Reversal The Sails Hotel and Marina gets approval in Fort Lauderdale. A4
Great glass
It’ll be scratchfree again. B1 Vol. 5, No. 5
www.the-triton.com
Pilotage State-by-state details. A10 August 2008
SURVEY: PLANNED MAINTENANCE SYSTEMS
Solutions range from Sharpies to computer programs By Kelly Cramer and Lucy Chabot Reed Maintaining a yacht can be a dirty job. While many owners and guests see the washing and shammy jobs, the invisible efforts of captains, mates and engineers to keep doors greased, rooms cool and engines humming requires constant attention. Despite the complexities of maintenance required on just about
Another rescue by Corcoran and crew By Lucy Chabot Reed Capt. Robert Corcoran and his crew, this time on the 254-foot M/Y Samar, have performed another rescue at sea. “Mid-morning, the crew spotted a small boat thought to be a fisherman, until he started to frantically signal for assistance,” Capt. Corcoran wrote in late June. “This time, it was a lone person in a small inflatable about 13 miles off the southeast coast of Nisos Kithira in the Aegean Sea. A Palestinian native, or so he claimed, had been illegally in Italy and set out in a 2m inflatable. We came upon him in calm seas and bright skies, claiming to have been adrift for four days.” This is the second time in a little over a year that Corcoran and his crew rescued a life at sea. Last spring, three days into the trip from St. Thomas to Miami on the 153-foot charter yacht Argyll, thenBosun Christopher Burton spotted a 36-foot boat filled with Cuban refugees waving them down. They had been adrift for three days with no food, water or engine power. The crew won the
every part of a floating city, the system to keep track of it can be as simple as blue tape and a Sharpie. “The system of writing on the filter and every other system written right onto the piece of equipment can’t be mistaken,” said the captain on a yacht smaller than 80 feet. “It’s crude, but works.” More often than not, the captains and engineers who took this month’s Triton survey say their approach to
keeping track of onboard maintenance is similar to their philosophy behind making repairs in the first place – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. “I would possibly benefit from a computer-generated system,” said the captain of a boat smaller than 80 feet, “but I have used the legal pad for so long I am used to it and it works.” Of the 88 captains and engineers who answered the survey, 75 of them (85 percent) reported having a system
to keep track of planned maintenance. Of those, 57 (or 76 percent) came up with it on their own. “I keep a log book with a separate chapter for every main piece of equipment on board the vessel,” said the engineer on a 140- to 160foot megayacht (vessel lengths were surveyed in ranges). “In the logs are the hours or date of when or whatever
See SURVEY, page A16
Job rotations: Good idea but hard to pull off One of the ways to mitigate crew turnover is to offer sufficient time off. Too often, though, that’s easier said – or even promised – than done. Job rotations and relief work have been suggested as a way to offer time off to fulltime crew, but few boats actually do From the Bridge it. We wondered Lucy Chabot Reed why, so we asked the captains at this Some of the 26-member crew aboard M/Y Samar, from left: Deckhands month’s roundtable discussion if they Jonesy, Brad and Jamil, bosun Ryan Davies, and deckhand Mark. thought job rotations were a good idea. In theory, the captains agreed that PHOTO COURTESY OF BOSUN RYAN DAVIES job rotations are a fine idea. Actually Distinguished Crew award from the meager belongings and took a large making them work, however, was a International Superyacht Society last knife from him.” different thing. winter for the rescue. He was kept in the tender garage “It is a good idea, but in my This time, in the Aegean Sea, it under watch and given food, water, a experience, what happens is greed sets was one person, but in dire need yacht T-shirt and cap. Upon arrival at in and [messes] it up for everybody,” a just the same. Samar contacted the Kapislion port, was taken to the area captain said. “The captain who comes Greek authorities, who requested the hospital for treatment and evaluation. in is usually the problem. He tells the megayacht take the person and his After about an hour of dealing with owner, ‘I can run it for less.’ It ends up small boat aboard and deliver them the Greek officials – “all of whom were being a nightmare.” to the authorities in Kapislion, Nisos most accommodating,” he said – the As always, individual comments Kithira, Greece. crew of Samar were allowed to proceed. are not attributed to any one person “The crew were all exemplary in “Luckily we had Arabic-speaking in particular so as to encourage frank crew aboard to translate,” Corcoran their duties and it clearly shows how and open discussion. The attending said. “How this person came from Italy emergency drills pay off,” Corcoran captains are identified in a photograph is not clear, as it was several hundred said. “I am proud to have them with on page A20. miles away.” me on this vessel and a member of my “It’s one of those things that could The crew launched the rescue tender team.” work but in reality it doesn’t,” a captain and approached slowly, Corcoran said. said. “In theory, it’s an amazing idea.” “There’s not anywhere to hide Lucy Chabot Reed is editor of The anything on a very small inflatable Triton. Comments on this story are See BRIDGE, page A20 boat,” he noted. “We did search his welcome at lucy@the-triton.com.