Seek out
Discover Elba, so close but so far away. B1
Charter shows Antigua, SXM split grows; crew still shine. A6,10-11 Vol.6, No. 10
www.the-triton.com
Go within
Tips to survive yachting’s 24/7 lifestyle.
C1
January 2010
Merrill-Stevens lays off its employees By Lucy Chabot Reed Merrill-Stevens, the 124-year-old shipyard on the Miami River, laid off its remaining employees Dec. 18, leaving the shipyard vacant and a megayacht industry shaking its collective head. “It’s such a shame,” said a former employee who asked not to be identified. “It was the oldest
corporation in Florida. The old MerrillStevens went through the Great Depression, recessions, you name it. They made it through. Then in fourand-a-half years, they destroy the company.” This employee was referring to the Westbrook family. Hugh Westbrook bought the yard in 2004 after making a fortune in the healthcare industry.
He and his wife were yacht owners and customers of the yard. No one from the yard would talk on the record about the last few days, referring on-the-record questions to Hugh Westbrook’s son, Matthew Westbrook. Phone calls to the yard were not answered and an e-mail message was not returned. “When the Westbrooks came in,
By Dorie Cox
Capt. Kostas Andreou signals touch down on the deck of M/Y Allure Shadow. PHOTO/DORIE COX the yacht’s deck by lowering his arms. After the chopper touches down and discharges static, deck hands standing at the ready run to each side and stand on the skids to hold the chopper down. Other crew snap the bird in place.
Seeing a helicopter land on a yacht used to be rare, but now helicopter decks are being built on most every new yacht than can handle them. “I would say there are about 70
See HELICOPTER, page A16
TRITON SURVEY – Would you want to work a rotation? Yes, it would be my first choice – 30.3%
See Merrill-Stevens, page A13
Captains hiring rely on network, word of mouth
Helicopter training for crew up in air Capt. Kostas Andreou stands on the helideck of M/Y Allure Shadow with his arms outstretched. Because each movement he makes is a signal to the helicopter pilot, he’s careful not to reach to his belt to switch between his aviation and marine radios. Instead, he’s got a switch wired on his finger. When a yacht is under way, the captain steers into the wind to make it easier for the helicopter to land, but on this day, M/Y Allure Shadow is at the dock. With conditions perfect, he signals that it’s OK to land. Andreou stands near the encircled H, looking up to the pilot, who flashes his lights to signal his intentions. Andreou uses his arms and orange wands to signal the all clear. When the chopper is about four feet above the deck, Andreou drops to a knee and reflects the diminishing clearance to
everyone saw them as the knight in shining armor,” said a captain and former customer who asked not to be identified. “They were bringing a lot of needed money to the yard. “But unfortunately, rather than improving the core business, the shipyard, he put his money into
Yes, but only in the right program – 55.5%
Yes, but only if I couldn’t find a fulltime position – 7.7% No, don’t want to share my salary – 4.5% No, wouldn’t trust someone else to do my job right – 1.9% – Story, C1
It’s difficult not to think about jobs and job searches when the Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show is in town. So when it was over – and before everyone left town again – we asked 10 captains gathered for our monthly luncheon how they go about hiring. We weren’t From the Bridge surprised to Lucy Chabot Reed discover that these captains (all of whom happened to be women) rely mostly on their network of personal and professional friends. “I just hired new crew and I made lots of phone calls,” one captain said. “I called people who worked for me in the past and asked, Do you know anybody? … Before too long, I got a call. Someone had told someone who had told someone. It was word of mouth.” “I trust word of mouth,” another captain said, “because she [another captain in the room] wouldn’t send me someone she wouldn’t use herself.” As always, individual comments made during our luncheon 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 A14. “I’ve got a group of people I turn to when I need to,” a captain said.
See BRIDGE, page A14