June 2016 The-Triton.com
“They ripped the top of their Igloo cooler off and used it as a paddle to get back into 100-foot depth.” – Capt. Douglas Meier See page 24
/tritonnews | www.The-Triton.com | June 2016 FT. LAUDERDALE: DEEPENING THE INTRACOASTAL WATERWAY
Emergency towing procedures should be vessel-specific Rules of the Road Capt. Jake DesVergers
Captains and crew will be sharing the Intracoastal Waterway in Ft. Lauderdale with Cashman Dredging as a PHOTO/SUZETTE COOK $17 million deepening project increases the depth from 10 to 15 feet.
Year of dredging the ICW underway By Suzette Cook Superyacht crew, dinghy drivers, paddleboarders, water taxi operators, residents and tourists traversing and living along the 2-mile stretch of the Intracoastal Waterway in Ft. Lauderdale have been taking photographs, waving and keeping track of the 165-foot Liebherr dredger that crawls like a crab. Since May 2 it has been at work between the 17th Street Causeway and Las Olas bridges, but the rhyme and reason of where the dredge backhoe Captain A.J. Fournier will hunker down next still has folks guessing.
One yacht captain at the Lauderdale Yacht Club, who was observing the operation, lowered his binoculars and said he tried to calculate where the rig would pop up next but couldn’t figure out a pattern. Mark Crosley, executive director of the Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND), said that while they are a month into the project that will increase the depth of the waterway to 15 feet, the entire dredge will take about a year to complete. The initial stage is a chance for the staff and crew operating the excavator to get acquainted with
See DREDGE, page 32
Security issues diverse; prevention is the best course From a personal bodyguard for a yacht owner to a photo-seeker trespassing on board, yacht captains deal with an array of security issues. The level of complexity varies by yacht size and type, classification, travel location, flag state and more. “It’s a very big subject,” a captain said. “It depends...is it the guy in the row boat in St. Maarten that came onboard the yacht? Is it the charter guests getting mugged, a stew getting
From the Bridge Dorie Cox
raped or a vessel getting a painting stolen?” Security is often a topic in international news, so we invited captains to The Triton monthly From the Bridge luncheon to discuss how it affects the yachting industry.
Individual comments are not attributed to any particular person in order to encourage frank and open discussion. The attending captains are identified in an accompanying photograph. The conversation began with security incidents that have made the news over the years. They talked about the death of Australian yacht captain,
See BRIDGE, page 44
Several years ago, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) introduced an amendment to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) regarding emergency towing arrangements. The original legislation required tankers of 20,000 tons deadweight and greater to be fitted with emergency towing arrangements at each end of the ship. MSC.256 (84) revised SOLAS Chapter II-1/3-4 by expanding the requirement for documented procedures to all ships of 500 gross tons and greater. In short, ships and yachts “shall be provided with vessel-specific emergency towing procedures. Such procedures shall be carried aboard the yacht for use in emergency situations and shall be based on existing arrangements and equipment available on board the yacht.” For regulatory purposes, commercial yachts are considered cargo ships. The deadline for compliance with the emergency towing procedures began a phase-in period on Jan. 1, 2010. Since that date, all passenger ships in operation and new passenger and cargo ships delivered after that date must have emergency towing procedures in place. For cargo ships built before Jan. 1, 2010,
See TOWING, page 22
Triton Survey When hiring, do you look for a college degree?
See page 28
No 70%
Yes 30%
Navigating The Triton
June 2016 The-Triton.com
What’s Inside Columnists Career
‘Below Deck’ Med crew hang out in Ft. Lauderdale. 6-7
News 1 From the Bridge 28 Triton Survey 32 Fuel prices 24,40,41,42 News 52 Boat Briefs
8 Owner’s View 9 Taking the Helm 10 Crew Coach 11 On Course
Operations 12 Engineer’s Angle 13 Diesel Digest 15 Rules of the Road
Interior
14 Culinary Waves 17 Stew Cues 18 Top Shelf 19 Crew’s Mess
Cooking up connections networking events. 6-7
at
Events 4-5 Calendar 6-7 Networking photos 37 Networking QA
Advertisers 50 Business Cards 53 Display Advertisers
Morning workout on deck. 15 Saying goodbye to yacht broker David Lacz. 50
Write to Be Heard 48 Publisher’s note 49 Letters to the Editor
Crew Health
15 Ship Shape 16 Take It In 20 Sea Sick 21 The Yachtie Glow 23 Feeling Good Editor Suzette Cook, suzette@the-triton.com
Associate Editor Dorie Cox, dorie@the-triton.com Publisher Lucy Chabot Reed, lucy@the-triton.com Advertising Sales Catalina Bujor, cat@the-triton.com Production Manager Patty Weinert, patty@the-triton.com The Triton Directory Catalina Bujor, cat@the-triton.com
Contributors Carol Bareuther, Capt. Jake DesVergers, Paul Ferdais, Capt. Rob Gannon, Chef Mark Godbeer, Peter Herm, Chef Mary Beth Lawton Johnson, Chief Stew Alene Keenan, Brian Luke, Dr Barak Meraz , Melissa McMahon, Rich Merhige, Keith Murray
Encounter with mighty Komodo dragons. 38
Where in the World 38 Komodo Park 48 Crew Eye Chief Stew Angela Orecchio, Capt. John Wampler, Capt. Jeff Werner
Vol. 13, No. 3
The Triton is a free, monthly newspaper owned by Triton Publishing Group Inc. Copyright 2016 Triton Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
Contact us at: Mailing address: 757 S.E. 17th St., #1119 Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316 Visit us at: 1043 S.E. 17th St., Suite 201 Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316 (954) 525-0029; FAX (954) 525-9676 www.the-triton.com
Calendar
The-Triton.com June 2016
Upcoming Events EVENTS OF THE MONTH
June 1 The Triton’s monthly
networking event with Taylor Lane Yacht and Ship (first Wednesday of every month from 6-8 p.m.) in Dania Beach, Florida. Join us for casual networking. www.the-triton.com
Dedicated to yacht charter professionals, agents, owners, brokers and captains showcasing yachts up to 225 feet. Crew competitions include best charter yacht chef event, tablescaping contest, food and beverage challenges and seminars. www.newportchartershow.com
June 10-12 162nd New York Yacht
- Trophée Panerai. Runs at Port Vauban. www.voilesdantibes.com
Club Annual Regatta presented by Rolex, the longest-running regatta in America. nyyc.org
June 2 The Triton Bridge luncheon,
June 11 IGY Community Outreach
June 1-5 21st Les Voiles d’Antibes
June 21-24 Newport Charter Yacht Show Newport, RI.
celebrate and learn about the world ocean, our connection to it and to raise awareness about the role of the ocean in our lives and the ways people can protect it. worldoceansday.org
noon, Ft. Lauderdale. A roundtable discussion of the issues of the day. Active captains only, RSVP to Associate Editor Dorie Cox at dorie@the-triton. com or 954-525-0029. Space is limited.
June 4 15th annual Women’s Sailing
Conference, Marblehead, Mass. The National Women’s Sailing Association’s event sponsored by BoatUS is tailored for women to learn or enhance their skills in recreational sailing. www. womensailing.org
June 8 World Ocean Day. Hundreds
of communities around the globe will
Project, “Inspire Giving through You”. Yacht owners, captains and crews will give back to local communities in Charleston, SC, Newport, NJ, Manhattan and Hampton, NY, St. Petersburg and Ft. Lauderdale in Florida. www.igymarinas.com
June 15 No Triton networking for the third Wednesday of the month during the summer. Stay tuned to www.the-triton.com for future events.
June 15-19 23rd annual Solar Splash competition, Dayton, Ohio. Student competition includes 300m sprint,
two-hour endurance and slalom events. solarsplash.com
June 16-19 12th annual San Diego
Yacht and Boat Show. San Diego’s largest in-water and outdoor boat show. This year includes an expanded selection of superyachts more than 80 feet, in partnership with the U.S. and San Diego Superyacht Association. www.sandiegoyachtandboatshow.com
June 17 50th Newport Bermuda Race. 635-mile ocean from Newport, RI to Bermuda. bermudarace.com
June 17-20 56th annual Melbourne Boat Show, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre. biavic.com.au/melbourneboatshow
June 18 3rd annual Marine Industry
Day. A showcase for Broward County, Florida’s marine industry hosted by Marine Industries Association of South Florida (MIASF) to promote the industry. The event will be held
Calendar
June 2016 The-Triton.com
Upcoming Events MAKING PLANS Aug. 5-21 31st Summer Olympics Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
International event for major summer sports. For details on events in Rio de Janeiro visit www.rio2016.com and for information on the Olympics visit www.olympic.org. at Esplanade Park in downtown Ft. Lauderdale. www.miasf.org
June 18 35th Annual Great Chowder
Cook-off, Newport Yachting Center, Newport, R.I. Enjoy samples of chowders from across the country and vote for the best in three categories: clam, seafood and creative. www.newportwaterfrontevents.com
June 21-23 Electric & Hybrid Marine
World Expo, Amsterdam. Showcase for electric and hybrid marine propulsion technologies, components and solutions. Joined by the Autonomous Ship Technology Symposium. www. electricandhybridmarineworldexpo. com and autonomousshipsymposium. com.
June 21-23 Marine Maintenance
World Expo, Amsterdam. Showcase for marine maintenance technologies, tools, spare parts, services and suppliers. www. marinemaintenanceworldexpo.com
June 22-25 Superyacht Cup, Palma de Mallorca, Spain. The longest running superyacht regatta in Europe. Yachts range from 24 to more than 50m. www.thesuperyachtcup.com
June 27-July 10 Wimbledon, London. Start of one of the four grand slam tennis tournaments. www.wimbledon.org
June 28-30 Superyacht Design week,
London. To feature speakers, seminars and conferences, products and debates on the industry of design. www.superyachtdesign.com
July 6 The Triton’s monthly networking event (first Wednesday of every month from 6-8 p.m.). Join us for casual
networking. www.the-triton.com
July 6-15 3rd biennial European
International Submarine Race (eISR), Gosport, England. Unique sporting and engineering challenge for teams of university students who race their human-powered submarines in a slalom course. www.subrace.eu
July 7 The Triton Bridge luncheon,
noon, Ft. Lauderdale. A roundtable discussion of the issues of the day. Active captains only. RSVP to Associate Editor Dorie Cox at dorie@the-triton. com or 954-525-0029. Space is limited.
July 7-9 26th Superyacht Rendezvous Montenegro, Porto Montenegro. Social events previously held in Monaco for sailing and motoryachts held in the UNESCO Bay of Kotor. superyachtrendezvous.com
July 9 IYRS Summer Gala, Newport,
R.I. Annual event at IYRS, an experiential school with a core education model dedicated to teaching technical and craft-oriented career skills. Iyrs.org
July 11 Pacific Cup. Billed as the
“fun race to Hawaii,” the course runs from San Francisco to Hawaii. www. pacificcup.org
July 20 No Triton networking for the
third Wednesday of the month during summer. Stay tuned to www.the-triton. com for future events
July 23-24 Aquapalooza The largest
on-the-water concert event in America takes place on Lake St. Clair, Michigan with more than 7,000 boats in attendance. www.colonymarineaquapalooza.com
Aug. 3 The Triton’s monthly
networking event (first Wednesday of every month from 6-8 p.m.). Join us for casual networking. www.the-triton.com
Aug. 4 The Triton Bridge luncheon,
noon, Ft. Lauderdale. RSVP to Associate Editor Dorie Cox at dorie@ the-triton.com or 954-525-0029. Space is limited.
Aug.12-14 Ladies, Let’s Go Fishing! Saltwater Seminar, St. Augustine, Florida.1-888-321-LLGF (5543), www.ladiesletsgofishing.com.
Triton Networking
The-Triton.com June 2016
Triton Networking with V-Kool
T
he megayacht industry pinched heads with a taste of Louisiana fresh-cooked crayfish at The Triton’s monthly event hosted by V-Kool of Florida. Captains, crew and industry professionals gathered in Ft. Lauderdale on the first week of PHOTOS/DORIE COX May to network.
Triton Networking
June 2016 The-Triton.com
Triton Networking with ISS GMT
A
bout 150 captains, crew and industry professionals braved rains to network with The Triton and marine travel specialists ISSGMT in Ft. Lauderdale on the third Wednesday in May. Hamburgers and hot dogs were on the grill, cold beverages were served and a lot of business cards were PHOTOS/DORIE COX exchanged.
Career
The-Triton.com June 2016
Foster relationships for mutual trust during customization Owner’s View Peter Herm
Just as in all relationships, trust between owners and crew takes time and effort to develop. But once a mutually trusting relationship has been created, its value in boating is priceless. The bedrock of all trusting relationships is communication, honesty and the setting of proper expectations. This is fairly easy to define in crew/ owner relations though sometimes difficult to execute given the distances, communication challenges and unforeseen surprises inherent in the big boating lifestyle. Our current boat is in the Med and we are in the U.S. most of the time. We are blessed with a great crew that came with the boat. As in any new toy, an owner’s instinct is to tinker with it; add new toys, change décor, and make changes to customize the boat to their usage goals and taste (or lack thereof). Even if the previous owner perceived
the boat as near perfect, a new owner by definition usually has their own ideas of perfection which differ from the last. When executing these typical “improvements” from afar (in our case about 4000 nm) it is critical to have a captain and crew you can trust. After using the new toy in the Med last summer and fall (the best time of year there) we came up with a list of improvements we wanted to make to the boat. While my tendency to micromanage would have put me in the yard with the boat weekly, it was not possible given the distance. I had to suck it up and trust the crew to implement our “vision” of enhancements to the boat. Whereas on previous boats I would have been all over it with a tape measure trying to mount artwork and fitting new galley appliances, this was not an option this time. I had to trust the captain and crew to source the products and contractors in funny languages and complete projects based upon their instincts and not mine. Our job was to send money. Gulp. Part of the reason for the success of
our winter refit is probably because the crew had earned my trust and respect in part by saying ‘no’ to a lot of requests. As you will read in a previous column, there is a proper way for a crew to say ‘no’ to an owner. But it turns out a ‘no’ can be a real trust builder. Just a few of many examples: I wanted a night generator. “No, we don’t need it and the payback will take forever.” I wanted a new, fancy radar. “No, we don’t need it, the ones we have work fine.” I wanted a bigger tender. “No, you really are not gaining anything the way you use the boat.” In each case, the captain was saving me money and brain damage by saying ‘no’ and thus gaining my trust. What captain doesn’t want the latest toys if the owner is buying? Another way of creating trust is by delivering on promises. This is most easily accomplished by setting the proper expectations up front. I wanted to redo the main salon headliner over the winter. Because part of my goal was to gain some headroom by redoing the overhead ceiling structure, this would be a fairly time consuming project. The
captain suggested that we would not have the time to do it correctly this winter if all of the other projects on the list were to be completed properly. And certainly a new bar/grill takes precedence over silly headliners. He basically gave me a choice and allowed me to set my own expectations; spend a fortune on an expensive outside contractor for the headliner, or wait until the winter to do it more cost effectively with his supervision. This is smart captain management of an owner’s expectations. I am not on the boat yet, but I think our winter refit project came out great. This is based solely upon the bills and pictures. But if it is in person as it looks in the pictures, we owe it all to the trust we place in our crew. Watch this space for the actual results next month. Bow west and high tide only. Peter Herm is the pen name for a veteran yacht owner who is an entrepreneur based on the East Coast of the U.S. Contact him by emailing editorial@thetriton.com
Career
June 2016 The-Triton.com
Technical skills don’t automatically make you great leader Taking the Helm Paul Ferdais
The higher a leader goes in an organization, commonly their technical skills are called upon less and less, while their interpersonal skills become more important. For example, a captain doesn’t necessarily do all or even any of the chart corrections, they may have people who help them do this task. The same with a chief engineer who delegates work to other members on his team. These leaders need to be able to communicate clearly and interact effectively to get the most out of the people helping them. Because the change in focus goes from hard skills to more soft skills, successful leaders recognize that technical skills alone do not translate into being a good leader. Leadership workshop participants often ask me what the most important thing is for them to learn. My answer is – pay attention to how you behave with others. It’s not always about learning something new, but rather to change or
stop something in their behavior that may impact others negatively. For leaders who genuinely want to excel in their roles, personal and professional development is important. And a good place to start is with a coach. A leader, no matter their skill level, can benefit from outside input. A good coach will lay out their process and outcomes. This will include feedback from direct reports about the leader’s behavior, which can help identify areas in need of improvement. For example, perhaps the first officer doesn’t seem like she’s listening when crew speak, but doesn’t realize it, so the crew feel that they aren’t being heard. By having a coach meet with the crew to assess their perceptions, issues can be identified. Based on the feedback received about the leader’s behavior, a coach can now pinpoint what the actual problem is, not what the leader thinks the problem is. This is critical to understand. It’s what a leader doesn’t know that gets them into trouble. A coach can help identify areas for improvement that may not even occur
to the leader. The next step requires that the leader accept the feedback in the spirit it’s given. If they become defensive, or make excuses and ignore what the coach is offering, this may indicate that the leader isn’t really interested in progressing. Working with a coach is only beneficial if the leader is enthusiastic and willing to participate. Otherwise, everyone involved will just be wasting their time. Yes, you may get feedback that you’d rather not hear, but no one is perfect, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that people may have unpleasant things to say. A coach can help a leader filter the feedback to use it as a powerful tool for transformation. As always, it’s important to set up expectations with a coach right at the start. A leader should identify what he or she hopes to get out of the sessions. All expectations must be realistic, so a leader that hopes to be perfect after working with a coach will never achieve that result. Make sure you clearly lay out the top two or three realistic expectations. Coaching isn’t a
quick fix. Coaching helps leaders learn to use new tools and strategies when situations become challenging. The benefits for leaders who receive coaching include: Identifying the leader’s strengths and development needs. Putting focus on current strengths to improve performance. Adopting and/or reinforcing leadership competencies crucial to the organization’s success. Creating positive and sustainable behavior changes. Developing leadership skills and practices, including coaching skills of their own. Designing an action-oriented plan for further career development. Because good coaches can offer many benefits and help develop insight into unexamined behaviors, consider coaching as an avenue to improve your leadership skills. A former first officer, Paul Ferdais is founder and CEO of The Marine Leadership Group. Contact him through www.marineleadershipgroup.com.
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Career
The-Triton.com June 2016
In a rut? Grow by learning new skills, improving existing ones Crew Coach Capt. Rob Gannon
Do you feel like you’re in a rut or bored with your work? We probably all have at one point in our lives. What can pull us out of the hum-drum, repetitive daily tasks that seem to define our work days? Through my experience and research, I suggest stretching the brain pathways by learning a skill or improving an existing one. We humans are at our best, our most fully functioning, when we do what we love and challenge ourselves to get better. To refine and master our
craft is surely a noble and worthwhile endeavor. It also feels good and gives us an underlying purpose to our daily routines. This mastering of our craft is not just for the creative fields such as artists, writers, actors and musicians. It really can pertain to any field. Let’s just pick a field; let’s see… how about working on a yacht? At times crew members may feel like they are just performing mundane entry level tasks. Cleaning, shining, organizing, cleaning heads and making beds can sometimes seem elementary but is it really? To perform these tasks and to do them really well, takes mastery. Any experienced crew can tell the difference between someone going
through the motions and someone good at what they do. Hopefully we are a lot better at what we do as compared to when we started. Now, after a few years in, we may feel pretty good about our skills but the hum drum is creeping in. There could still be room for improvement but if you feel unchallenged and at the top of your game; it may be time to change the game. Sometimes we can stay in our chosen industry but focus on a new area. I’ve spoken with captains and crew who have moved into engineering. There’s a new world for you. If you’ve been onboard for some time, you see what they do and if it grabs your
interest, maybe look into it. From what I hear about the training, your mind will have no room for boredom. Lots of new info will be incoming. Maybe the chef ’s hat might be of interest. Perhaps you have always had an interest and a talent for cooking and food presentation. Once again, with this learning and training you will not be bored; challenged, excited, and exhausted perhaps but not bored. Like engineering, cooking is a skill that you can take outside yachting and down a variety of avenues. Sometimes we can feel underutilized at work. We may feel our skills are not being tapped or our voices are never heard. This can be frustrating and lead to apathetic feelings and low morale. No one wants to feel unheard and unskilled when they know they have something of value to say and skills not being exercised. Sometimes we have to speak up. Does your captain or department leader know of your skills? Say you are a wiz with electronic devices. Does anybody know this? Put that out there. Maybe you’re on a charter with kids. Does anyone know you were a camp counselor for a few summers? It’s good to put our other skills out there. Not in a bragging or self-centered way, but because it could help and it feels good to use them. We can move upward and laterally in our careers and we usually do that with a continued interest in learning and improving. I don’t care what it is. You could work in a tollbooth and continue to learn and do it to the best of your abilities. In fact, have you ever noticed some tollbooth attendants are better than others? I have. I’ve driven away thinking, wow, that person had a great attitude. You also know the miserable ones when you come across them. If someone can stay upbeat and interested in a tollbooth, we can surely do the same working on a big shiny yacht. Keep the mind engaged. Challenge yourself to get better and learn. Read and research new areas of interest. It will drive out the dullness of routine and get your juices flowing, I promise you. We have never had so much information at our fingertips. Go ahead, dive in and swim around. Enjoy the voyage. Capt. Rob Gannon is a 30-year licensed captain and certified life and wellness coach. Contact him through www.yachtcrewcoach.com at rob@ yachtcrewcoach.com.
Career
June 2016 The-Triton.com
Education, training, service are the foundation of every seafarer On Course Capt. Brian Luke
The road to success in the superyacht industry is not always an easy one to navigate. Becoming an officer with navigational and management responsibilities is both challenging and rewarding. To become one of these professionals requires numerous courses of study, followed by exams and a significant amount of practical experience, while signed on as a crewmember for a minimum of three years. This is culminated by a final Officer of the Watch (OOW) oral exam administered by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). Let’s look at the MCA’s system and the requirements to become an Officer of the Watch for yachts (Y). At the OOW (Y) level, the MCA requires three basic components: education and training, sea time (experience) and a final oral exam. 1. Education and training: The MCA requires each candidate for an OOW Yachts Certificate of Competency (CoC) to have taken the following nine courses and hold certificates for each one: STCW Basic Safety Week, RYA Yachtmaster Offshore or Yachtmaster Coastal CoC commercially endorsed, CPSC&RB/Advanced Sea Survival, GMDSS GOC, OOW Navigation & Radar (NARAS), General Ship’s Knowledge (GSK), Efficient Deck Hand (EDH), Human Element and Leadership Management HELM (Operational), and Electronic chart display and information system (ECDIS.) This requires a significant amount of formal education and training. 2. Sea service and yacht service: The MCA differentiates between yacht service and sea service. “Yacht service” is simply the number of days which you have been signed on as a crewmember, regardless of whether the boat is at sea or docked. “Actual sea service” is considered the actual days at sea, such as when on a voyage, whether at anchor or not. “Standby service” is that service in between the voyages used for provisioning and resupplying the vessel. The MCA allows up to 14 days of standby service in between voyages, but at no time may standby
service exceed the number of days on the previous voyage. “Yard service” is for that period of time you are in the yard for build, refit or repair. The MCA further explains that actual sea service, yard service and standby service are all forms of “sea service.” Therefore the time requirements to become an OOW breaks down to 36 months of yacht service and 365 days of sea service. Of the 365 days of sea service, the MCA breaks it down further and requires 250 days of actual sea service and the balance of 115 days can be up to 90 days of yard service with the remaining days as standby service. 3. Oral exam: The final step before receiving your OOW (Y) Certificate of Competency is to pass an oral exam given by an MCA examiner. It is highly recommended that you find an oral preparation program with a reputable training provider. Keep in mind that a good oral prep program is not designed to take you from zero to hero. It requires that a candidate seriously pre-study prior to arrival. The instructors help fill in the knowledge gaps that may exist, help organize and refine that knowledge, practice the delivery of that knowledge in rigorous mock oral examinations, and get you in a testing mindset. That cannot happen if you don’t come to the prep program prepared.Today’s officer on the deck of a superyacht has changed significantly from the past. Although there are those who believe the average officer has less experience, the truth is he/she is far more educated and trained. Education and training are the foundation of every seafarer operating the complex equipment and vessels plying the waters around the world today. Comparing our crew today with those of the past must be done so in proper context. Crew from the past operated relatively less complex equipment but required vast amounts of hands-on practical sea going experience. Crew today operate relatively highly complex equipment and vessels that require a significant level of education and training even before they begin to advance their levels of hands on practical experience. Capt. Brian Luke is chief operations officer for International Crew Training in Ft. Lauderdale. Contact him through www.yachtmaster.com and Brian.Luke@ yachtmaster.com
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Operations
The-Triton.com June 2016
Pay attention to struts when choosing propellers, engines Engineer’s Angle Rich Merhige
Struts play a very important part in the design of a vessel. They support the propellers, and also affect the way water hits the propeller, which can have a significant impact on performance and noise. Despite their prominence, they are often an afterthought compared to the care and diligence put forth when selecting other elements such as propellers or engines. There are many elements that need to be taken into consideration when dealing with struts. For example, if a strut is too weak, it’ll whip while underload, and can even break off. A strut that isn’t properly faired affects the inflow to the propeller, which, in turn, causes turbulence. In both of these instances, vibration would be an issue, and can even reduce the propeller’s efficiency. The strongest struts that usually do not fall victim
to the whipping described earlier are usually “I” or V” struts made out of cast silicone bronze. Struts made out of bronze also last the longest. Stainless is also an option, but, not preferred, because it corrodes easily, especially at the welds. If struts are made of manganese or commercial bronze, they must be protected by using zinc. Yachts made of steel or aluminum should have struts fabricated from the same material as the hull. There’s basically two ways to fasten these. The legs can be inserted through slots in the hull and welded onto girders on the inside. The other method would be to attach the legs to a transverse floor or deep frame. Struts should never be bedded with an adhesive like 5200 or silicone, as it could cause the strut to flex. An epoxy, such as chockfast should be used. A common practice to save money, is to square section the strut legs. Unfortunately, the sharp corners affect the way the water flows to the propeller, and this could cause a vibration. Vstruts have two legs diverting water to
the propellers, so it’s important that the two legs don’t line up with the propeller blades at the same time. To avoid this, the generally accepted angle of the legs on v-struts are 55 degrees. The strength of a strut doesn’t necessarily mean it’s perfect. It’s only as good as its attachment to the boat. If the struts aren’t properly mounted, they aren’t going to be stiff enough. When choosing backing blocks, the backing block thickness should be at least two times the strut bolt diameter with the block’s footprint 1.3 times the footprint dimensions of the strut’s base. When using v-struts, the backing bolt should span the entire width between the bases. The backing plate should have a footprint about 10 percent greater that the strut’s base footprint. It’s also important to bevel the edges of the backing plates and radius the corners – if not, sharp corners and edges can cause stress points on the hull. The drop of the strut is the vertical distance from the hull bottom to the
shaft centerline. This shaft size is also important. When selecting strut bearings, the wall thickness should equal the shaft diameter divided by four, but should never be less than 3/16”. To properly align the strut, an optical alignment should be performed when the vessel is on the hard and all the running gear has been removed. This is where the technician’s level of expertise comes into play. The number of, and location of the targets used for the alignment will be dependent on the level of expertise of the technician, as well as the arrangement of the shaftline. Struts appear to be very simple structures, but, in reality, every element of their design, as well as how they are attached to the boat plays an invaluable role in their performance. Rich Merhige is owner of Advanced Mechanical Enterprises and Advanced Maintenance Engineering in Ft. Lauderdale. Contact him through www. AMEsolutions.com.
Operations
June 2016 The-Triton.com
First step in good maintenance? Know how diesel engines work Diesel Digest Capt. Jeff Werner
Diesel engines are the mainstay for both propulsion and generating electricity aboard yachts. Understanding how they work is the first step to knowing how to maintain diesel engines. Comparing the similarities and differences between the operation of a diesel engine aboard a yacht and the gasoline engine in an automobile is an easy way to grasp the fundamental concepts. Gasoline and diesel engines are internal combustion engines. Engine combustion is just a controlled burning of gas or diesel within the engine cylinder. In order to have combustion, oxygen, fuel and heat must be present. For both types of engines, oxygen comes from the air, which is drawn through the engine air filter. The fuel supplied from the tank is either gasoline or diesel oil, both of which are refined from petroleum. In a gasoline engine, the heat is supplied from the spark plug. It is the spark that ignites the air-gasoline mixture. In a diesel engine, the heat is generated by compressing the air in the engine cylinder. Compressing air generates heat as the molecules are pushed closer together. It’s the same reason that dive tanks are bathed in cool water when an air compressor fills them. The heat of air compression warms up the tanks. A boat’s diesel engines and a car’s gas engine work on a four-stroke principle. The four-stroke cycle is broken down into the intake stroke, the compression stroke, the power stroke and the exhaust stroke. These different strokes correlate to the movement up and down of the piston within the engine’s cylinder and the opening and closing of intake and exhaust valves. During the intake stroke, the piston moves down to the bottom. In a gasoline engine, a precise mixture of air and gas enters through the open intake valves. In a diesel engine, only air enters the cylinder in this stroke. As the piston moves back up to the top, the air/fuel mixture or the air in the cylinder gets squeezed together. In a gasoline engine, at the time when the air/fuel mixture is fully compressed, the spark plug sparks and causes ignition.
In a diesel engine, when the air alone is fully compressed it reaches a temperature in excess of 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. At that point, diesel fuel is sprayed into the cylinder by an injector and the fuel ignites spontaneously. With both types of engines, the explosion and expanding gases push the piston back down. This converts the chemical energy of the fuel into the mechanical energy that provides the power to turn the crankshaft. As the exhaust valve is opened and the piston rises once again, the burned gases are pushed out of the cylinder. In an automobile, those exhaust gases vent out through the tail pipe. On a yacht, the exhaust gases exit via the exhaust manifold and are usually mixed with cooling seawater at the exhaust elbow and then discharged into the water. Gasoline engines use just enough air to burn all the fuel, while diesel engines always run lean which means they have more air than needed to burn the fuel. This allows diesel engines to be more efficient than gasoline engines in converting the energy of fuel into the work produced. On the average, diesel engines are over 50 percent efficient, while gasoline engines are between 30 and 33 percent efficient. That’s why diesel engines have better fuel economy. In order to deliver that better fuel economy, diesel fuel must be kept scrupulously clean. At the end of the compression stroke, when the fuel is injected into the cylinder particulate matter in the diesel fuel can clog or damage the injector tip, which causes a poor spray pattern. If the injector spray pattern does not meet the manufacturer’s specifications then the efficiency will decrease. Periodic fuel sampling, testing, polishing and cleaning are the cornerstones of fuel preventive maintenance. A successful program is the simplest method to keep engines running at peak efficiency. And as the cost of fuel begins to rise once again, that efficiency translates into more sea miles per gallon. Capt. Jeff Werner has been in the yachting industry for 25 years, and is the owner of Diesel Doctor (MyDieselDoctor.com). All Triton readers receive a 10 percent discount on online orders. Contact him at Jeff@ MyDieselDoctor.com.
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The-Triton.com June 2016
Immerse yourself in a delicious ‘foodie vacation’ Culinary Waves Chef Mary Beth Lawton Johnson
In those rare moments that as a chef, you want to experience cuisine that might refresh the moment you decided to become a chef, might I suggest a foodie vacation? We all have busy schedules but when the yacht is in dry dock and you suddenly find that you will have a month off, why not go explore other cuisines or revisit the ones that you are so fond of. You know, the ones that persuaded you to travel down the path to the white coat and toque. So, I suddenly found myself with a few weeks off while the yacht was in the paint shed for maintenance. Even when the yacht is at anchor, I am not the only one wishing to know what it would be like to be in those restaurants with the glitzy lights and see how those chefs prepare and present cuisine. You might have to ask yourself, am I getting too stale as a chef? Is my cuisine repetitive? Do I really offer variety in what I decide to provision onboard and finally, are my plating and cooking techniques up to par with what is changing in food these days? Becoming a chef is not a one-time deal. You just don’t get the certificate and walk away. We have to constantly challenge ourselves to do better, to learn more, to plate better than before, to stay inspired and creative. I don’t want to be known as a chef when I step into someone else’s territory. I want to see and experience how they do things their way whether it be a simple family restaurant, a holein-the-wall diner or a five-star hotel. Sure, being creative zaps us mentally and physically because we put our hearts into cooking. So take that foodie vacation we so often read about. That is what I did and I’m glad I did it. I walked into a five-star restaurant with a menu that read like the who’s who of the culinary world. It was located overseas in a five-star hotel with three-star Michelin chef at the helm --That says a lot right there. When I was seated, I was approached by five waiters. One was for the water, the other for the wine and the other for the menu and I’m
not sure about the others. Course after kings of the culinary world. Talk about tasting course was brought out even a humbling experience. I felt like a though I requested two of the most student. Actually, there were about 30 innovative dishes the chef had. That apprentices in there as well.They just was the wrong thing to request. They show me where to stand in line. immediately knew what I did for a What I learned on my vacation was living. that my portions had become, well, Word of advice, don’t go into a a little larger than I had liked. My restaurant thinking you will change plating skills needed some cleaning the way they do things. It doesn’t work. up and work, and my ideas for food I don’t like to be brought out a pairings could certainly be brought tasting menu. I don’t like 5 or 7 or up to a new level. Things change folks 12 course meals. When I go to a and we have to be able to adapt to new restaurant, I want the best tasting and more innovative ways of cooking dish, the most and presentation. authentic food But we have to for the type of remember flavor You just don’t get the restaurant I am is at the forefront. certificate and walk eating at and the Never forget why away. best innovative people eat the food, We have to constantly dish that they it’s for the flavor. have that shows Unfortunately, challenge ourselves to plating aptitude chefs can become do better, to learn more, coupled with hurried. We to plate better than creativity. become bored, our I don’t like creativity goes out before, to stay inspired gimmicky. To the window and and creative. serve dinner we burn out from using a parcheesi repeated charter board with after charter or round marbles is not my idea of a private guest after private guest. fine dining menu. In one particular You might remember the blank restaurant, a lady got upset because space you felt as you searched your it was too difficult to figure out what mind for a dish to serve, only to come to order. Building blocks were used in up with a clean slate in your head. this menu. Save the building blocks for No, you are not suffering from the babies at home and either write it dementia, but burnout. out or type it out if you are a chef or You as the chef onboard have to restaurant owner. look at other ways to stay creative Although the second restaurant I when you don’t go ashore much or you went to (which was also five star) was are so booked solid that you can’t see exactly this, I still don’t want my food those creative ideas as you walk past on floating flower petals, bricks, logs, the windows of the Boulanger or the bark or anything that says it is not a patisserie or Epicure in France. traditional plate. You need to get out and see how Call me old fashioned, but it takes others do it. Eat at a bistro and taste away from the chef ’s ability to perform the food. Go to a traditional bistro and on something round and hard like order a cassoulet. porcelain. It’s nothing but gimmicks, Take in some creative classes if you to say, you do it different. Well, they can. Ask to go back to the heart of the did. That was the only downside to my operation and see how they do it. trip to several different countries on So take that food vacation and be vacation. sure to throw in a couple of very fancy Their food really inspired me to five-star restaurants to keep you up change the way I was approaching my to date on food trends and what pairs culinary ability. The French have a way with what, so that when you go back to of extracting the flavor from foods that the yacht, you can show a new skill set. other culinary trained chefs don’t do. The British have come a long way and Mary Beth Lawton Johnson is a London is now considered a utopia of certified executive pastry chef and Chef the culinary world. Mind you, it’s not de Cuisine and has worked on yachts every restaurant, but a few choice ones for more than 25 years. Contact her we as chefs can learn from. I was even through www.the-triton.com/author/ taken into the kitchen to meet these chefmarybethlawtonjohnson.
Crew Fitness
June 2016 The-Triton.com
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Try Mel’s Boot Camp: Enjoy view with a sundeck workout Ship Shape Melissa McMahon
My favorite spot on a yacht is the sundeck. It has the sweetest views, and when no guests are onboard, it is my gym area. I’ll bring dumbbells, yoga mats, kettlebells, restriction bands, boxing equipment, jump ropes, great music, and some crew members to join in on “Mel’s Boot Camp.” Staying healthy and exercising is important, we all know that, but some of us let it slide too much. Yes, we are yachties and we go out a lot and have fun. We are on our feet all day long and barely have the willpower to keep going, but push yourself a few days a week to get out there and exercise. Build those muscles to be able to help carry those heavy water cases down to the crew mess, grow your butt muscles to handle going from laundry all the way up to bridge deck on those flights of stairs, and increase your cardiovascular strength to go on those
fun adventures and do the cool stuff we strive to do when we get time off. I’m here to help motivate you! So, what does Mel’s Boot Camp involve? A lot of squats, lunges, jump roping, running, planking, and boxing. Start off with stretching first so you don’t injure yourself and then have to take time off. Following that, go for at least a mile run around the marina where you are located. To make the run more fun, go with crew members and race back to the boat. Add 25 squats to the end, if you can do more, do more! Head up to the sundeck if you are allowed to workout up there. Next, do 100 jump ropes. You want your heart rate up. I like to do cardio first, then lift weights after, and then end with more cardio.
My favorite squats are sumo squats. Stand further than you normally would for a regular squat and then point your feet outwards. Do three sets of 15. Add a weight to make it harder. For an arm workout, do bench press on a yoga mat. You can do either one arm at a time or both. If you aren’t time stricken do both. Again, three sets of 15. You can switch back and forth with squats and bench presses, just make sure you do the three sets of each. Planking is the best way to work a bunch of muscles at once. It is the greatest ab workout in my opinion, and it doesn’t harm your lower back. If you are brand new to planks, start small. Do 30 seconds the first time, and work your way up to a longer time. I try and get everyone
to do at least a minute and a half. I’m striving for 5 minutes but my record is only 3 minutes and 30 seconds! Walk lunges with weights in both hands on your sides is great to build those butt muscles. It is a major quad workout as well. Your legs will burn! End with boxing. Grab a crew member, some mitts, and some pumping music. If you have stress, it is also a great way to relieve it. Boxing is great for cardio, and works your abs, arms and legs. You want to make your workouts fun, and productive. It makes it so much better if you have a workout buddy and you motivate each other. Get your gym clothes on, go for a run, and head up to the sundeck. There are a million different types of exercises we can do within our limits on yachts. Stay tuned for more, make sure you have awesome gym clothes, and go burn those calories! Melissa McMahon of Long Island, New York is a stew onboard a 230-foot motoryacht, who loves to workout as she travels the world at sea.
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Crew Health
The-Triton.com June 2016
Limey, eat your carrots; replace pill-popping with phyto-foods Take It In Carol Bareuther
The word ‘phytonutrients’ is definitely a mouthful. Yet what these plant-based substances are and how they can help your health is definitely worth digesting. In fact, including enough phytonutrients in your diet marks an evolution from the pill power of the vitamin and mineral era to putting a focus back on whole foods. Phytonutrient comes from the Greek term for plant (phyto) and nutrient, which by dictionary definition is a “substance that provides nourishment.” Some use the term phytochemicals and phytonutrients interchangeably. Unlike traditional macronutrients like protein, fats and carbohydrates and micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals, phytonutrients aren’t necessarily essential for life. Overwhelming research reveals that eating enough phytonutrients can help prevent a number of chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Rich sources of phytonutrients are found in foods like fruits, vegetables, legumes (beans and lentils), grains, nuts and teas. Research today on phytonutrients is akin to the light bulb going on in the early 20th century when food scientists first discovered vitamins and minerals. For example, the term ‘limey’ for a British sailor started back at the end of the 18th century when lime juice was fed to sailors to prevent scurvy. It wasn’t until the 1930s when HungarianAmerican physiologist, Albert SzentGyörgyi, discovered Vitamin C or ascorbic acid, the stuff in limes that made it so effective in stopping scurvy. Similarly, mothers around the world tell their children to eat carrots for good eyesight. The key substance in carrots that makes for healthy vision is vitamin A, which is converted in our bodies from what’s called provitamin A. The provitamin in carrots is betacarotene, which comes from a family of phytonutrients called carotenoids. There are many types of phytochemicals. Here is a sampling: 1. Carotenoids. Found in orange, red, yellow-hued fruits and vegetables. In addition to beta-carotene, this class includes lycopene which is found abundantly in tomatoes. Carotenoids
may protect against coronary artery disease, cancer (especially prostate cancer) and abnormal blood clotting. 2. Flavonoids: Citrus fruits, apples, grapes, onion and tea are rich in these. Resveratrol is a flavonoid found in grapes. Cancer protection is these phytonutrients claim to fame. 3. Anthocyanosides: These are cancer-preventers found in blueberries, blood oranges and eggplant. 4. Coumarins: If you’re looking for a food-based blood clot prevention, fork into citrus fruits, parsley and carrots. 5. Indoles: Another big cancer fighter are these phytonutrients, found in cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower. 6. Lignins: These are found in the dietary portion of foods like whole grain breads and cereals, flaxseed and produce like oranges, pears and broccoli. 7. Pectin: Protection against cancer, coronary artery disease and diabetes is what this fiber component found in apples, strawberries and citrus fruits can do. 8. Phenolic Acids: Brown rice and green tea are great sources of these cancer preventing substances. 9. Phytosterols: Legumes, or dried peas and beans, as well as cucumbers are full of these phytonutrients that can protect against breast cancer and coronary artery disease. 10. Ellagic acid: Berries, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries, are rich sources of this cancer fighter. Like vitamins and minerals, there’s the temptation to focus on one type or variety of food as a magic bullet for health. Nothing could be further from the truth. Israeli researchers who last year published the scientific article, “The anti-cancer effects of carotenoids and other phytonutrients resides in their combined activity,” say it best. “The actions of any specific phytonutrient alone do not explain the observed health benefits of diets rich in fruits and vegetables as nutrients that were taken alone in clinical trials did not show consistent preventive effects.” Said simply, variety is the spice of life! Carol Bareuther is a registered dietitian and freelance health and nutrition writer. Contact her through www.thetriton.com/author/carol-bareuther.
Interior
June 2016 The-Triton.com
Choose well, monitor, feed to boost best blossoms onboard Stew Cues Alene Keenan
Flowers add a touch of beauty and are often an integral part of the design aesthetic of a yacht. Many yachts have a floral budget to hire a florist to recreate signature floral arrangements for each time guests are onboard. If that is the case, take photos, and make a list of the names of the flowers you need and the number of stems that go into each arrangement. The task of choosing flowers yourself for the boat is a bit more difficult. Choose no more than four or five types of flowers in harmonious colors that match the décor of the boat. Buy flowers that have some blossoms still in the bud stage and some that are already open so they will last longer. Be aware of scent when choosing flowers. Fragrant flowers may be overpowering. Whether you hire a florist or arrange the flowers yourself, it is the stew’s job to make the flowers last. Here are some tips to help keep them fresh longer. 1. The lifespan of your flowers will depend on whether or not they come from a reputable supplier. A grocery store may not have the type of arrangement with their supplier that allows them to guarantee your flowers will last a minimum time. It is a good idea to create a relationship with a reputable florist. 2. Flowers are thirsty. They need to be pre-conditioned before arranging. Soak them in water before preparing the stems and arranging them. It is important to give enough to drink at this stage to harden them and keep them in shape for as long as possible. Preparing the stems expose more surface area and increase absorption. Think of them as straws, and keep them open to let your flowers drink. The first step is to strip excess leaves. Then use a sharp knife to cut stems at a 45-degree angle. This sharp cut prevents the ends from being crushed. The angle prevents stems from resting flat on the bottom of the vase. 3. To really help your flowers last, consider using a hydrating treatment like Floralife Quick Dip before putting them into the vase containing water and flower food. 4. To encourage buds to open, strip off more leaves.
5. Containers matter. Vases can carry bacteria that will infect flowers. Clean vases between uses. Use soapy water and rinse with a solution of 10 parts water to 1 part bleach. Rinse well and dry before using. Metal vases can change the pH of water, so be sure to use an insert inside a metal vase. 6. Feed your flowers. That packet of floral food that comes with your flowers is important. It contains not only nutrients, but an acidifier to improve the pH of the water and an antibacterial to prevent the growth of bacteria. You can buy liquid floral food that is absorbed easily and works well. 7. Add some TLC to prolong the life and look of your flowers. Don’t just arrange them and forget them. Stems will become waterlogged, soft, and unable to take up water. Blooms will droop and lose their petals more quickly. To prevent this, rehydrate them every few days by recutting stems, removing about another half-inch. lStrip off foliage that will be below the water line. lChange the water and add new floral preservative. lMist flower heads to refresh them, especially hydrangeas. lRemove wilting blooms. Fading blossoms emit ethylene gas that shortens the life of flowers. lRemove pollen to prevent stains on petals or clothing and to keep allergy sufferers from experiencing any symptoms. To do so: gently pull the pollen-laden stamens from the center with your thumb and forefinger. Flowers do best if they can be kept quite cool. Keep arrangements away from direct heat or sunlight, out of drafts and away from the direct flow of air conditioning. Everyone loves beautiful flowers and the feelings they invoke. It is a shame to let them lose their brilliance too quickly. Follow these simple tips for caring for your flowers, and they will last longer for your guests’ enjoyment. Alene Keenan is lead instructor of yacht interior courses at Maritime Professional Training in Ft. Lauderdale. She shares her experience from more than 20 years as a stew in her book, “The Yacht Guru’s Bible: The Service Manual for Every Yacht”, available at createspace.com/5377000 and on amazon.com. Contact her at info@ yachtstewguru.com.
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The-Triton.com June 2016
Rosemary roasted chicken and truffle mushroom soup 1 tsp sea salt 1 tsp white pepper
Top Shelf Chef Mark Godbeer
It doesn’t matter if you are a crew chef, head chef, master chef or home cook, you are bound to gather leftovers in your fridge. Usually we will sit there and scratch our heads as we figure out how to best transform our once glorified dishes into ascended meals masked with flavor and creativity. This dish has the opposite effect on me, I will actually roast an extra chicken for the sole purpose of conjuring up this “leftover” meal. The use of potatoes alleviates the need for cream whilst still giving the soup a creamy, rich and velvety texture. And, given that the chicken is already cooked, your preparation time is cut by 45 minutes. Beware, this dish does have a “Thanksgiving” effect, and due to reports of over consumption, will leave you lethargic, yet very content.
Ingredients: 1 Large yellow onion (diced) 1 pound button mushrooms (sliced) 1 tsp cayenne 4 fresh rosemary sprigs (chopped finely) ½ stick salted butter.
2 russet potatoes (peeled & diced small) 4 Tbsp kecap manis 3 cups roasted chicken stock 1 rotisserie chicken (shredded) 4 garlic cloves (crushed) 6 Tbsp truffle oil
Preparation: In a heavy bottomed pan brown the butter over a medium heat. Add the onion and sauté off until golden brown. Add the mushrooms, cayenne, rosemary, potatoes and raise temp to high. Pour in the kecap manis and coat all the ingredients and deglaze with the chicken stock after one minute (be careful as the cayenne will catch your throat). Turn heat down and add the chicken, truffle oil, and season. Simmer for 20 minutes over a med heat, then blend until smooth either in a Vitamix (preferably as the consistency is a lot smoother as the chicken is broken down more) or using a hand held blender. Sprinkle with sea salt and finish with a final drizzle of truffle oil. Enjoy. Mark Godbeer has been a yacht chef for more than 10 years. Contact him through chefmarkgodbeer.com.
Interior
June 2016 The-Triton.com
Grilled tequila lime chicken with black bean and corn salad Crew’s Mess Capt. John Wampler
For the past three months, I have been captain on a 98-foot Destiny cruising in the Bahamas. There are some terrific grocers in Nassau and Port Lucaya. The third best place to provision is in Marsh Harbour. I was pleased to find a supermarket on par with anything stateside and relatively close to the marina we were moored. However, for specialty dishes, it is wise to bring anything exotic such as jicama and chipotle peppers with you. Point in fact; Cinco de Mayo was this month and I wanted to treat the owners and guests to a feast. With plenty of planning, I was able to pull off a meal so muy delicioso, that the owners and guests gave four thumbs up. Do not wait a year to prepare this meal. Chicken Ingredients: 4 boneless chicken breasts 3 tsp extra virgin olive oil 3 tsp tequila 1 tsp lime zest, from 2 limes 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 ¼ tsp ancho chili powder ½ tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp dried oregano 1 ¼ tsp salt ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper 2 tsp honey 1 lime, sliced into wedges
margaritas and lime wedges.
Preparation: Combine all ingredients except for chicken in a 1-gallon Ziploc bag. Kneed the bag thoroughly to mix the ingredients. Pound the chicken breast until one half inch thick. Add chicken to marinate and massage the meat until evenly coated. Refrigerate for six hours, or overnight.
Ingredients for Salad: 2 ears fresh corn 1 cup chopped red onion 1 (14 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained 1 cup diced red bell pepper ½ cup loosely packed chopped cilantro 1 avocado
On a BBQ grill set heat to high and wipe the grill with vegetable oil on a paper towel with tongs. Place chicken on the grill and baste with remaining marinade. Grill covered, for three minutes a side, turning only once. Plate and serve with guacamole,
Black Bean and Corn with Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette Dressing
Ingredients for Dressing: 2 tsp red wine vinegar 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice 2 Tbsp honey ¼ cup vegetable oil 1 large clove garlic coarsely chopped ¼ tsp dried oregano ¾ tsp cumin ¾ tsp salt ¼ tsp black pepper 2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (peppers, not the whole can) Preparation: Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Add corn, cover and turn heat to low. Simmer corn for no more than 10 minutes. Remove from pot and let cool. In the meantime, place chopped onion in a bowl and cover with water for about 10 minutes, then drain it through a sieve and set aside. Hold the corn upright in a large bowl and cut the kernels into strips. Add beans, red bell pepper, red onion and cilantro. In a blender, combine all of the dressing ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour dressing on salad and toss well. Cover salad and refrigerate for at least an hour. Before serving, dice up an avocado and toss it in the salad. Serve with cilantro and lime garnish. Buen provecho, JW
Cinco de Mayo meal gets four thumbs up for the chef.
PHOTO/ JOHN WAMPLER
Capt. John Wampler has worked on yachts for more than 25 years. Contact him through www.yachtaide.com
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The-Triton.com June 2016
Mother Nature’s surprises can be cruel and hard to fend off Sea Sick Keith Murray
Earlier this year, I purchased a foreclosed home that had been abandoned for almost five years. As you might suspect in Florida, Mother Nature quickly reclaimed the land and turned the property into a tropical jungle. My job was to reclaim the land and make it look civilized once again. During my project, Mother Nature threw several curve balls at me. First, there were snakes. In Florida we have three venomous snakes that are native and I believe we saw all three - rattlesnakes, coral snakes and water moccasins. Fortunately for me and my helpers, nobody was bitten. (Fatal snake bites are very rare in the USA. Typically less than eight per year.) I also encountered fire ants on more than one occasion. If you have never experienced them, their name says it all. When the ants bite you, it makes the bite site feel like fire. And typically, you don’t get bit once, you get bit by
several. In addition to the immediate pain, you will have a longer lasting pain as these bites take time to heal. Then came the mosquitos. Every evening as the sun would set, I would get attacked by swarms of mosquitos. I would do my best to cover myself from head to toe with protective clothing and use mosquito repellant but somehow they would find a way to bite. (Mosquitos can carry diseases such as Zika, malaria, dengue, filariasis, West Nile virus, chikungunya, yellow fever, encephalitis.) Mother Nature’s final attack came in the way of vines. There were various types of vines that were growing everywhere. Many of these vines grew up the trees creating a canopy where light could not pass, effectively starving the trees and plants below of sunlight. So, I removed all of the various types of vines letting the sun shine below. The vine project went well but little did I realize that mixed in with the vines that I thought were harmless was poison ivy. I remember as a kid my parents telling me, “Leaves of three, let it be.” I remembered that poison
ivy had three leaves, but I never saw it. But I touched it because the next day I started to itch and several days later I was feeling the effects of poison ivy. First, what is poison ivy? Poison ivy has three pointed leaves that change colors with the seasons. It is reddish in the spring, green in the summer and yellow, orange, or red in the fall. Poison ivy can grow as a bush or vine.Poison ivy can be found all over the U.S. except for Alaska and Hawaii. This poison ivy rash is caused by an oil found in the plant. This oil is called urushiol (you-ROO-shee-all). The itchy, blistering rash typically starts 12 to 72 hours after contact with the oil. The rash is not contagious and does not spread. Typically the rash will go away in a few weeks.
6 ways to avoid poison ivy
Wear the proper attire. Boots, socks, long pants, long sleeves and gloves. Wash any clothing that makes contact with the poison ivy. If you are exposed, wash your skin with a washcloth, soap and warm water immediately. Studies show the friction from the washcloth
helps remove the oils from the poison ivy off your skin. The faster you wash the oils off your skin the better. Scrub under your fingernails to prevent further spread and scrub your pets if you think they were exposed using pet shampoo and water. Wear medical exam gloves while bathing your pet to protect your skin. Wash lawn equipment, gardening tools, and any toys, balls, Frisbees, and anything else that may have come into contact with poison ivy with soap and water. Oil from poison ivy can remain potent for as long as five years.
Treating poison ivy rash
Once you have poison ivy there is little you can do but suffer with the itching. Using a cold compress, calamine lotion, non-prescription hydrocortisone cream, or an antihistamine may help relieve some of the itching, but definitely not all. Keith Murray is the owner of The CPR School, Keith@TheCPRSchool.com. Comments on this column are welcome at editorial@the-triton.com.
Crew Health
June 2016 The-Triton.com
Motivate to work out and add the tools you’ll need to get fit The Yachtie Glow Angela Orecchio
With the temptation to party hard, eat an abundance of rich foods and free junk food on board the consequences of not having a fitness routine are too great. Not only will you gain weight (ever heard of stew spread?), it could affect your mood, your health and your energy levels as well. Keeping up with a fitness routine boosts your metabolism, helps you stay fit and makes you feel great both physically and mentally. Even if you only have 20 minutes 3 to 5 times per week, you will still see improvement.
Top tips to succeed
Here are some of my favorite exercise equipment that are inexpensive and easily stored on board: Yoga Mat: This is good to use in your cabin or out on deck for stretching, yoga and anything where you need padding. Find a travel mat that folds fairly small. Weights: Light hand weights are great for toning and muscle building. I like to keep 5 and 10 pound weights on hand. Resistance bands: If weights are too bulky or not practical for on board use, resistance bands are a great alternative. Kettle Ball: If you can keep a kettle ball onboard, they are so much fun and extremely effective for toning. Workout DVDs: Are small enough to fit just about anywhere in your cabin. Other items to store onboard to stay healthy and fit: Refillable water bottle: If the boat water is not good enough to drink an alternative to wasteful plastic bottles is getting a water filter. Fill up jugs and put them in the fridge. Add cucumber, lemon, mint or other fruit if desired. Healthy snacks: A large tupperware container in your cabin to store healthy snacks that you have personally bought. This could include healthy bars (Larabars are my favorite), nuts, kale chips, almond butter, rice cakes etc. Supplements: Supplements such as Vitamin D, Vitamin C and B12. Massagers: Small foam roller or a tennis ball for sore muscles.
Great resources for workouts
l Pinterest. Create your own board, decide on an area on your body to target and find a matching workout. You can also follow the Savvy Stewardess Fitness Inspiration Page where there are tons of workouts already posted. l Fitness websites such as Tone it up, Blogilates, Insanity etc. Join a program such as the Tone it Up Bikini series. l Youtube. Search your favorite workouts and save them to a playlist. Convert them to an MP3 (by googling, “convert video to mp3) and save them on your computer for later use when there isn’t any internet.
Staying motivated
The morning is the best time to work out if possible. After you sleep you are fully rested which will help you move more efficiently. Also, after your workout you’ll burn calories all day as you’ve then boosted your metabolism. If you can’t workout in the morning, no sweat, do what you can when you can. The important thing is that you did something. Journal what you’ve accomplished and how you’ve felt along the way. This could be written and with photos. Lay out your clothes the night before. Have everything ready to go so you can get dressed with your eyes closed if you need to. Put everything in your bathroom cupboard if possible. Not only will this make it easier for you but it will make your cabin mate very happy that you have one trip to the head before leaving the cabin. Get your cabin mate to workout with you. If you both have to get up in the morning, you’ll hold each other accountable and it will be much more fun. Keep your workouts fun and interesting. Your body will respond better if you change things up and you’ll be more likely to stick to it if it’s fun. Eat healthy, drink a couple of liters of water and get 8-10 hours a sleep. Angela Orecchio is a chief stew and certified health coach.This column is from her blog, Savvy Stewardess, The Smart Girl’s Guide to Yachting. Contact her at www.savvystewardess.com.
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Prepare for towing emergencies TOWING from page 1 they were required to be in compliance no later than Jan. 1, 2012. An important item to note is that the existing construction and configuration of the yacht shall be used to develop the procedures. In contrast to the original regulation, it required the installation of a specific emergency towing arrangement. The procedures should be considered as part of the emergency preparedness required by paragraph 8 of part A of the International Safety Management Code. These yacht-specific procedures can be created by any qualified party, but preferably one experienced in towing operations. In developing these, it must be remembered that the nature of an emergency does not allow time for deliberation. And not all yachts will have the same deck equipment, so there will be limits to possible towing procedures. Because of these factors, the intention is to predetermine what can be accomplished, and provide this information to the yacht’s crew. The owner, through the captain, should ensure that the yacht is inspected and its capability to be towed under emergency situations is evaluated. Both equipment on board and available procedures should be reviewed. The ability of the yacht to be towed from bow and stern should be included. Items to be considered are the line handling procedures; layout, structural adequacy and safe working loads of connection points (fairleads, chocks, winches, bitts, bollards); anchor chains, shackles, stoppers, tools, and line throwing apparatus. The radio equipment should be identified in order to enable communication between deck crew, bridge, and the towing/salvage ship. Following the evaluation, procedures should be developed for inclusion in the Emergency Towing Booklet. The IMOissued guidelines recommend certain topics be included, such as: l A quick-reference decision matrix that summarizes options under various emergency scenarios, such as weather (mild, severe), availability of shipboard power (propulsion, on-deck power), imminent danger of grounding, etc. l Organization of deck crew (personnel distribution, equipment distribution, including radios, safety equipment, etc.) l Organization of tasks (what needs to be done, how it should be done, what is needed for each task, etc.) l Diagrams for assembling
and rigging bridles, tow lines, etc., showing possible emergency towing arrangements for both fore and aft. Rigged lines should be lead such that they avoid sharp corners, edges and other points of stress concentration. l Power shortages and dead ship situations, which must be taken into account, especially for the heaving across of heavy towing lines. l A communications plan for contacting the salvage/towing ship. All of these need to be documented in a clear, concise, and ready-to-use format (booklet, plan, poster, etc.) This Emergency Towing Booklet should include yacht-specific data, including the yacht’s name, call sign, IMO number, anchor details (shackle, connection details, weight, type, etc.), cable and chain details (lengths, connection details, proof load, etc.), height of mooring deck(s) above base, draft range, and displacement range. Comprehensive diagrams and sketches of the assembly and rigging, towing equipment, strong point locations, and safe working loads. A copy should be kept at hand by the owners and/or shoreside management in order to facilitate the transfer of information to the towage company. A copy should be kept in a common electronic file format, which will allow faster distribution to concerned parties. The IMO requires that a minimum of three (3) copies should be kept on board and located on the bridge, the forecastle space, and the ship’s office. While the SOLAS amendment does not state that a formal approval is required, it will be at the discretion of the yacht’s flag of registry if a copy must be submitted for review. While most existing commercial yachts already comply, it is the formerly private yachts transitioning to commercial that must ensure new compliance. Capt. Jake DesVergers currently serves as Chief Surveyor for the International Yacht Bureau (IYB), a recognized organization that provides flag-state inspection services to private and commercial yachts on behalf of several flag-state administrations. A deck officer graduate of the US Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, he previously sailed as Master on merchant ships, acted as Designated Person for a shipping company, and served as regional manager for an international classification society. Contact him at 954-596-2728 or www.yachtbureau.org.
June 2016 The-Triton.com
Crew Health
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Crew can ease back pain by stretching, chiropractic care Feeling Good Dr Barak Meraz
A deckhand on a yacht crew faces long hours of constant cleaning, scrubbing, polishing and chamoising to remove every bit of dirt, every bead of condensation, and to polish to the highest possible shine. It can be gratifying work. It can also be painful work. Deckhands become experts at scrubbing and detailing, and these repetitive tasks are sometimes performed to exhausting levels; the job of varnishing, for example, could never be accomplished with one or two coats. Ten to 12 coats can be the norm for a deckhand on a superyacht worth millions of dollars. The never-ending upkeep is, well, never ending. At the end of the day, backs hurt, necks hurt, arms hurt and wrists hurt from the constant and repetitive motion. But this isn’t the only motion that should concern a member of a yacht crew. Choppy seas and rough waters can constantly force the body to adapt to the movement of the surroundings. This means that the spine, ligaments and muscles are always re-adjusting to the sway or pitch of the boat. This knack for ably adjusting, from calm seas to choppy waters, makes the deckhand worthy of his/her place as a crew member, but it also becomes a major problem if they already have a misalignment from previous normal wear and tear. Liken the situation to a wheel alignment. If you rotate tires as recommended, the wheels and axle last longer. If you continue to drive in a car with poor alignment, it pulls to whichever direction it wants to go in, and that causes faster wear and tear, leading to more expensive issues to fix. Working on the water with misalignments will cause more pain and problems. What can you do? Whenever you have the time, stretch those muscles and ligaments. This slideshow from the Mayo Clinic can help with exercise positions: www. mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adulthealth/multimedia/back-pain/sls20076265. Almost everyone can benefit from stretching the soft tissues - the muscles, ligaments and tendons - in the back, legs, buttock, and around the
spine. The spinal column and its contiguous muscles, ligaments, and tendons are all designed to move, and limitations in this motion can make back pain worse. Keep in mind when stretching: lWear comfortable clothes that won’t bind lStretching should be pain free; do not force the body into difficult positions lMove into the stretch slowly and avoid bouncing, which may actually tear muscles lStretch on a clean, flat surface that is large enough to move freely Hold stretches long enough (20-30 seconds) to allow muscles or joints to become loose lRepeat the stretch, generally 5-10 times If stretching or resting is not enough to end pain – in particular back pain – it’s time to visit a chiropractor. Acute or chronic back pain, the result of a sudden injury, can last for a long time. Tackling the problem, whether acute or chronic, takes expert knowledge of the body’s musculoskeletal structure. A chiropractor will manipulate this structure, particularly the spine, to enable the body to heal itself without surgery or medication. To help restore flexibility and freedom of movement, a chiropractor will perform manual adjustments, including manipulation of joints, using a controlled, sudden force to improve range and quality of motion. Sometimes a chiropractor will provide nutritional counseling and exercise/rehabilitation for the patient to reach optimum health. Seeking spinal manipulation and chiropractic care is the best way for members of boat crews to acquire safe and effective treatment for acute or chronic pain. A chiropractor is a specially trained health professional who believes that an individual’s wellbeing and health begins with correct alignment of the back. Shifting seas and turbulent oceans should not limit your stride, nor set you back from performing at your best level. The work of a boat crew member is strenuous – equally important is quality of life. Seek relief when pain strikes, for a speedy return to work … and play. Dr. Barak Meraz is a chiropractor based in Ft. Lauderdale. Reach him at editor@ the-triton.com.
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Two Bahamians named Riley and Morgan were rescued near Nassau by the crew of M/Y Renaissance on May 12. First Mate Max Anderson manned the Photo by Capt. Douglas Meier yacht’s tender.
M/Y Renaissance rescues two locals adrift in the Bahamas By Suzette Cook M/Y Renaissance Capt. Douglas Meier and his crew went into searchand-rescue mode on Thursday May 12 to help out two Bahamians who said they were adrift in a Boston Whaler for at least two days. Capt. Meier said he was headed to Nassau from Harbor Island on the 116foot Hargrave Custom Yacht with the owners onboard when they spotted the craft. “We were about four miles offshore and there were these two guys with life jackets waving their arms at us,” said Meier who served as search and rescue for the U.S Coast Guard and is based in Ft. Lauderdale in the winter and Newport, Rhode Island in the summer. “We turned to see what was going on and they said they had run out of gas.” That’s when Meier and his crew stopped the boat, put some food and gasoline and water on the tender and ran over to try to get the stranded boaters’ outboard started. “We couldn’t get the engine started, so we decided to have the tender tow them into Egg Island,” Capt. Meier said. First Mate Max Anderson and Chef Mark McGraw were on the tender. “We spotted them from the wheelhouse waving life jackets and red
Jerry Cans,” said Anderson who was involved in a sea rescue two years ago while working on the M/Y Cocktails. “We went out and gave them snacks and food and offered to tow them to Egg island,” Anderson said. That tow was about two and a half miles. “These guys were so thankful,” Anderson said. “They tried to offer us all kinds of things, but I said ‘You know, I’ll take a photo.’ ” According to Capt. Meier, the two were lucky they were rescued. “It’s one of those situations where it wasn’t that bad,” Capt. Meier said. “But it could have been extremely bad. They were going between the islands, they got sucked out with the current and the tide,” he said. One of the men rescued said, at one point, they were in 1,600 feet of water and were headed for Africa, Meier said. “They ripped the top of their Igloo cooler off and used it as a paddle to get back into 100-foot depth,” Capt. Meier said. “Bottom line, it was calm and the wind was in their favor. They could have been dragged right out to sea.” Suzette Cook is editor at The Triton. Reach her at suzette@the-triton.com
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Obituary
Bartram & Brakenhoff Yacht Brokerage owner David Lacz dies By Dorie Cox Capt. David C. Lacz, owner of Bartram & Brakenhoff Yacht Brokerage, died on May 4 in Charleston, S.C. Mr. Lacz was on a yacht delivery from Florida to Maine when he was involved in an incident in a bar after work. He was transported to a local hospital where he died of a head injury. He was
56 years old. John and Diana Lacz, Mr. Lacz’s parents, and one of his sisters, Donna Slaughter, shared how he got his start in boating. His father often chartered a sailboat to create camaraderie among his employees. “David got into it with them, he had a feeling from the water,” his mother said. “Later, he saw an ad for a doctor looking
for help to take a boat to Bermuda. He didn’t have much experience but he talked his way into the job.” He then worked in the charter industry in the Virgin Islands and got his captain’s license. About 25 years ago, yacht broker Jim Wetherald worked with Mr. Lacz when he was build captain on S/Y Jaska, a 52-foot Little Harbor.
“Dave was the captain and his owner had bought boats from me,” Wetherald said. “The owner met Dave in the Virgin Islands and signed him on to crew a transAtlantic with him. When they crossed, the original captain left and Dave took over. “The owner loved him so much, they conspired to build a 63-foot,” Wetherald said. “Dave visited me to build and design it. It turned out to be one of the smartest and most comfortable of that size that we had built. The owner left it pretty much up to Dave because he had unique ideas, he had an instinct. “Dave flew around the world while the boat was being built, he was a free-spirit and able to do these things up to the end,” Wetherald said. “His Lacz zest for life and high energy were contagious; he was a fun guy to be around. Clients loved him, he had girlfriends, some more serious than others. He had a huge sense of humor and was a storyteller; wherever you went, you were laughing.” When the owner sold the boat, Capt. Lacz decided to be a broker, Wetherald said. “Dave knocked on doors; he was young and persistent,” Wetherald said. “Bruce [Brakenhoff] was skeptical at first, but he continued for several months asking for work.” “Bartram said, ‘You have no experience’,” Slaughter said. “David said, ‘I’ll go to the Miami boat show and show you.‘ And he was very successful in Miami in 1995.” Mr. Lacz was hired that year as a broker and he purchased Bartram & Brakenhoff in Newport, R.I., in 1998. In 2000, he opened an office in Ft. Lauderdale. “He introduced himself professionally as David and some friends called him Dave,” said executive assistant Judy Lovatt, who was hired by Mr. Lacz 10 years ago. “He was the best person, so fun and he was never off that darn phone,” Lovatt said while seated at the conference table in Mr. Lacz’s office in Ft. Lauderdale. Photos of yachts and race crew and books line the walls where his computer desk faces out to the neighborhood
June 2016 The-Triton.com
and the client desk faces the large conference table. Capt. Ken Bracewell remembered when he was first sitting in that office looking for work. “He got me my first job on a yacht,” Capt. Bracewell said by phone from M/Y Evviva in New Zealand. “We first had a professional relationship, and then he became a friend. There are few people with a bigger heart; he was very charismatic.” Mr. Lacz had a New Jersey accent and talked and moved fast. “At first, it was hard for some to see past the New Jersey facade, but when you did, you found a loyal, kind man,” Capt. Bracewell said. Patti Trusel, a longtime charter manager, first met Mr. Lacz at boat shows more than 10 years ago and later worked with him at Bartram and Brakenhoff as a brokerage assistant. “I can’t say enough about him, he was wonderful, good with people,” Trusel said. “Even on difficult subjects like the listing price of their yacht, he maintained his humor. By the end of the conversation, without hurting their feelings, he had a client to a more realistic place. “David loved every day, going to the office and being a part of the marine industry,” she said. “It was not just a job, not just to make money. He loved it. And there are not too many people like that.” She said he had a great wit and used funny words such as bupkis. “As in, ‘We’re not going to get ‘bupkis’,” she said. “Even with all the stress of running a business, he always took the high side. I will always look to him as a good example.” He loved the art of the deal, working with people and helping crew, she said. “Captains came in all the time and he helped them find work,” she said. “He didn’t have to help them find a job, but he always helped and was always smiling. That’s how he should be remembered.” A memorial service was held in mid-May at St. Elizabeth’s Church in Wyckoff, N.J. In lieu of flowers, his family suggested donations be made in his memory to his alma mater, Don Bosco Preparatory High School (donboscoprep.org). Friends and colleagues can contact Judy Lovatt at Bartram and Brakenhoff for future memorial gatherings. Dorie Cox is associate editor of The Triton. Comments on this story are welcome at dorie@the-triton.com.
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Above Billy Joel, David Lacz, Karin Hill and Julie Miller in an undated photo taken in Newport, RI. Left David Lacz on S/Y Jaska sometime between 1985PHOTOS PROVIDED 1995.
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June 2016
Triton Survey
Knowledge
Mariners without a college degree still succeed By Suzette Cook While a college degree isn’t always a requirement or necessarily a deciding factor when it comes to securing a job as crew on a superyacht, captains who have participated in conversations during The Triton’s monthly ‘From the Bridge’ roundtable discussion have often commented that they do take note of degrees listed on CVs because, they say, it shows that a person went through a program and finished what they started. We started asking random crew about college degrees and found that a majority had at least an associate’s degree. Others ranged from bachelor’s degrees in subjects ranging from economics to anthropology and beyond. When we asked crew about whether they use their degrees while serving on a yacht, a majority agreed that education outside of specific maritime certifications required to work
in the yachting industry did add to their knowledge and impacted their work ethic and approach to their jobs onboard. That’s not to say that crew without college degrees or vocational certifications outside of the marine industry are not just as competent and suited for a life working on a yacht. This month’s Triton Survey wanted to find out from captains their opinion about crew with or without college degrees and if it matters where knowledge comes from or how it is measured. After all, just one charter season or journey spent working on a yacht adds to the sea hours and experience that only on-the-job training can give captains and crew. We started by gathering information about our captains’ background in academic education outside of maritime schools and learned that while none of the captains’ surveyed held a doctorate,
Highest level of education outside of maritime school? Vocational certification 12% Master’s degree 10% Bachelor’s degree 34%
High school graduate 28%
Associate’s degree 16%
a majority had obtained a bachelor’s degree. A handful attended high school without finishing and 28 percent of the captains surveyed are high school graduates who entered the yachting industry and rose to the top of the chain of command. We wanted to compare the captains’ maritime training to the results of the traditional education results and were impressed that of the captains surveyed, more than 73 percent have achieved the highest level of licensing that the marine industry offers. None of the respondents rated themselves as entry level, but about 28 percent ranked themselves in between the two ends of the spectrum. With all of those bachelor’s degrees reported, we wanted to find out if most captains went into the marine industry after working in another field and having a career before yachting. With prior careers ranging from restaurant management, dive store ownership, professional photography to industrial packaging and manufacturing for a family-owned business, those surveyed offered explanations as to why they thought their prior careers helped them in their current positions. We asked Did you have a career before you entered the yachting industry? Seventy percent said they did have careers in another field ranging from commercial fishing to U.S. government engineer to serving as a political consultant, photographer, teacher, and military service. One of our captains played professional football for the National Football League (NFL). Another owned flower shops and greenhouses in Chicago, dozens reported working in the dive industry, some as dive shop owners, others as dive instructors or commercial divers. Did those previous career experience enhance their skills as captains? We asked If you had a previous career, does that knowledge help you in your yachting career?” Definitely “Yes,” responded 62 percent while 26 percent felt the question didn’t apply to them and the other 12 percent felt their previous job or career didn’t enhance or better them as a captain. One captain with more than 20 years of experience in yachting said that his previous job as an engineer made him a better problem solver as a manager of crew and a vessel. Another 20-year veteran captain of a 101 to 120foot yacht said that he used his bachelor degree and experience as a beach attendant to cater to guests and maintain equipment. One captain who holds a masters’s degree and runs a yacht larger than 220 feet, said that his job as a merchant marine captain gave him a skill set that
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Triton Survey helped him operate offshore vessels and water jet ferries. A former British Merchant Navy member and shore-based oil industry employee who now runs a 101-120-foot yacht said he learned watchkeeping, navigation and stability from his prior position. “I can prepare better food than most chefs,” comment one captain with more than 20 years of experience. He credits his training and experience working in the hospitality/ food and beverage business for that. A captain with more than 35 years of yachting experience who has a bachelor’s degree said he had a previous career in industrial packaging and manufacturing. “Organizational skills with paperwork and accounting and making sure that the last thing you do is clean your workspace. Psychologically, the last task was positive (you cleaned up your space) when you return, you walk into a clean environment also positive psychologically,” he said. A captain of a 81-100-foot yacht with 20 to 24 years experience once owned five ballroom dance studios. His response was “yes” that this job experience brought knowledge to his current position. The “owner’s wife wants learn to dance,” he explained. But not every captain felt strongly that their previous job helped them be a better captain. Here’s the explanation why from some of the more than 10 percent who responded “no.” One who has been yachting for more than 30 years said he worked as a professional photographer and that he didn’t see how that skill helped him run a ship. Next we wanted to know how much weight a college degree carries on a potential crew member’s C.V. at hiring time. A strong majority, 70 percent, responded that a college degree was not necessary for them to hire crew. We followed that line of thinking and asked of the crew you have worked with over the past five years, estimate how many of them had college degrees? Forty-six percent of the captains reported that less than half of the crew members had a college degree, less than half of the captains, 43 percent said about half of their crew have college degrees and 11 percent of the captains reported that a majority of their crew have college degrees. Can some college course taken by crew cross over and be considered transferable to maritime training certification we wondered. For example, the question should a business management degree substitute for or count toward maritime leadership training? sparked a lot of comments. While 16 percent of those captains
participating in the survey were for the idea, a majority 84 percent thought it might be a good idea. One captain liked the idea because a degree showed that the crewmember completed the process. “It speaks to the discipline and “sticktuitiveness” that is required to obtain the degree,” he commented. Several captains felt that a business course didn’t teach specific maritime skills. “Should count, but will never replace experience managing a vessel or crew.” one captain in the business for more than 30 years commented. “Currently a growing problem,” he added. Another captain of a 121-140-foot yacht with a master’s degree and experience as a commercial vessel captain commented that more than 50 percent of his crew have college degrees and that he thought college business courses should count toward maritime training credit because they gave crew the “ability to solve, challenge ideas. Innovation, creativity, leadership raise fast, usually better on lead positions,” he added. Another captain commented, “Nothing prepares you for this business more than a proper work ethic, and basic common courtesies to help get along with crew.” A captain of a 101-120-foot yacht with more than 15 years of experience, a bachelor’s degree and a previous career in international business development commented said she did not think a substitution of business course credits were appropriate for maritime training. “No, but I think an appropriate equivalency set of business courses should exist,” she commented. Another captain of the same size vessel with an associate’s degree agreed with the previous points of view and commented, “University is a school of fish while yachting is much more individual. We have a small crew so I look for people who did exceptional things in their life rather than sat through a series of classes. For example I would much rather take a person who used his two years after high school walking across Asia, or taking a bicycle around Europe for a year, or rowing across the Atlantic, or taking a balloon adventure across Africa. That skill set and life experiences are much more reverent to our job than “business law” or some other university course.” And finally, we wanted to find out how many yacht operations supported and encouraged crew members to advance their education and training. We asked does your yacht support further crew training? More than half said yes, at 54 percent and more than 40 percent of those reported that the education or training is paid for by the
See SURVEY, page 30
Of the crew you have worked with over the past 5 years, how many had college degrees?
A majority 11%
About half 39%
Less than half 49%
What percentage of your recent crew have college degrees?
More than half 36%
Less than half 64%
“Nothing prepares you for this business more than a proper work ethic, and basic common courtesies to help get along with crew.”
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Do captains prefer crew with college degrees? SURVEY, from page 29 yacht owner. “It’s a line item in the budget, a benefit that is encouraged and promoted when hiring. As such it promotes longevity of employment,” commented one captain. “Sometimes we pay if the person will stay with us,” another veteran captain of a 141 to 160-foot yacht with more than 35 years experience commented. “No, frugal owner,” commented another. Some policies for training reimbursement require that crew stay onboard for a certain amount of time if the owner is going to fork over the money for covering training and certification. “Our program will give the time off to go to school and after you receive your certificate for a class,” commented a captain of a 121 to 140-foot yacht. “We will reimburse your course fees after you give us 12 months of further service.”
Does your yacht support further crew training?
What’s your highest level of marine industry license?
If you had a previous career, does that help you in yachting?
Yes, we pay for it 41% Somewhere in between 26%
Highest level available to me 74%
Yes, we give time off 54%
Does not apply to me 26% Yes 62% No12%
No 23%
Comments: Yacht captains explain if crew
training is paid for by the yacht owner: We pay for an engineer course to our long-term mate. l
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There is a budget for crew training.
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We offer reimbursement for classes and time off as our schedule permits. l
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After a year onboard. l
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For established crew, continued employment required. l
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Our program will give the time off to go to school and after you receive your certificate for a class, we will reimburse your course fees after you give us 12 months of further service. l
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This is not something this owner has much appreciation for but we do offer it.
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Yes, especially if its relevant to the position. l
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Crew pay for training, if they remain on the vessel for 12 months subsequent they will be reimbursed. l
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We pay for courses which are obligatory for crew. l
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After one year of service, we pay for one course up to $2,000. If crew have time to take the course before one year, they pay for it themselves and then are reimbursed at the one year service anniversary. l
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Reimbursed after 12 months. l
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Shipboard firefighting, STCW, economics of yacht operations, Swimming, are sometimes taught away from the yacht. l
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It depends on the program, some do more than others. l
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Any course required to keep our license active the yacht pays for. Class, airfares, time off the yacht, hotels, the works. Anything not required is not
paid for. This means when renewing a license the yacht flies me to Europe to take my course, and pays for my licenses. Seems fair.
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Words of wisdom: Feel free to share any other thoughts
you have about further education, traditional education and its role in a successful career in yachting.
A good percentage of crew does not have enough knowledge towards safety or an emergency that may occur on board a yacht. l
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In yachting, almost everyone has a Yacht Masters ticket - yet they cannot tie a bowline, splice a rope or plot a position. How can this be? l
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Education is great, lays a foundation, but experience and drive are really what I seek in a candidate. If they are looking for a job, I am not interested, I want candidates that are looking to further their career. l
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I generally do not want someone with a college degree.
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Respect everyone especially those on the dock! You never know who you are talking to! l
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I worked aboard yachts throughout my college education. I worked parttime and full time during the summers and holidays. The work made me a better student, l
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The owners and leaders of the industry should stress the value of education to the younger professionals. Only a small percentage stay in yachting for their full career so it only makes sense that they prepare for any eventuality in their profession. More education provides options in the future. l
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Certainly solid, routine and increasing levels of technical education in a solidly managed maritime school is part of a progressive successful maritme career. l
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Intelligence, work ethic, and a curious mind are more important. l
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Any education counts because it helps us become better human beings.
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It encourages and enables us to keep on a path of continuous learning throughout life. l
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Work on yachts require an ongoing training program, this includes from captain on down. l
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I think you don’t need a degree in this industry, if you start early enough you can work your way up, learning as you go. l
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Once finished with school, I found myself needing further education to progress in my career moves. l
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Take advantage of any and all educational opportunities that are presented to you. /chances are good that more education can’t hurt - it can only help. l
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I think the licensing system is antiquated and more practical training should apply. l
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I believe that the right captain with a proactive mentality will have a better yacht crews. Motivation, common sense and safety.
See SURVEY, page 35
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The-Triton.com June 2016
Today’s fuel prices Prices for low-sulfur gasoil expressed in US$ per cubic meter (1,000 liters) as of May 15. Region Duty-free*/duty paid U.S. East Coast Ft. Lauderdale 419/445 Savannah, Ga. 513/NA Newport, R.I. 653/NA Caribbean St. Thomas, USVI 680/NA St. Maarten 584/NA Antigua 524/NA Valparaiso 470/NA North Atlantic Bermuda (Ireland Island) 653/NA Cape Verde 386/NA Azores 458/1,138 Canary Islands 675/709 Mediterranean Gibraltar 455/NA Barcelona, Spain 681/1098 Palma de Mallorca, Spain NA/1,195 Antibes, France 431/1,254 San Remo, Italy 531/1,514 Naples, Italy 529/1,512 Venice, Italy 551/1,807 Corfu, Greece 517/1,195 Piraeus, Greece 483/1,150 Istanbul, Turkey 573/NA Malta 394/1,326 Tunis, Tunisia 486/NA Bizerte, Tunisia 490/NA Oceania Auckland, New Zealand 449/NA Sydney, Australia 474/NA Fiji 611/721
One year ago Prices for low-sulfur gasoil expressed in US$ per cubic meter (1,000 liters) as of May 15. 2015 Region Duty-free*/duty paid U.S. East Coast Ft. Lauderdale 628/670 Savannah, Ga. 610/NA Newport, R.I. 616/NA Caribbean St. Thomas, USVI 839/NA St. Maarten 814/NA Antigua 729/NA Valparaiso 680/NA North Atlantic Bermuda (Ireland Island) 794/NA Cape Verde 565/NA Azores 647/1,417 Canary Islands 750/1120 Mediterranean Gibraltar 563/NA Barcelona, Spain 693/1,548 Palma de Mallorca, Spain NA/907 Antibes, France 619/1,428 San Remo, Italy 707/1,756 Naples, Italy 707/1,767 Venice, Italy 704/1,759 Corfu, Greece 542/1,143 Piraeus, Greece 546/1,159 Istanbul, Turkey 643/NA Malta 647/1,114 Tunis, Tunisia 729/NA Bizerte, Tunisia 729/NA Oceania Auckland, New Zealand 675/NA Sydney, Australia 616/NA Fiji 676/NA
*When available according to local customs.
The crew running the dredge backhoe Captain A.J. Fournier are, from left, Engineer Carlos Valdez, Operator Steve Castillo, Chief Engineer Gary Rife, Mate Chip Smith, Deckhand Ted Horn and Deckhand/Morale Officer Taylor Nimmer who previously served as deckhand on M/Y High Tide II. PHOTO/SUZETTE COOK
Date of last ICW dredge is not documented DREDGE, from page 1
two deepening projects in New York including the 42-mile Hudson River the marine traffic and surrounding cleanup conducted by General Electric community. from Fort Edward to Troy. “If you go to our website, aicw.org, “Part of our discussion here with there’s a two-page update FIND was how do we get and an e-mail address that the marine community captains and crew can sign involved,” Tobin said, up for to get locations of “to at least get people to the dredge,” Crosley said have that information if about keeping yacht crew they wanted it.” in the loop. Tobin oversees all Stephen Tobin, vice aspects of the deepening president of Cashman project and is based Dredging and Marine out of the Cashman Contracting Co. based office set up at The Sails in Quincy, Mass., said he Marina on the southeast set up the e-mail address side of the 17th Street IWWDredgePosition@ Causeway bridge. jaycashman.com for He has worked for anyone interested in Cashman Dredging for staying in the know of the The 2-mile long project 10 years and served project. Although mariners runs from the 17th Street as an engineering refer to the Intracoastal Causeway to north of the consultant specializing Waterway as the ICW its in the environment and Las Olas Bridge. official name is the Atlantic dredging. It was Tobin’s Intracoastal Waterway decision to start the (AIWW or simply the IWW). project in the widest part of the ICW. “We did that in New York because “We chose this location because it’s we had a lot of stakeholders there,” one of the wider areas so people can Tobin said about the daily email update get used to us, see us out there and that includes a map highlighting understand why we’re there,” Tobin said. where dredge equipment and the “We really wanted the bridge traffic to accompanying 220-foot hopper will be see us, and people to get comfortable set up. with us. It’s the best way to do it. Tobin and his crew have completed “We want people to understand
the pieces that are out there and what they do, so that when traffic is coming, people understand that this is where it’s going to be.”
Deepening strategy
Both Crosley and Tobin say the history of the ICW and the date of the last dredge is hard to pinpoint. The original project was 10 feet deep and 125 feet wide, according to Crosley. “As far as I can tell, the longer we go back, the harder it is for records,” he said. “Obviously before computers somebody wrote stuff down.” Crosley said no significant dredging of the 2-mile stretch has been reported since the Army Corps of Engineers cleared the waterway in the 1970s. “The Army Corps hasn’t dredged it, we haven’t dredged it,” Crosley said. “I don’t know, some private firm could have come by 50 years ago and done something.” While the history of the waterway is under question, Tobin sits at a table in the Cashman trailer with a set of mapped-out plans laid out in front of him. “This box represents where we’ve dug,” Tobin said as he pointed to sections on maps of the waterway. “These are existing elevations.” In a pre-survey done by Oceanside Solutions, the hydrographic terrain is labeled by depths.
News
June 2016 The-Triton.com
Three hopper barges measuring 220 feet long by 45 feet wide will be collecting the dredge material taken from the ICW. Cashman Dredging estimates that 180,000 cubic yards of material will be excavated. PHOTOS/SUZETTE COOK “Pre-dredge constitutes the has previously worked with on major background elevations,” Tobin said. projects. “So before we start digging, we find out “We have a captain who is what’s actually there so we can figure management,” Tobin said. “Our crew out what we have to take. is through a union group, Local No. “There’s 14.1, 13, 15 feet over there,” 25 International Union of Operating Tobin explained. “This particular area Engineers. we have to bring to 16 feet. “Onboard the project are an operator, “We approach each section, which engineer, a mate and a deckhand,” Tobin is known as an acceptance area,” Tobin listed. “That’s four guys for the dredge, said. “We set up cut lanes. The dredge is an extra deckhand and a boat operator an excavator and can only dig so wide, running our crew pontoon boat. I so we set up 40-foot-wide cut lanes. We have two guys in our survey vessel, work our way all the way up and all the which we call field engineers, that are way down, almost like mowing a lawn.” management staff, a safety person onTobin stays organized by referring site and a few superintendents at the to a 28-page poster-size book that unloading site.” includes overviews and cross-section There is also a multi-beam 26-foot views of each the 14 acceptance zones survey boat and operator. The vessel is that make up the project. And he uses an overall color-coded visual. “My guys will print me a map for the wall,” he said. “If it’s blue, it means we’re good. If it’s green, it means we’re close. If it’s red, it means we’ve got to get to it.” Once an acceptance zone is dredged, it is measured by engineers and cleared as it meets the required depth. For Tobin and his crew that means a minimum of 15 feet at mean low water (MLW). Capt. Dean Chambers, of Tampa, has 40 “FIND is the client,” Tobin experience running dredge operations. said, “And Taylor Engineering of Ft. Lauderdale is the engineering group that’s overseeing the used to collect soundings and data. dredge for FIND. When we’ve reached a Three hopper barges measuring minimum of 15 feet and the client says 220 feet long by 45 feet wide will be you’re good, we move on to the next collecting the dredge material. zone.” Tobin brought in three tugs boats run by P & L Towing and Transportation – Heidi, Rikki Ess and The dredging team Joseph A. – and he secured Triple R Tobin oversees the equipment Paving for dredge material handling and staff involved in the dredge and at the Dredged Material Management brought in a management team he
Area (DMMA) at Port Everglades. On weeknights, the dredge backhoe gets parked wherever it stops and is locked. It is set off to the side of the waterway, unless there is a seagrass bed they don’t want to disturb. They keep a tugboat with it at night. On Friday, the equipment is hauled out to the port to keep the channel open to weekend recreation users. A normal day of work for the dredging team starts at 7 a.m. and lasts through 7 p.m. or the end of daylight.
Fourth-generation captain
Capt. Dean Chambers is also the superintendent for the project. He said he just finished working on a project in Bermuda clearing the way for the 2017 America’s Cup. He comes from a long line of dredge operators in his family and is proud to say that he’s been working on projects in South Florida since the 1970s. “My very first dredge, the Western Condor,” he declared and showed off a photo of the first dredge device he used 40 years ago. “It did Ft. Lauderdale in 1980. They deepened and widened the entrance channel and the port base years of in there in 1980. It was a gas turbine that had four GE gas turbines in it. It burned 33 gallons of fuel a minute.” Chambers said he and his team did a complete refit on the backhoe and dredge equipment before bringing it to Ft. Lauderdale. “We tore that thing completely apart to do this job,” he said. “Pulled the boom, stick, bucket, hydraulic, spuds. And it went together.
See DREDGE, page 34
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DREDGE, from page 33 “That dredge showed up from a job it was doing in Illinois and we completely reassembled it,” he said. “All my crew did it up in Ft. Pierce.” According to Chambers, who has a 500-ton Master license, even though a license is not required to operate a nonpropelled dredge, his job is about safety, maintenance and operations. He also serves as time keeper and purchasing agent. “The operator is responsible for digging,” he said. “We have an engineer but I oversee everything. I’ve been with these guys for years.” Chambers runs a tight ship. “I like
The-Triton.com June 2016
a clean vessel,” he said. “Soap and water, we’re painting and cleaning and sanding.” Chambers encourages vessels to reach out to him and his crew at anytime as they monitor the marine radio. His advice for superyachts coming through the ICW: “All they’ve got to do is call the A.J. on 13 or 16 and we’ll switch and answer on 67,” he said. “We don’t mind.”
A.J. crawls along
Capt. Chambers explained how the dredge backhoe changes position without propulsion.
“It walks on spuds made for deep water,” he said about the three 95-foot beams that pin the equipment to the bottom of the waterway. “We have shallow dredging with tall spuds. We pick all three spuds up and the operator kicks back with the bucket, we put all three spuds down. The tug boat keeps us on range and the monitor shows the channel.” “They’re lifted on hydraulics on winches,” Tobin said about the spuds. “The stern one we call a walking spud and it goes up. You pin it, push forward and it moves the dredge forward. Then you pick back up … it can move itself. It
crawls like a crab.” Chambers is constantly fine tuning the dredge action. “I’m watching how they do the barge changes and trying to make it better,” he said. The 15-year-old dredge backhoe, that cost tens of millions of dollars, was named after a friend of Cashman Dredging founder Jay Cashman, according to Tobin. “A.J. was an old tugboat captain in Boston,” he said. “He was a friend of the owner and an old salty dog.”
The outcome
When all is said and done, Cashman Project Engineer Kyle Reeves estimates the volume to be removed at 180,000 cubic yards. According to Tobin, most of it is sand, shell hash, rock and limestone. “It’s already been tested, dewatered into a settling pond, stockpiled,” Reeves said about the samplings collected in situ and tested in a lab prior to dredging. “Then it will be dried out and hauled to a commercial facility.” “I’ll be happiest when the project is completed,” FIND’s Crosley said. “We hope everyone will be patient with us in the area. It’s bothersome, but once it’s done, it should be a lot nicer.” Marine Industries Association of South Florida Executive Director Phil Purcell looks forward to any depth increase that is completed in the month before the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show scheduled to begin Nov. 3. “They can bounce around,” Purcell said about the pattern of conducting the dredge. “But they have to be done in that area by 40 days before Nov. 3 when the boats start coming back and Show Management will begin building docks.” According to Crosley, it’s the largest public works projects he has been part of to date. And because FIND is an independent taxing authority, the money for the project was collected and allocated over recent years. “We’ve been squirreling away a little bit of money for several years to be able to pay for this thing,” Crosley said about the funding that was collected in “small amounts on all real property within our 12 counties.” He said a $100,000 house paid $3.30 as a tax for the project. He plans on it all being worth it. “We think it’s going to give the marine industry the much-needed footing that it needs to be successful for many years to come,” he said. “You know these boats are just getting bigger, and they spend a lot of money.” Suzette Cook is editor of The Triton. Reach her as suzette@the-triton.com.
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SURVEY, from page 31 l
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The more education the better. l
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There should be a bachelors or masters program available for the yachting industry. l
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I think any training and education is great and necessary, however, the maritime training schools are to entrenched in USCG policy making it a conflict of interest! Additionally, most of the classes could be offered online and would help reduce the time and financial burden on seafarers. Furthermore, the courses that are required to meet IMO standards are offered through various countries / conduits and are IMO approved, but the USCG will not accept them because they have not paid to be approve by the USCG. The schools in the US are lobbying hard to keep all the training inhouse, not accepting other countries certificates and continue to line their pockets with seafarer’s hard earned wages. l
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Any crew desiring further education shows a desire to learn and improve their position in life. It sure beats them partying away their money. l
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Learning is a continuous process, there is constant flux in the technical developments within the industry and unless a concerted effort is made to stay astride these changes it is easy to get left behind. Sadly the traditional side of the boating industry gets neglected, there is an irreversible dilution of knowledge caused by zero to hero mentality. l
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A small yacht requires less schooling and more experience or you may get by with less schooling . Larger yachts will require all necessary schooling and simulator time in order to have a full grasp on ship management and maintenance. You also have to deal with more varied personalities on the larger yacht. l
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All trades skills are welcome. Business and life skills are great. People skills/friendly... l
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To much wasted time in human resource training. Classes could be cut by 50 percent. l
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We learn forever to catch up with western yachting pros. l
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Education at any level and exposure
to teachers who care about your success as a person in any field are great role models go life. l
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Silver service training. l
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Traditional education has little value in the yachting world, specialized training is required. l
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Poorly educated captains are self evident. l
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There are a lot of people with degrees coming out of college who have no clue about what they think they know. Basics like reading, many do not understand plain English or Spanish when they read. Basic math also suffers. It seems that lately, people are not taught in school. l
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Nothing beats time served and experience. Watering it down does not help the industry it just raises the expectations of the crew who are already expecting too much for too little. l
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Take as many upper level maritime courses as you can. l
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Technical field work is practical for more self-confidence. l
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Did you have a career before you entered yachting?
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Any schooling after high school is good.
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Traditional education is learning in the industry from masters, and I think we have lost too much of that. Crew, and employees in general, were once an
See SURVEY, page 36
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No 31% Yes 69%
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Comments: SURVEY, from page 35 asset that one nurtured, now they are commodities to be used up. l
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Continuing education is very important in any field. l
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Always take the time to listen to others, you don’t have to agree, but new ideas/insights are sometimes helpful. l
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Never stop learning, especially when you retire. l
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Crew just need to follow their dreams and work as hard as possible l
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More important than college education, I make it my preference to hire veterans from Navy or Coast Guard. They have the desired training to follow change of command We asked captains if they would do anything differently about the way they accumulated their knowledge so that future crew could heed their advice Here’s what they offered:
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The industry has advanced and as such, so should the level of crew hired. Unfortunately having a degree does not ensure common sense.
I would have attended Mass or Maine Maritime as opposed to a traditional university. l
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Nothing. I spent 20 years in the commercial world before coming to yachting. Fluffy yachties should do the same and learn to be sailors first. l
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Definitely went to college. However financially it may not have helped due to yachting pay scale. I would have started my formal mariner training at a much earlier age. l
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University study. l
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I would have started in yachting earlier. College today is indoctrination into limited thinking and liberal bias. The best yacht crew I have known were very open minded and held highly positive attitudes. It’s difficult to find a
school that teaches these two character skills. It is an easy inferrence that they may come primarily from parenting. l
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When I was in 2nd year of a 4 year college, I still had a great continuing financial aid package. A number of years later, when I tried to go back and get my degree, I could not afford it, and could not get the same aid. l
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Nothing. I learned by doing and from others who shared knowledge and experience with me. Today there is substantial benefit to hands on training, simulator training and real experience but there is far too much “theory”, interpersonal (HELM) and useless feel-good courses required, most of which are a result of school and government lobbying. There is no logical reason that you need to be certified in ECDIS and still learn celestial. If you hold an unlimited radar observer endorsement, proving you can do the calculations without ARPA, why do you need to go through the money and time to take an ARPA course to learn how to push the “plot target button”? l
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I would have taken more time to achieve a higher level of education. You have your whole life not to be a student. l
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Got the MCA Y1 Engineer instead of Captain 3000. l
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My English degree is worthless, I was a fool..... Engineering would have been a better choice. l
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Probably would have sat for an unlimited masters license when I was in my 30s. l
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Stayed on to get a degree. l
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I think I would have gotten a license much earlier. I waited for many years kind of bucking the system thinking my amazing skills would outshine the need for a license from the system. In the end stopping and getting my license was a HUGE career boost. l
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Stuck at it, become wealthy and own the yacht not work on it...from what I have seen so far this year, learn to fight fires! Suzette Cook is editor of The Triton. Comments on this survey are welcome at suzette@the-triton.com.
News
June 2016 The-Triton.com
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Take a trip to Taylor Lane Yacht and Ship for networking event Start your summer season with Triton networking on the first Wednesday of June with Taylor Lane Yacht and Ship in Dania Beach, Florida. Join us on June 1 from 6-8 p.m to meet captains, crew and industry professionals to enhance your career and business. Find the marina at the recently rebuilt Powell Brothers facility on the Dania Cut Off Canal. Hacck Until then learn more from one of the managing partners, Buddy Haack. Q. What is happening at Taylor Lane Yacht and Ship? We are open and eager to serve all vessels up to 300-foot with our own brand of friendly shipyard service. Our philosophy is to make your stay for repairs, refit, maintenance, or simply dockage as comfortable and convenient as possible. We operate in a slightly different manner than traditional shipyards in that we offer the vessel the option to choose their own contractors, suppliers and level of service. The customer can run their entire project themselves, or allow TLYS to assist to any degree they desire, whether as a complete project manager or merely to offer advice on issues that arise. Or even not be involved at all. The customer tells the management how involved they want us to be. Q. What is your background in the industry? We have all come to the business through years in the industry. As former yacht captains and engineers, we understand that owners, management companies, and captains often prefer their own method of work in the shipyard and we are here to help you attain that fit. At TLYS, the vessel deals directly with their contractors and thus the lines of communication are not blurred by a third party. Therefore, the contractor answers to the customer, and if you are not satisfied with his performance, you hire another. While we have extensive knowledge of qualified local contractors, whom you choose is entirely up to you. Q. Where are you located? TLYS is operating out of the recently rebuilt Powell Brothers facility on the recently dredged Dania Cut-Off Canal, just south of Port Everglades and one
mile west of the Intracoastal Waterway. Our location is ideally situated with easy access to the Fort LauderdaleHollywood International Airport, I-595, I-95, I-75, and the Florida Turnpike, as well as downtown Ft. Lauderdale and its beaches, and historic Dania Beach. Q. Who are the main people yachts will work with? Managing partners Buddy Haack, Capt. David Morrison and Andreas Zeiter. Join us for June 1 networking at Taylor Lane Yacht and Ship, located at 760 Taylor Ln., Dania Beach, Florida (33004). For more information visit www.taylorlaneyachtandship.com.
Managing partner Buddy Haack explained the upgraded electrical work at Taylor Lane Yacht and Ship in Dania Beach, Florida recently. PHOTO/DORIE COX
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Where in the World
The-Triton.com June 2016
Here there be dragons A cruise through Komodo National Park its reefs protected by vigilante-like dive operators, is flourishing underwater. he dry brown leaves crackled Ashore, on the park’s three larger underfoot as we followed islands one can spot not only Komodo the path from the park dragons, but wild deer, boar, macaque headquarters toward the forest monkeys and buffalo.The animals are all and hills. Large gray-brown roots of the protected, and there is an active group ficus trees stretched across our path, of rangers assigned to keeping poachers and it was only a touch to the arm and out. The park encompasses only two a low pitched “Oh my gosh!” that halted local villages, both of which are now us. fenced to protect the children, chickens The “roots” were not plants, they and goats from the voracious meatwere animals. Eight-foot Komodo eating dragons. dragons to be exact, lying immobile We had anchored in the mangroveon the trail, their reptilian bodies still lined inlet near Park Headquarters on sluggish and chilled from the night air. Rinca (Rin-cha) Island for our threeOur park guide, gesturing with his stout hour guided hike. We came upon a forked stick, motioned for us to move female dragon that, using a hole begun aside, which we did gladly, realizing how by a wild forest fowl, was creating a close we had come to stepping on deeper hole in which to lay her these powerful predatory animals. clutch of eggs, where they would We had arrived in Indonesia’s incubate for nine months. We Komodo National Park located spotted a lithe juvenile, one of between the islands of Sumbawa the lucky ones to survive the and Flores at the border of the cannibalistic adults, and a mature Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT) dragon intent on running us off his and Nusa Tenggara Barat (NTP) path. provinces, just a few days before, The dragons that had seemed entering by sea, from the east. so docile in the cool morning air As there are no commercial were now agitated. They raised and facilities in the park, we made lowered themselves on powerful a quick stop at the town of forelegs, surveying their territory Labuan Bajo, on the western Fresh fish and vegetable market in Labuan with predatory eyes, their forked end of Flores Island. LBJ, as it is Bajo is the gateway to Komodo National Park. tongues flickering in and out, nicknamed, has, since our last tasting the air. We gave them a visit nine years ago, become much wide berth, acknowledging their more upscale and inviting. poked and prodded the dense acropora position at the top of the food chain on Previously, this town was no more reef for tasty morsels. Bubble corals these wild, Indonesian islands. than a dirty village of run-down hosted tiny shrimp and green-bordered When to visit: SE Tradewinds buildings and broken roads, with no adhesive anemone sheltered skittish, dominate this area from May to more than a few roadside shops, and curious orange and black anemonefish. October, while winds and rain come a notoriously corrupt harbor master. We spotted reef sharks and huge from the W and NW from December Recently, the “new” LBJ has found its tunas, and watched mouth-gaping to March. Calms are common during niche, catering to the dozens of beautiful moray eels as they surveyed their the transition months of November and “Phinisi”, traditional sailing ships, which domains from the safety of cave-cut April. Currents can be fierce year-round, ply the waters between Bali and Papua coral bommies. In the current-washed with some passes experiencing flows of each year with their live-aboard divers or Selat Linteh (Linteh Strait) east of up to 12 knots. charterers. Komodo Island, west of Makassar Reef, Anchorages: Anchoring can be In town, we were pleasantly surprised one can drift snorkel with mantas, hop tricky, as much of the region is either to find several small, but adequately in the tender, drive up-current and do it very deep (more than 120 feet) or too stocked supermarkets, some lovely again and again. Komodo National Park, shallow, with beautiful, fragile coral. The
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By Sue Hacking
terraced restaurants serving the usual tantalizing Indonesian satays and grilled fish, but also pizzas, ice cream, Italian food, and Western fare. The wet market dominates the waterfront with its slabs of concrete on which you can find all manner of fruits and vegetables, plus a huge array of fish, from small anchovies to mahi-mahi, squid, rays, baby sharks, and eels are evidence of the bounty of marine life in these waters. During our stay in the park, we dove the gin-clear waters off Gili Lawa Laut and Gili Lawa Darat, home to worldfamous Shotgun Reef and the current swept Crystal Rock dive sites. Swarms of trevally and fusiliers surrounded us. Soft corals swayed in the current, and turtles
Where in the World
June 2016 The-Triton.com
Park has put in public moorings that are available on a first come first serve basis, but the dive boats tend to grab the best ones early in the day. Andy Scott’s Cruising Guide to Indonesia covers this park fairly well, and more information can be obtained on GoodAnchorage. com. Charts: Virtually all charts of Indonesia are notoriously inaccurate, and they’re even worse for Komodo National Park, with offsets of over ¼ mile. We’ve found that satellite-derived charts, like .KAP files made from Google Earth, were the best for navigation, as they show reefs, shallows and islands in exactly the correct WGS84 locations given by your GPS. This is true for all of Indonesia, but especially true for the Komodo area. Provisioning: Labuan Bajo is probably the best stocked town on the coast of southern Indonesia other than Bali and Kupang. Since it caters to the live-aboard dive charter trade, “rare” items such as good cheese and bread can be found. There is even homemade ice cream in an array of exotic flavors. Indonesian bureaucracy: This has recently gotten much easier and cheaper. The president of Indonesia has just signed a bill which eliminates the Indonesian cruising permit, or “CAIT”, which previously had to be organized and paid for more than 30 days in advance of one’s arrival in Indonesia. The Temporary Import Permit (TIP) has also been eliminated, saving more money and hassles. Citizens of 90 different countries (excluding Australia) can enter for a short visit of 30 days, extendable for another month, or you can get a Social Visa with a sponsor letter, valid for 6 months. Super yachts still need an agent to ease the way for port clearance upon arrival and departure. There is an airport in Labuan Bajo that hosts flights from Bali and Jakarta, as well as neighboring Flores and Timor islands. National Park fees: There are 2 National Park headquarters, one on the north shore of Rinca, and one on the southeastern bay of Komodo Island, the two largest islands in the park. There is a nominal ship’s fee, (under $20), and a daily per person fee of about $12. Activities such as snorkeling or diving incur other small fees. There is no system for collecting fees for multiday visits, and most captains pay only for the one day when they visit the park headquarters anchorages. You are still nominally under the fee structure when mooring or anchoring at outer islands but only rarely does a ranger come round, and they will accept fees on outer islands.
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Activities: Diving and snorkeling are world-class but there can be fierce currents so you need to time your dives with the tides. There are numerous dive operators in the area. Walks on the five islands that have Komodo Dragons (Komodo, Rinca, Padar, Gili Motang and western Flores) should only be attempted with a guide. Other islands are safe from dragons (but there are venomous snakes) for independent walking. Sue Hacking is a writer based on her 48-foot catamaran Ocelot. She has been sailing the world with her husband and children since December 2001. They have spent the past eight years cruising Indonesia and Southeast Asia. To read more about their travels, visit http://hackingfamily.com. Comments on this story are welcome at editorial@thetriton.com.
View of the anchorage and coral reefs on northern Komodo National Park. PHOTOS/SUE HACKING
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Crew News
The-Triton.com June 2016
A crowd gathered in Ft. Lauderdale to watch the season premiere of Bravo TV’s Below Deck Mediterranean on May 3. Locals Bosun Bryan Kattenburg, Stew Tiffany Copeland and Capt. Mark Howard, below, star in the show. Former Below Deck star Adrienne Gang, second from left, joined the current PHOTO/SUZETTE COOK cast members for a photo op.
Crew gather in Ft. Lauderdale to watch Below Deck premiere By Suzette Cook About 75 captains and crew gathered last night at the Bahia Cabana Restaurant & Bar in Ft. Lauderdale to watch the May 3 premiere of the latest season of the Bravo ‘Below Deck’ series Below Deck Mediterranean. Three of the crew from the show attended the event and were there surrounded by friends and colleagues. Stew Tiffany Copeland, Ft. Lauderdale-based Capt. Mark Howard and First Mate Bryan Kattenburg mingled with the crowd as the episode aired. The restaurant played the show on multiple screens including a giant projector screen usually used for airing sporting events. Kattenburg, 29, said he found the casting call online and thought it would be a great opportunity. He Skyped with the casting director then was referred to the Bravo network and landed the bosun position. “Just like any other yacht job, I found it online,” he said.
The Northern California native said the first episode is about getting to know the cast. “Building a back story and seeing what their morals and values are,” he said. “You have to take reality TV with a grain of salt,” Kattenburg said about what fans might see play out during the season. “But, at the same time, a lot of things that happened, really did happen.” For now, Kattenburg said he plans to settle down in Ft. Lauderdale and he said he thinks his appearance on the show was a good experience. “I stand by who I was, what I did,” the business major from Arizona State said. “At the end of the day, all I cared about was that the captain liked me. Capt. Mark was great, very solid. I’m very lucky. Everyone else was pretty crazy.” Bahia Cabana Manager Jeff Jordan said he was happy with the turnout and plans to host more viewings of the show.
News
June 2016 The-Triton.com
Yachts Unfurled, Savannah and Genesi take multiple honors Unfurled, Savannah and Genesi rose to the top at the 11th annual World Superyacht Awards gala held in May in Florence, Italy. Each of the top winners, chosen from a field of almost 70 yachts, received two trophies. The competition, organized by Boat International Media, enlists 23 yacht owners as judges. Named sailing yacht of the year, Unfurled also won the 40m and above sailing yacht class. Motor yacht of the year, Savannah, also won the displacement motor yacht of 1,300gt to 2,999gt class and M/Y Genesi took top honors in both displacement motor yacht below 500gt (42m to 46.99m) and the judges’ commendation for technology and innovation. This year’s finalists were noted for pushing the boundaries of power, speed, technology, usability, design and comfort. Forty-seven different boat builders and shipyards from 15
countries were represented in the list. Other notable awards include the voyager’s award which went to M/Y Latitude’s owner Anil Thadani after completing an 11,000-mile expedition through the Northwest Passage around the top of Canada to Alaska and the Pacific Ocean. M/Y Malahne underwent a 30 month restoration to the original 1930s look of the yacht which was once owned by film producer Sam Spiegel. He used the vessel as his production office and hotel while filming Lawrence of Arabia. Wider Yachts received an award for their first superyacht, Genesi, in the displacement motor yacht of below 500gt category. Launched late last year, the yacht included an advanced propulsion system that received the award for technology and innovation. Dr. Jim Clark was given the Legacy award.
Winners of World Superyacht Awards for 2016: Sailing yacht of the year: S/Y Unfurled Motor yacht of the year: M/Y Savannah Voyager’s Award: M/Y Latitude Refitted yacht: M/Y Mirage Rebuilt yacht: M/Y Malahne Rebuilt yachts (judges’ commendation for achievement): S/Y Kanaloa S/Y Unfurled Sailing yacht (30m to 39.99m): S/Y Atalante Sailing yacht (30-39.99m) (judges’ special award for design and performance): S/Y Nikata Sailing yacht (40m +): S/Y Unfurled Sailing yacht (40m) (judges’ special award for design): S/Y Topaz Semi-displacement or planing two-deck motor yacht: M/Y Antheya III Semi-displacement or planing three-deck motor yacht (30m to 40.99m): M/Y Divine Semi-displacement or planing three-deck motor yacht (41m and above): M/Y Serenity Displacement motor yacht awards: Below 500gt (30m to 41.99m): M/Y Solis Below 500gt (30m to 41.99m) (judges’ commendation for design): M/Y Rüya Below 500gt (42m to 46.99m): M/Y Genesi Below 500gt (42m to 46.99m) (judges’ commendation for technology & innovation): M/Y Genesi Below 500gt (42m to 46.99m) (judges’ commendation for design): M/Y Moka Below 500gt (47m and above): M/Y Sibelle 500gt to 1,299gt: M/Y 11.11 1,300gt to 2,999gt: M/Y Savannah 2,999gt and above: M/Y Symphony Quality and value award: M/Y Nashwan
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News Briefs Hurricane season to be average
Colorado State University’s Department of Atmospheric Science predicts that the 2016 Atlantic basin hurricane season will have approximately average activity. The team expects that the current weakening of the El Niño effect will transition to neutral or La Niña conditions by the peak of the Atlantic season. This year’s publication reported, “While the tropical Atlantic is relatively warm, the far North Atlantic is quite cold, potentially indicative of a negative phase of the Atlantic MultiDecadal Oscillation. We anticipate a near-average probability for major hurricanes making landfall along the United States coastline and in the Caribbean.” “We estimate that 2016 will have an additional 5 hurricanes (median is 6.5), 12 named storms (median is 12.0), 50 named storm days (median is 60.1), 20 hurricane days (median is 21.3), 2 major (Category 3-4-5) hurricane (median is 2.0) and 4 major hurricane days (median is 3.9). The probability of U.S. major hurricane landfall is estimated to be about 90 percent of the long-period average. We expect Atlantic basin Accumulated
Cyclone Energy (ACE) and Net Tropical Cyclone (NTC) activity in 2016 to be approximately 95 percent of their longterm averages.” To follow the university’s work visit tropical.atmos.colostate.edu.
Palumbo yard opens in Tenerife
Palumbo Group acquired a shipyard in Tenerife (Canary Island, Spain). This is the company’s fifth yard, adding to the Palumbo facilities in Napoli, Messina, Malta, Marseille. Palumbo started in 1967 as a carpentry and metalwork yard for the ship repair industry. Presently the company has grown to include repair, construction, modification, conversion and maintenance of ship and cruise lines as well as sales, after-sales assistance and Palumbo Superyachts.
Southgate named co-chair at ISS
The International Superyacht Society (ISS) appointed Pete Southgate, of Wright Maritime Group, as co-chair of the ISS Technical Committee. He brings 30 years of experience as a shipbuilder, naval architect and marine surveyor covers and he is a member of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects.
International Crew Training (ICT) Instructor Capt.Troy Pitmon used the ICT / Yacht Chandlers Facility for a trust building exercise on April 27. Students took turns controlling and docking ICT’s mini-M/Y Lady Ameli. Two students would steer while a third gave instructions.The HELM course stands for Human Elements of Leadership and Management and is required for students obtaining Officer of the Watch (OOW) and Y4 and Y3 Engineering certifications. PHOTO/SUZETTE COOK
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News Briefs Southgate previously worked with Lloyd’s Register, the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), and worked on the Large Yacht Code and the development of LY2. Southgate joined the Cayman Islands Shipping Registry as a marine surveyor, shipping master and policy advisor and worked to develop the Red Ensign Group Passenger Yacht Code. Southgate has a law degree from the University of London.
Uber launches as well as drives
Uber Yacht launched in Dubai, United Arab Emirates in late April for customers to hire transport by yacht using the Uber app, according to CNN. com. Passengers are required to reserve a seat 48 hours before the trip. The excursion includes food, beverage and a disc jockey for AED300 ($82). “At Uber we are constantly innovating our services. We want to be more than just a leading global technology app, we want to provide experiences at the push of a button,” Chris Free, Uber’s general manager in the United Arab Emirates
El Faro VDR found, not recovered
In an effort to learn more about the sinking of the cargo ship, El Faro, the The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has been searching for the voyage data recorder. A team of investigators and scientists located it in late April but due to the location, the group reported that the equipment could not be recovered during that exploration and said another mission is needed. The NTSB Website posted, “The team of investigators and scientists aboard Atlantis collaborated with investigators at the National Transportation Safety Board lab in Washington and determined that given the VDR’s proximity to the mast and other obstructions, recovery of the VDR cannot be accomplished with the equipment currently available on the ship.” The VDR is in 15,000 feet of water, about 36 nautical miles northeast of Acklins and Crooked Islands, Bahamas. The ship and all crew were lost on October 1, 2015, after losing propulsion during Hurricane Joaquin. In other El Faro updates. the Marine Board of Investigation continued its hearing with testimony from Mr. James Franklin, branch chief of
the Hurricane Specialist Unit at the National Hurricane Center. According to Maritime Executive reports, Franklin testified that the forecast for the hurricane was unusually inaccurate. Senior marine meteorologist Lee Chesneau reviewed the testimony, and suggested that despite the forecast inaccuracies, the NOAA weather information was sufficient to warn against sailing. Other testimony was heard from Capt. Jack Hearn, a former master of the Ponce-class vessels. Maritime Executive reported that he described potential vulnerabilities including the watertight integrity of the cargo hatches, stability issues with increased cargo loads, concerns with how heavy seas might affect the boiler system and inexperienced crew. To follow updates online please visit www.ntsb.gov.
Marshall Islands Registry relocates
International Registries, the Marshall Islands Registry has relocated in Ft. Lauderdale. The office has moved east from the previous location to Portside Yachting Center, Suite 300, 1850 SE 17th St., Ft. Lauderdale (33316).
Gale rejoins MarineMax Pier 66
Steve Gale rejoined MarineMax Pier 66 as the store manager in Ft. Lauderdale. He previously worked with the company from 2001 through 2007 at the MarineMax Stuart facility. “This is a real pleasure and rare privilege to be able to return to Pier 66, one of the nation’s great yacht havens,” Gale said in a company press release. “In addition to offering the fabulous Ocean Alexander lineup, MarineMax Pier 66 will have access to the Sea Ray L-Class luxury yachts, as well as fantastic Italian beauties from Azimut/ Benetti.” MarineMax Pier 66 is located on the northeast corner of SE 17th Street causeway on the Intracoastal Waterway.
Artists to create entrance for show
A design contest is open to create the main entryway to the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show’s (FLIBS) main entrance at the Bahia Mar Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel & Yachting Center. The 57th annual show is scheduled for November 3-7. For details visit ShowManagement. com/global/65 or call +1 800-940-7642.
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From the Bridge Security breaches affect crew and guests onboard, at ports BRIDGE from page 1 Drew Gollan, by an armed robber in Antigua in 2009; a thief who boarded a yacht and was filmed by the yacht’s camera, and other incidents where crew or guests had been mugged, robbed or raped while off the boat. “Security is a huge media topic and is definitely something we talk about a lot with the crew,” a captain said. “Officially about four times a year and more depending on which port or marina we’re in, as well.” “If you’re sitting around Ft. Lauderdale, you have one set of parameters, in Venezuela another set, cruising the China Sea, you’re going to take blokes with you and pay 30 grand for guns, risk assessment, bulletproof windows and security crews at anchor,” another captain said. The group talked about their experiences, starting with a captain who recalled an unwelcome guest onboard while in a Ft. Lauderdale marina. The yacht was equipped with cameras, footpad sensors in the teak decks and eight crew. “We always had watch crew. I was home for a weekend and just a couple of stews were on the boat,” he said. “The junior stew was on watch, we had a strict schedule. She was on rounds and when she went in the master stateroom, a homeless man was taking a shower.” Another captain was working for a high-profile owner and faced overzealous fans. “People were climbing on the back of the boat until our engineer went after them with a fire axe and they took off,” he said. “I’ve had people walking onboard and we just shoo them off,” another captain said. “Except once in Venezuela in the marina where they have guards on towers with automatic weapons.” “They sounded the siren. Everyone runs around, tackles the guy and they take him away,” he said. “It’s more a risk to them if they can survive that.” Another recalled hearing footsteps on the back deck during one of his first jobs as a captain at age 23. “I jumped up in my underwear with a pistol,” he said. “They were drunk tourists trying to take a picture, but
instead they found a captain in his underwear with a gun.” After many laughs about photos that might be circulating from that incident, the group moved to the serious discussion of guns onboard. “That would have been handled very differently today,” he said. “First, I don’t have guns now. I used to carry but I stopped that; the hassle is not worth it, going through customs is not worth it.” The group had mixed experience with firearms onboard. One had just one gun onboard in 16 years, another had never worked with guns in a 28year career. Another captain attributed a theft onboard to the guns onboard. After dusting for fingerprints, only crew and officers were found. “It was the cops that did it,” he
said. “The captain kept pistols and a shotgun, so we got boarded a lot. We came to a conclusion that the guns made us more of a target because it was an excuse to come onboard more often.” “I haven’t been on one that didn’t have firearms,” a captain said. “I’m not an advocate for that,” another captain said. “If you carry, if you believe there’s a requirement for firearms of any sort, you should be looking at a professional fire team onboard. Not relying on the captain, chief officer or engineer to expect them to point and shoot someone dead. “There are few gun owners that could do that. You’re generally asking for problems,” he said. “We carry, and I feel like they’re a hassle. I can only imagine about 10
percent of the situations where they would be a benefit,” another captain said. Throughout the discussion, the captains reiterated that security is different from program to program and soon the acronyms of regulation became part of the conversation. “It is different if a yacht runs ISM or mini-ISM,” a captain said. “It certainly has been recognized by the IMO which is filtered down by MCA and USCG and flag states, that there needs to be some sort of expansion to both training and crew knowledge to security within the industry.” International Maritime Organization (IMO) is the United Nations branch which has implemented the International Safety Management Code (ISM). Regulations have been adopted
June 2016 The-Triton.com
Attendees of The Triton’s June From the Bridge luncheon were, from left, Capt. Ben Schmidt, Capt. Phil Taylor of M/Y Nisi, Capt. Andrew “Hutch” Hutchins of M/Y Misunderstood, Capt. Veronica Hast, Capt. HF “Pancho” Jimenez of M/Y Diva and Capt. Jason Halvorsen of M/Y Marcato (formerly M/Y Copasetic). PHOTOS/SUZETTE COOK
by the Maritime and Coast Guard there are crew issues, a captain said. Agency (MCA), the United Kingdom “The owner doesn’t want anyone agency and the U.S. Coast Guard in his business. We’re very conscious (USCG) in reference to security. about security, we have cameras “That’s important with STCW everywhere, even in crew areas,” he (International Convention on said. “Crew weren’t happy about that.” Standards of Training, Certification “Our owner wants to know who’s and Watchkeeping) with new security, working,” another captain said. with new implications, where crew “I suspected a crew member of at junior level take stealing but it was part in basic security never proven,” a “Certain vessels courses,” he said. captain said. don’t have a “Obviously people “I’ve had crew are aware. But is it steal pain killer requirement because enough? It’s a one drugs from the of size, but there day course, with medical kits,” is responsibility youngsters it’s in and another captain out their ears.” said. for every member It comes down to But most of the onboard, regardless senior crew to be able captains said the of rank, to enable the to both instruct and owners leave it pass on experience security of the vessel.” to them to make and knowledge of the decisions on code requirements, security. he said. “I’ve worked for owners with their “Certain vessels don’t have a own security and then owners that requirement because of size, but there don’t comprehend it,” a captain said. is responsibility for every member “The majority think, ‘ “I’m on a boat, onboard, regardless of rank, to enable I’m bulletproof, the whole ocean is the security of the vessel,” he said. mine.” ‘ “Remember, it isn’t always monetary, it “It’s part of the ownership of boats.” could be meterological.” “It’s a false sense of security of safety “Thank goodness for these classes, and that’s where you, as master, have to five years ago I didn’t know about some step up and say we should think about of these issues and the classes make all this,” another captain said. the difference,” another captain said. Do the captains brief the guests Sometimes security comes with the and owners of security concerns or yacht owner. procedures? Several run through “I’ve had programs where security medical topics, but most don’t discuss is over the top,” another captain said. security. “Based on the owner, the charter, to “Only if we’re going to a port and charter clients that that come with have wild passengers,” a captain said. bodyguards, bulletproof cars and fly in “Guests are never by themselves, there by helicopter. Security is definitely a is always someone there, even if they’re priority.” not in front of them.” We never say, Sometimes that filters down to crew. “Goodnight, lock up when you’re done.” There is exterior security and then See BRIDGE, page 46
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Captains deter crime with cameras, extra lighting, watches BRIDGE from page 45 A captain said they often have guests go to the casino in the middle of the night in search of a good time. “I think that happens quite a lot with charter, they are there to party. But you can’t babysit everybody, they’re adults.” “That still comes under your responsibility,” another captain said. “The crew and guests are your responsibility, you’re 100-percent responsible if any of your crew get arrested in another country.” A captain described a hypothetical scenario. “A guy ends up in sketchy place of illrepute, an incident happens and a local dies. The charter client is accused and the police are involved. They find out he’s from the vessel. You can’t negate your responsibility just because he’s off the vessel. You brought him into the country.” All in attendance agreed that prevention is the priority. “Every boat, even small boats, have cameras,” a captain said and each captain nodded in agreement. “I think 30 percent don’t work or record,” a captain said. “All my boats have cameras, but I don’t know how to find that recording.” “The camera might be there, but for someone staring at the screen?,” another captain asked. Several captains said the owner or the captain use camera footage for monitoring of crew. “When I’ve got a suspect crew member, I say, “Come up and I’ll show you what you did,” a captain said. Most of the group monitor cameras from the bridge, their cabin, or their computer or phone. One of the yachts was docked behind a house and the captain checked in by his phone. “I did check remotely often because no one lived onboard,” he said. “I could see storms coming, also. When I had the ability, I checked it more often than I thought I would.” One captain said several boats he worked with had the equipment, but the boss didn’t pay for remote monitoring or fix the camera to enable playback viewing. “The owner didn’t do the last step,” he said. “But it still looks like a deterrent,” another captain said. One captain makes sure the vessel is well lit and has crew making hourly rounds.
“If someone comes onboard, they will be seen,” the captain said. “If a pro is waiting to come onboard, they will see crew in uniform, professionals who know what they’re doing. And with any luck, that person who’s keeping eye on this boat will move down three boats to the dark boat with crew in flip-flops or where the crew just left, instead.” Other deterrents include turning music on the aft deck and leaving the tv on in the salon, another said. “There are things facilities are doing, like a gate at the end of dock, the security guard, and the dock itself has cameras,” a captain said. “Cameras in
security issue onboard? “Use a distress call, that is endangerment and possible endangerment of life. I have no hesitation to issue a distress call,’ a captain said. “If you get the right agencies involved immediately, they ain’t going far. Even with Bahamian response time which isn’t the best, the U.S. Coast Guard is close.” The Bahamian government takes an active role in yachting in their waters and they push for protection, the worst press is a crime, another captain said. “That knackers the whole industry,” he said.
marinas are the best.” “I think MARSEC (U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Security system) and procedures are just papers on the desk,” a captain said. “Nothing can replace eyeballs on the deck, lights that turn on automatically, alarm systems, things that slow people down or push people away to find easier targets. Help crimes of opportunity go somewhere else.” “Bright lights and people around are the best, making noise on boat, a magnetic switch that goes to a car horn,” a captain said. “If you cut the cable, this magnet falls off and the thing goes nuts. I’d like to add a strobe to give them a heart attack.” But a professional criminal can test all of these methods of prevention, a captain said. “Criminals in a lot of ways are as smart as you about these things, in many ways smarter than us, and ones with serious intentions know how to get through alarms or whatever,” a captain said. What do captains do when there is a
“Do you let them steal it?,” a captain asked. “I would let them steal whatever, it’s all insured,” another captain said. “If you see something happening, make some noise, set the attack engineer on them,” a captain said. “It’s not worth a crewmember’s life, that’s what it’s all about.” The captains were interested in each other’s procedures for security and at the same time concerned about publicizing those details. “What we use onboard, whether it’s cameras, drones, and other systems, we don’t want to advertise what we have,” a captain said. “Being unknown to the public, that we’re a soft target, is our best asset.” “Security is important, we’re dealing with expensive toys with expensive stuff onboard,” another captain said. “The industry has been fortunate to not have more frequent or more serious incidents.” One recommends the mini-ISM as a good introduction to security. And next
are written procedures onboard. “Do the chief security officers course and study the ISPS (International Ship and Port Facility Security Code) so you know what to do in different ports, that’s a way to get an education,” a captain said. “We talk through scenarios of what we should and shouldn’t do,” a captain said. “We have drills, they are very important. “Usually in the master’s orders you have a whole section on security,” a second captain said. “I have a binder, it’s part of the 30day crew initiation,” the first captain said. “You hit them with that?,” another captain laughed. “They have to get through the entire binder and not get fired,” the first captain said as he showed the size of the binder, more than three inches deep. How much of the binder covers security? The entire thing, he said. No matter the program or the training, the captains said they are responsible for security. And they learn from others and their own experience. “Anytime you have an incident is when you learn,” another captain said. “That’s when laws are made, it’s always been that way. It might take my boat getting robbed before I say we need more security. With all issues of security, this is policed by the master on the boat as to how much training and how it is structured. Also how much time you have to fit that in.” “That’s the problem, there is so much gray area as a captain, there are so many things to be responsible for,” another captain said. “The thing I’ve noticed is it’s about your own personal experience. You just had a boat on fire and sunk, I guarantee you will be doing more abandon ship and fire drill training,” a captain said. “If you had a security issue on a boat you ran, you would have security training. You would pull into port and want to know what is the MARSEC level,” another captain said. “Really, your security procedures will be defined because of your past experience.” Dorie Cox is associate editor of The Triton. Comments on this story are welcome at editorial@the-triton.com. Captains who make their living running someone else’s yacht are welcome to join in the conversation. E-mail us for an invitation to our monthly From the Bridge luncheon.
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Boat Briefs Vintage Feadship sold
largest vessel ever built by the shipyard. She has been delivered to her owner in Hong Kong.
New build M/Y Lionwind, the 155-foot Feadship superyacht has sold. The listing agent was broker Glynn Smith. The historical five stateroom yacht was built in 1983 and is powered with twin 538 MTUs with a design by Jon Bannenberg.
New to the sales fleet
S/Y Queen Neferetiti, 137-foot schooner, built in 1986 and designed by Sparkman & Stephens is offered for 2,490,000 euros by broker Ben Allchurch Bernard of Gallay Yacht Brokerage. M/Y Aigue Marine the Canados International built 22.05-meter yacht is offered by Bernard Gallay Yacht Brokerage for 250,000 euros.
New in the charter fleet
M/Y Forever Young, the 97-foot Hargrave is offered for charter by Neptune Group Yachting,
Recently delivered
Part of the Beneteau Group, Monte Carlo Yachts has delivered the first hull of its MCY 105 line. Named G, the yacht measures 32-meter and is the
M/Y CRN 135, 79 meters, is currently under construction and edging gradually closer to launch from the shed in Ancona, Italy. The CRN 135 is the second largest yacht ever built at the shipyard; falling only just short of the 80-meter Chopi Chopi. It is scheduled for launch in 2017.
Recently ordered
Van Der Walk Continental Yachts of Waalwijk, The Netherlands, received the order for a third Continental Three semi-custom motoryacht. The 26-meter superyacht boasts a contemporary teak wood interior with classic elements, incorporating unique characteristics chosen by the owners.
Elevated Italian design
Italian designer Gabriele Teruzzi has designed a 150-meter megayacht named Shaddai, which means ‘almighty’ in Hebrew. It has plenty of features like the suspended cabin which seems to just hang in the air. The cabin is 38 meters high and features its very own 1,130-square-foot private terrace, so you get the best views. The Italian designer aims to take superyachts to new heights. With a towering perch that contains the master suite, the 492-ft Shaddai would bring the owner and his or her guests from sea to sky, where they would enjoy jaw-dropping views of their surroundings.
SS18 to debut at Monaco show
Debuting at the Monaco Yacht show the SS18 is the ultimate luxury in futuristic super yachts and is the talk of the town in the yachting world. With eight years in the planning the launch of this incredible catamaran is set to be the envy of yacht owners the world over. The sleek looking craft glides across the water on two 60-foot long twin hulls. The cockpit sits high above the water and is tricked out with plush leather
seats and a JL audio sound system. It has four 270 horsepower engines which push it to a speedy 56 knots Likely to appeal to the luxury market, the SS18 cost a cool £1 million.
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Questioning the rules and reasons on chartering in the U.S. Publisher’s Point Lucy Chabot Reed
I just booked my flight for the Newport Charter Show and got to thinking about chartering in the United States. As an active member of the U.S. Superyacht Association, I hear from marinas and shipyards around the country eager for more yachts to visit. One of the best ways to do that is to encourage more cruising, and one the best ways to do that is through charter. Without knowing too much about it, one would figure yacht charters in the U.S. would be a vast and wonderful opportunity, filled with diverse destinations (think Alaska, the Chesapeake, the Florida Keys), convenient cruising and safe vacations. Learn a little about it, though, and it’s easy to get confused with which rules apply, and when. There are some who claim only U.S.-flagged yachts can charter in the U.S. (Think Jones Act.) Not completely true. There are ways to charter a foreign-flagged vessel in the U.S., but it’s not all that common. When we dig deep into this topic of chartering in the U.S., some of the rules are downright absurd. If you aren’t
the captain of a large yacht, you might not know that the U.S. government has no entry category for large yachts. If they are commercially registered - which they must be to charter in the Mediterranean – they are considered cargo ships when they come to the U.S. (Absurd, right?) I spoke with a veteran charter captain who operates the foreignflagged vessel under his command in the Caribbean in winter, the Med in summer. He lives here in the United States and brings the vessel here for service, but never to cruise. When I asked why not, he says he can’t, and explained the cargo vessel rule as he understands it. Yet there are some foreign-flagged vessels that charter. The easiest way, of course, is to pay the duty, but that’s an expensive proposition. Another way is to use a demise contract, which requires the yacht owner to give up ownership for the length of the charter and requires the charter client to accept an enormous responsibility for the length of the charter. If nothing goes wrong, it’s no big deal. But if something does, it’s a huge risk, one that most owners and captains don’t seem willing to accept. A few facts as I know them: The bulk of the global charter fleet
business is in the Mediterranean in summer. The bulk of charter clients are American. The bulk of new yacht owners come into yachting through charter. What does that all mean? Well, the Med certainly doesn’t make chartering easy, although recently some countries have relaxed rules to make it at least possible. And it’s not cheap. But it works, and guests are happy with the chance to see some of the world’s most beautiful historical cities and be seen in some of the world’s most exclusive high-end locales. One charter broker told me that the real problem is one of supply and demand. The Med market is huge because charter clients – mostly Americans, remember – want to travel on their holiday, go somewhere. They don’t want to spend $100,000 or $300,000 for a week’s charter and go to … Rhode Island. OK, I’ll buy that. But Europeans might. The U.S. East Coast has phenomenal places, terrific history (albeit younger than our European cousins) and great cruising, much of it still relatively unseen. And as the Med destinations become so familiar among repeat charter clients, they will continue to seek out new destinations.
That’s why Croatia exploded in the last decade. That’s why Cuba is such a draw right now. Both are close to the fleet, and new to the clients. (That proximity is also why terrific charter locations such as Tahiti and Fiji continue to work hard attracting charter yachts. It’s just so far from the bulk of the fleet.) The most bizarre part of this topic, to me, is that each person I asked about it had a different take on what can and can’t be done, and why. And they each saw a different reason for a relatively weak charter market in the United States. So is it worth fixing? Is it worth fighting for? Not everyone agrees it is. But if we are committed to protecting the global yachting industry, and fortifying it so that it can grow, one thing we have to look at is expanding chartering options in the United States. “We’re missing a huge market,” the veteran charter captain said. “The rest of the world would love to come here, but can’t.” It’s not that they can’t, exactly. It’s that we make it so challenging. I guess my point is: Why is that? Lucy Chabot Reed is publisher of The Triton. Comments on this essay are welcome at lucy@the-triton.com.
Crew update Capt. Ken Hornig again stands at the same starboard rail where he stood for his first appearance in The Triton in 2009. “In the photo I was doing the teak and it’s time for teak again,” Hornig said. “A never ending battle. Hornig has been captain on this same 70-foot Horizon, M/Y Lady Bull, for the last 14 years. Triton photographer Capt. Tom Serio took the original photo of him holding the newspaper for the print edition in Feb. 2009. Hornig said he was just preparing to clean the yacht for the May reshoot of him holding his keepsake Triton. He said he’s a one man crew most of the time. But his wife, Cathy Hornig, who works with HackerCraft at Hacker Boat Company, cleans the inside of the yacht. Hornig explained how he got his start on the Lady Bull. He saw a man doing the teak and asked, “Are you the captain?” The man said, “I’m the owner. But I’m looking for a captain.” “I gave him my card and a week later he called me,” Hornig said. “And we’ve
worked together ever since. They’re great people.” Capt. Hornig pondered what has changed in the past 12 years. The couple’s son is doing well in the nursing program at college, but he really wants to run boats. “He wants to do exactly what I do, but I told him to go to college and work in the summer,” Hornig said. “He ran all the boats with me as he grew up.” When asked how he has maintained the long-term working relationship, Capt. Hornig said that clear communication between owners and captains is the best way to go. “Keep the relationship separate,” he said. “I think a lot of owners sell their boats because the captain and crew want to hang out. But he’s the boss, I’m the worker.” And as a final piece of advice, Hornig added, “You get more out of people being nice.” – Dorie Cox
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June 2016 The-Triton.com
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Letters to the Editor
Condo towers and developer’s plans disappoint beach commissioner Editor’s note: Ft. Lauderdale Vice Mayor/Commissioner Dean Trantalis shared his comments on the approval of plans to renovate Bahia Mar Resort & Yachting Center by the Fort Lauderdale City Commission on May 11. The facility is home to the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show and a marina facility. The article has been edited for space. During the course of the last several months, thousands of citizens from across Fort Lauderdale united behind a shared view that a developer’s plan to reshape the Bahia Mar simply went too far. They signed petitions. They wrote emails. They spoke up at city meetings, with some waiting until the wee hours of the morning for their chance to be heard. The city has not witnessed such an impassioned and widespread grassroots undertaking in more than a decade. I shared their desire to protect this treasured piece of city-owned land.
Regrettably, when the moment arrived for a decision on May 10, the rest of the City Commission voted to concede to the demands of the developer. I believe the commission not only could have held out for something better but had a responsibility to do so. The developer won the right to build two 29-story condo towers. That’s a height that had been banned on the barrier island after a debate in 2002 about overdevelopment. A fourstory parking garage wrapped with five stories of residences will double as home for the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. We can all agree that the Bahia Mar needs a facelift. It should be home to a world-class marina like it was back in its heyday. And, we all support the importance of economic development in our community. The marine industry is a cornerstone to our economy. Yet, the barrier island is a fragile ecology. The future is problematic as we deal with the impact of rising sea levels
caused by climate change. The city’s own long-range planning document talks about discouraging development in such vulnerable areas. We need to draw a line in the sand. The City Commission is the public’s steward for both the beach and the Bahia Mar. We don’t want to “Manhattanize” our beach. A massive development at the Bahia Mar is also concerning because of the traffic around the barrier island. Gridlock is too common on State Road A1A and its east-west links like Southeast 17th Street, Las Olas Boulevard and Sunrise Boulevard. The public’s frustration is palpable. Finally, I have an aversion to using public land for private development. I’m not against restaurants or retail shops to supplement the marina at Bahia Mar. But we should be able to come together and find something more appropriate than building private condos on this property. Public property should be open to
the public. Condo development turns the land over to private use not just for the rest of our lifetime but that of our children and grandchildren. Despite these feelings, I do see positive aspects in the plan. The development team lowered the towers 10 stories. They proposed and later expanded a park along the Intracoastal. They will create a public promenade around the site. They will renovate the existing hotel. And most importantly, the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show is happy with the final design. We have forgone other possibilities so let us now move forward. Soon, the City Commission and the developers will negotiate a long-term lease based on these approved plans. We all need to remain vigilant. We need to make sure the Boat Show is protected well into the future and that city taxpayers receive their fair share of the profits the developer will reap. Dean Trantalis Ft. Lauderdale City Commission
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Sudoku Answers CALM
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DISPLAY ADVERTISERS Company
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Puzzle Career
The-Triton.com June 2016
Sudokus Try these puzzles below based on numbers. There is only one rule for the number puzzles: Every row, every column and every 3x3 box must contain the digits 1 through 9 only once. Don’t worry, you don’t need arithmetic. Nothing has to add up to anything else. All you need is reasoning and logic.
CALM
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Answers on page 53