about Paso Robles and I am certain inclusion of these wines as well as those from Edna Valley and the more famous Santa Barbara will make your wine lists and selections all the more interesting. Mark Darley is an independent wine consultant and he hosts wine seminars at the 33rd Street Wine Bar in Ft. Lauderdale. Comments on this column are welcome at darleym@bellsouth.net.
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CREDENTIALS: License insurance
June 2008
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Insuring your license can provide financial safety net By Randy O’Neill Most U.S. Coast Guard-licensed officers will agree on one thing: the U.S. Coast Guard has become much more aggressive in investigating marine accidents and incidents. More worrisome, license suspensions are often the outcome. And the Coast Guard officials make no apologies. A series of highly publicized incidents involving U.S. mariners have motivated the agency’s investigators to take a hard line on those responsible. And because the Coast Guard has jurisdiction over all U.S. marine licenses, it is unquestionably empowered to take such action. Mark Grossetti, when he was with the Coast Guard’s Personnel Actions Branch in Washington, D.C., has been reported talking about this approach. “As the specifics of every accident differ, so does each investigation at the respective Marine Safety Office,” Grosetti has said. “It’s up to each individual investigating officer to conduct the investigation as he sees fit.” That philosophy gives a lot of flexibility to Coast Guard investigators – and they use it to their advantage. Fortunately for licensed mariners, there is a way to level the playing field and avoid the worry and expense of license proceedings that can linger for months, if not years. It’s called license insurance. But, before explaining the advantages of insuring a license, it’s useful to look at a typical case study of an incident that would trigger a Coast Guard investigation that could result in charges of negligence, a court hearing and, potentially, a license suspension or revocation.
Here is one scenario
A towboat/barge combination and megayacht collide while executing an agreed upon meeting on a river. Some barges are scattered at odd angles in the navigable channel, effectively blocking river traffic, while others drift and beach themselves on the river bank. The captains of both vessels report the incident as required and the Coast Guard investigators are on the scene in less than 30 minutes. Each vessel is boarded and the Coast Guard’s investigating officers take charge. This is the moment of truth: the licenses, livelihoods and professional reputations of all involved licenseholders are quite literally on the line. Remember, the Coast Guard takes seriously its mandate to “maintain the standards of competence and conduct of mariners for the safety of persons, property and the environment.” With that in mind, the investigating officer begins his interview with the
towboat pilot. The towboat pilot officer eventually reluctantly signs A series of highly tells the pilot that a settlement publicized incidents it would be “in agreement and involving U.S. mariners his best interest” surrenders his to agree to a license to the have motivated Coast settlement that Coast Guard Guard investigators to calls for his license for 60 days. to be immediately obviously take a hard line on those He’s suspended for nervous. Being responsible. two months. If he two months doesn’t agree, the without work, investigating officer he figures, is strongly suggests better than the that he’s looking at a six-month financial disaster that six months with suspension if his case is scheduled for a no income would bring to his family. hearing before an Administrative Law The megayacht captain hears Judge (ALJ). the same suggestions from the Unsure of his legal rights and investigating officer. However, he had knowing he cannot afford an expensive earlier reported the incident by cell legal defense of his license, the phone to his license insurer’s 24/7
claims hotline and was advised to cooperate on factual and safety issues but not to sign anything and not to agree to any settlement. Within 15 minutes, a maritime attorney contacts him and advises him of his rights. The attorney immediately takes control of the case and remains his legal representative until its conclusion. The megayacht captain with license insurance can now be confident that his license defense is in the hands of a professional maritime lawyer who has only his best interests at heart. He has an expert on his side who knows his way around the rules and regulations involved in marine license defense, from pollution to drug‑testing.
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C12 June 2008 CREDENTIALS: License insurance
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Insurance is a way to share your risk with other captains LICENSE, from page C11 Furthermore, it is all paid for in advance in the form of an annual premium. The result: According to the agreedupon settlement, the towboat pilotâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s license is suspended for two months and he has a permanent black mark against his license and professional reputation. The megayacht captain is assisted by his attorney in completing a CG2692 Marine Incident Report and, conversely, waits to hear back from the Coast Guard for a more extensive interview at a later date. At that interview, he will be accompanied and guided by his attorney. The fact that he had license insurance and the presence of mind to report his claim immediately resulted in dramatically different outcomes for the two masters involved.
Insurance can cover legal bills
Marine license insurance provides a safety net of legal expertise to help when help is most needed. For an annual premium, from the moment the megayacht captain reports his claim, a maritime attorney is paid to defend him and his license for the duration of any legal proceedings. If the Coast Guard files negligence charges against the captain and conducts suspension and revocation proceedings as a result of the accident, his maritime attorney will be at his side every step of the way. Since he is covered by license insurance, all of his legal bills will be covered. Although an incident may appear minor and the master may be convinced of his/her innocence, mariners are out of their element in a courtroom. The Coast Guard conducts almost 600 suspension and revocation proceedings every year. The option of sharing the risk of paying for costly license defense with thousands of other mariners by buying a license defense and income protection insurance policy is an alternative worth consideration. Randy Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Neill is a senior vice president with Lancer Insurance Company in New York. Comments on this story are welcome at editorial@the-triton.com. Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Neill may be reached at 516-431-4441.
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PERSONAL FINANCE: Yachting Capital
Foreign Exchange Market rates portfolio consideration Many of us in the yachting industry do a type of investment when we don’t even think about or realize it. We do this when we go to and from foreign ports. Sometimes, we lose money or profit when we do this. We understand the simplicity of the trade but most don’t see it as a way to invest. Yachting Capital Until recently, Mark A. Cline anyone trading U.S. dollars for other currencies saw a higher return. But, you may have noticed the weakening dollar buys less these days. There is an entire market built on these types of fluctuations. This type of investing is done in the Foreign Exchange Market, or sometimes known as currency, forex, or FX. The FX market exists wherever you have one currency trading for another. It is considered the largest financial market in the world. Among the major traders are between large banks, central banks, currency speculators, multinational corporations, governments, and other financial markets and institutions. On a daily basis there is a trade volume in the global forex markets of over $3 trillion in U.S. dollars this is based on the Triennial Central Bank Survey. Just as mutual funds became a household word in the 1980s and ’90s, the FX market is on the brink of doing the same. Until now, the FX market has not been easily available to the public unless people knew enough to trade on their own. Another option has been if you had at least $1 million, you could get a professional to trade for you in a similar fashion as a mutual fund. These unique traders typically came from the institutional investing background branching off on their own. Few traders make this market available to the public. Because the FX market is considered a speculative investment, stringent conditions must be follow. In short, it must fit your overall investment objectives. As I have mentioned in many articles, you must have a specific plan and follow it and understand your risk tolerances. Your FX investment cannot be more than 20 percent of your portfolio. The minimum investment amount I have found that anyone will take is $10,000 – a far cry from $1 million. Although you may have heard “Past performance does not guarantee future results,” my research for this article focused on a trader who, in the past three years, has a monthly average rate of return (not compounded) of 2.66
percent a month. Since his inception in December 2004, he did not have a negative month. In my opinion that is impressive, particularly given what our market has done. Advisors like me watch fund managers who get steady growth. The main trading centers for the FX market are in London, New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore, but banks throughout the world participate. Currency trading happens continuously throughout the day; as the Asian trading session ends, the European session begins, followed by the North American session and then back to the Asian session (excluding weekends). One key to this type of trading is making sure you do not have any trades open overnight, while you are sleeping because things can happen around the world that can devalue a currency in a matter of hours. There is little or no inside information possible in the foreign exchange markets. Fluctuations in the exchange rate are typically caused by actual monetary flows. Changes in monetary flows are caused by changes in GDP growth, inflation, interest rates, budget and trade deficits or surpluses, and other macroeconomic conditions. Major news is released publicly, often on scheduled dates; so many people have access to the same news at the same time. Although exchange rates are affected by many factors, in the end, currency prices are a result of supply and demand forces. The world’s currency markets can be viewed as a huge melting pot: in a large and ever-changing mix of current events, supply and demand factors are constantly shifting, and the price of one currency in relation to another shifts accordingly. No other market encompasses and distills as much of what is going on in the world at any given time as foreign exchange. Supply and demand for any given currency, and thus its value, are not influenced by any single element, but rather by several. These elements generally fall into three categories: economic factors, political conditions and market psychology. The FX market should be looked at as an asset class: you should blend this investment with others to meet financial objectives. As with any investment, do your homework and ask questions, then ask more questions. Capt. Mark A. Cline is a chartered senior financial planner and mortgage broker. He is a partner in Capital Marine Alliance in Ft. Lauderdale. Comments on this story are welcome at +1-954-764-2929 or through www. capitalmarinealliance.net.
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NUTRITION: Take It In C14 June 2008
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Today’s energy bars: Some fuel, others fool Need energy? If so, you might look to grab one of the many cereal bars, sports bars or supplement bars on the market today. They’ve become a reality of our fastpaced lifestyle and symbolic of a fast, nutritious and satisfying snack. But, do they work? There are many instances when the convenience of an Take It In energy bar is better Carol Bareuther than the alternative – going hungry. In fact, if too much time passes between meals, you may get so ravenous that you overeat at the next meal. An energy bar can help control hunger by shortening this time span. However, it’s important to think carefully and research just what types of bar you choose. The first generation of energy bars was meant to serve as a highcarbohydrate snack for athletes who needed quick energy before or after a workout. Then, when research revealed that the protein consumed 30 minutes after a workout replenished muscles more readily, bars with more protein debuted and bodybuilders began using them. These bars have now become snacks and meal replacements for athletes and non-athletes alike. Today, the array of energy bars that is available at the supermarket targets specific types of consumers. For example, bars such as Genisoy contain soy protein and are marketed toward women. Bars created for athletes, such as Power Bar-ProteinPlus, usually provide more calories and more protein. Diet bars, such as SlimFast, are smaller and therefore have fewer calories and less fat. There are bars such as Glucerna available for diabetics. Individual nutrients in these bars can vary widely. Athletes need more calories, so the larger, higher calorie bars are appropriate for them. If you are watching your weight, the smaller, more balanced bars are reasonable snacks. Diet-bar makers suggest you have a 200-calorie bar and a glass of water for a meal, but it is a stretch to think this small of a snack can really satisfy you for four or five hours. The protein content differs quite a bit between bars. For perspective on protein content, 1 ounce of turkey contains 7 grams of protein. Many mainstream bars have this much protein, while those marketed for bodybuilders can have three to four times more. Protein helps
The saturated fat comes from the palm kernel oil, cocoa butter and hydrogenated oils, like it does in candy bars. These fats can all contribute to heart disease. Bars high in fiber, such as Power Bar-Harvest, are better choices for fullness because fiber, like protein, also promotes satiety. Some bars contain whole grains like wheat and oat bran. maintain blood sugar levels and helps you feel satiated longer, so this is an advantage in the higher protein bars. The fat content in energy bars varies greatly too. When comparing the chocolate versions of many bars, saturated fat almost always accounts for more than half of the fat calories. The saturated fat comes from the palm kernel oil, cocoa butter and hydrogenated oils, like it does in candy bars. These fats can all contribute to heart disease. Bars high in fiber, such as Power Bar-Harvest, are better choices for fullness because fiber, like protein, also promotes satiety. Some bars contain whole grains like wheat and oat bran. Carbohydrates usually make up about 50 to 60 percent of the calories in a bar – the same ratio of carbohydrates recommended in a healthful diet. The source of carbohydrates can vary widely, from high fructose corn syrup to brown rice syrup, fruit pastes and plain old sugar. What it all comes down to is that energy is another word for calories. All energy bars on the market do deliver calories. But, if you want to buy an energy bar and have it truly give you a dose of healthy energy, then select smartly. Look for bars that offer a moderate amount of calories, low refined sugars, whole grain fiber such as oats, and a minimal amount of healthful fat. Check the price tag too. Packing a banana, yogurt or pack of peanuts may be a better idea, providing much of the same nutritional benefits as an energy bar and for a lower cost. Carol Bareuther is a registered dietitian and a regular contributor to The Triton. Comments on this column are welcome at editorial@the-triton.com.
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SUPERYACHT OPERATIONS: Up and Running
June 2008
C15
Most large yachts enjoy the benefit of company ownership Most large yachts are owned by limited companies. These companies should not be confused with the trading companies that we see in the business marketplace; they are special purpose vehicles (SPVs) set up specifically to own and run a yacht. A large yacht requires a great Up and Running deal of day to day attention. Not only Ian Biles is there ongoing maintenance, but there are also issues such as safety, regulations and equipment, insurance, employment of crew, payday and all the other matters that keep a yacht functioning and ready to use at short notice. The people who own these yachts do not have the time or the expertise to be responsible for every item and detail. Clearly, when purchasing equipment tools and spares the owner does not want to be the name on every invoice and to have to deal with all the payments or disputes. In the case of minor accidents and insurance claims, the owner does not want to be the person having to respond to claims and perhaps even a court case. If a
crew member is dismissed, the owner does not want to be the person against whom a claim for unfair dismissal may be lodged. For these and many other reasons it is much more practical to use a company. They therefore use a limited company and appoint professionals as directors. There is also the overall security of the limiting of liability afforded by a company.
Companies
I’m not going into too great of detail into the complexities of corporate law, but it is important to understand the basics, even if it is only to be able to ask lawyers the right questions. A company is a legal entity and is recognized as such around the world. The shareholders are the owners of the company but they are not the owners of its assets or responsible for its liabilities. Their liability is “limited” to the value of their shares. In the event of liquidation, creditors get assets before they do. If, however, there are insufficient funds to pay creditors, shareholders are protected from further claims against other assets (homes, for example). There could be actions taken if there is evidence of fraud, but in general the shareholders are limited in their
liability to the nominal value of their shares. Companies are incorporated under the laws of their particular jurisdiction; in the United Kingdon this is under the Companies Acts. These Acts of Parliament set out in detail how companies are established, the rights and duties of the shareholders, the officers and a whole host of rules concerning their conduct. A company has a Certificate of Incorporation signed by the duly authorized Companies Registrar, which is proof of the company’s existence. It will also have Memorandum and Articles of Association, which are bylaws of the company. These vary by company and country. It is important to check them: it is not unusual to find that the authority of one company to grant a Power of Attorney is not the same as another’s. A company cannot do what it is not empowered to do – the doctrine of “ultra vires.” One of the most common problems is figuring out who can sign on behalf of a company. Often an owner, not actually being a director, will sign for “his company.” The problem will be that if there is a dispute, the lawyers may challenge the contracts and prove that whatever it was, perhaps the very purchase of the vessel was not lawfully
done. The purchase would be invalid and the owner may well have lost not only his boat but also his money.
Corporate structure
A company is created when those who subscribe to its Memorandum and Articles of Association (bylaws) request the Registrar of Companies (or his equivalent in whichever jurisdiction) to incorporate it. The Registrar, provided he is satisfied with the documentation and the name, issues a Certificate of Incorporation which is proof of the company’s existence. On incorporation the company issues shares. It will, under its Memorandum of Association have an authorized capital, perhaps 10,000 shares of £1, but it can issue any number of shares from 1 to 10,000 at any value. Often, you will see companies with only two shares issued. Directors are appointed by shareholders to run the company and are not necessarily shareholders. Directors report to them, usually annually, by presenting accounts and financial statements. Directors can be dismissed by the shareholders. Depending upon company bylaws, directors may be permitted to appoint
See RUNNING, page C16
C16 June 2008 SUPERYACHT OPERATIONS: Up and Running
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Tax neutral? Look offshore RUNNING, from page C15 more directors but are not normally entitled to dismiss directors, this being the prerogative of the shareholders.
Offshore companies
Many of these companies are established in “offshore” jurisdictions. This is not for any direct tax benefit or any particular wish to hide behind some anonymity, although these considerations may play a part. It is simply that such companies are more easily operated because of the absence of tax or, to use a more technical term, they are “tax neutral.” There is a great deal of additional bureaucracy and administration required “onshore” in relation to tax and filing tax returns than there is in offshore locations. These companies will often be administered through the offices of accountants, lawyers or specialist corporate service providers in these jurisdictions and will be simply one of a number that are operated by that firm. Doing this reduces costs because it means the company does not have to directly employ accountants and administrators. These expenses would include staff holiday cover, secretarial costs, social security payments and pensions. By using a professional firm, the administration of the company is effectively rented by the hour. There are a great many offshore financial centers around the world but in the yachting fraternity, particularly in Europe, the most important ones are the Isle of Man, Cyprus, Malta and the Channel Islands. Further afield are the Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands and Panama. There are many others; this is not an exhaustive list. Many ownership vehicles exist. The traditional limited company has shares and directors and is organized under the Companies Act in its own jurisdiction and is controlled by its own bylaws, which are modeled on historically straightforward law. There are also limited partnerships, trusts, limited liability companies and hybrid companies. Essentially, they create
an SPV which will own the vessel and which can be used to contract for anything from its building to the audit of its safety systems, surveying, registration and employment. In some cases, the SPV is used only to own the yacht and another company is set up to employ the crew and deal with the charters. Normally, the company will have its own bank account which will be funded directly or indirectly by the owner. The professionals, who are the directors, will be the signatories to the account. They will meet and pay all the routine costs. Most of these costs will be approved directly or indirectly by the owner in conjunction with the captain and, if there are shore-based managers, the managers too. How these companies operate will depend entirely upon the degree to which the beneficial owner wishes to become involved in its daily administration. In some cases, all routine maintenance will be delegated to the captain or the engineer and the safety and ISPS regulations dealt with by the shore-based manager. In other cases, the owner may require that every invoice is faxed or mailed for his approval. The companies may also handle the credit cards that are used by the captain and engineers. When the yacht is not being used by the owner, it may go out on charter. Again it will be the company which will do the chartering. In many cases, the ownership of the vessel will be segregated into a company that has no other activity. An operating company, which will be responsible for all of the issues surrounding the yacht, will be established and will operate in a different environment with different people. The object is to separate the functions of ownership and activity; it may also reduce financial risk by involving more people and controls. These companies do have to comply with local law and with regulations relating to the preparation of accounts and differing levels of disclosure. In some jurisdictions it is not necessary
See RUNNING, page C17
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SUPERYACHT OPERATIONS: Up and Running
June 2008
Several benefits to anonymity RUNNING, from page C16 to disclose directors, and in other jurisdictions not only must you disclose the directors and other officers, but also the shareholders. In some cases accounts may need to be published. While it is difficult to estimate or give an approximate figure for the cost of these companies, it is reasonable to say that the set up cost can be from $5,000 and the annual fixed costs are likely to be in that range. If the vessel is within the European Union, then there is the question of VAT. If she is not commercially registered or if she is a private vessel that is operating commercially, then VAT is an issue that needs to be considered on the charters. Clearly, it is not practical for the owner to be a VAT registered trader which is another reason for using a company. The choice of jurisdiction for the company will depend upon a number of issues, not least the tax implications of that jurisdiction. Where you have the British crown dependencies, they all have the right to fly a British flag, but they have varying degrees of regulation relating to yachts. The Cayman Islands and the Isle of Man, for example, have their own highly developed shipping registers whereas the Channel Islands have a register but it is not suitable for large commercial yachts. The Isle of Man is part of the European Union VAT regime whereas the Channel Islands, Cayman Islands and other places further afield are not. Malta and Cyprus, having joined the Union, are now other jurisdictions which have a VAT status within Europe.
Anonymity
The “veil of incorporation” separates directors from shareholders (executives from investors) and it can disguise the actual beneficial ownership. Nominees are registered shareholders who act on behalf of others; a nominee is a bare trustee. In very many companies it is easy to “recognize” nominees but it is difficult to identify their client. The reasons
for hiding one’s involvement are not normally sinister (or tax-related) and may include: Being a high-profile or celebrity person; source of funds being other than the user (e.g. family trust); concern over security, kidnapping, etc.; avoidance of being named in spurious claims joint ownership.
Trusts
Trusts are a particularly Anglo Saxon concept that date back to medieval days and they are very different from companies. To begin with companies are recognized around the world as a legal entity but this is not always the case for trusts. A trust is created when one person, the “Settlor”, hands the legal ownership of assets to “Trustees” and requires them to hold those assets for the benefit of a third party or parties, the “Beneficiary”. The Settlor loses both his legal and beneficial interest in the assets. The Owner of a company may receive a dividend; a Settlor cannot receive anything under a trust. (It is possible to create a trust under which the Settlor is also a Beneficiary but this is beyond the scope of this course.) Trusts are often used to create the holding entity of a company; the assets of the trust will be the shares in the company. This is often done to distance the individual from the actual ownership of the company to add both security and anonymity. Corporate ownership is the most practical way of dealing with the routine administration, bureaucracy, commercial and financial considerations that are part of the package of owning a large yacht. Ian Biles is the founder of Maritime Services International, a marine surveying and consultancy business. He holds a Class I (Unlimited) Master’s certificate, a degree in naval architecture and an MBA. He has developed a risk management program for large yachts for a major London-based underwriter. Comments on this story are welcome at ian@maritimeservices.demon.co.uk or +44-2392-524-490.
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C17
C18 June 2008
PUZZLES
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SUDOKUS 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. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t worry, you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need arithmetic.. Nothing has to add up to anything else. All you need is reasoning and logic. Start with the Calm puzzle left. Then try your luck in the Stormy seas at right.
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CLASSIFIEDS
June 2008
C19
Check out our online directory at www.thecaptainsmate.com Captains Available Ancient Mariner USCG 1600 Ton License Available Very fit 72 year old, captainengineer. Available May 31st, either full or part time. Bill Harris 561 373-2396 email for a resume yachtbill@aol.com Ad# 4990
Captain Available USCG Licensed Master Captain Available. 50GT Ticket. Looking for a position on a Sportfish or comparable. 703-626-7169 Jonathan@bigboatco.com Ad#
Captains Needed Launch Captain Nantucket Boat Basin is hiring for a Launch Captain. Must have a USCG License. May-Sept. Contact humanresources@nironline.com Ad#
Yacht sitter available Yacht caretaker available in Fort Lauderdale Please call (954)6001909 Ad#
4895
Experienced, versatile and personable 1600 ton captain Experienced, versatile and personable 1600 ton captain available dive and sportfishing experience. Don at 954-232-4080 or captainstanbro@aol.com. Ad#
5044
100grt near coastal w/sail endorsement 100GRT w/Aux Sail, STCW, MROP and MMD. 200’+ experience w/ref. Sail or Power no pref. Call Capt. Drew 904.753.4582 Ad#
4866
4836
4856
Yacht chefs Available Looking for a full time Chef Position on a motor Yacht Looking 4 Perm. Chef Posiition/ 5 yrs Exp/ HardWorkingCleanCreativeDiverse/ GoodTimeManagement/DeckSkills ----- 954 471 0046 Ad#
4923
Chef/Stew ardess available for private M/Y for season-15 yr exp, 2 crew ideal, Avail. for summer for private, 2 crew M/Y! 15 yr. exp., professional, reliable! STCW, --menus, resume, ref. pls call 954-895-8070 thx! Ad#
5045
Female Yacht Chefs Available Experienced Yacht Chef Available for Freelance or Summer Positions; kimboreid@ gmail.com, (843)-290-0396. Ad# 4920
Freelance Captains and Crew MPS Worldwide Inc. We have experienced freelance Captains and crew ready and able to handle your charter/delivery/maintenance needs. Contact us today Ad#
4910
Delivery Freelance Captains and Crew
Crew Available DAYWORKERS AVAILABLE Need good DAYWORKERS?? We have qualified marine professionals for you. 954 931-8945 or email guiltfree@earthlink.net Ad#
4999
MPS Worldwide Inc. We have experienced freelance Captains and crew ready and able to handle your charter/delivery/ maintenance needs. Rspond to ad online. Ad# 4911
MEGA YACHT DELIVERIES ALL OCEANS-ANY SIZE YACHT. 6 Exp Capt’s 40m-100m. All licenses 3k-5k ton. Relief-DeliveryTemporary. superyachtlogistics.com sylogistics@earthlink.net Ad#
4871
Engineers Available Engineer available Experienced engineer ready to go. 4+ years on mega-yachts, 20+ years as aircraft mechanic. MTU, DDEC, KaMeWa. Email Gary @ LauderdaleFl@aol.com Ad#
5022
Stewards & Stewardesses Available American Citizen Friendly Stewardess Friendly, Outgoing Stewardess for Long Term. tyme2fli@aol.com Ad#
5043
Stew/Certified in Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork Stew/Therapist available ASAP! New to industry. STCW,MMD Resume available upon request. Great references. No drama, hard worker. PHONE: 772-285-3151 Ad#
4846
Stew/Certified in Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork Stew/Therapist available ASAP! New to industry. STCW,MMD Resume available upon request. Great references. No drama, hard worker. PHONE: 772-285-3151 Ad#
4989
American Stew/Cook/Mate Professional standards straight forward STCW non-smoker home cooking for families&crew repeat freelance or full time 954-612-2503 Ad#
5046
Mates & Deckhands Needed Mates & Deckhand Needed
Private 101’ new-build requires Bosun - US resident or citizen. Exterior maintenance is primary responsibility. Base is So. West Florida, Send resume/CV to: pgausset@mac.com. STCW preferred. Ad# 5036
Marine Services Elite Marine Services by the SOMEBODY company 95486-9753 Office 954-944-1378 Fax Ad#
4921
C20 June 2008 US Based Bahamas Yacht Service and Supply Company YachtFlights is a premium air based concierge service. We fly guests, crew, service techs, provisions, parts. Last-minute solutions are our specialty. Ad#
Marine Trades
For Rent
Highly experienced mechanics, carpenters, painters, & fabricators. Apply to chope@rybovich.com
Beachfront Condo Furnished Luxury Beachfront Condo 3/BR 4/ BTH impeccably furnished, views of ocean & intracoastal,one block from Las Olas; covered parking, valet, pool, gym.
Ad#
4957
4971
For more details on any classified ad go to www.tritonclassifieds.com and enter in the ad #.
Ad#
4964
Crew Accomodations Quiet, clean and affordable. No more than 2 per room. Ideal for students and career minded individuals. Call Sabra at 954-294-0641 Ad#
4996
FOR RENT- 2/1 Waterfront Pool Home with Dock--Citrus Isles-$1900/mo 65 ft on deep water-No fixed bridges-Updated pool home with Pergo flooring, recent tile roof, new composite dock, fabulous freeform pool, oversized. Ad#
5001
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CLASSIFIEDS House for rent 3BR 2bth fully furnished house. Sat TV, WIFI, Phone, AC. 70ft dock. Just renovated, be the first! call Phil 954 205 2433 Ad#
4942
1/1 Waterfrnt Bldg-SE 17 St. Causeway $900 - May & June Free$900/mo - 1/1 in Waterfront Bldg Near 17th St. Causeway - MAY &
Beach Condo Furnished Gorgeous furnished condo 1 block from Ft Lauderdale Beach in Jackson Tower 2/2 with huge balcony and covered parking. Summer Special $3,500/mo; 954-790-0813. Ad# 4963
JUNE FREE -MOVE IN FOR $1000!!! Ad#
5049
WaveRunner WaveRunner. Need a 2nd or 3rd WaveRunner for guests or charter? 2007 Yamaha VX Sport, less than 50 hrs, new condition. A1Ayacht@aol. com 954-684-6788 Ad#
4845
Ad#
full use of kitchen and laundry. 954-802-3278. Ad#
5000
Room for Rent- Waterfront Home Nice waterfront home in Shady Banks. Furnished room includes wireless internet,utilites and cable,
5047
House For Rent 3/2 house for rent in the Riverland area of Ft Lauderdale. Close to Marina Mile, furnished or unfurnished. $1500 plus utilities. (954) 316-8891 Ad#
Rooms for rent Pvt/shared, clean, quiet, close to 17st. Serious marine professionals only, great networking, 954 9318945 guiltfree@earthlink.net
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4855
Dockage Dock for rent 70ft dock for rent, riverland area, great Hurricane protection just west of I95 call Phil on 954 205 2433 Ad# 4941
at Lauderdale Marine Center 2001 S,W, 20th St. • Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33315 • Total Yacht Restoration • Awl-Grip Spray Painting Specialists • Fiberglass Fabrication & Repairs • Bottom Painting
(954) 713-0374 Office
(954) 232-8756 Cell
www.knowlesmarine.com email: knomarin@bellsouth.net
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Homes for Sale Designer’s Oceanfront 2/2 Condo A Turnkey home ideal as a Captain’s or Owner’s residence right on A1A just north of Las Olas. Completely done: Granite and S/S kitchen, Plasma screen TV, Marble and Wood floors, and a Spa in the master bedroom. With both ocean and intercoastal views off your balcony this turnkey home is a vacation in itself. Recently appraised at $475K this home is listed to sell at $409,000! Small pets ok, secure parking and full time security. Long term rentals may be considered. For more information go to www. forsalebyownercom/21134031 or call to view: 954 673-8633.
For Sale Duplex in Riverland 1 to 4 Duplexes for Sale, Riverland area Ft Laud.-Rents are $2150, few expenses. Great location. asking $280,000. 954-294-0641 Ad#
4995
AED - Automated External Defibrillators for sale Cardiac Science AED - Automated
CLASSIFIEDS
External Defibrillator, fully automatic, great for boats $1,595 . Visit www.CaptainAED.com or call 561-762-0500. Ad#
4972
Jetski - Yamaha Waveblaster 760 - 1998 Very litely used by adult - Green 2 seater - lots of spunk. Florida Title - $1800 inspection and demo for qualified buyer
Ad#
June 2008 4980
151’ DeFever 1982 $11,000,000 Vessel never chartered, class Lloyd’s 1-A-1 Maltese cross; expired but can be renewed. Ad#
4965
Hynautic Throttle/Clutch Control System - Complete 2 sets throttle/clutch controls anodized alum. + 2 throttle
& clutch slaves + hydraulic pressure tank. All clean. Contact: yachtsman1944@yahoo.com Ad#
4979
Announcement New Bahamas Yacht Service and Supply Company YachtFlights is a premium air based concierge service.We fly guests, crew, service techs, provisions, parts. Lastminute solutions are our specialty. Ad#
Own a Pirate Ship Theme Cruise Business NOW 49 Passenger Pirate Ship For Sale. Own your own Pirate Ship and collect the TREASURE this moneymaker will deliver! Call Capt. Mike at 888-538-6786 . Ad# 4874
4970
Car Storage Car Storage-Store your car safely behind a locked gate in Fort Lauderdale. Starts at $65 per month. Call 954-294-0641 Ad#
4997
C21
Yacht Insurance Consultant Dawn has dedicated her insurance career to building lasting relationships with her clients and the underwriters Gowrie, Barden & Brett represent. Personal touch service and around the clock availability are her trademarks. Dawn has been active in the marine industry all her life, in Yacht sales and service, charter management, new boat production and as a licensed insurance agent for the last 20 years. Dawn has extensive experience in boating and carries a 100 Ton USCG master’s license which further enables her to customize policies to suit her client’s needs.
Call 800-262-8911 x 1653 or email: Dawns@gowrie.com More classifieds on next page
C22 June 2008
CLASSIFIEDS
CPR & First Aid Training | AED Defibrillator Sales & Service CPR, First Aid and AED Training @ your location | AED - Automated External Defibrillator Sales Ad#
4852
LAZZARA & CUSTOMLINE NOTEBOOKS! Leather Lazzara embossed notepad portolio, also Ferretti CustomLine
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embossed notebook portfolio, beautiful! $15 each plus postage. 561-784-5891 Ad#
5009
Yacht sitter available in Fort Lauderdale Is your yacht for sale in Fort Lauderdale need someone to caretake till sold Please call (954)600-1909 Ad#
4896
Looking for rental in Sag Harbour Seeking a studio, housing share or room in a nice house to rent this summer July 1st - Sept. 30th in the Sag Harbour area. Have a full time job as solo stew on a busy 101’ but don’t want to live onboard & I’m not looking for a party house. Please contact Gin at ginzbiz@yahoo.com. Ad#
5021
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Bahamas Yacht Concierge.com The only American - Bahamian partnership. Based in Nassau Bahamas. Two flights daily, affordable, proven, trusted, reliable,experienced, established. All Islands served. See our cruising forum. http://www. bahamasyachtconcierge.com
Ad# 4987
WORLD OF YACHTING
The one source for all your yachting needs Here’s what we can do for you: • FIND CREW NO agency commissions or percentages no matter how many or how long you need crew members per year. • CREW Post your CV/Resume for FREE. • Order your APPAREL/UNIFORMS & much more online, phone, fax or in-person. • Custom Monogramming and Screen Printing • Find or sell a boat (or any other item!) on our boat classifieds. • GET MORE EXPOSURE Advertise with us! Post your charter brochure. • Find information on travel destinations, boatyards, flower shops, gourmet stores and more all in one place! www.worldofyachting.com 1126 S. Federal Highway, P. O. Box 230 Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316 Toll Free: 877-98World (877-989-6753) Ph/Fax: 954-522-8742
John A. Terrill Mobile
REALTOR
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E-Mail John@intercoastalrealty.com
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1500 East Las Olas Boulevard ~ Fort Lauderdale ~ Florida ~ 33301
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Company
A1A Chem Dry Advanced Marine Services Advanced Mechanical Enterprises Alexseal Yacht Coatings Antibes Yachtwear Argonautica Yacht Interiors ARW Maritime Bay Ship and Yacht Company Bellingham Marine Bennett Brothers Bertling Logistics BOW/Worldwide Yacht Supply The Business Point Bradford Marine: The Shipyard Group Broward Marine Briny Riverfront Irish Bar and Restaurant Brownie’s Business cards/Classifieds BWA Yachting C-Worthy Cable Marine C&N Yacht Refinishing Camper & Nicholsons Int’l Cape Ann Towing Claire’s Outfitters Constitution Marina Crewfinders Crew 4 Yachts The Crew Network Crew Unlmited Crown Wine and Spirits
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B7 B7 C14 A30 A29 A27 C13 B11 C4 A18 B8 A32 C12 B16 C7 A4 A29 C19-23 A22 C13 B10 A2 B8 A13 A26 C11 C13 A26 A19 C10 B6
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Dennis Conner’s North Cove Marina Divers Discount Florida Dockwise Yacht Transport Dohle Yacht Crew Dupont Marine Finishes Edd Helms Marine Elite Carpet WorkRoom Elite Crew International Evolve Watersports FenderHooks Finish Masters Global Marine Travel Global Satellite Global Yacht Fuel Globe Wireless Gran Peninsula Yacht Center HeadHunter Hill Robinson International Hot Yachtz Interlux (Waterfront Challenge) International Registries IslaMoin Resort, Residences & Marina James Schot Gallery & Photo Studio Kemplon Marine KVH Industries Laffing Matterz Lauderdale Diver Lauderdale Propeller Law Offices of Cohn & Monioudis Lifeline Inflatable Services Luxury Yacht Group
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A10 B12 B5,B13 B2 C5 A20 A18 C16 C11 A4 A5 A7 C9 B22 B4 B7 B14 C14 A12 B21 A17 B15 C17 A10 A15 B18 A13 C6 A8 B22 A23
Company
Mail Boxes Etc. MarinersAlert.com Marine Max Maritime Professional Training Matthew’s Marine A/C Merrill-Stevens Yachts MHG Marine Benefits Moore & Company Mr. Fish Seafood The Marina at Brown & Howard The Mrs. G Team Nantucket Boat Basin Nautical Structures Neptune Group Newport Shipyard Newport Yachting Center Northern Lights Northrop and Johnson Ocean Medical International Palladium Technologies Perry Law Firm Peterson Fuel Delivery Pioneer Linens Praktek Premier Marine Services Quiksigns Radio Holland Redline Marine Servicing Renaissance Marina Resolve Fire & Hazard Response Rio Vista Flowers
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C17 A13 A25 C24 A10 A27 B24 A30 B18 B2 C12 C3 A6 A11 A16 A14 B14 C9 A28 B23 A25 A11 B19 A21 B14 C17 C15 B9, B11 B11 C8 C16
River Supply River Services Rossmare International Bunkering Royal Plantation Island RPM Diesel Engine Co. Sailorman Sea School Seafarer Marine Secure Chain & Anchor Seven Corners Servowatch Shadow Marine Shelter Bay Marina Smart Move Spurs Marine Steel Marine Towing SunPro Marine Super Yacht Support Tess Electrical Sales & Service TowBoatUS The Sails Marina Tradewinds Radio Turtle Cove Marina Vertical Yacht Club Marina Mile West Marine Westrec Marinas West Palm Beach Crew House Wright Maritime Group Yacht Club Port de Plaisance Yacht Entertainment Systems Yacht Services of Alaska
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C7 A11 A28 A8, C10 A2 A11 A19 C8 C16 A25 B3 C12 A8 A20 C2 A22 B8 C8 A10 A5 B22 C6 B23 A12 A14 A28 A9 A3 C16 C14
M P T Celebrates 25 Years We Went to MPT! “this medical care at sea course has had a tremendous impact on my life. i was actually able to assist in saving a crew member’s life because of this course.” “the instructor for this course, Bernie, was exceptional. He truly cares that we learn the information and how to apply it to our jobs.” “i think this was the best course i have ever had!” “everyone should take this course. at least two members from every yacht should participate. this was a fantastic experience.” “going to a real hospital with real patients was an incredible asset in this course. i think that MPt is the only school that offers this level of realism in a marine medical course. i am truly impressed and inspired.”
Where You Go To School Does Matter! MPT is the ONLY school in the USA offering ALL MCA Yacht & USCG Licensing Courses. MPT is the largest private maritime school in the country. MPT is equipped with a multi-million dollar S.M.A.R.T. simulation center. MPT offers FREE Career Counseling. MPT is approved for Veterans Training & Sallie Mae Financial Aid. MPT has been selected by many yachts, marine corporations, government agencies & thousands of mariners as their favorite school & exclusive training provider. MPT is still the best choice for knowledgeable, friendly career guidance, license training and certification!
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Free 84-page full color Career Reference Manual & Course Catalog or visit our web site to download a copy.
Thank You For 25 Years!
MaritiMe ProFessional training 1915 s. anDreWs aVe., Fort laUDerDale, Fl 33316 +1.954.525.1014 • www.MPtusa.com • info@MPtusa.com