Around The Rock Check out Gibraltar.
Another way out St. Martin’s bridge.
A5 Vol.6, No. 6
www.the-triton.com
Capt. Walter Richardson and his family freedive for dinner. In bathing suits they don masks, fins and snorkels, hold their breath and descend deep into Biscayne Bay to pursue lobsters. Count the entire Richardson household as avid freedivers and part of a growing sport that has attracted the interest of yachties in South Florida and beyond. Freediving is simply holding your breath and diving under water. It
requires no special equipment in the way scuba diving does and it allows access to the underwater world in a way that amazes newcomers. “It’s quiet, with no bubbles, and after a certain depth, you just start to freefall,” said Richardson, who prefers to dive around 50 feet holding his breath for about 2 minutes. His oldest sons descend to 100 feet for up to four minutes. Freediving is often associated with the competitive sport, which
Deckhand Robert Richardson of M/Y Blackhawk began diving with See FREEDIVING, page A15 his family. PHOTO/WALTER RICHARDSON
S/Y Legacy, being fitted for the long term, has under-the-stars accommodations.
PHOTO/CAPT. TOM SERIO
Fitting her out for the long term S/Y Legacy remains anchored in Key West Harbor but things are changing in and around her. Shipwrecked on the shallow flats from Hurricane Wilma in 2005, Legacy has remained on the hook since being freed in early 2008. Owner Peter Halmos has been busy consolidating his on-water presence, first by dismantling Aqua Village, his home for almost four
years, and moving onto Legacy. Aqua Village started as a series of houseboats and barges rafted near Legacy to oversee her recovery and keep an eagle-eye on his prized possession. While several storms during recent hurricane seasons forced Halmos to downsize the village from eight houseboats to three, he has now shut it down all together and removed all houseboats. With his 46-foot Merritt sportfish
Yachts in Palma wait. A12
No pay cuts, but no bonuses, either
Onboard Legacy, life moves on
By Capt. Tom Serio
Bombings close port
September 2009
Yachties hold their breath for dinner, work, tips, fun By Dorie Cox
B16
Mongoose tied up port side and some floating work docks along the starboard side, Halmos has established Camp Legacy, complete with a few tents adorning the forward deck “for sleeping under the stars,” Halmos said. He spends his time between vessels while he fits out Legacy for the long term. Two new watermakers are being installed,
See LEGACY, page A14
Faced with financial demands on all sides, wise yacht owners know better than to nickel and dime captain and crew salaries if they want to maintain their investment, captains on both sides of the Atlantic said last month. While captains have not taken pay cuts – nor would they, as a rule – they did note that raises and bonuses have been From the Bridge put on hold, hopefully for Lucy Chabot Reed better times. and Mike Price “We did not get our raises or bonuses this year, which come every summer,” one captain said. “It was the first time. The boss has a huge company and no one is getting raises, so it looks bad to give them to the yacht crew.” “That’s the reason boats are mothballed, not for need, but for appearance,” another captain said. “I can more than well afford to use my boat, but let’s not make it look like that.” As always, individual comments are not attributed to any one person in particular so as to encourage frank and open discussion. The attending captains are identified in photographs on page A20. With recent talk about salaries coming down for positions once believed in short supply (such as American stews), we were curious to see if that was true for captains’ salaries. None of the working captains gathered for this month’s lunch in Ft. Lauderdale and Antibes have taken pay cuts, but at least one had been laid off in a costsaving effort and several others were having trouble finding full-time work. “In general, I think salaries are down,” said one captain looking for work in Ft. Lauderdale.
See BRIDGE, page A20
TRITON SURVEY
Are you planning to take the yacht to a shipyard this fall? Story, C1 Skipping yard – 16.8% Heading to yard shortly – 33.6% Already in yard – 20.2% Doing maintenance (not in yard) – 29.4%