A legacy of hard work and heartfelt service Former co-owner and founding editor Lucy Chabot Reed recalls some of the triumphs and tribulations that went into making The Triton a trusted source of news and networking for the yachting community. By Lucy Chabot Reed
Photo courtesy Lucy Reed
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Former owners and founders of The Triton, David and Lucy Reed
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TRITON NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021
ooking back on 17 years of The Triton, the first things that come to mind are the bad stories: the captain who lost his job after I printed something he said; the tongue-lashing I received (several, in fact) after my stories let captains question things the industry didn’t want questioned; the beating we took from Show Management when Hurricane Wilma nearly wiped the 2005 Fort Lauderdale boat show off the map. The funny thing is, each of those situations — yes, even the one where that captain got fired — had a positive outcome. So even though there were tough days and tough deadlines, the body of work we original “Tritions” leave behind in the archives represents the most rewarding journalism I have done. Yup, even the “bad” stuff. I met that soon-to-be-fired captain in Newport in the early days. I was conducting my daily survey during the boat show and asked “What was your best day in yachting?” He joked, “This one was pretty good. The boss just left.” We both chuckled and I went on my way. It was a cute comment, taken at the end of a long trip as the captain obviously looked forward to a little down time. I printed it; the boss saw it and let the captain go. The next time I saw this captain, about a year or so later on a different boat, he told me the story. He landed on his feet and could laugh with me about it. But I learned a lesson: Protect captains and crew from themselves. Assume the boss will somehow see what they say and make sure we print nothing that can get them in trouble. I would be told many “funny” things over the years; they rarely made print again. For our third issue, I sat down at Lester’s Diner with a captain and a yacht owner to talk about a scary and troubling turn of events they had had with a towing company and salvage claim. I told their story — their side of the story, I
