ECDIS onboard Crew are seeing the integrated technology
Bird’s-eye view Photographer captures yachts Vol.7, No.11
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B1
Designer dies Award winning industry leader respected
www.the-triton.com
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February 2011
Yachts robbed in St. Maarten’s Simpson Bay ‘The yacht was being watched. No servicemen or dayworkers had been onboard. They were professionals.’ By Lucy Chabot Reed Several yachts docked at marinas in St. Maarten’s Simpson Bay have been burgled this winter, boarded at night and cleaned of crew members’ laptops, iPods, and other electronic equipment. One captain, frustrated that neither the police nor marinas were alerting yacht captains and crew to be cautious, posted the video surveillance footage from the robbery on his boat Jan. 12 on YouTube. “The key [to the aft doors] was taken from an external locker hidden from plain sight and only the crew know where it is,” said this captain, who asked that he and the yacht not be identified to keep negative press off the popular charter vessel. “The yacht was being watched. No servicemen or dayworkers had been onboard. They were professionals.” This yacht, which is larger than 100 feet, was docked at a marina. Crew are on watch until 11 p.m., after which time the blinds go down, the doors are locked and the crew go to bed, the captain said. “You can’t, on a 100-foot boat, run a 24-hour watch with five crew,” he said. “It’s impossible.” He didn’t think he needed to. The marina was said to have security detail. But no one was seen in the moments
The security video from a yacht has been posted on the Internet and purports to show one of the alleged thieves STILL IMAGE TAKEN FROM YOUTUBE.COM climbing onto the swim platform and onto the yacht. after the burglary. At about 4 a.m. on the morning of Jan. 12, someone swam up to the stern of the boat, climbed aboard the swim platform, up the aft steps and helped himself to the key in the locker.
Dripping water on the carpet runners, he went to the galley and took the electronics, then left. The chef was awake and heard noises, but was afraid to confront the robber, the captain said. The mate was
The top three traits of the perfect owner If yacht captains could choose their bosses, they would pick yacht owners who trust them, respect their skills, and are willing to listen and participate. “Trust is at the top of the list,” a captain said at this month’s From the Bridge luncheon in Ft. Lauderdale. “He trusts me to From the Bridge manage his boat,” Dorie Cox another captain said. “Really, he trusts me to manage his money.” As usual, individual comments are
not attributed to any one person in particular so as to encourage frank and open discussion. The attending captains are identified in a photograph on page A15. “I make the decisions because he doesn’t have time to hear about cutlass bearings,” a captain said. “He’s very smart in his business world, but he doesn’t know boating.” “Mine knows how to boat, but he hired me for a reason,” another captain said. “He trusts me and gives me the authority.” Most captains agreed that without trust, captains can find themselves, like one captain did, where he was
called in to work while the regular captain was working. “The owner didn’t trust his captain,” this captain said. Several captains in attendance had worked for more than a decade with one owner, but they’ve all had many bosses and agreed on attributes that make a good employer. “I think respect is big,” a captain said. “It’s important for the owner to respect the captain for the knowledge he brings.” “Yes, we’re an asset, not a liability,” another captain said.
See BRIDGE, page B14
awoken by noises on the aft deck and went to investigate. When he saw the fly bridge door had been breached, he ran off the yacht into the marina’s
See BURGLARY, page A16
TRITON SURVEY
Does your vessel provide uniforms to new crew on arrival? Yes: shirts only – 19.1% Yes: full uniform, gently used – 29.0%
Yes: full uniform, brand new – 46.9%
No, we don’t have uniforms – 3.1% No, they must buy their own – 1.9% – Story, C1