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To the rescue
Yacht crew hose down fire in St. Maarten A4 Vol.6, No. 12
A13 A world away Yacht resources and hideaways in Tahiti B1
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March 2010
The shipyard guy who saved the shipyard John Spencer picks up some of the pieces at Merrill Stevens and launches his own Spencer Boat Co. By Lucy Chabot Reed When news came down in December that Merrill Stevens would cease operations, Superintendent John Spencer knew he had to do something. At the very least, he wanted to give his guys some hope that they wouldn’t be out of work for long. “It was sad, right before Christmas,” said Spencer, who worked at Merrill Stevens five years before losing his job. “I told the guys, if you can, hang in there with me, I’ll think of something.” And he did. It’s called Spencer Boat Company and it started operations in January on the property that used to be Merrill Stevens. “I sat up all night thinking what to do, if there was an opportunity for me in there,” Spencer said, the sounds of the yard filling the silence between his thoughts. “Between Christmas and New Year, I put together a business plan, then I made my presentation to the Westbrook family, and they agreed.” The Westbrook family bought
See SPENCER, page A14
John Spencer lost his job right before Christmas but he wasn’t focused on himself. I told the guys, if you can, hang PHOTO/LUCY CHABOT REED in there with me, I’ll think of something.”
Safety ashore: What are standing orders for crew In the waning days of January, Eng. Pawel “Pav” Kwiatowske of M/Y Charisma, the 153-foot (47m) Feadship, disappeared. He was last seen leaving Willy T’s bar in the yacht’s tender. His crew mates reported him missing the next morning. We don’t know From the Bridge what happened to Lucy Chabot Reed Mr. Kwiatowske, whose body was found a few days later washed ashore at St. Johns. His captain and crew mates could not talk before deadline because of a police
investigation. (Click here for the police statements.) Yet the incident raises questions about safety procedures and standing orders for crew ashore, so we talked about them at this month’s From the Bridge captains luncheon. “If he was at Willy T’s, he was drinking, and I have zero alcohol on the boat,” one captain said. “He was coming back to the boat drunk. I have gotten very serious about that.” As always, individual comments are not attributed to any one person in particular so as to encourage frank and open discussion. The attending captains are identified in a photograph
on page 15. “I wouldn’t let him just take the tender,” another captain said. “Someone could run them [crew], they’d have a radio, and when they need to be picked up, we’d go pick them up.” “The tender stays with the boat,” said a third. “It’s a piece of safety equipment. We can’t go rescue them if they have the tender.” There was a bit of discussion here on this point. Captains on smaller vessels were adamant that the tender not be tied to a dock someplace away from the yacht, but several captains with
See BRIDGE, page A15
TRITON SURVEY: FOOD ONBOARD
Is there a food allowance for crew on your current vessel? Don’t know – 4.9%
No – 48.1%
Yes – 47.0%
Story and more questions, C1
A March 2010
WHAT’S INSIDE
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Supply ship on a mission
Who are yacht crew helping now? See story A9. PHOTO FROM CAPT. WALTER ROWAN
Advertiser directory C16 Boats / Brokers B9 Calendar of events B17-18 Columns: In the Galley C1 Fitness B16 Latitude Adjustment A3 Nutrition C14 Personal Finance C15 Onboard Emergencies B3 Photography B13 Rules of the Road B1
Stew Cues Dockmaster Fuel prices Marinas / Shipyards Networking Q/A Networking photos News Photo Gallery Technology briefs Triton spotter Triton survey Write to Be Heard
C8 B4-5 B5 B8 C4-5 C2-3 A6-12 A8-13 B6 B19 C1 A18-19
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LATITUDE ADJUSTMENT
March 2010 A
A case of mistaken identity for the M/Y Charisma When word started circulating in the Caribbean in late January, early February that the engineer aboard M/Y Charisma was missing, Capt. Jared Burzler fielded scores of e-mails from friends and others concerned. But Burzler is captain of the 130-foot Charisma, the Latitude Hatteras, not Adjustment Lucy Chabot Reed the 155-foot Charisma, the Feadship. Eng. Travis Liberatori aboard the smaller Charisma is fine, Burzler said. “I cannot imagine going through such a situation,” he said.
Helton
Brad Helton, corporate captain at San Lorenzo, has taken over the 60-foot Marquis Keeping Tabs and was excited when we saw him at the Yacht & Brokerage Show about his next
adventure. The owners are planning a Great Loop trip, slated to begin this summer. The trip will take more than a year and take the vessel up the Hudson River, around the Great Lakes, down the Mississippi and the Tenn Tom. “I’ve done the East Coast and West Coast, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean,” he said. “This is another adventure for me and I’m looking forward to it.” Ann Aylesworth, a crew placement agent most recently with Fraser’s The Crew Network, has started teaching Yachting 101 at Maritime Professional Training. The class, similar to the unofficial classes she gave Aylesworth while at Fraser, teaches students about to enter the yachting industry about life on yachts, how to write a resume, how to do an interview, and more. “It’s my Friday thing at Fraser, only now I’m getting paid to do it,” she said. Capt. Paul Martin and Mate/cook
sank in June in the Abacos, Bahamas. See story http://thetriton.com/ article/2009/06/fire-sinks-yacht-twominutes-all-aboard-safe Beverly Grant has recently joined IMA Yachts in Ft. Lauderdale to continue in her role as a crew placement agent that specializes in the galley.
Capt. Paul Martin and Mate/cook Laura Silver attended the USSA event in St. Maarten in January. Laura Silver are now working on M/Y Eagle’s Nest, a 100-foot MCP expedition yacht in St. Maarten. “This one’s floating,” said Silver, referring to the couple’s previous positions on M/Y CanFlor Lady, which
Capt. Bradly Cunningham has left TowBoatU.S. to go back to his water roots as general manager and director of charters with Pro Dive in Ft. Lauderdale. “I’m already having so much fun every day,” Cunningham said. Cunningham He spent 10 years with Pro Dive before joining TowBoat in 2007. Dorie Cox contributed to this report. If you have made an adjustment in your latitude recently, let us know. Send news of your promotion, change of yachts or career, or personal accomplishments to Editor Lucy Chabot Reed at lucy@thetriton.com.
A March 2010
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Blue Moon crew traverse bay to fight fire in St. Maarten
M/Y Blue Moon’s crew on the scene, in their tender, to control a fire at Lee’s PHOTOS FROM CAPT.EMILE BOOTSMA Grill Feb. 17 in St. Maarten. By Capt. Emile Bootsma Quick thinking and good training kicked into high gear on February 17 in the morning when Lee’s Grill restaurant in Simpson Bay, St. Maarten caught fire. When the crew of M/Y Blue Moon spotted the flames licking out of Lee’s Grill’s generator room on the opposite side of the bay, they quickly connected 450 feet of fire hoses, trailed it across the bay with their tender and started hosing down the burning structure. They also managed to keep the adjacent Halsey’s restaurant cool and so doing prevented the fire from spreading any further. Their effort not only reduced the potential damage to Lee’s Grill but also kept the fire under control until the fire brigade were able to fight their way through the traffic 10 minutes later.
Engineer found dead in islands
Eng. Pawel “Pav” Kwiatowske of M/Y Charisma, the 154-foot (47m) Feadship, died in the British Virgin Islands in late January. He was 32 years old. He was last seen leaving Willy T’s bar at Norman Island in the yacht’s tender. His crew mates reported him missing the next morning. For six days, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Virgin Islands Search and Rescue conducted aerial searches and police units looked underwater. Mr. Kwiatowske’s body was found Feb. 7 off St. John. His captain and crew mates could not talk about Mr. Kwiatowske or what happened because of a police investigation. A copy of a police statement is online at www.the-triton.com. – Lucy Reed
Tonga hit by Cyclone Rene
Cyclone Rene swept across Tonga February 14-15 as winds increased to
Crew onboard keep watch as the tender carried 450 feet of fire hose across Simpson Bay from the yacht. 90 knots with gusts to 130 knots from the southeast. The season has been described as an active cyclone season with more predicted.
Supsect in ship passenger murder
A suspect has been arraigned for the murder of cruise ship passenger Nina Elizabeth Nilssen who was found dead in Antigua in January according to Cruise Laws News. The 29-year-old woman had disembarked from Star Clippers’ Royal Clipper cruise ship and had left a barbecue before she was found dead. Several cruise lines, including Star Clippers and Carnival, have suspended service to the island after attacks on passengers and the companies are monitoring security situations. Antigua has had several high profile incidents including Australian yacht captain, Drew Gollan, 38 in 2009 and in the previous year, British newlyweds Ben and Catherine Mullany were murdered.
A March 2010
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U.S. Department of Homeland Security seeking input Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the launch of a new online public engagement tool designed to solicit input from the public on ways to enhance transparency, participation, collaboration and innovation at the DHS as part of President Obama’s Open Government Directive. Through March 19, the site lets the public submit suggestions on ways DHS can enhance transparency, participation, collaboration and innovation and will help guide the development of an official DHS Open Government plan. Visit www. dhs.gov/open.
In other DHS news, Secretary Janet Napolitano designated 11 new countries as eligible to participate in the H-2A and H-2B nonimmigrant visa programs, which allow U.S. employers to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary or seasonal jobs for which U.S. workers are not available. The 11 countries: Croatia, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Ireland, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway, Serbia, Slovakia and Uruguay, join 28 countries previously designated as eligible. On a case-by-case basis, DHS may allow a worker from a country
not on the participating country list to be eligible for the H-2A or H-2B program if such participation is in the interest of the United States. For more information, visit www.dhs.gov.
BMW Oracle wins America’s Cup
BMW Oracle Racing Team won the 33rd America’s Cup in Valencia, Spain in February. The wing-sail trimaran, USA, beat the Swiss Alinghi team two races to one. Larry Ellison, of software company Oracle fame, founded BMW Oracle Racing ten years ago. The race marks the first U.S. team to win since 1992 when America3 defeated Il Moro de Venezia in California. See race details at www.americascup.com.
Auctioneer auctions his own yacht
Dave Ritchie, co-founder of Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers is scheduled to auction off his luxury yacht, the world’s 89th largest, according to the Toronto Sun. The M/Y Apoise, a 219foot Lurssen Yachts, is scheduled to be sold to the highest bidder on March 30. Ritchie purchased the yacht new in 2006 when it listed for $96.3 million. The yacht has six decks, an outdoor Jacuzzi and suites for 12 guests.
Deadliest Catch captain dies
Captain Phil Harris, of the Cornelia
Marie fishing boat featured on Discovery channel’s Deadliest Catch, died in Alaska in January. He was 53. Harris suffered a stroke while the vessel was in port at St. Paul Island, Alaska and he was flown to Anchorage for surgery.
Oscar nomination for The Cove
The Cove film was nominated for best Feature Documentary by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the best films of 2009. “The reason the Oscar nomination is so important for me is because it’s the most watched program in Japanese television. I didn’t get into movies to win awards. I got into making this movie to start a movement to save the ocean. I’ve been trying to give the oceans a voice and an Oscar nomination amplifies that voice,” said Director, Louie Psihoyos The Oscars air March 7.
Madoff yacht fate not in U.K.
A judge ruled a verdict over ownership of Bernard Madoff ’s yacht should not be decided in the U.K., according to Bloomberg in February. The yacht valued at $7 million, named Bull, was seized last year. The investment firm Financiere Meeschaert brought a lawsuit in France asking for
See NEWS BRIEFS, page A12
GMDSS4all welcomes Wendt
Part of Wendt’s new radio room. Jorg Wendt, of D&B Services, is a provider of GMDSS General Operator Certificate (GOC) training courses in Antibes. ‘I’m delighted to welcome Jorg into the “GMDSS4all” fold. His induction training went smoothly; he has set-up a first-class radio room - and he delivered his first ‘solo’ course in January with excellent results’,” said Ian Waugh, operator of GMDSS training in the Med area since 1997 with www.GMDSS4all. net.
photo/www.gmdss4all.net
Wendt served as training provider for MCA General Ship Knowledge and for Ship Stability for Masters. He also delivers UK Legal and Administration (UKLAP) training for persons seeking a UK Certificate of Equivalent Competence (CoC), the full range of RYA courses from Competent Crew to Yachtmaster Ocean, and Power Boat Level 2, in colaboration with Plymouth Sailing School France. Visit www.dandbservices.com and www. gmdss4all.net for details on courses.
PHOTO GALLERY
A March 2010
Valentine’s Networking The Triton celebrated networking and Valentine’s Day on the dock at the Miami Yacht and Charter Show in mid-February. About 250 captains, crew and industry professionals gathered on a Florida winter evening to network and talk about the show. The Triton handed out red roses to all the guests and their valentines. Sponsors were Tribeca Medaesthetics, Swiftsure Marine Carpentry, Yacht Entertainment Systems, Mediterranean Market and Rob Price Services. PHOTOS/DORIE COX
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NEWS
The will and the way to help in Haiti- the little crew that could
Crew of Major Wager load thousands of pounds of supplies into their Grady PHOTOS FROM CAPT. WALTER ROWAN White. By Lucy Chabot Reed Sometimes, it’s best just to let the captain tell his story: “We were sitting in Panama, coming this way because of the weather, and we’re coming right by Haiti so we wanted to see if we could do something. So we loaded up with rice, water, baby food, canned foods and came over. We’re sitting now 37m off Port au Prince.” The phone call came Jan. 23 from Capt. Walter Rowan of M/Y Major Wager, 11 days after a massive earthquake shook Haiti and devastated its capital city. At least 200,000 people were killed, a million left homeless. And the crew on this yacht wanted to help. They had the will and the way. So they loaded up and set off. But that’s where the hard part began. Once in the vicinity, M/Y Major Wager, a 160-foot Feadship, loaded with nothing but good intentions, was basically stranded offshore. “This hasn’t been easy,” Rowan said. “”We couldn’t get in touch with anyone who could help. Our little load wasn’t big enough to get anyone’s attention.” But the crew was convinced their 2,000 pounds of rice could help someone, so they were determined to drop it off. “Even a small tree can give a little shade,” he said. “It’s something everyone can do. Boats are coming up from the Caribbean every day. Everyone could drop off a load. “But so many people were so damned uninterested in our contribution. They all wanted a monetary donation.” But they persisted. Once there, Rowan said he never felt the yacht or her crew were in danger. There were no fishing boats out in the water on their approach, and no one tried to board the vessel offshore. They were hailed on the radio by the U.S. Coast Guard patrolling the area. “I thought I was going to get a lot
of questions and hassles,” Rowan said. “What they said was, ‘Good on ya. Good luck.’ There’s an anchored war ship 2 miles from me. There’s a presence here. It seems to me to be safe enough.” Eventually, working through the boss and his charitable contacts back home in Colorado, Rowan made contact with the Mercy & Sharing Foundation (www. haitichildren.com) and arrangements were made to drop the supplies off at Arcahaie, a village about 16m up the coast, away from Port au Prince. There, they planned to load supplies into their 33-foot Grady White and come ashore at night. With no dock, they would either get in close enough for people to wade out to them, or for some to approach by fishing boat. When nightfall came, however, the security team that was scheduled to help had been held up in the Dominican Republic and when they scouted the area, they could see about 300 people camped out at the beach. So Major Wager traveled farther up the island to an alternative drop-off at Calico Beach Resort where they were able to make a beach landing. The hotel staff helped off-load the supplies and the truck for the orphanage that works with Mercy & Sharing was there and took all the supplies away. “The crew accused me of being bored,” Rowan said. “We were sitting in Colon, waiting for the weather with not very much to do. They said, ‘For once, we get some down time, and you have to go start a humanitarian mission.’ “But it was great,” he said. “We know our supplies are going direct to the orphanage where they will be put to use to support the sick and homeless. Reports are they now have around 400 kids there rather than the normal 150.” Then Major Wager motored on to St. Maarten and her winter cruising season. Lucy Chabot Reed is editor of The Triton. Comments on this article are welcome at lucy@the-triton.com.
March 2010 A
A10 March 2010
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USSA captains briefing in St. Maarten informative for crew By Dorie Cox
the industry will be in two to three years. U.S. Superyacht Association hosted “The yachts being built now will their annual captains briefing at have very little competition for charters Isle de Sol Marina in St. Maarten in and they will sell well because there will January. The kick-off cocktail reception be fewer boats available,” Smith said. included a speech by Billy Smith, viceSeveral heads nodded as Smith said president of Trinity Yachts. that everyone in the industry needs “Two-thirds of the yards in the U.S. to pull together and ride it out. He did not receive orders in 2009,” he said during the good times, people began. were making money and weren’t really Captains and officers quieted party helping each other, but now all parts chatter to hear the veteran of more of the industry are trying to work than two decades in the shipbuilding together. industry share his insight on the state “You’ve heard it before, but we’re of yachting. cautiously optimistic.” “Most yard are living on their back The fifth edition of USSA’s captains log. At some point this business must briefings were held the next day at be replaced,” Smith said. Sonesta Maho Resort where about When yards lose business they have twenty companies presented new to lay-off employees. Those employees technology and yachting information. are the skilled labor force that Regional briefings covered the U.S. previously created prosperity for the and covered the disparity of pilotage business. Laid-off employees find other laws across the country. Cindy Segall of work, often in different fields. Pacific Northwest Yachting said pilot At the point the yard can rehire, requirements are enforced and nonmany employees are not available, compliant vessels will be fined. She said leaving yards to there are several hire less skilled new facilities employees. This expected to open “The yachts being creates a quality gap. the next few built now will have very in “It takes years to years but that little competition for train a labor pool.. If foreign yachts work is slow and the cannot charter charters and they will work forces leaves, in the area. sell well because there it is hard to get that The San Diego will be fewer boats quality back,” Smith Superyacht said. Association is available,” Smith said. So instead, he said growing with 30 yards are working members and very hard to keep their staff in place. He they are working to clarify pilotage laws said now is the time for buyers to order. and to advocate for the industry. The “Yards are working at absolute northeast U.S. has varying pilotage laws minimum charges. They are doing what in each jurisdiction while typically laws they can to keep busy at cut-rates.” are not enforced in the southeast U.S. Stemming from what Smith called according to Kristy Hebert of Ward’s the perfect storm of September of 2008: Marine Electric. Jeff Boyd, CEO of BWA a combination of factors started the Yachting said there are several stalled problems, including a recession that hit marina projects in the Turks and Monaco, the U.S. presidential election Caicos, Antigua and the British Virgin which created uncertainty, a perception Island. of yacht owning as being politically Tim Keogh, of Marina Management incorrect, and cautious wealthy owners Services said there is a new marina not spending Smith said. on the southeast coast of Puerto Rico, “We had 24 yachts on order when Palmas Del Mar Yacht Club, the perfect storm hit, now we have 14 “It provides an excellent jumping off and two have been stopped,” he said. point to exploring the Spanish Virgin The industry is still feeling the Islands,” he said. effects, but Smith said it is time to Keogh said that Puerto Rico has move forward. enacted new laws to promote nautical “We need to educate. We need to tourism, and has abolished taxes that get outsiders into yachts, only a tiny have chased away transient yachts for fraction of those who can own, do own,” years. Yachts can stay in the waters he said. of Puerto Rico and the Spanish Virgin Smith suggested that charterers, Islands for up to 12 months without people who go on charters, need to threat of import taxes and duties. buy yachts and then their friends will charter their boats. There is hope, he Dorie Cox is a staff reporter and said because the phones are ringing associate editor with The Triton. now and they didn’t in 2009. An Comments on this story are welcome at important thing to consider is where dorie@the-triton.com.
A12 March 2010
16-year-old chases global sailing record
NEWS BRIEFS
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Phuket International Boat Show
NEWS BRIEFS, from page A6 control of the yacht to return money to its clients, according news sources. The yacht is iregistered under Yacht Bull Corp., a Cayman Islands company and Madoff is currently serving a 150year prison sentence after pleading guilty a Ponzi scheme.
16-year-old on global sailing quest
Abby Sunderland, 16 years old, is attempting to become the youngest solo sailor to circle the globe on a 40-foot boat named Wild Eyes. She plans a nonstop itinerary to be the youngest person to sail around the world unassisted. She is attempting to beat a record by British 17-year-old Mike Perham, who previously beat her brother Zac. Follow her progress at www.abbysunderland.com. In other circumnavigating news, Australia’s 16-year-old Jessica Watson, five months older than Sunderland, is in her round-the-world trip in her effort to become the youngest to circumnavigate. She left Sydney on Oct. 18. Watson has experienced minor injuries and yacht damage during her trip. Visit www. jessicawatson.com.au for details.
Eclipsing the Eclipse in size
It is reported that Emocean Yacht Design of Belgium plans to build a new yacht, tentatively called Project 1000, which would be 200 meters in length according to their Web site. That length would make it the world’s largest vessel of its type according to CNNMoney.com and
Over 25 superyacht industry professionals met during Thailand’s Phuket International Boat Show in January to discuss the creation of a superyacht association for the Asia-Pacific Region. Country level associations exist, including Australia, Singapore and Indonesia, but there is no single group promoting the region as a whole. Attendees were positive about the creation of an association and agreed in principle to begin work to create and launch one. Topics to address include increading the low level of knowledge among captains and yacht owners of the region and the need to communicate benefits of the region to superyachts. Also, the group would address opening territorial waters to yachts through a role in lobbying governments. Initial plans in the works and an April meeting is planned in Singapore. For details contact the Superyacht Singapore Association at www.superyacht.sg, Thai Marine Business Association at www.thai-marinePHOTO FROM Super Yacht Logistics association.com or The Indonesian Superyacht Association. it would be longer than the Eclipse, currently the largest private yacht owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. Estimated cost could be between $500 million to $900 million. For details visit www.emocean.be.
Yacht’s tax bill: $280,130
A tax bill of $280,130 has been paid for M/Y Themis, a 156-foot Trinity according to the Charleston Post and Courier in South Carolina. The vessel is at the heart of media coverage
concerning taxation on large yachts in the county. Yachts that are in county waters for at least 180 days of the year, can be levied the personal property tax. Four of the 10 largest boat-tax bills issued in 2008 were voided after the owners proved that the boats were under the 180 days, according to the Auditor’s Office. The Themis is owned by corporation in the Cayman Islands.
Free underwater photo guide
DivePhotoGuide.com has launched a series of free underwater photography
tutorials and guides to help the anyone learn underwater photography. These guides offer easy-to-read tutorials for photographers of all levels and are written by professional underwater photographer, Jason Heller, and DivePhotoGuide.com editor, Matt Weiss. Contributors include National Geographic photographer David Doubilet, Martin Edge and Alex Mustard. Each tutorial includes underwater photos and equipment setup shots to illustrate techniques.
The Triton
www.the-triton.com MIAMI YACHT AND BROKERAGE SHOW
March 2010 A13
Miami memories abound from Yacht and Brokerage Show The Yacht and Brokerage Show in Miami Beach was held Feb. 1115 along Indian Creek Waterway. Yachts and their crew were at their best during the show which ran in conjunction with the Miami International Boat Show. About 130 yachts shined as crew continually cleaned, polished and smiled for the annual event. PHOTOS/ TOM SERIO AND DORIE COX
A14 March 2010 FROM THE FRONT: Spencer Boat Co.
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“John’s got a great background and a lot of people know who he is. If there was a way to make a deal, John would do it. He would find a way to get the customer what he wanted.” — David Hole
Spencer said Westbrooks have been supportive SPENCER, from page A1 Merrill Stevens in 2004, at the time the longest-running corporation in Florida. They ceased operations in midDecember and let most of the remaining employees go, retaining a few accounting department employees to work out some of the financial hurdles the yard faces. But Spencer is a shipyard guy and it was hard for him to see all the people he’d worked with lose their jobs. “There are a lot of assets a corporation has, and the biggest one is its people,” he said. The Westbrooks leased Spencer the yard and facilities, he hired back 15 former Merrill Stevens employees and got back to work preparing a 171-foot Amels for a paint job. Another megayacht, a 165-foot Benetti is scheduled to come in by the end of the month to have its windows replaced.
“I’ve got work until July,” Spencer said. Some of the jobs on the schedule were existing contracts that Merrill Stevens couldn’t complete, others are projects Spencer got on his own. “I’ve been out pounding the docks most of my career,” he said. “The hardest ones I’ve ever had to do were since Merrill Stevens went into mothballs.” When Spencer made his presentation, the Westbrooks asked good questions, and Spencer said he must have given the right answers because they agreed to lease him the facilities. “So far, they have been very supportive,” he said. “They were thrilled I was going to put people back to work.” Spencer isn’t new to shipyard work. Before Merrill Stevens, he was a project manager and did business development for Hinkley at its Stuart yard.
He was the warranty guy on the ground in Ft. Lauderdale for Palmer Johnson when it was active in Savannah. He’s also worked with Rybovich Spencer (no relation) and was a captain for a while. He figures he’s been in the yachting industry about 25 years. “But when does it start?” he said. “I was a deckhand on a charter fishing boat when I was 11, but I don’t want to go back that far.” All that experience, and more, was at Merrill Stevens until December. Another former superintendent wishes Spencer well. “John’s got a great background and a lot of people know who he is,” said David Hole, who said Spencer and other superintendents at Merrill Stevens mentored him there. “If there was a way to make a deal, John would do it. He would find a way to get the customer what he wanted.” Spencer is determined not to let the
experience collected at the old Miami yard fade away. “My friends and everyone in the industry have been so supportive,” he said, explaining how a regular working guy can all of a sudden open a shipyard. “I’ve got every nickel of my own money on the table, I have friends in the industry, and I have a line of credit. “I’d just like people to know we’re alive and well, and that I look forward to taking care of customers,” he said. “And I want all my friends to call me (305-394-7849). “I’m really happy to be able to put people back to work,” he said. “It’s heart-wrenching to see so many people so uncertain about their future.” Lucy Chabot Reed is editor of The Triton. Comments on this story are welcome at lucy@the-triton.com.
“My friends and everyone in the industry have been so supportive. I’ve got every nickel of my own money on the table, I have friends in the industry, and I have a line of credit.” — John Spencer
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www.the-triton.com FROM THE BRIDGE: Safety ashore
‘People on the boat have a right to sleep’ BRIDGE, from page A1 experience on larger vessels noted that a 150-foot megayacht such as Charisma would likely have several tenders. Allowing the crew to take the RIB for an evening ashore is not unusual. “But it’s required that they have a designated driver,” one captain said. One point that seemed incongruous was that the crew of Charisma did not learn of their crew member’s absence until the next morning, so we talked about curfews and standing orders for off-duty shore leave. For those captains who preferred not to have a tender ashore, they said there is a prescribed pick up time. If the off-duty crew member was not at the pick-up point at the agreed upon time, he was on his own for the night. “We’ll do a tender run, and there’s a prescribed time for pick up,” one captain said. “If they’re not there, they stay ashore.” “People on the boat have a right to go to sleep and not worry about it,” another captain said. “You have to find your own way home,” said a third. “Today, with cell phones and radios, hopefully, he’ll contact you.” “We don’t have a curfew,” said a captain. “You tend to know your crew. Those who stay out, those who come back. You do get that call at 4 in the morning, but generally, there’s no curfew. If they are not on deck at the time their shift starts, we start investigation procedures.” “There are significant differences between the owner and charter and being off charter,” another captain said. “If we’re off charter and you are not back, you treat them like adults and let it go.” Even on smaller vessels, with limited crew and one tender, arrangements can be made to drive off-duty crew ashore. “Someone is on anchor watch anyway,” a captain said. “If it’s close, and conditions are good, I have allowed that. It takes 3-4 minutes.” Emotions in the room changed a little when someone brought up women on their crew. “If it’s guys going ashore, I’ll cut them a little slack,” one captain said. “If it’s the girls, I’m very paranoid. I want them to call us.” “Females are far more liable to be accosted,” said another. This prompted a discussion about safety ashore, especially in some of the remote places yachts travel. “If the stew needs to provision, two people go ashore in the tender to help: one to carry bags, the other one to stay in the tender,” a captain said. “My stews never go ashore alone,” another captain said. “It’s tough on crew,” said a third. “They’ve been busting their a-- for six or seven weeks and now they’ve finally
Attendees of The Triton’s March Bridge luncheon were, from left, Oliver Dissman, Dan Verhoff (looking), Steve Pepe of M/Y Dreams, Pip Bauerlein of M/Y Francine, Mark O’Connell (looking), Doug Abbott of M/Y Odalisque, and Craig Turnbull of M/Y Allegria. PHOTO/LUCY REED got time off and they can’t go out.” “I’ve been known to motor two hours to where I believe its a safer environment before letting the crew ashore,” a captain said. “I do not allow the girls to go out alone, ever. I prefer the guys not to go either, but I worry about them a little less.” Captains shared some stories they have heard in the islands this winter, including cases where crew members have been taken to ATMs and forced to withdraw money, sometimes violently. Regardless of gender, though, rules for going ashore appear to be universal, at least among this group of captains. At a certain, predetermined time, the boat is locked up for the night. If the crew going ashore is not back on board by that time, they have to make their own arrangements for transportation back to the boat or to sleep. “I have three rules: no girls ashore alone; the boat is locked at midnight; don’t come to work drunk.” The standing orders also might include rules about crew staying together ashore, no crew uniforms or anything with the boat name ashore, no camera, no jewelry. “Look as poor as you can look,” one captain said. “Try to fit in.” “As captain, you find out about ports before you let crew ashore,” one captain said. “You have to use your judgment on the dangers, perceived or known. Then you balance the need for security with the need to vent. “You have to approach each case individually,” he said. “The rules change, port to port.” “That’s where experience comes in,” another captain said. “A captain
who has been around knows when something’s not right.” These captains agreed that it was important to warn female members of the crew to never go ashore alone and to “watch how much you drink.” “You have to be careful,” one captain said. “it’s happening more and more. They’re catching on that stews are going shopping for the boat and that they have money on them.” “The bottom line is, female or male, you get drunk and you are walking alone on some back street, you will get robbed,” one captain said. “It’s happening in Antibes, Antigua, everywhere.” Even at anchor. “Guys come out at night, stealing tenders, coming aboard and taking fishing gear, a captain said. “It’s vital to have a proper anchor watch, 24 hours a day, for weather and for security. The youngsters don’t understand how important that is. It’s everybody’s safety at stake.” “Problems arise when you have inconsistent enforcement,” one captain said. “You have to be consistent as a manager. These are the rules. You have to train them to follow them, for their own safety and for the well-being of the boat.” “Still, it only goes so far,” another said. “Anything can happen.” Lucy Chabot Reed is editor of The Triton. Comments on this story are welcome at editorial@the-triton.com. If you make your living working as a yacht captain, e-mail lucy@the-triton.com for an invitation to our monthly Bridge luncheon.
March 2010 A15
A16 March 2010 MARINA/BOATYARD CONFERENCE
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Industry struggles to deal with financial and weather storms By Capt. Paul Warren
experiences. Add new amenities. Offer additional/new technologies. Take a hospitality approach.”
The 2010 International Marina & Boatyard Conference kicked off in Hurricane Concerns Tampa in late January with a bleak If there was one topic of more assessment of the past couple of years concern than the economy, it was the in the industry and a slightly optimistic weather. Three seminars focused on outlook for 2010/2011. hurricane-related topics. Andrew Farkas, CEO of Island Global Andy Anderson, an attorney with Yachting (IGY) of Ft. Lauderdale, noted the Miami-based law firm of Houck that marinas are suffering because the Anderson, noted that Florida is the only entire marine industry is suffering, state with pre-hurricane regulations. and because the marina industry has Yacht owners or their captains should missed some opportunities for growth. determine if their marina is rated Farkas’ company has amassed a 12for surviving a hurricane with boats marina portfolio since starting in the evacuated (less stress on dock facilities) industry in 2005. or with boats in In a presentation place (more stress.) laden with Marinas must deliver This factor can be a statistics, Farkas critical element in a Four Seasons-level detailed how the evaluating whether industry forecast for experience to all. to stay or go in an dockage demand impending storm has gone from situation. feast to famine. He noted that from The dockmaster or marina owner 2000 to 2007, the yachting industry should be able to provide engineering – especially the megayacht segment data that validates one scenario or – saw unprecedented growth. the other. Anderson also warned that However, in 2008-09, all that activity marina operators, yacht owners and “went south.” Loss of financial support captains should evaluate the condition from banks and project abandonment of neighboring docks. Many marinas contributed to a significant downturn designed or built prior to 1994 (prefor marinas. Hurricane Andrew) are at a greater risk “It was a perfect storm,” he said. of failure in a storm if its tenants are This year, Farkas sees the picture still tied to its docks. improving slightly. While the Legally, a hurricane is not immediate future is bleak, the negative necessarily an “act of God” and, trends of the past few years will therefore, yachts are not automatically moderate, he said, cautioning that covered, he said. He also pointed out several new realities still exist that need that while “in-the-water” slip/dockage to be understood. Capital will continue agreements in the U.S. are covered by to be scarce; there will be slower federal admiralty law, anchorages and growth in production; and there will be moorings are more typically covered by continued consolidation. state and local regulations. Marina owners/operators will Florida, he noted, is the only state need to make their properties real that has developed a public policy “destinations” by offering a range that addresses a marina’s dockage of amenities similar to resorts and agreement relating to hurricane high-end “get-away” enclaves. Even at preparation. Part of that policy is that the high end, yacht owners are price marinas are not allowed to force vessels sensitive for both transient and longto vacate the marina in the event of a term dockage rates. hurricane. “Get better at doing business with Steve Letro, meteorologist in less dollars and less resources,” he told charge of the Jacksonville office of the conference attendees. His strategy is National Weather Service, pointed out “Shrink to Greatness.” IGY has shrunk that the National Oceanographic and its workforce from 1,000 employees to Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) about 400 since the downturn hit. Yet, has adjusted its advanced warning time the company continues to maintain its frames for hurricane alerts. Beginning quality-control targets. with the 2010 season (June thru Marinas must deliver a Four November), a NOAA “Hurricane Watch” Seasons-level experience to all will be issued 48 hours in advance of customers, regardless of the size of their boats. This, Farkas said, will keep a storm’s potential landfall; previously watches were posted 36 hours out. people interested in using their yachts “Hurricane Warnings” will now be and keeping the industry alive. issued 36 hours in advance (vs. the Farkas’ opening comments were previous 24 hours’ notice.) echoed throughout the two-day conference by other presenters. Capt. Paul Warren is a boating and Panelists in the session titled travel writer based in the Tampa Bay Marinas of the Future urged the area. Comments on this story are audience to “Rethink your customer welcome at editorial@the-triton.com.
A18 March 2010
WRITE TO BE HEARD
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‘Cruising permit’ does not exist in all United States waters I read Jake DesVergers’ interesting article titled “U.S. Customs Cruising Permit for Yachts.” [www.the-triton.com and page B1, February 2010] It was an informative article, but I wanted to take a moment and point something out. Here on the West Coast, a “cruising permit” does not exist. The document is titled “United States Customs and Border Protection - Cruising License,” clearly labeled at the top of the document. I believe the Cruising License issued by CBP on the East Coast and South Florida has the same terminology. For some reason this document is being called a Cruising Permit, which is inaccurate and is leading to confusion amongst the foreign-flagged yachts that visit U.S. waters. In the article, Jake refers to the document as a Cruising Permit consistently, except in the first C2C
works with most large yachts that operate from Panama to Alaska. We deal with Cruising Licenses along with all other regulatory issues such as pollution compliance, crew visas, pilotage, etc. Some Captains think issuance of a Cruising License alleviates the need to do any sort of checking in with CBP as they move around. This is a false assumption and if a captain holding a Cruising License does not check in with CBP, there may be fines issued. At the bottom of every cruising license is a note about reporting the “fact of arrival”: Fact of Arrival report while holding a valid Cruising License: n Any tonnage, any length foreign flag yacht that holds a CBP Cruising License n Upon arrival at each port or place in the United States, the master shall report
the “fact of arrival” to the designated CBP officer at the nearest port of entry n The fact of arrival report must be made immediately upon arrival and is normally completed by telephone n Contents of the fact of arrival report are specified by each CBP office and may differ from one port to the next. We provide clients information about clearing in and reporting. One change in that document, the tonnage requirement for pilotage in British Columbia, waters has been raised to 500 gt from 350 gt. Capt. Mark Drewelow C2C inc - San Diego +1-619-972-8695 www.c2conline.net Jake’s reply: I agree with your statement on Permit vs. License. If the article was the basis for a legal explanation in lieu of general information, such semantics
would be absolutely critical. Luckily, I have never heard of nor witnessed any type of confusion by a yacht or Customs inspector when using either term, as you describe. The words are synonymous as Customs inspectors still interchange the title verbally and in correspondence at all U.S ports, east, west, Gulf, Caribbean, and Alaska coasts. The fact that Customs also issues a “Permit to Proceed” adds to the word choice. Perhaps we should require our government to be consistent?
Mediterranean version
If you take a megayacht to the Mediterranean, you know it must comply with European Union importation regulations, which is no different from a yacht coming to the United States. In the EU, there is a similar relief to the Florida Cruising Permit, and that is Temporary Importation Relief. This relief is available to yachts in private use by the owner and/or his immediate family. Article 558(a) of the 6th Directive states that the yacht must comply with the following: n It must be registered in a Port of Registry outside the EU VAT area. n It must be owned by a person or company situated in a jurisdiction outside the EU VAT area. n It can only be used for the personal use of the principal/ immediate family. Article 562(c) of the 6th Directive allows privately used means of transport (i.e., yachts) to be used in EU waters (sea or inland waterways) for a period of 18 months; this can be extended to two years under certain circumstances, such as refits or repairs. Therefore, like the U.S. Cruising Permit, the yacht cannot be used for third-party charters whilst under Temporary Importation Relief and must be formally imported. Failure to do so could result in cruising delays with EU Customs, the possibility of Value Added Tax (average tax being 20 percent) being charged on the charter fee and the market value of the yacht itself, with possible fines of up to 50 percent of the tax payable. In previous years, many Mediterranean countries have ignored the EU Directive and allowed yachts to charter whilst under Temporary Importation Relief. However, pressure has been brought on these countries by northern EU countries through Brussels to enforce EU Directives. These countries are also looking to all areas of taxation for more money, and the yachting industry is an easy target. No owner wants his yacht to be the first to be arrested and fined. Capt. Bernard Charon works with Dominion Marine in the Isle of Man, which can assist yachts charter in EU waters without a change of flag or owning company. For more details, contact him at +1 954-444-3587.
The Triton
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WRITE TO BE HEARD
March 2010 A19
Article on sales tax, yachts was fantastic Thank you for your great article about Florida brokers working to cap sales tax. [“Florida brokers work to cap sales tax, keep yachts in state,” February 2010, page A6] I am an ex-yachtie who has been land-based now for about 10 years. Like everyone else in the industry, I have seen a steady decline in the number of yachts coming to Ft. Lauderdale. According to Mr. Dunbar, “We encourage them to leave. We don’t have to do that. We can make ourselves competitive with other taxable states and nationally. So we’ve hired a lobbyist and we’re collecting data. We want to know: when do boat owners exercise their right to move their yacht to avoid taxes?” I think Mr. Dunbar should be commended for the job he is doing and I can’t understand why he does not have the support of all of the city of Ft. Lauderdale or even all of Broward County. According to the city’s official Web page, “Marine commerce is the leading industry in Greater Ft. Lauderdale and Broward County, accounting for more than 134,000 jobs and $10.78 billion in total economic impact. With more than 300 miles of waterways, marinas, and marine manufacturing and repair facilities, Greater Fort Lauderdale is a worldrenowned port of call for the yachting industry.” We in the industry all know, “There are two kinds of ports: ports of convenience and ports of necessity,” as Dunbar said. “South Florida was the rare combination of both, but that’s gone now. Yachts no longer have to come here. They can go to North Carolina to get work done, or to the Bahamas, or even St. Maarten. The competition has crept up on us and the product is disappearing.” Think about that. If a car plant or some other large business closes and all the employees are let go, there is usually a strike or picketing of the
Schafer’s loss touches a captain I read the article about Steve Schafer [“Kiteboarder killed by shark in Stuart, Fla.”, www.the-triton.com] and wanted to add a note about him. Steve and I met 6 or 7 years ago when we both were starting to learn how to kiteboard. Steve was an excellent surfer, but you would never know it because he was very humble and quiet. He had assisted me as a deckhand on a delivery to the Caribbean in 2008 and recently had been helping me detail my current command in Stuart. He was primarily involved with computers and photography and anything to do with yachts was simply to help out and make a few company. Even if there is a local car dealership that closes down, there is all sorts of outcry. Politicians become involved, usually on a federal level. So we could potentially lose 134,000 jobs and $10.78 billion. Where is the support for Mr. Dunbar’s efforts? Is there a petition I can sign? And why isn’t the mainstream media behind this, not to mention the rest of the Ft. Lauderdale population? No disrespect to your wonderful Editor Lucy Chabot Reed, lucy@the-triton.com
Publisher David Reed, david@the-triton.com Advertising Sales Peg Soffen, peg@the-triton.com Mike Price, mike@the-triton.com
News staff Dorie Cox Lawrence Hollyfield Production Manager Patty Weinert, patty@the-triton.com The Triton Directory Mike Price, mike@the-triton.com
extra bucks. The sharks have always been there and all of us kiters have seen them at one time or another, but never felt threatened. This particular null shark was on a mission, according to experts in the field, and it’s considered to be a fluke to have happened. One lesson we learned from this is never to kite alone, but who really knows if it would have made a difference. For those of us who knew Steve, it has been difficult to understand why it happened to him. This kind of Karma he did not deserve. Capt. Charlie Kiss publication, but why wasn’t this article on page 1? I think what a lot of industries and businesses in the area don’t understand is the trickle down effect of boats and their crews on the local economy. Boats hire trades people to do work on them. Local trades people buy supplies from local suppliers. Crews move into crew houses, go out to dinner and bars, the theater, visit Contributors Carol M. Bareuther, Mark A. Cline, Jake DesVergers, Capt. Eli “Fergy” Ferguson, Alison Gardner, Beth Greenwald, Christelle Holler, Chef Mary Beth Lawton Johnson, Alene Keenan, Capt. Mac McDonald, Keith Murray, Steve Pica, Rossmare Intl., James Schot, Capt. Tom Serio, Capt. Paul Warren
doctors and dentists, supermarkets, pharmacies, etc. These business employ more people, and so on, and so on. Can I suggest we as an industry, as a city and as a county get behind the efforts of Mr. Dunbar and the Florida Yacht Brokers Association’s legislative affairs committee by starting some form of petition showing our support? Mitchell Wotherspoon CEO Crew4Yachts.net
More on helo ops
I read with interest the comprehensive article on helo ops for yachts. [Helicopter training for crew up in air,” January 2010, page A1] As you make clear, practical deck training is extremely important for both the crew and for the arriving/ departing helicopter. But also, to (legally) operate the aeronautical radio, the guys should have a recognized radio operator certificate (just as you need a marine radio op certificate to use the marine radio). I’ve been providing a training and examining service for the CAA Offshore (Aero) Radio Operator certificate, in addition to GMDSS training, at various locations. I would be happy to provide this service onboard, just as I do offshore. Ian Waugh www.gmdss4all.net Vol. 6, No. 12.
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Crew must act quickly Sudden cardiac arrest usually fatal
B3
Dockmaster spotlights
Grenada fueled true passion
Luxury at La Amada Marina
Rawls to embark on new adventure
Section B
B4
B5
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B14
United Arab Emirates is a new entrant to yacht codes
S/Y Carl Linne in cruising in Bora Bora.
PHOTO/Christelle Holler
These South Pacific islands are a wonderful world away If looking at a world map, Tahiti and her islands – officially called French Polynesia – are a long way away from the usual superyacht destinations like the Mediterranean and the Carribean. And yet, these islands are not only beautiful and pristine but also offer safety, excellent provisioning and good navigation conditions. “Tahiti and her islands are, in my opinion, one of the best places in the world to take a megayacht,” said Capt. Chris Gartner of S/Y Maltese Falcon. It is commonly believed that the first migrants arrived from Southeast Asia about 2,000 years ago, travelling on large sailing outrigger canoes guided by celestial navigation and their amazing knowledge of the ocean. One hundred and eighteen islands grouped in five different archipelagos are spread over a territory as large as Western Europe.
International and native,not just British
March 2010
TAHITIAN DREAM
By Christelle Holler
Victoria, B.C.
The ocean covers 99 percent of the country and it is a fabulous navigation playground for any yacht captain. Apart from the Marquesas, which are the first group of islands to be reached while arriving from the east, most of them feature a lagoon with one or several, natural passes allowing boats to get in and out. Water level is usually shallow in the lagoons but any yacht can cruise there. Although the only marina for megayachts is in Tahiti, finding a sheltered safe anchorage spot with no other boat around is easy. The channels are marked in the most developed islands and local navigation charts are reliable and up to date for the other islands. The Society Islands and the Tuamotu atolls are the most commonly visited archipelagos by superyachts. The Society Islands comprise
See TAHITI, page B10
Unique view of the Maltese Falcon at Tahaa Island in the Society Islands. PHOTO/Rodolphe HolleR
We have a new player in the everincreasing field of international standards for yacht safety. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) joins the likes of the United Kingdom, the Marshall Islands, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Malta, and Belize with the introduction of its “Yacht Rules of the Road Regulations for Yachts above 24 Jake DesVergers meters.” With the increase in ship and yacht registrations in the Middle East, the UAE National Transport Authority identified a need for yacht regulations that address the larger size segment of private yachts, specifically those yachts above 24 meters in length not intended for commercial use. This new code has no restriction with respect to the number of persons onboard, nor to the maximum size of the yacht. The scope of the new UAE Yacht Regulations is applicable for new and existing private yachts of all types. The yachts can be of any construction material, including steel, aluminum, composites and wood; the hull can be of any shape from single hull to multihulls; and the yacht can be powered by any type of propulsion: motor, sail, azipods, water jets, or any combination thereof. The UAE states that these new regulations for private yachts have been developed based on the principles of defining overall purpose and functional requirements for safety. The purpose and functional requirements are verified either by compliance with prescriptive requirements, analysis,
See RULES, page B12
The Triton
www.the-triton.com ONBOARD EMERGENCIES:Cardiac arrest
March 2010
B
Cardiac arrest, sudden loss of heart function, often causes death Last month I wrote about myocardial infarction, also known as a heart attack. Heart attacks are usually caused by a blood clot that stops the flow of blood in the artery of the heart. In simpler terms I like to call this a plumbing problem. Sudden cardiac arrest is an electrical Sea Sick problem, not Keith Murray a plumbing problem. The American Heart Association defines cardiac arrest as the sudden, abrupt loss of heart function. Sudden death occurs within minutes after symptoms appear. Sudden cardiac arrest claims about 340,000 lives a year in the United States, about 930 each day. Ninety-five percent of all cardiac arrest victims die. CPR or cardiopulmonary resuscitation is the manual circulation of blood and introduction of oxygen into the lungs of someone who is not breathing. CPR is unlikely to restart the heart, it buys time by keeping the brain alive until an AED is applied. Brain death starts after 4 to 6 minutes without oxygen. CPR manually squeezes the heart and forces blood, which carries oxygen, to the brain. Here are the steps to perform CPR. Step 1. Check the victim to see if he/ she is responsive. Talk loudly, tap him, try to wake him up. No response means a problem, seek medical help. Step 2. Send a crew to call or radio for help. If you have a telemedicine service, now is the time to use it. Step 3. Send another of the crew to grab the Automated External Defibrillator or AED. Step 4. Look, listen and feel. Is the person breathing? Place your ear next to the victim’s mouth, listen for breathing, look for chest movement, and notice if you feel breath on your cheek. Do this for about 10 seconds. If the person is breathing and you do not suspect spinal trauma, roll the patient on his side to prevent aspiration (vomit entering the lungs). If the person is not breathing begin CPR chest compressions and rescue breathing. Step 5. If you have a barrier device such as a pocket CPR mask, tilt the patient’s head back to open the airway and give one breath, watch for chest rise and fall, and give a second breath. If you do not have a barrier device, you can still perform mouth-to-mouth by forming a tight seal around the victim’s mouth, tilting their head, pinching their nose closed and blowing air into their lungs. If you don’t have a barrier device and do not wish to perform mouth-to-
mouth, move right into Step 6. Step 6. Begin chest compressions. Find the middle of the chest, between the nipples. Place the heel of your hand on the sternum. Stack your other hand on top and press down 2 inches. Do this quickly, about 100 times per minute. Now continue with 30 compressions immediately followed by two breaths, repeating the process five times. 30 and 2, 30 and 2, 30 and 2, 30 and 2 and 30 and 2. These five cycles should last about 2 minutes. Return to step 4. If you do not perform rescue breathing, do 200 compressions
without pause. Press down 2 inches in the center of the victim’s chest at a rate of 100 times per minute, continuing for about 2 minutes. Then return to step 4. The CPR process continues until the victim begins breathing on his/her own, emergency personnel take over or, after repeated attempts to save the victim, you are instructed by medical professionals to discontinue care. If the victim is not breathing, the AED should be applied immediately. Turn it on, the victim’s chest should be bare (shave where the pads will be placed if needed or dry area if the
victim is wet). Once applied, follow the voice prompts. We’ll go into greater detail about how and when to use an AED next month. Keith Murray, a former Florida firefighter EMT, is the owner of The CPR School, a CPR, AED and first-aid training company that provides onboard training for yacht captains and crew. Contact him at +1-561-762-0500 or keith@theCPRschool.com. Comments on this column are welcome at editorial@ the-triton.com.
B March 2010 DOCKMASTER SPOTLIGHT: La Amada Resort and Marina
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European-style luxury resort in Cancun, Mexico By Dorie Cox La Amada Resort and Marina has been open in Cancun, Mexico, for nearly a year, and dockmaster Miguel A. Perez has been on board since the beginning. The European-style luxury resort hosts yachts up to 172 feet. Guests can enjoy the residences on property, La Amada Hotel or stay on their yachts with privileges at the spa, restaurants and amenities. Yachts can get a card that offers discounts to crew at all facilities. The property has a Mediterranean feel, Perez said by phone. “The yachts come to La Amada for the service,” he said. “And we have so many amenities for the crew, including a captain’s club with a pool, a meeting room with computer access and phone, and a great view.” Navigation is clear with 5m in the channel and 4m at the docks. Its Web site has waypoints for important buoys in the harbor. Marina La Amada is a protected marina and is an official port of entry with a staff that can help process immigration and customs paperwork. There is a 100-ton travel lift on property as well as a dry dock area. All the standards are available including a pump-out, which Perez said is not as
common in Mexico as in the U.S. The resort is near the one of the world’s largest coral reefs and close to the Mexican-Caribbean fisheries. Perez still loves to fish as he did when he was younger, but has trouble making time for that and spending time with his two boys, 11 and 13 years old. Born near Cancun, 43year-old Perez has been boating since he was 19. He worked on tourist Dockmaster Miguel A. Perez at La Amada Resort and fishing boats and spent time on a 120-foot PHOTO FROM MIGUEL PEREZ and Marina in Cancun megayacht in Florida. When Perez saw La Amada under One of his more memorable construction, he had a vision of his experiences was being on board a 65future. foot aluminum boat in a lagoon during “I saw myself working there,” Perez Hurricane Gilbert in 1988. The storm said. hit Mexico as a Category 5, killing more The manager hired Perez just as he than 300 people in the region. hoped. And when the manager moved “We survived, so it was actually fun,” on, Perez was put in charge. El jefe Perez said. “We played a lot of cards.” de operaciones, as they call him in He was previously second in Spanish. command at nearby Marina Hacienda del Mar where he worked for 11 years. Dorie Cox is a staff reporter and That marina was hit by Hurricane Roxanne in 1995 and then by Hurricane associate editor with The Triton. Comments on this story are welcome at Wilma in 2005, which caused major dorie@the-triton.com. damage to the facility.
The Triton
www.the-triton.com DOCKMASTER SPOTLIGHT: Grenada
Dockmaster business is like hotel business “only more fun” By Carol Bareuther Politics aren’t Clyde Rawls’ cup of tea. Customer service is his passion and the area he hopes to employ his skills in the near future. Rawls, who in the spring of 2008 was appointed general manager of Camper & Nicholsons’ Port Louis in Grenada, left his position at the end of the year. “I enjoyed working in Grenada; Port Louis is a wonderful project,” Rawls said. “But I was uncomfortable being on the nightly news and in the hot spot on behalf of a foreign company.” As GM and in charge of oversite during construction of this new superyacht facility, Rawls was in the gun sights of a group of islanders called Citizens in Defense of Grenada’s Lands & Heritage (CDGLH). The group formed in 2008 in the wake of Port Louis founder and British entrepreneur Peter de Savary selling the marina portion of his $562 million seaside resort development to Camper & Nicholsons. CDGLH targeted a number of mega-tourism projects, which they feel threatened Grenada’s natural environment and local people’s rights. Port Louis was at the top of their list. The Opposition Party took up CDGLH’s cause, turned it into a major platform point and used it to win the 2008 general election. This election upset ousted Grenada’s prime minister, who cemented the Port Louis deal with de Savary. Then, the global recession hit. With Port Louis the only big economic development project left on the island, the new administration reneged on campaign promises by not digging too deep into CDGLH’s concerns. Even so, CDGLH continued, keeping Rawls in the spotlight, making life difficult for a guy who wants to simply run a marina. In December, he headed back to Ft. Lauderdale, where he oversaw the redesign and rebuilding of Bahia Mar Yachting Center several years ago. The first week of January, he went on a job interview to The Pearl, a luxurious new destination development and superyacht marina in Qatar. “It was good to see this part of the world,” Rawls said by phone after the interview. “Unfortunately, or fortunately, they didn’t invite me back.” Speaking frankly, Rawls noted the exciting opportunity for marine business in the Middle East, but also the challenge in running a marina where pleasure boating is still a new concept. “Sheiks are buying 40-foot Bayliners out of the box,” he said. “They employ a pilot to back out of the slip, then they drive around and when they are finished, the pilot takes the boat
Clyde Rawls, said good-bye to friends during the Port Louis Grenada Sailing Festival in Grenada. Seen here with his Australian cattle dog, before a cross-country drive. PHOTO FROM CLYDE RAWLS
back into the slip. It’s different from a clientele who learned to drive a dinghy first and has boated all of their lives. It’s tough to anticipate the wants and needs of these new boaters.” The end of January saw Rawls back in Grenada to pick up his dog, an Australian cattle dog, and say a final good-bye to friends during the Port Louis Grenada Sailing Festival, the island’s major regatta. Then, he took off on a cross-country drive to contemplate his future. Rawls admitted that his dream job would be dockmaster at Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo. The position speaks to his life-long love of pleasing the customer that dates back to the days when he worked as a bellhop while attending the University of Tennessee. He took the manager’s job there upon graduation. Vacations, he said, were spent in Florida with his brother and sister-inlaw on their yacht. A trip into a marina office to check in one day and a light bulb went off. This was just like the hotel business, “only more fun,” he said. “One of the reasons people like one marina over another is customer service,” he said. “It’s how people feel and how they’re treated, and that’s what I like.” Carol Bareuther is a freelance writer in St. Thomas. Comments on this story are welcome at editorial@the-triton.com.
March 2010
Today’s fuel prices
One year ago
Prices for low-sulfur gasoil expressed in US$ per cubic meter (1,000 liters) as of Feb. 15.
Prices for low-sulfur gasoil expressed in US$ per cubic meter (1,000 liters) as of Feb. 15, 2009
Region Duty-free*/duty paid U.S. East Coast Ft. Lauderdale 570/608 Savannah, Ga. 520/NA Newport, R.I. 565/NA Caribbean St. Thomas, USVI 690/NA St. Maarten 868/NA Antigua 782/NA Valparaiso 815/NA North Atlantic Bermuda (Ireland Island) 789/NA Cape Verde 650/NA Azores 610/NA Canary Islands 560/743 Mediterranean Gibraltar 560/NA Barcelona, Spain 680/1,407 Palma de Mallorca, Spain NA/1,375 Antibes, France 622/1,462 San Remo, Italy 765/1,633 Naples, Italy 702/1,570 Venice, Italy 713/1,505 Corfu, Greece 663/1,530 Piraeus, Greece 640/1,507 Istanbul, Turkey 620/NA Malta 615/1,270 Tunis, Tunisia 580/NA Bizerte, Tunisia 585/NA Oceania Auckland, New Zealand 644/NA Sydney, Australia 660/NA Fiji 695/NA
Region Duty-free*/duty paid U.S. East Coast Ft. Lauderdale 433/464 Savannah, Ga. 421/NA Newport, R.I. 506/NA Caribbean St. Thomas, USVI 543/NA St. Maarten 647/NA Antigua 548/NA Valparaiso 755/NA North Atlantic Bermuda (Ireland Island) 793/NA Cape Verde 767/NA Azores 420/NA Canary Islands 431/598 Mediterranean Gibraltar 424/NA Barcelona, Spain 435/1,097 Palma de Mallorca, Spain NA/1,135 Antibes, France 496/1,288 San Remo, Italy 647/1,433 Naples, Italy 629/1,441 Venice, Italy 583/1,346 Corfu, Greece 512/1,202 Piraeus, Greece 489/1,184 Istanbul, Turkey 499/NA Malta 415/NA Bizerte, Tunisia 593/NA Tunis, Tunisia 585/NA Oceania Auckland, New Zealand 517/NA Sydney, Australia 504/NA Fiji 593/NA
*When available according to local customs.
*When available according to local customs.
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B March 2010
TECHNOLOGY BRIEFS
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New foul release coating from Seacoat Technology Seacoat Technology released SeaSpeed V5 Non-Toxic, a hard film siloxane foul release coating. The V5 reduces drag and improves speed/fuel economy and enables the valence of the coating to change with water flowing over the surface. Vessel and static testing showed the coating minimizes up to 95 percent of fouling from slime, algae, grass and organisms. For more information contact +1 832-237-4400 or visit www.seacoat.com.
Northern Lights: better generator
Northern Lights launched the redesigned M673-series, 5-6kW (60Hz) generator with WaveNet digital monitoring system. With a new base frame and sound enclosure design, there is a reduction in overall volume. The monitoring system gives the user a digital window into the operation and output of the generator, including the percentage of available electrical load being used and data logging of events. “The overall size of smaller diesel generators and integration with vessel monitoring systems are two increasingly important issues with builders and boaters today,” said Colin Puckett, sales and marketing manager. For information call +1 206-789-3880 or cpuckett@northern-lights.com.
West Marine: foul weather gear
West Marine introduced a line of technical apparel and foul weather gear designed and tested by Boaters for Boaters. Apparel includes the Typhoon Jacket, a super-lightweight jacket made of a laminated microporous fabric, a breathable membrane laminated between two layers with a Durable Water Repellent (DWR) coating, Third Reef Foul Weather Gear which is 100 percent water and windproof; Captain Tech Tee with raglan sleeves, underarm gussets, UPF60 fabric to protects against sun and the anti-microbial treatment inhibits odor. Tidal Pants feature zip-off legs and are blood, oil and water-resistant with UPF-60 fabric. For more apparel visit West Marine westmarine.com.
Iridium: data transceiver
Iridium Communications announced the Iridium 9602 satellite data transceiver. A full-duplex shortburst data (SBD) transceiver for embedded applications for remote asset tracking and monitoring solutions. Commercial deliveries expected to begin in June. “The matchbox-sized Iridium 9602 is 69 percent smaller, 74 percent lighter and considerably less expensive than the first-generation Iridium 9601 SBD modem,” said Don Thoma, executive vice president for marketing. The Iridium 9602 has built-in GPS input/output ports which permit system integrators to interface with an external
GPS receiver, using a single dual-mode LBand antenna for GPS and Iridium SBD, saving the cost of an antenna. For more visit www.iridium.com
OceanView: night vision camera
OceanView Technologies announced optional HD thermal imaging on its line of night vision cameras, including the Poseidon, Zeus, Atlas and Triton models. Night vision models use infrared sensors and are available in a variety of configurations, including dual and three-camera systems, high zoom cameras and precise fiber-optic stabilization. For more information visit www.nightboating.com or call +1 954-727-5139.
Scanstrut USA: deck seals and more
Scanstrut USA introduced cable deck seals, instrument pods and carbon and stainless steel electronics mounts at the Miami International Boat Show in Feb. The deck seals make it easy and efficient to pass electronics cables through a deck. Available in stainless steel or glass-filled nylon for 0.6 inch to 1.6 inch connectors, the impact-resistant, waterproof units are pre-drilled and supplied with blank inner seals to allow individual or multiple cable sizes. For more information visit www.scanstrut. com or call 1 800-343-8294.
Nauticomp: glass bridge displays
VEI Technologies announced a new marine display design which is brighter, sharper, and produces less heat. The LED Series Marine Display System offers separate LCD control units allowing input choices for up to six screens at the helm; nine inputs: four VGA, four composite, one DVI; and flexibility of installation types with one monitor, including sealed, vented yoke, ram and flat mount or custom bezel. For more information visit www.vei-systems.com or call +1 954-653-0210.
Nauticomp introduced rugged, waterproof, multi-functional glass bridge displays at the Miami International Boat Show. Ten source inputs can be selected manually or automatically by an external commander controller and optical enhancing of the bonded glass provides clarity in full sunlight. Efficient LED backlight technology reduces power draw. The Nauticomp Dim to Red feature makes the Glass Bridge Display ideal for night operation, dimming to 2 nits in black or red. For more information visit www.nauticomp.com or call 1+705-328-2992.
Inmarsat broadband honored
TRAC: flushing system
VEI Technologies: marine display
Inmarsat FleetBroadband 150 won SAIL Magazine’s Pittman Innovation Award in the electronics category. FleetBroadband 150 is designed for small vessels with high-quality telephone calls, email, internet access, and text messaging, accessible simultaneously. “Inmarsat has even developed an emergency calling facility, so that any vessel in trouble can simply dial ‘505’ on any FleetBroadband phone and immediately be connected with a maritime rescue coordination centre,” said Tim Bartlett, electronics editor at SAIL. For information visit www. inmarsat.com
KVH adds Singapore office
KVH Industries plans to open offices in Singapore to support the demand for broadband and satellite TV systems in that maritime market. “Increasingly, our broadband Internet, telephone and satellite TV solutions are proving to be tools of choice for commercial maritime operators seeking to enhance ship operations, boost crew morale and retention, and help meet regulatory requirements more efficiently. With 13 of the world’s 20 busiest ports in the region, KVH Singapore will allow us to pursue these significant new sales opportunities as effectively and efficiently as possible,” said Martin Kits van Heyningen, KVH’s chief executive officer. Visit www.kvh.com for more information.
TRAC Ecological Products featured a compact, portable Port-O-Flush Jr. flushing system Miami International Boat Show. Designed for do-it-yourself, routine flushing of onboard watercooled equipment, it comes with a 120-volt pump (draws one amp) hoses and adapters in a five-gallon bucket. Used with TRAC’s Barnacle Buster, Port-O-Flush Jr. quickly and safely cleans onboard small-to-medium size diesel engines, refrigerators and air conditioners. For more information visit www.trac-online.com or call 1+954.987.2722.
Interlux: Perfection Plus varnish
Interlux featured Perfection Plus varnish, Pacifica Plus bottom paint and Trilux 33 aerosol at the Miami International Boat Show, as well as three gallon pack sizes. Perfection Plus is a clear, two-part polyurethane with prolonged chemical and abrasion resistance and superior UV protection that can be applied direct to substrate. Pacifica Plus is the first bottom paint in the yacht market with Econea. A copper-free antifouling, Pacifica Plus is an ablative paint formulated to meet VOC regulations. It wears away over time, reducing paint build-up and minimizing surface preparation when it is time to recoat and is fast drying and allows boats to be painted and launched the same day. For more information visit www.yachtpaint.com/ usa.
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MARINAS / SHIPYARDS
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New dock planned for Duncan Town in Bahamas Plans were announced for construction of a dock and reconstruction of roads in Duncan Town, Ragged Island, Bahamas. A $9.2 million contract was signed in November, according to www. thebahamasweekly.com. Along with the dock, the contract includes the construction of a pier with ramp and a breakwater structure. The projects are being co-financed by the Government of the Bahamas and the 9th European Development Fund and are expected to be completed within 12 months. Monaco Marine is compensating the carbon emissions in its La Ciotat shipyard through Yacht Carbon Offset. The yard invites superyachts to carbon offset electricity usage during their stay through a contribution; Monaco Marine will offset a corresponding amount. “Building on our strategy of continually striving to improve waste management and overall environmental performance, the issue of greenhouse gases is clearly on our agenda,” said Michel Ducros, president of Monaco Marine.
Yacht Carbon Offset provides a service to compensate for the carbon footprint of the fuel used by the yacht’s engines and generators. The effectiveness of the action is underpinned by Yacht Carbon Offset’s Lloyds Register Quality Assurance Certification. For more information visit www.yachtcarbonoffset.com. Vilanova Grand Marina in Barcelona has recently installed satellite television, wireless and ADSL Internet, private telephone line and digitally activated service bollards to control consumption. The marina has 49 moorings for yachts from 25-80m and offers a port infrastructure and a technical area for repair and refit projects. For more information, visit www. vilanovagrandmarina.com. Knight & Carver Yacht Center has teamed with HF Interior for a shortterm refresh program called “Refresh, Not Refit.” “Now we can offer a compressed refresh schedule of three months or less,”
said Kate Pearson, Knight & Carver’s director of business development. “We’ll add luxury refinements, upgrades and enhancements as well as necessary repairs without the vessel having to spend up to six months or more out of charter.” For details, contact Pearson at +1 619-666-1640 or kpearson@ knightandcarver.com. Michael J. Horn, marina manager of the Harbour Towne Marina in Dania Beach, Fla., was awarded the CMM (Certified Marina Manager) designation in January. Horn began his work with marinas in 1998 at the city of Fort Lauderdale and joined Westrec Marinas in 2007. Marina Pez Vela in Quepos, Costa Rica, is on schedule to open its first 100 slips by April 1. Full services will be available including fuel, ships store, power, water, wi-fi and customs and immigration. Slips are available for purchase or lease. For information contact +1 866-739-8352 and visit www. MarinaPezVela.Com.
10 marine manufacturers get Innovation Awards Ten marine manufacturers were honored for innovative achievement by the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) and Boating Writers International (BWI) at the 69th annual Miami International Boat Show in mid-February. The Innovation Awards, organized by NMMA and judged by BWI, recognize products that best meet the following criteria: Innovative distinction from other products currently being manufactured; benefit to the marine industry and/or consumer; practicality; cost-effectiveness; and availability to the consumer within 60 days of award receipt. Winner of the Innovation Award in the Consumer Electronics & Software category was Standard Horizon for it Matrix AIS. This compact, affordable combination of Class D VHF and AIS brings two important safety and communication features into the hands of the average boater. Simrad received an honorable mention for its NSE12 Multifunction Marine Display. In the Consumer Installed Docking and Fendering Equipment category, the winner was EZ Dock for its EZ Launch product. EZ Launch provides ease of entry and exit, as well as allowing quick launch and recovery for kayaks and canoes. In the Consumer Installed NonElectronic Hardware category, the winner was Hunt for its adjustable table.
The hardware of the Hunt Adjustable Table allows you to change the shape and location of the table, while adding versatility to the furniture and the space. “This is a deceptively simple solution to the age old problem of making onboard furniture smaller, moveable and adaptable,” contest judge Mark Corke said. In the Consumer Personal Gear category, the winner was Sailology for its WinchRite product. This cordless electric winch handle was designed to allow for easily cranking sailboat winches at an affordable price. In the Cruisers category (25-140 feet, including fishing craft), the winner was Boston Whaler for its 370 Outrage. The 370 is an amalgamation of features including the elimination of the motor well, forward sun pad with underneath storage, retractable shade top and molded in bow thruster. Judge Alan Jones said, “Boston Whaler took a hardcore fishing boat and made it family-friendly and versatile enough to spend a week plus on the water.” Rinker received an honorable mention in this category for its 310 Express Cruiser. In the PWC, Jet Boats & Pontoon Boats category, the winner was SeaDoo for its RXT-X 260 Watercraft. The RXT-X’s digitally controlled fly-by-wire system adds functionality and adjustability to give the operator complete control of this 260 horsepower water bike. Judge Lenny Rudow, after riding it, commented, “Even at 60 miles per hour, the control
is so good that the RXT-X feels like a part of your body.” In the Runabouts & Fishing Craft to 24 feet category, the winner was MasterCraft with its X-25. The digitally adjustable wake system, tracking camera and variable seating configuration of the X-25 combine to make this a unique 22foot platform. Jones noted, “This boat addresses the wake surfing market, which is one of the fastest growing segments of the industry, and does it in a fun, innovative way.” In the Safety Equipment category, the winner was FLIR Systems for its FLIR First Mate. This portable and affordable thermal imaging handheld device heightens safety and security when boating at night. Judge Frank Lanier said, “This is a powerful navigation tool that significantly reduces the hazards of nighttime travel.” In the Water Sports and Equipment category, the winner was BRP for its BRP Advanced TEC iCATCH PWC Trailer. This PWC trailer allows the rider to launch while seated on the PWC and walk around the trailer without getting in the water. This year’s Environmental Award went to Torqeedo and its Travel 503/1003. The display integrated into the tiller GPS receiver provides information without the remaining range at current speed, power consumption and state of charge.
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BOATS / BROKERS
March 2010
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Royal Huisman’s Ethereal gets zero-carbon-footprint status twice The carbon footprint of the 58m (190-foot) Ethereal from the Royal Huisman yard has become zero by using carbon offsets supplied by The CarbonNeutral Company. Ethereal’s carbon footprint for 2009 has been offset through the Tieling coal mine methane project in China, which captures coal mine methane and uses it as an energy source to supply gas to homes and local industry. Its 2010 footprint will be offset through The CarbonNeutral Company’s OneNature portfolio, made up of 100 percent renewable energy projects. Camper & Nicholsons Palma has sold the 24.7m (80-foot) M/Y Babette II. The brokerage also added new listings, including the 78.6m (257-foot) M/Y Princess Mariana by brokers Fernando Nicholson and Rick Morales; the 35m (114-foot) M/Y Moon Goddess, also by Nicholson and Morales; the 62m (203-foot) M/Y Icon 62 by broker Jean-Marie Recamier; the 36.6m (120foot) M/Y Beverley by broker Alex Lees Buckley; and the 27.4m (90-foot) M/Y MM by broker Michael Payne. CNI added to its charter fleet, the 78.6m (257-foot) M/Y Princess Mariana in the Med; M/Y Roma, a 62m (203foot) Viareggio, in the Indian Ocean; and M/Y Moon Goddess, a 35m (114foot) in the western Med. And due for launch later this year, the 45.6m (150foot) M/Y Illusion from Benetti will be available for charters in the Med. Merle Wood & Associates has sold the 142-foot Marinteknik M/Y Griff, and the 70-foot Hatteras M/Y Pisces IV. The brokerage also added the following yachts to its central listings for sale: the 258-foot Royal Denship M/Y Princess Mariana (joint with Camper & Nicholsons), the 154-foot Heesen M/Y Elandess II (joint with
Burgess); the 145-foot Heesen M/Y At Last; and the 123-foot Palmer Johnson M/Y Temptation. The 145-foot Benetti M/Y Lady Sheila was added to its charter fleet. For more information, visit www. merlewood.com. Northrop and Johnson broker Ann Landry was named the 2009 Charter Broker of the Year by the Florida Yacht Broker’s Association. Landry has been a charter broker since 1992.Her passion for yachting began during a Caribbean sailing vacation, following which she bought a Landry 44-foot sailing yacht and sailed more than 30,000 miles to the Virgin Islands where she was crew aboard charter yachts. Landry has worked at Koch, Newton & Partners and Merrill-Stevens Yachts before joining Northrop and Johnson in early 2008. Contact her via e-mail at alandry@ njyachts.com. Broker Wes Sanford sold M/Y Prime Time, an 82-foot Hargrave Monte Fino; and broker Jonathan Chapman sold the 78-foot Burger M/Y Easterly. The brokerage added several yachts to its central listings for sale: M/Y Monte Carlo, the 132-foot Amels; M/Y Beothuk, a 102-foot Kuipers Doggersbank, a joint listing with Vripack Yacht and Ship; M/Y Bermuda IV, a 96-foot Cheoy Lee; M/Y Desirade, a 95-foot Sangermani; S/Y Adjutor, an 82-foot Custom Performance Sloop by Langan Design and Yachting Developments of New Zealand; and S/Y Fearless, an 82-foot custom Alden Sloop.
In other company news, the brokerage opened its first Asian office in alliance with Bart Kimman of Asia Yachting Services
M/Y Prime Time RJC Yacht Sales has sold M/Y Prime Time, a 82-foot Monte Fino, and M/Y Jenny O, a 61-foot Viking. For more information visit www. rjcyachts.com. Broker Andrew Cilla of Luke Brown was honored as Broker of the Year by the Florida Yacht Broker’s Association. The award recognizes an individual for his/her dedication, professionalism and community service. Cilla joined Luke Brown and Associates in 1977 and a year later took over the company and assumed the role as president. International Yacht Collection has selected broker Mark Elliott as its Sales and Charter Broker of the Year for 2009. “This is the first time a broker has come in as the top charter and sales broker in the same year,” said Brian Tansey, VP of International Yacht Collection. “We are very excited for Mark. He has worked very hard in what most would consider a difficult year, but his creativity and tenacity really paid off.”
One of the deals that Elliott closed with broker Noell Vawter involved the sale of two superyachts totaling more than $100 million. “2009 has been a tough year across the industry, but I have been blessed with a great team of colleagues and some wonderful clients who have been open to creative deals and some great market opportunities,” Elliott said. For more information please contact IYC at +1 954-522-2323. FYBA also announced its 2010 Board of Directors: Newly elected Jeff Erdmann, Whit Kirtland, Lon McCloskey, Bob Zarchen and Jonathan Burkard. Returning to complete their twoyear term are Georges Bourgoignie, Jason Dunbar, Paul Flannery, Crom Littlejohn, Bruce Schattenburg and Gary Smith. HMY has been appointed authorized dealer to represent Grand Banks Yachts on Florida’s east coast. For more information, visit www.hmy.com Vicem Yachts has hired Gary Smith and Jason Mashke from Sarasota Yacht & Ship in Sarasota, Fla. to represent Vicem on Florida’s west coast, Noelle Semmes from American Global Yacht Group to represent the brand in three mid-Atlantic states from its Maryland locations, Russ Forkert from Yacht Works in Sister Bay, Wisc., for the Lake Michigan region, and Barry Bailey of Queensland, Australia, as its AsiaPacific regional representative. Sean Noel has joined Curtis Stokes & Associates as a sales associate. His first listing, M/Y AnnaSophia, will be exhibited at the Palm Beach International Boat Show later this month.
B10 March 2010
CRUISING GROUNDS: TAHITI
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Yacht presence is seasonal despite warm climate year-round TAHITI, from page B1
Tahitian children in the Tuamotu archipelago. PHOTOS/Rodolphe Holler of Tahiti Private Expeditions
nine inhabited islands including Tahiti, Moorea and Bora Bora. They feature magnificent sharp green high mountains and crystal clear lagoons. All of them offer nice large bays, remnants of ancient volcanoes, and good moorings. When entering the lagoon of Moorea, most anyone immediately feels what Captain Cook, on board the Endeavour, must have felt when he first arrived there in 1768 after a sixth month, seemingly endless journey. Unknown for centuries, although the Europeans sailed several times through the archipelago without spotting land, the “Tuamotu” is scattered with 78 atolls. Only about half of them are populated. A flat ring of coral reef and a large lagoon with beautiful coral and fish welcome yachts. Older than the Society islands, the main land has disappeared to be replaced by huge warm lagoons. It is the ideal place for nature lovers and hiding away. The most populated atolls do not exceed 2,000 inhabitants, usually only one small village located near the main pass. During a trip with guests onboard, a typical two-week itinerary will start in Tahiti or Moorea with a stop in the various islands until Bora Bora; then a one day crossing (240nm) to reach Fakarava in the Tuamotu. The best option is to night cross from one atoll to the other with Rangiroa as the final stop where guests can depart. The winds blow from the east, so navigation conditions will be more pleasant for the guests if starting in Fakarava. Although the presence of yachts is still seasonal (from April to October) in relation to the summer break in the northern hemisphere, it is warm and sunny year round with a higher humidity rate between November
and March and trade winds blowing more frequently in July and August. The average risk of hurricane is one every ten years according to statistics. The Marquesas are geographically out of the hurricane route and could shelter boats in case of a big storm. As a French territory, there are no safety issues and the local people are very friendly, even in the remote islands. Some islands are hit by ciguatera and it is always recommended to ask locally if fishing and eating some species is appropriate. Immigration procedures for crew were simplified in 2008. Crew members working on a yacht arriving in Tahiti are allowed to stay in a French territory according to the agreements in place between their country of nationality and France. Once the initial visa expires, it will be automatically renewed upon presentation of the seaman’s book, providing that they are still working on the same yacht. Fuel supply and main provisioning are in Tahiti. Chefs can shop at the huge Carrefour hypermarket, close to Marina Taina in Tahiti, which offers a wide variety of products, both local and imported. Basically, any food or beverage request can be fulfilled either there or through local retailers. For all the above, it is recommended to use the services of one of the local experienced agents. They will assist any captain with immigration and customs issues, charter licence information and will offer suggestions for things to do in the islands and who to get in touch with. The range of activities for both guests and crew is diverse. The destination is a great success with visiting crew. The local government has put effort into protecting the marine environment and developing sustainability programs. Fakarava and five surrounding atolls became a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 2007. In 2006, French Polynesia was the first country worldwide to adopt a law protecting the 15 shark species living in its waters. The country also became a sanctuary for marine mammals in 2002. Between July and November each year, it is the perfect spot to watch humpback whales arriving from the Antarctic to mate or give birth. The best areas to see them are Moorea and Tahiti’s peninsula, usually in the ocean not far from the reef. Although strict rules apply allowable proximity to whales, it is allowed to snorkel with them should the animals be at a rest. Dolphins are commonly encountered year round. A highlight is diving Tiputa pass in Rangiroa and to be greeted by a pod of bottle nose dolphins. Several are so used to seeing divers that they will approach a person. It is a unique experience, as these animals are wild and not fed by
See TAHITI, page B11
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CRUISING GROUNDS: TAHITI
S/Y Endeavour against the peaks in Cooks Bay at Moorea Island. PHOTOS/Rodolphe Holler of Tahiti Private Expeditions
Diving, snorkeling are musts TAHITI, from page B10 humans. Everyone who goes to Tahiti should dive or snorkel. Coral reef quality and the number of fish and sharks, especially in the Tuamotu, is rarely seen anywhere else in the world. Visibility is excellent and most dives are shallow (not more than 80 feet typically). The Tuamotu offers excellent drift diving in the various passes of the atolls. Drift speed can reach up to eight knots and care should be taken when tides are changing in the lagoon. It is highly recommended to use the services of a local experienced guide around this archipelago. Diving there is a bit technical but fun for every type of diver if carried out with a good guide. Tahiti and her islands are also a great place for surfers and kite surfers. The latter can enjoy their hobby in any lagoon. The “must” for surfers is the famous Teahupoo wave close to Tahiti’s peninsula. It is a very tricky wave as it breaks right on the reef, attracting hundred of surfers each year, especially during the annual Billabong Pro tournament in April and May. A couple
of regattas are also organized in May and June each year between Tahiti and Moorea and around Raiatea. Although it is dedicated to smaller sailboats, more and more larger sail yachts enjoy either participating or following the race. Tahiti would not be an ideal destination for a superyacht if it did not have shipyard facilities. In Papeete, the capital city and main port of call, there is a slipway and a dry dock. A private company has recently acquired a 300-ton travel lift and works in coordination with the port authority. Previously yachts had to cruise to New Zealand or Australia for their yard work, the only other areas in the South Pacific with facilities. Charter yachts such as the Maltese Falcon and M/Y Askari (which has been based in Tahiti for four years) have used the facilities and the captains said they were very satisfied with the experience. The team of workers has been trained by the French Navy and is highly skilled. The port is interested in investing in a larger dry dock. Currently the dry dock can take vessels up to 3,800 tons, See TAHITI, page B12
March 2010
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B12 March 2010
CRUISING GROUNDS: TAHITI
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New dry dock – large enough for 25m beams – should be in place by 2012 TAHITI, from page B11 for yachts measuring up to 140m in length with 17m beams. By 2012, the new dry dock is expected be able to accommodate yachts of 14,000 tons and up to 150m by 25m. The port is installing a $2 million video surveillance system on the docks where up to 25 yachts of 35m or eight yachts of 80m can dock. Updates to security in 2009 include gates with restricted access, either using a magnetic card or through a security guard. The management team of the port authority is dynamic and willing to adapt the existing structures to yachts’ needs. Marina Taina is a 10 minute drive from the international airport and has a capacity for up to 20 yachts between 25 and 60 meters. There is an ongoing project to turn it into a “green”
email yacht@mail.pf and Pascal Bredin at Tahiti Yacht Services at email yacht@ tys.pf. Like its neighbors in New Zealand, Australia and Fiji, local professionals are combining efforts to increase the area’s popularity as a megayacht destination. By promoting awareness of the current and future yachting facilities and the idyllic natural beauty, yachts will realize resources available in this Pacific Ocean treasure.
Aerial shot of the Moorea lagoon in the Society Islands. PHOTOS/Rodolphe Holler of Tahiti Private Expeditions
marina over the next three years. Information on the Port Authority of Papeete can be found by visiting www.portdepapeete.pf or by emailing to capitainerie@portppt.pf. and details
on Marina Taina can be obtained by emailing to marinataina@mail.pf and visiting www.tahiti-ocean.com. Yacht agents include Laurent Cornu at Tahiti Ocean who can be reached at
Christelle Holler works with Tahiti Private Expeditions and is a consultant for the superyacht industry. She can be reached at christelle.tyc@gmail. com, by phone at +1 689 766 272 or at www.tahiti-private-expeditions.com. Comments on this article are welcome at editorial@the-triton.com.
UAE: Take focus off steel ships RULES, from page B1 demonstration, or risk assessment. The certification process is delegated to the classification societies, in lieu of any UAE team of inspectors. The UAE continues its explanation for these regulations by rationalizing that larger yachts are increasingly being custom built based on individual designs. The segment of yachts larger than 40 meters is predominantly individually built to an owner’s design and exact specification versus a standard mass production. The UAE acknowledges that the 100 largest yachts in the world today are from 65-165 meters, with known projects exceeding 200 meters in length. These yachts exceed the maximum 3,000 GT size presently available regulations for commercial yachts. They also carry more than 12 people/guests in addition to the crew, which is the limit for formal certification as cargo ship with yacht equivalencies in accordance with the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS). Once more than 12 people/guests are carried, the vessel becomes a passenger ship, regardless of her tonnage. The UAE feels current codes and regulations for large yachts are based on conventional steel ship technology, which imposes strong limitations on innovation and a future-orientated yacht industry. Accordingly, the present international statutory regime for certification of commercial yachts is not considered to be an appropriate longterm solution for the non-commercial segment of the yacht industry that builds private yachts not intended for the leasing/charter market. Upon reviewing the actual contents of the new code, one will see that an enormous amount of effort has gone
into the document. The authors are to be commended. It could be said that the “best” portions of the existing regulations, such as SOLAS, MCA LY2, Marshall Islands CYC, were all consolidated into this new regulation. It is especially admirable to see fresh efforts made to address areas of concern that have particularly fallen to the side. Sections dealing with minimum safety requirements when operating in polar regions, an area certain to become popular as technology and new designs permit, are outlined. The code also formally deals with requirements for those famous dockside events requested by an owner when the yacht’s capacity far exceeds its normal use. While the code provides a new look at certain needs of our industry, it is important to also recognize that the safety standards imposed by the code and the certificates that are required to be maintained meet and/or exceed those of a commercial yacht. One must question if this is justified for a private yacht to do? Time will tell how our industry will accept this new entrant into the yachting arena. Capt. Jake DesVergers is chief surveyor for International Yacht Bureau (IYB), an organization that provides inspection services to private and commercial yachts on behalf of several flag administrations, including the Marshall Islands. A deck officer graduate of the U.S. 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 +1954-596-2728 or www.yachtbureau.org. Comments on this column are welcome at editorial@the-triton.com.
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PHOTOGRAPHY: Photo Exposé
Remote control and self-timer important for onboard yacht Welcome aboard photo enthusiasts. This is the 12th edition in a series of columns clarifying the list of camera specifications, using the randomly chosen Lumix DMCFX150 camera, manufactured by Panasonic, as an example. Believe me, I had planned on this topic to cover two, possibly three Photo Exposé articles, not 12. Nevertheless, the James Schot duration and space has not been wasted. Do note, this example Panasonic camera is now out of date. If you are in the market for a new camera, there are many great cameras to choose from. We are nearing the end of the specifications list. Last time I talked about technical support and Continuous Drive. Let’s move on to: Remote control: No Simple enough. You cannot control this camera remotely. You might ask “when would I want to?” or “is this important?” No, for most users this is not important. If, on the other hand, you are a serious photography buff, it can be something you could explore. I’ve used it creatively in my recent Aurora w/ Eos fine art photographs, where I had to place a fixed camera at a distance away from me to allow it to capture my working with light. A practical application could be if you wanted to record your hands on repairs to a ship’s engine that is located in a hard-to-access space. Then remote control would save you from having to get up and press the shutter. By the way, engine rooms can be somewhat dimly lit areas. Here’s some recent news you may not have read about yet. Both Canon and Nikon have come out in their professional line with cameras with new, very high ISO settings. For the Canon it is 102, 400 and I think the same for the Nikon. This means you can (with these cameras) shoot photographs (and video) in very low light -- even in darkness -- and get an exposure. Keep in mind most cameras have a peak ISO of 1,600, some 3,600, and a few pro-cameras go to 6,400. Now add 12,800 or 1 stop, 25,600 or 2 stops, 51,200 or 3 stops, to 102,400 or 4 stops of light sensitivity. This is amazing, but being available only on high-end professional cameras, you may question how this applies to you. Well, this technology will surely (in time) be passed on to less sophisticated consumer models. This improvement in light sensitivity has another positive side effect. You may recall from previous articles my
mentioning you should avoid high ISO settings such as 1,600 or 3,600 because these speeds have lots of unwanted noise. This technological advance means newer (future) cameras will produce less noise at higher ISO settings, so 1,600 and 3,600 will start to look pretty good. It will also make those tiny oncamera flash units seem more powerful. Eventually, they may no longer be needed, with the exception of flash fill, which is always helpful. Self-timer: Yes, 2 or 10 sec This options allows you to become remote from the camera before a picture is taken, and it’s most often used to allow you to get into a shot with your family and/or friends. You know how it works. You set your camera on self-timer, an option usually found on a main dial on the camera back. Your camera is already on a tripod or can be placed on a firm chair or table where you can compose the shot using the other people in the group to be taken. You press the shutter and hear the timer noise, as you run into an open spot left for you. Usually the flash is on for overall light or flash fill, and it will go off to take the shot, or otherwise you will hear a click. Most of you have probably already tried the timer in this way using the 10-second setting, as 2 seconds makes for a real sprint. So why do they give us the 2-second option? E-mail me your thoughts, but one good use for this short delay is during low light when you want to avoid hand-held camera shake. You can set it to 2 seconds, place your camera on a solid service, compose and take the shot within 2 seconds knowing it is steady. Here again the future increases in ISO will make this less of an issue. Possibly the 2-second delay will be eliminated, but the 10-second delay will remain. Time lapse recording: No This would allow you to capture, for instance, the opening of a flower bloom by automatically taking a photo repeatedly at an interval time set by you. Again, your camera will be fixed on a tripod or solid object. The result will give you a movie of stills showing the flower opening to full blossom. Even professional cameras do not have this built-in feature, but have it as an optional accessory device that will also do remote exposures. Pocket cameras will not have this accessory available as an option. For now my time has lapsed and so I’ll ask permission to go ashore. James Schot has been a professional photographer for 30 years and owns James Schot Gallery and Photo Studio. Comments on this column are welcome at james@bestschot.com.
March 2010
B13
B14 March 2010 CRUISING GROUNDS: Victoria, B.C.
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Step through the gate into Canada’s oldest Chinatown for a sample of history culture and culinary diversity. PHOTO/Tourism Victoria/Deddeda Stemler
Victoria, BC, is more than gardens and tea By Alison Gardner No matter the far corner of the world in which I may be traveling, when I say I live in Victoria, British Columbia, fellow travelers invariably smile knowingly, “Ah yes, Butchart Gardens and afternoon tea at the Empress Hotel. Victoria is so British!” While zodiac cruising an Amazon tributary or stalking lemurs in a Madagascar nature park, it hardly seems the right time to dispute such exclamations, but I do try to gently champion the fact that Victoria is so much more than gardens and tea. The British flavor, too, is becoming infused with multi-cultural energy, including the growing presence of native or “First Nations” tourism and the diversity of international cuisine and colorful festivals. Of course, it is always good to have an icon or two with which to associate a destination -- after all, where would New York be without its Statue of Liberty or San Francisco without its Golden Gate Bridge? So with due respect to Victoria’s icons, let’s explore some of the less visible options around a city and a region that, for the past decade, has increasingly attracted a new breed of active travelers and those with an abundance of educational curiosity, particularly in association with challenging the taste buds. Victoria is much more than the magical panorama of the nearcircular inner harbor and historic
Visitors and locals sea kayak Victoria’s inner harbor on most days, with the Empress Hotel presiding, as she has done for 102 years. PHOTO/Tourism Victoria/Deddeda Stemler
city core. While the city itself hosts a population of less than 80,000, the region consists of 14 cities of 330,000 across the southern end of Vancouver Island. Compared to many other popular visitor destinations, it is an accessible area with a lot of variety, stretching from the wild Pacific coast on its western flank to the tranquil Gulf Islands dotted along the region’s eastern shoreline. First stop should be the office of Tourism Victoria (www.tourismvictoria. com), facing the always-bustling inner harbor, where expert advice awaits. No
need to stray far to find scenic walking, hiking and sea kayaking opportunities, ranging from a few hours to a whole day or even multi-day options if time permits. According to federal government statistics, Victoria is the cycling capital of Canada, partly encouraged by its mild year-round weather and partly by the active, outdoor mindset of its population. Bike rental shops mean you may explore alone, or you can harness the expertise of a company such as
See VICTORIA, page B15
The Triton
www.the-triton.com CRUISING GROUNDS: Victoria, B.C.
March 2010
B15
Victoria is a great garden city VICTORIA, from page B14 Cycle Treks (www.cycletreks.com), which offers both guided and selfguided touring. The full-day Seaside Touring Route is its most popular itinerary, covering essential Victoria highlights. There are also itineraries for winery touring, the Butchart Gardens, and West Coast Adventure cycle tours as well as multi-day tours of Southern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. Never may I be accused of underrating the remarkable 55 acres that make up the year-round floral masterpiece that is The Butchart Gardens (www.butchartgardens.com), a 30-minute drive or bus ride north of downtown and worthy of a whole or half day visit in itself. However, there are many more intimate illustrations to justify Victoria’s reputation as one of the great garden cities of the world. Most people will never discover them without the help of Joan Looy and her Victorian Garden Tours (http:// victoriangardentours.com), that feature customized visits to a selection of unusual public and private gardens throughout the region. Especially for visitors who count gardening as a significant hobby, the chance to explore these hidden gems beyond the garden hedge and talk to enthusiasts who
designed them is a treat. In North America, Victoria ranks only second to San Francisco in the number of restaurants per capita. Lower Vancouver Island offers the perfect climate to produce unique grape varieties that are transformed into wines at owner-operated wineries. Travel with Taste Tours (www. travelwithtaste.com) offers culinary travelers a variety of ways to experience southern Vancouver Island’s and Greater Victoria’s locally grown and harvested foods and wines. My favorite is a full-day tour with entertaining tour owner and gourmet guide Kathy McAree, driving 45 minutes up-island through the Cowichan Valley. The day passes too quickly visiting boutique wineries and a British cider apple orchard with six varieties of homegrown ciders to taste, and sampling a range of locally made cheeses. A signature chef lunch also makes the day memorable. Visitors may also rent a car and navigate the valley wine route themselves. A few minutes walk from the inner harbor is the oldest Chinatown in Canada, rich in color, authentic flavors and fragrances emanating from every sidewalk and historic alleyway. Offering small groups of guests a peek behind the great red gate, Chef Heidi Fink (www.chefheidifink.com/
The Butchart Gardens historic limestone quarry, transformed into a floral landscape, is one of many theme gardens throughout its 55 acres open PHOTO/The Butchart Gardens year round to the public. chinatown.php) demystifies the Asian cuisine experience with walking tours that include tips on how to purchase ingredients and how to cook authentic Chinese dishes. And there is always a Hidden Dragon tour and dinner show (www.oldchinatown.com), both educational and entertaining. Over the past few decades, Victoria has increased its focus on year-round live theater, music, art and festivals, including the Victoria Tea Festival (www.victoriateafestival.com) that celebrates the world’s most popular beverage (after water) and the rituals and health benefits of teas worldwide. And if high tea at the iconic Empress Hotel remains a compelling item on your Victoria attractions checklist, why not consider a tea and history
tour (www.walkabouts.ca) through the grand old lady’s elegant public spaces, accompanied by an Edwardiancostumed guide sharing tales of the hotel’s 102 years of presiding over Victoria’s waterfront? When laced with a dash of history, the finely sliced cucumber and horseradish sandwiches and the raisin scones with strawberry preserves and Devonshire cream will taste all the more authentically British. Victoria-based Alison Gardner is a travel journalist and editor of Travel with a Challenge web magazine, www. travelwithachallenge.com, a resource for mature travelers featuring ecological, educational, cultural, and volunteer vacations worldwide.
B16 March 2010
FITNESS
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Squat, crunch and push to increase upper body strength This workout is designed to focus on your upper body- biceps, triceps, shoulders, chest and back. Select two sets of dumbbells; moderate weight and a few pounds heavier. Start with the lighter of the two sets working to complete between Keep It Up 12-15 repetitions Beth Greenwald of each exercise
(unless otherwise stated), you can always increase the weight if you feel you can handle more. In between each exercise, jump rope, run in place, do jumping jacks or another form of cardio for one minute. Complete the circuit three times.
flexing, butt sitting back as if about to sit in a chair. Make sure your knees do not move past the toes. Reverse the movement, bringing yourself back to a standing position while extending your arms in front of you-pushing the dumbbell away from your body.
Squat Push
Crunch with Overhead Push and Triceps Extension
Stand with your feet hip width apart. Hold one end of the dumbbell in each hand at chest level, arms bent. Keep the dumbbell tucked into the chest as you begin your squat, knees bending, hips
Lie on the floor with your knees bent holding each end of a dumbbell in your hands. Keep elbows bent, triceps touching the floor. Using your
abdominals, crunch, bringing your body to an upright position, extending your arms so that the dumbbell is overhead. Bend your elbows keeping them pointed toward the sky, bringing the dumbbell behind your head and then extend your arms so that they are overhead again. Use your abdominals to slowly lower yourself back to the floor.
Balancing Biceps
Standing on one leg, hold a dumbbell in each hand, arms at sides, palms facing forward. Bend at the elbows, bringing the dumbbells to your shoulders in a smooth and controlled movement. Slowly lower the dumbbells back to starting position. After 12-15 repetitions, switch legs and perform 1215 more repetitions.
Static Lunge with Overhead Press
Lower into a lunge position, front thigh parallel to the ground, knee not over the toes, back knee bent, not touching the ground. With a dumbbell in each hand, bend elbows to a 90 degree angle and raise your hands to about the height of your ears, palms forward. Extend at the elbow, pressing your arms overhead, shoulders relaxed, wrists neutral. Slowly lower to starting position. Perform 12-15 repetitions with left and right leg lunge position.
Front/Side/Circle arms
Stand with feet hip width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand, arms in front of body palms facing thighs. Keeping your arms straight, lift dumbbells to shoulder height, then open the chest extending the arms out to the sides, forming a T and make one small circle forward with your arms. Move arms back together in front of you, then lower to starting position.
Reverse Fly
Stand in a staggered stance, one foot in font of the other, both toes pointing forward. Bend the knee of your front leg and slightly lean forward, keep your pelvis in a neural position keeping your spine and back leg in a straight line. With a dumbell in each hand, let arms hang down in front of your body, palms facing each other. Slightly bend each elbow. Lift your arms so that your knuckles are aiming toward the sky and squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top of the movement. Lower the arms in a controlled manner, repeat for 10 repetitions. Switch legs and perform 10 more. Beth Greenwald is a certified strength and conditioning specialist and conducts personal training sessions as well as group fitness boot camp classes. Contact her at +1 716-9089836 or bethgreenwald@hotmail.com. Comments on this column are welcome at editorial@the-triton.com.
The Triton
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CALENDAR
March 2010
B17
You can catch films in Miami or a boat show in Dubai March 4-7 Miami Grand Prix. Farr 40,
Melges 32, Swan 42 and IRC boats race off Miami Beach. www.premiere-racing. com
March 3 Networking Triton style (the
Riverwalk from 11 to 2, Ft. Lauderdale. Broward College Jazz Ensemble, Mario La Casse Band, Chassidic Jazz Project, David Fernando Jazz Trio. Free. www. fortlauderdale.gov
first Wednesday of every month), 68 p.m., first of two this month, with insurance provider HTH Worldwide at Briny Irish Pub ion the New River and Andrews Avenue in Ft. Lauderdale. www.the-triton.com.
March 9-13 18th Dubai International
March 4 The Triton Bridge luncheon,
March 12 Benefit for Focus
Ft. Lauderdale, noon. This is our monthly captains’ roundtable where we discuss the issues and trends of the industry. If you make your living running someone else’s yacht, this is for you. Space is limited. Contact Associate Editor Dorie Cox at dorie@the-triton. com or 954-525-0029 for an invitation.
March 5-14 16th annual Miami
International Film Festival. 100 films, 40 countries, 10 days. www. miamifilmfestival.com
March 6 33rd annual Waterway
Cleanup, organized and sponsored by the Marine Industries Association of South Florida. 2,800 volunteers gathering debris from waterways, rivers and canals. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. www.miasf. org
March 6 Marine Industry Career Day
at International Yacht Restoration School in Newport, R.I. Includes builders of classic and modern boats, boat yards, marine equipment manufacturers and sail makers. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 449 Thames St. Free. www. iyrs.org
March 6-7 22nd annual Las Olas Art
Festival, Ft. Lauderdale. More than 300 regional and national artists exhibit on Las Olas Boulevard. Free. www. artfestival.com
March 7 SunTrust Sunday Jazz Brunch (first Sunday of every month) at
MAKING PLANS April 8-11 4th annual Antibes Yacht Show Antibes, France
This show kicks off the Mediterranean yachting season. Exhibitors from all aspects of yachting including brokers, equipment suppliers and designers are scheduled to attend. From Bastion St. Jaume to the Millionaires’ Quay, the show covers more than 1,000 meters of quay and 15,000 square meters of land. www.antibesyachtshow.com
Boat Show. The largest show in the region hosts a showcase of boats from local and international builders, marine equipment, supplies and services. www. boatshowdubai.com Birmingham, YOLO on Las Olas Ft. Lauderdale. The non-profit organization provides support and care for the visually impaired. The benefit includes door prizes, raffle, silent auction, drink tickets and appetizers. focusbirminghamusa@live.com, +1
954-599-1600
March 12-14 Grenada Round-the-
Island Easter Regatta, organized by the Grenada South Coast Yacht Club. www. aroundgrenada.com
March 13-14 S.U.D.S. Flea Market, Ft.
Lauderdale, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. to benefit S.U.D.S. (Soldiers Undertaking Disabled Scuba), for wounded military returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Party afterward at the Downtowner Saloon. www.sudsfleamarket.com
March 13 St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival, downtown Ft. Lauderdale. Celebrate all things Irish with food, music, culture, kid zone. www. fortlauderdale.gov
March 13 20th St. Patty’s Day Small
Boat Fishing Tournament, Dania Beach, Fla. Sponsored by Helping Hands of Harbour Towne, it is South Florida’s largest tournament for boats under 37 feet to benefit a local child with an acute medical condition. +1 954-9260300
March 15-18 Cruise Shipping
Miami International exhibition and conference serving the cruise industry. www.cruiseshippingmiami.com
March 17 Networking Triton style (the
occasional third Wednesday of the month), 6-8 p.m. with Pioneer Linens at its new offices at 1338 S.E. 17th St., on the south side of the street in the South
See CALENDAR, page B18
B18 March 2010
CALENDAR
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The Triton
EVENT OF MONTH
Attend the in-water portion and then take a free shuttle to the Palm Beach County Convention Center for the rest of the show. FILE PHOTO
March 25-28 25th annual Palm Beach International Boat Show West Palm Beach, Fla.
More than $350 million worth of boats, megayachts and accessories expected this year. The in-water portion of the show is on the Intracoastal Waterway along Flagler Drive. This year’s show includes exhibitors at the Palm Beach County Convention Center, kids’ fishing clinics, Xtreme Sport Fishing Seminars. Free shuttle buses connect the two. Tickets are $14/$12 online. www.showmanagement.com
March in Florida: tennis, autos, fishing and marine education CALENDAR, from page B17 Harbor Plaze. www.the-triton.com
March 18-21 Dania Beach Marine
Flea Market, Dania Beach, Fla. Private individuals and corporate vendors sell everything from anchors to zinc collars, including marine equipment, antiques, used boats, fishing tackle, diving gear, marine artwork and more. www. thedaniamarinefleamarket.com
March 18-21 45th annual Fort
Lauderdale Billfish Tournament and SeaFest. Las Olas Marina. Event includes two day offshore tournaments, family-friendly festival, music, silent auction and raffle. www. lauderdalebillfish.com
March 19-21 Ladies, Let’s Go Fishing! Naples, Fla., Saltwater Seminar. 1-888-321-LLGF (5543), www. ladiesletsgofishing.com
March 21-25 Intermediate Marina
Management course by the International Marina Institute, Charleston, S.C.. The first step toward becoming a Certified Marina Manager (CMM) or Certified Marina Operator (CMO). Topics include marina law, contracts, risks and liabilities, fire, emergency response and fuel management. www. MarinaAssociation.org, +1-401-247-0314.
March 21-26 Advanced Marina
Management School by the International Marina Institute, Charleston, SC. Profit-management training course for senior marina professionals. www.marinaassociation. org
March 22-April 4 26th Sony Ericsson
Open, Miami’s Key Biscayne. Tennis tournament featuring the top 96 male and female tennis players in the world. www.sonyericssonopen.com
March 26-27 Maritime Security
Auditor (ISPS) course, Ft. Lauderdale. Focus on ISPS Code to allow students to conduct annually mandated internal security audits. For more information on courses in other locations visit www. usmaritimeinstitute.com, training@ usmaritimeinstitute.com
March 26-28 annual Honda Grand
Prix of St. Petersburg, Fla. For dockage information at the Yacht Club, call for membership information at +1 727-8984639. For race information call +1 727898-INDY and visit www.gpstpete.com.
April 7 Networking Triton style (the
first Wednesday of every month), 6-8 p.m. Save the date and see www.thetriton.com for details.
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SPOTTED: Taiwan, Florida
Triton Spotters
Capt. Eli “Fergy” Ferguson and Eng. Kevin Mulligan take a break from overseeing a new build at the Horizon Premier Shipyard in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The new 138-foot tri-deck megayacht is due to arrive in South Florida this summer. Fergy is in command of the 108-foot Viking/Versilcraft M/Y Antithesis, soon to replaced by the new build. “We have great owners,” he reported in via e-mail. “As I near retirement age I realize I have worked for some unusual people but am fortunate to go out in style. I’ve saved the best for last, as I am now working for the nicest, most genuine people I have ever met.” Right on. Capt. Dave Pritchard, of M/Y Cheemaun, a 75-foot Northern Marine has been in Harbour Towne Marina in Dania Beach for interior work before heading to the Virgin Islands and St. Maarten. After springtime in the Caribbean, the boat will go home to Jacksonville, Florida for paint work before a summer in the northeast Atlantic coast. “We cruise Maine extensively,” said Pritchard.
Where have you taken your Triton recently? Send photos to lucy@the-triton.com. If we print yours, you get a cool Triton T-shirt.
March 2010
B19
February networking
March networking
Go ahead and eat on St. Patty’s
Tax-free retirement
With Brownie’s, and Panaretto
With HTH and Pioneer Linens
The scoop on corned beef and cabbage
Well, not exactly, but this can’t hurt
C2-3
Section C
C4-5
How to make your meals look appetizing in photographs
“Does the crew eat what the owners/guests eat?” More than three-quarters of crew “sometimes” or “always” eat what the owners/guests eat, with just 6 percent saying they never have that privilege. “The owner wants us to eat well and what he eats,” a captain wrote. “That is nice at times but I am the one who answers for the budget. All crew should remember that we are crew, not guests.” “I wanted to clarify why the crew don’t eat the same foods as the guests,” said a captain on a yacht with 7-10 crew. “It is not a money issue; it is a time issue, for both the chef and the crew. The crew could eat the same as the owner and guests if they felt like
It happens. We all believe that we offer some of the best-looking dishes out there. We should, shouldn’t we? I mean, that is our profession as chefs. Some chefs’ food presentation skills stand out better than others, while others need a little help when it comes to food styling for the camera. I have recently had Culinary Waves moments when Mary Beth mine did not Lawton Johnson appear so well and it was on national television. Usually I have no problem in food styling, but on that day I did. Thinking it over, I made mistakes as a chef over the years that I want to pass on so you don’t make the same mistakes when you want your food to look as beautiful in a photograph as it does on a plate. It helps if you have a great camera or a professional photographer taking your photographs, but then sometimes it is the actual food that needs the help. If the food is pretty, then very little needs to be done to improve it. If it doesn’t look good to begin with, then there is nothing that can be done to make it outstanding. Photoshop won’t help bad food on a plate, only cover it up. So with this in mind, do your food pictures actually cut the mustard? I have seen a lot of food photos. Some are incredible while others are not so great. And unfortunately, I have the obligation to tell the chefs my opinion. It is not to burst their bubble but to help them in creating and branding themselves better.
See SURVEY, page C10
See WAVES, page C6
According to our survey this month, crew are often permitted to cook for themselves. Eng. Brian Cordial, above left, and Capt. Mac McDonald of M/Y Magic take it to the next level with a crew cook-off. For Magic’s whole story, PHOTO FROM CAPT. MAC McDONALD see page C7.
No food feud: Most crew enjoy their meals Prompted by an e-mail from a freelance megayacht chef on a bad gig, this month’s survey seeks to find some industry standards for crew food. Unlike our unhappy chef, the majority of the 284 respondents in our survey not only enjoyed the food on their vessel, but often eat as well as the owner and/or guests. “We have the opportunity to eat the same thing that is presented to the guests/owner,” said the captain of a yacht with 1-3 crew. “There are times that we do not choose to eat the same thing, and the chef has an alternative for us, or herself. “Food is an important aspect of the industry, but it is a very small part of the accounting and cost structure, so
it is not something that gets cut back on.” To begin, we asked, “How is the food onboard?” More than 90 percent rated it “good” or “great.” The single largest category was “great” (52 percent). “We have great food,” said a deckhand aboard a yacht with 4-6 crew. “We do have a limit of what we are allowed to buy, so if we want anything fancy then we have to purchase it ourselves ... but we don’t need to as we are all happy with the food we get onboard. Just plain, nice, homemade, simple food.” “I couldn’t be happier with our situation,” said the captain of a yacht with 1-3 crew. “We eat so good we have to implement a regular exercise program to keep us from getting fat.”
C15
March 2010
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TRITON SURVEY: CREW FOOD ALLOWANCE
By Lucy Chabot Reed
C14
C March 2010 NETWORKING LAST MONTH: Brownie’s Yacht Diver
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C
aptains, crew and industry professionals gathered at Brownie’s Yacht Divers Southport in Ft. Lauderdale on Jan. 3 at The Triton’s monthly networking event. More than 250 people filled the dock out back, enjoyed ceviche and burgers, and networked with their peers. Out front, guests played with the newest toys including a threewheeled scooter, the electric Trikke. Join us for events on the first and third Wednesday this month. Details on the following pages.
PHOTOS/DORIE COX, LUCY REED
The Triton
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O
ver 200 captains, crew and industry professionals joined The Triton at Trattoria Pizzeria Panaretto in Ft. Lauderdale on February 17. The networkers mingled through the restaurant and into the cool night as Martin Hand played guitar. The aroma of fresh pizza wafted through the group as Fabio Cracco and his staff shared panarettos of pizza. In March The Triton will host two more events, see pages C4-5 for more details. PHOTOS/DORIE COX
NETWORKING LAST MONTH: Trattoria Pizzeria Panaretto
March 2010
C
C March 2010 NETWORKING THIS MONTH: HTH Worldwide
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HTH offers insurance plans that feature no exclusions for alcohol The first Wednesday of March is March 3, and The Triton is hosting the first of its two networking events this month at Briny Irish Pub in Ft. Lauderdale with our event sponsor, HTH Worldwide, a health insurance plan provider. HTH is one of several insurance businesses that targets the yachting industry with individual and group plans for international travelers. Come to our networking event to meet with representatives from the company, as well as to mingle in a casual atmosphere, catch up with friends and make some new ones. In the meantime, learn more about HTH Worldwide with Jill Bartlett Cappelli, the company’s sales manager for individual Cappelli products. Q. Tell us about HTH Worldwide. HTH was founded in 1997 with the mission to make sure world travelers could find the best doctors and hospitals even if they were far from home. In addition to offering comprehensive, competitive health benefits, HTH helps members identify, access and pay for quality health care services all around the world. Q. What sort of services do you offer yachties? HTH serves more than 650,000 global travelers and expatriates and has developed health plans and services specifically for yacht crews. The yacht crew market is a natural fit for HTH products and services because of crew members’ nomadic lifestyle. We were introduced to the market by a number of our agent partners who were looking for a better set of solutions to offer the crew market. Services are available in many crew ports in the Caribbean, Mediterranean and elsewhere. Q. There’s a lot of competition in the yachting sector of the insurance industry. What’s different about HTH? HTH health plans are licensed and admitted in the United States,
which protects members fully under state insurance laws. Members also benefit from quality and convenience. Doctor and hospital bills can be settled directly with providers that are under contract to HTH in hundreds of key destinations. Our plans have unique features such as coverage for sailboat racing, no exclusion for injuries related to alcohol, and a waiver of the plan deductible when visiting a participating doctor. Q. Are your coverage plans for individuals or through employers (the boat)? Both types of plans are available and customizable based on many features, including election of coverage in or out of the U.S. and a wide choice of deductibles, to name a few. Q. Do the U.S. government’s recent discussions about revamping health care impact your company and the services you provide? It is possible healthcare reform efforts could affect our plans. One feature that is likely to be required under proposed reforms is coverage for pre-existing conditions. Fortunately, HTH already covers pre-existing conditions as long as members have credible health coverage in place prior to joining us. Q. What’s the most important thing yacht crew should know about insurance? Insurance is important, but it is of limited value if you can’t find a doctor or hospital you can trust. Ask any insurer what services they make available to help you find reliable health care services around the world. Ask for detailed profiles of participating doctors and hospitals. Ask if plan services include appointment scheduling and arrangements for the doctor or hospital to bill the plan directly. Do more than scan a list of benefits; ask for a sample certificate/policy and read the fine print. Look at more than price. The cheapest policy at purchase can become the most expensive when it comes time for claims to be paid. For more information about HTH, contact Cappelli at +1 610-254-8742 or jcappelli@hthworldwide.com.
The Triton
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NETWORKING THIS MONTH: Pioneer Linens
March 2010
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Pioneer Linens has been in business 98 years Pioneer Linens is sponsoring this month’s occasional second networking event, on the third Wednesday of the month (March 17) from 6-8 p.m. All captains, crew, advertisers and readers of The Triton are welcome to join us at 1338 S.E 17th St. on the south side of the street in the South Harbor Plaza. In the meantime, Alan Murphy, vice president of the Yacht Division, tells us about Pioneer Linens.
Murphy
Q. Your Web site said you have been in business for 98 years. How
is that possible? A: My great grandfather started Pioneer Linens as Pioneer Hardware in 1912 in Lake Worth, Fla., when it was first being developed. We sold dynamite, axes, lanterns, chicken wire and other tools you needed to be a pioneer at the turn of the century. We grew with the times and eventually went from a hardware store to a furniture and soft goods store in the 1940s and 50s. Toward the 1970s with the big box stores taking more and more middle market share, my grandfather was asked how he was going to differentiate Pioneer Linens from the other stores. He said that he would have to start his inventory where theirs ends and that is why we are the largest and most prestigious boutique linens store on the continent of North America. Q. Why should yachts do business with Pioneer Linens? A: The Yacht Division by Pioneer Linens is the best sales staff in the linen business, they’re focused on customer service and constant communication. We have a direct line to the top brass for just about every vendor we sell, and that means quick responses to our chief stewardesses and pursers. Many of the world’s best and most prestigious linens and décor manufacturers will do trunk shows just for our store because of the volume of business we do with them annually, which equates to a deeper knowledge of our vendors’ lines and the ability to create custom, one-of-a-kind pieces. Also, with our long vendor relationships, we are able to work within the tight deadlines of the yacht industry. Q. How would Pioneer Linens handle custom work, refits or new builds? A: The Yacht Division has worked with our share of the world’s finest megayachts in the yards, both domestically and internationally. Domestically, we will come to the
yacht and handle all aspects with what we have coined our White Glove Service, which is hands-on, 24/7 communication and care. We have an understanding of time frames and budgets. Internationally, we FedEx samples and send pictures via e-mail. We are one of only a few retailers in the USA, because of our size and vendor relationships, that has the ability to drop ship some of our Italian and fine European linens within Europe and other nearby regions where yachts are built and refit. This saves the yacht time and money and sometimes a significant amount of taxes and duties. Q. Can you help yachts in international ports? Where are you located and do you have a location in Ft. Lauderdale? A: Wow, one big question rolled out into three small ones. The first question, can we help yachts in international ports, simple answer yes. Pioneer Linens Yacht Division has the capability to get our merchandise shipped anywhere, anytime around the world. We realize that our strength is in our product knowledge and not shipping. We utilize a few boutique expediters and provision companies to make sure our products get to where they need to go on time and safely. We have two locations. Our main store is in West Palm Beach at 210 Clematis St., but our Ft. Lauderdale office is yacht central. The Yacht Division Office is at 1338 S.E 17th St., which opened in September and has many samples and catalogs. The store in West Palm Beach is our backbone and has more than $1.5 million of inventory, so no matter how big the order, we have the ability to fill it. Q. Do you offer anything special for crew? (We noticed crew sheets on the Web site). A: With most of our yacht customers, we deal directly with the chief stewardess or purser. We watch them run themselves ragged trying to get the yacht perfect for the misses before she comes to town or before they head off for their next trip. We have a few vendors we work with that allow us to buy at deeper discounts so we can pass the savings on to the crew. One of our first coined terms when we started this division was “a well rested crew means a well rested owner.” Our crew sheets are still more expensive than our big box store competitors, but they are 100 percent Egyptian cotton and most of them are Italian. We also offer great down pillows and towels specifically for the crew, too. Visit www.pioneerlinens.com to see some of our luxurious goods.
Q. Your networking event will be on St. Patrick’s Day. Anyone Irish at Pioneer Linens? A: Well, my last name is Murphy, but half my heritage is Jewish. I guess that means I like to drink, but I don’t like to pay for it. Q. What do you sell that would surprise readers? A: We are famous for our rockstar toilet brush. It is electroplated gold so it won’t pit or tarnish. It is made by the Windisch Company. Q. What is your favorite product from Pioneer Linens for your personal use? A: Being the fourth generation of Pioneer Linens and growing up in it I have become very finicky about where and how I sleep. One of my latest custom creations is a 6-foot body pillow that is 20 inches wide and has more than 1,800 ounces of down in it. It has literally changed how well I sleep at night. This pillow is amazing. The rest of The Yacht Division saw it and called it the other woman body pillow. My wife doesn’t mind, but she still makes fun of me, too. For more information about Pioneer Linens visit www.pioneerlinens.com or call 1 800-207-LINENS.
Proudly Serving the Marine Community Since 1997
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ACCOMMODATIONS • Active Job Networking • Nicely Renovated • Tastefully Furnished • Ideally located near Maritime Schools, Downtown Fort Lauderdale, Crew Agencies, Marinas, Restaurants, and Nightlife
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TheNeptuneGroup.com 954.763.1050
C March 2010 IN THE GALLEY: Culinary Waves
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Simple presentations, lighting will help plates look their best use that. 6. Another problem I have seen with Here are some tips from the dishes that have large, heavy items professionals when you photograph as the entree such as crab legs, and a food for your resume and portfolio. decoration was used as well. This is a 1. The main problem I have found definite no-no. Take the meat out of with food photography is that the the shell whenever possible, condense decoration or trendy afterthought it into a nice recipe and use an placed as a topper is larger than the appropriate garnish. entree and takes more of a center stage 7. Artificial light such as florescent is than the actual entree does. not what you want. Natural is the best. You first eat with your eyes. You And try to make it bright sunshine, not don’t want to first eat the decoration cloudy or overcast. then try to find the food under it. The 8. Ever notice in some photos food comes first, and the decoration that the fresh, vine-picked tomatoes should only were dull and enhance the dish, not juicy red or not overpower or the watermelon If your food is detract from it. looked old or supposed to look hot 2. Keep it the salad greens and fresh, keep it hot or simple. The final were wilted? All decorative piece of these are nouse dry ice for steam if – if you have one no’s if you want you can or use glycerin – should be an your food to stand to paint it or oil to interplay of the out above and lightly brush it to give it flavors present in beyond your peers. the dish. Use the freshest a moist look. 3. Add color ingredients whenever possible possible. No but don’t overblemishes. power your plate with too much color. 9. If your food is supposed to look 4. Stay away from monochrome. A hot and fresh, keep it hot or use dry more subtle approach is best. In a lot ice for steam if you can or use glycerin of photos I have seen, there is a lack of to paint it or oil to lightly brush it to play on color. give it a moist look. An overcooked 5. Use a plate that will enhance your food item is not exactly appealing. You meal, not mesh with it or go against it. don’t want a colored oil. Try a neutralAgain, when I have perused colored salad oil. a potential yacht chef ’s food 10. Keep salads in the refrigerator photographs, I have noticed that either until about 30 minutes prior to not enough attention was paid to the photography. Let the moisture wick actual plate it was plated on or too away or dry the plate with a towel much attention was paid to it. If you before photographing. Remember, can use white, do or if you have some condensation will form on the plate really new modern lines that fit the immediately upon removal so be actual style of your entree or dessert, patient. 11. If you have a white plate, use it. But you don’t always have to. If you have funky-colored or odd-shaped plates that go with the food style or theme, use them. Just know the difference. Don’t be boring, but don’t use a blue plate with flowers if your dish is lamb or steak. You want the concentration on food, not on the plate. 12. Think small. Big is not attractive. 13. Hire a professional photographer if you do not have a high-resolution camera. Make sure this professional has photographed food, and plenty of it, before. Ask to see credentials, check references.
WAVES, from page C1
Tomato paste added near the end of the cooking process adds a kick PHOTO/MARY BETH LAWTON JOHNSON of color to the finished product.
Ukrainian-style Borscht By Mary Beth Lawton Johnson 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 5-lb pork shoulder, cut up 6 cloves garlic, minced 1 medium sweet onion, chopped 4 medium beets, peeled and shredded 2 carrots, peeled and shredded 2 medium turnips, peeled, diced 4 medium baking potatoes, peeled and cubed 1 large head cabbage, cored and shredded 1 (6 ounce) can tomatoes, diced 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste 3/4 cup water salt and pepper to taste 3 teaspoons white sugar, or to taste 1/2 cup sour cream, for topping 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, dill for garnish Cook the cut up pork shoulder in the
oil until no longer pink. Cook the garlic and onions in a skillet over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat and set aside. Fill a large enough pot with water (about 2 quarts), and bring to a boil. Add the pork and cover the pot. Return to a boil. Add the beets, and cook until they have lost their color. Add the carrots, turnips and potatoes, and cook until tender, about 15-20 minutes. Add the cabbage, and the can of diced tomatoes. Stir in the tomato paste and water until well blended. Taste, and season with salt, pepper and sugar. Ladle into serving bowls, and garnish with sour cream and fresh parsley and/or dill.
Mary Beth Lawton Johnson is a certified executive pastry chef and Chef de Cuisine. A professional yacht chef since 1991, she has been chef aboard M/Y Rebecca since 1998. (www. themegayachtchef.com) Comments on this column are welcome at editorial@ the-triton.com.
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CREW NEWS
March 2010
Cook-off Yacht chef back to do what he does best: pizza competition is cut-throat between crew on M/Y Magic By Lucy Chabot Reed
During a slow period between guest trips in the Bahamas, the 2nd annual (or at least, the second) Cook-Off took over the galley aboard M/Y Magic. As usual, this event pitted two non-chef crew members to produce two dishes each to be judged by the remaining crew. Judging criteria included taste, presentation, creativity and degree of difficulty. Eng. Brian Cordial squared off against Capt. Mac McDonald and the stage was set for a rambunctious event. Mac started off with a psychological attack that took place throughout the preceding week with slogans and banners that were supposed to weaken Brian’s confidence. On the evening of the competition, Brian showed up in traditional chef whites, while Mac sported a Hawaiian shirt as his uniform. Taking advantage of a new rule, Brian opted to present a main course and a dessert while Mac opted for the original requirement of starter and main course. Trying to sway the judges early, Mac offered hot sake to all as a liquid hors d’oeuvre to his Asian menu. Mac’s menu began with shrimp glazed in ginger and hoisin. His plate was a nod to the Beijing Olympics of 1980 with a garnish of slices from five different fruit representing the Olympic rings and a blowtorch to harden the glaze representing the Olympic torch. It was all topped off with a mini-Chinese flag. He followed that dish with Mu Shu Duck, complemented with hand-made crepes and freshly prepared tamarind sauce. Brian entered the fray with panchetta-wrapped Nassau grouper. His slicing and dicing was followed closely by those judges not in the midst of tasting the lovely Chardonnay and beautiful Shiraz that was available. The grouper was accompanied by cream potatoes and asparagus and complemented with a lemon mayonnaise. He followed up this delightful entree with a made-from-scratch tart tatin fresh from the oven that drew oohs and ahhs from the studio audience. It was served a la mode and no doubt was a very large factor in the judging. In the end, much fun was had by both the judges and the competitors and again, Magic is looking forward to the next installment of the M/Y Magic Cook-Off. Submitted by the crew of M/Y Magic.
After 15 years in megayacht galleys, Chef Bill Fahey is back to what he does best: making pizza. Before Christmas, Fahey and his partner opened Big Wheel Pizza on Andrews Avenue in Ft. Lauderdale. Before he got into yachting in 1995, he owned four pizzerias. “I sold because I was exhausted,” he said. So he took time off and then got work on a small cruise line. “It was no frills, 100 passengers, lots of fun,” he said. It was there that he met relief Capt.
Chef Bill Fahey.
PHOTO/LUCY REED
Steve Janzan. When Janzan got a job on the 110-foot Hatteras M/Y Waterford, he called Fahey to be his chef. Fifteen years and three yachts later,
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Fahey was disappointed when he couldn’t find his next yacht job. “Everyone said they were looking for mature, stable crew, but they really weren’t,” he said. He’d worked five years on M/Y Contrarian, six years on M/Y Mystique. Both boats sold. “I always thought, I can go back to the pizza business, and here I am.” “I can’t compete on price, but I can on quality,” Fahey said. “I use the best of everything, like I did on yachts.” Lucy Chabot Reed is editor of The Triton. Comments on this column are welcome at lucy@the-triton.com.
C March 2010 INTERIOR: Stew Cues
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From Alene’s inbox: Where in the setting do knife rests go? Dear Alene, was coming into being, as large I have knife rests on the boat I am households employed numerous staff working on, but I have never used to run their estates. them. If you set a table with two knives, The introduction of the knife rest do you put a rest was associated with a change in dining for each knife, or habits. The Victorian era is known for just one rest per its elaboration of all aspects of dining, place setting? Do but especially for the proliferation of you rest the clean cutlery and glassware. The Victorians knife on it, or do introduced the idea of several courses you place it to the with a smaller number of food/menu side or above the choices. A different knife, fork and clean knife? Do you glass for every course was the norm. use it most of the Originally, the knife rests were Stew Cues time or just when probably set on the sideboard to Alene Keenan you have a fancy protect the cloth runner. But as with table cloth? most aspects of this era, eventually they And what is it all about, because it became another aspect of elaborate seems logical that diners would hold table dressing. They were most onto the knife or place it in the resting certainly important for the protection position on the plate, then put the knife of the beautiful table linens that were into position on the plate when they in use during that time. were finished with the meal. Do you use Knife rests were made in almost any a knife rest during an material, shape, size, informal meal when and configuration you have only one you could imagine. The use of knife knife and the diner Silver, gold, pottery, will reuse it? mother of pearl, rests dates back to ivory, horn and many the late 17th and Alene’s reply: combinations of early 18th centuries. Knife rests are these materials were similar to chopstick used. rests, and they go The French to the right of the company Lalique place setting to prop up the knives. produced many variations called porte They are useful to keep the tablecloth couteau. The Germans made them immaculate. under the WMF mark and the Russians The use of knife rests dates back to under the famous house of Fabergé. In the late 17th and early 18th centuries. England, Davenport, Wedgewood and They were popular during the Victorian Coalport were big producers. Many of era. This was the period of Queen these items have survived to this day Victoria’s reign in England, from 1837and are considered collector’s items. 1901. It was a period of great prosperity Over time the tableware became and innovation. more streamlined and knife rests Social classes in England were just were dispensed with. Today they are emerging. As a result of the Industrial collector’s items. I think that many of Revolution, the class system was us are familiar with chopstick rests, changing from a strictly hereditary and that is probably the only thing aristocracy to a combination of nobility comparable to the knife rests of the and the emerging wealthy commercial Victorian era. For our purposes, they class. would be useful when a single knife This meant that the definition of is placed on the table setting and it is what made someone a “gentleman” or to be reused for more than one course a “lady” was rapidly changing. Many during an informal meal. rules of social behavior, or etiquette, As with many of the service items were stipulated during this time. There we use on a daily basis, they may hold was a sense of modesty and propriety sentimental value for the hostess. I that are hard to understand today, yet would suggest that you ask her how many ideas that evolved during this she would like them used, as I am time are the basis of what is considered not aware of any hard and fast rules acceptable social behavior to this day. regarding them. Much like today, more and more symbols of wealth became available to Alene Keenan has been a megayacht the higher social classes. These symbols stewardess for 19 years. She has recently were a way to publicly display your begun teaching a 10-day intensive silver wealth and status. Much of what was service course at Maritime Professional becoming available to the masses had Training in Ft. Lauderdale. She also only been available to royalty before offers onboard training through her this time. Based on items from the company, Stewardess Solutions (www. royal courts, the rituals of service were stewardesssolutions.com). Comments on being passed down to the masses. At this column are welcome at editorial@ the same time, the service profession the-triton.com.
C10 March 2010 TRITON SURVEY: Crew food allowance
How is the food onboard? Poor – 2.1%
Passable – 6.3%
Who sets the food policy (select all that apply)
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Does the crew eat what the owners/ guests eat?
Who prepares mea is off?
Never – 6.0%
160 Always – 27.0% Great – 52.1%
The Triton
Rarely – 16.1%
Good – 39.4% 86
79
Sometimes – 50.9% 11
Captain Owner
A crew member steps up and cooks for everyone – 45.1%
5
Chef Mgmt. Co. Other
When the chef takes time off, the crew fridge is well stocked SURVEY, from page C1 waiting until the guests ate, but guests tend to eat dinner later, from 7 p.m. on until much later. Crew usually want to have their dinner before the evening rush starts, so the chef makes something easier to be ready at 5:30.” We crunched the responses for this question against the size of the crew and found that the smaller the boat, the more likely it was that the crew ate what the owner ate. On yachts with 1-3 crew, 92.3 percent of crew “sometimes” or “always” ate what the boss ate. On the largest yachts, those with more than 20 crew, just 18.8 percent ate what the owner ate. “As we are small boat with small crew requirement, food is very relaxed,” said the chef on a yacht with 1-3 crew. “The owner is very generous toward us, taking us out for meals. We have no budget regarding food and no regulations regarding food for crew. “However, we buy what we want when we want, sometimes we pay for ourselves but most times the boat
pays,” this chef continued. “We are paid a very good salary and so have no qualms when we buy provisions for ourselves out of our own pockets. We know that when the owner trades up to a bigger boat (2011) and has more crew, a more formal procedure will be put in place regarding crew food provision. We know we are not typical of most crewed yachts, but enjoy this relaxed approach and it suits all parties involved.” After these opening questions, however, most of the remaining details about how crew are fed were fairly evenly split among responses, leaving us to wonder if there is an industry standard. When we asked “Who sets the food policy?”, the most common response was the captain, who is usually the one responsible for the budget. The next largest group was owners, followed closely by the chef. Management companies fell far behind. “My program is quite simple,” said the captain of a vessel with 11-15 crew. “I allow US$20 per day per crew. If in the Med or high tarriff areas, I adjust
accordingly. The chef is responsible for lunch and dinner seven days a week with several breakfasts thrown in throughout the week. If he wants time off, like everyone else, he needs to ensure that there is food prepped in the crew fridge. “From the crew food budget, all crew food, snacks, drinks, beer, wine and liquor is charged. What the crew eats is never an issue with the owners. “I start when I interview for a position and bring the vessel budget up in our discussion. If we are staying within the proposed budget, it should not make any difference to the owner what we are eating. If he has complaints about the food allowance, I ask them where we can eat for US$20/ day/head. “Over 20 years running the crew food budget with this formula, I have never had any problems; other than adjustment for the area we are in. Additionally, there are always enough funds for balanced meals, snacks, drinks and crew alcohol. “This needs to be monitored and the chef and stewardess have to shop
wisely, but it is a system that works.” Not all yachts operate so simply. When we asked “Is there a food allowance for crew on your current vessel?”, we expected more“yes”. About 47 percent of respondents said their vessel had a crew food allowance; 48 percent did not. Nearly 5 percent didn’t know, which we found interesting. “We don’t have a crew food allowance but equally we don’t abuse this,” said the chef on a yacht with 4-6 crew. “We have a daily allowance for crew meals ($15 a day per crew member),” said the captain of a yacht with 7-10 crew. “My owner has set food allowance at $275 a month per member, which he got from guidelines from the federal government based on living at home in a house where there is plenty of freezer and frig space, but I am a one-man crew with limited storage,” said the captain of a yacht with 1-3 crew. “The chef sets the menu after asking
See SURVEY, page C12
The Triton
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als when the chef
TRITON SURVEY: Crew food allowance
Are crew members allowed to cook for themselves?
We eat off the boat – 18.1%
March 2010
Do any crew require alternative menus (gluten-free, low carb, etc.)
Who prepares the food for alternative menus? Don’t know – 16.3%
No – 27.4% No – 56.0%
We each fend for ourselves – 36.8%
C11
Yes – 44.0%
Prepared by the diner – 23.1%
Yes – 72.6%
The chef – 65.7%
‘I would not work a job where crew were treated like 2nd class citizens’ We run fast and loose with food. We have limited food space, so we all eat from the same stock, no separate crew food. Anybody wants something specific, no worries, put it on the list. Want to fend for yourself, no worries. When the crew eats out, the boat pays for it. When things are busy and our chef is doing double as an engineer’s assistant, we’ll order delivery. We have no “food allowance;” it costs what it costs to feed the crew. It’s one of the lowest costs of running a boat and provides the highest benefit in terms of crew retention and loyalty. Life on a vessel can often be quite miserable and food is one of the few onboard quality-of-life issues that can be altered to make things better. n
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Some good chefs don’t think they need to cook for the crew; I prefer the ones who care about both. n
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I would not work a job where crew were treated like 2nd class citizens. Yes, we might eat at different times, but always the same food. Are there actually yachts out there that serve filet mignon to the owners and guests and a bowl of gruel or rice to the crew? There are few
enough social pleasures afforded crew working on yachts; good food should be one of them. Crew food is a morale booster. When you are working as yacht crew do, it’s one of the few things they have so there are often no limits. Only one boat in my 14 years in yacthing had a budget. It was called ‘the other woman’ and it had a reputation for being cheap and caused a high turnover in crew. Chefs who think they’re hired to cook for the owner and guests, not the crew, need not apply aboard vessels I captain or manage. n
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An army marches on its stomach. Feed a crew well and you’ll have a happy bunch. Feed them badly and they get tired, grumpy and make mistakes. It is essential to provide good quality, healthy food with variety, and lots of it. On too many boats the crew food is an afterthought and it shows in how the crew perform. n
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My crew eats well because I see to it. Not a lot of chefs do that. If it was up to the captain, he would get a five-star meal at every sitting; the crew could have
sandwiches at every meal. I love what I do. I do not love all the uneducated captains, power tripping on the owner’s dime. n
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Most chefs do not feel that they should invest the time and effort to produce equal quality dishes for the crew. This is true even without guests onboard. ... The best crew food I’ve ever enjoyed is when the chef is on holiday and the stews prepare the meals. That’s when we see real effort put into crew meals. n
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Making sure the food is handled to the crew’s liking is almost as important as the pay. We are motivated by our bellies as well as our wallets. n
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Now with the credit crunch, lots of yachts are just hiring cooks for the crew and their personal chef will come on board when the owner is on, so the quality has declined. n
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I have worked freelance on several boats and have suffered a lot of different situations. If the chef is professional and part of the crew, the crew is taken care
of. Often, the chef is freelance or a “cook” dating another crew member. These are bad situations. n
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The secret to a happy crew is to “keep them well fed and half drunk.” This may not be politically correct, but I think it applies to most boats. n
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Our chef gets the budget-crew-food talk every couple of months: Crew can’t have bacon for breakfast; crew can’t eat seafood, not in the budget; crew can’t eat good cuts of meat; captain’s wife and captain can eat caviar, lobster, scallops, Kobe beef, filet mignon; captain’s wife can go out and buy piles of unhealthy snacks, crap that no one wants, but the chef can’t buy the snacks that are a little healthier and everyone wants. It’s a joke, and they actually try to cook the good food and then sneak it to their cabin so the other crew don’t see. n
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Policies vary greatly between U.S.flagged and foreign-flagged. On foreign, I was allowed just about anything for crew, and was told I never ran over
See REACTION, page C13
C12 March 2010 TRITON SURVEY: Crew food allowance
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Chef: ‘Seeing crew happy makes me happy’ SURVEY, from page C10 the crew what they want,” said the engineer on a yacht with 11-15 crew. “Simple, but effective. You might jump to the thought that everyone wants lobster and steak each night. Reality is that simple, comfort foods with a scattering of special dishes keeps the crew happy and the owner not feeling like an allowance is needed. Just keep the cost reasonable.” “We have six crew with a food budget of 13 euros a day,” a captain said. “This is good as long as the chef and captain keep tabs on what and how food is made, making totally fresh, rather than tinned and packaged foods. We are based in Malta where food isn’t cheap.” “With guests on board it’s easiest to feed everyone the same thing, with a few exceptions,” said a captain with 1-3 crew. “Without guests, I figure about $15/person/day. That’s about $300 week for three crew, and that’s Caribbean prices. Stateside is probably half.” “I have been on a yacht that only had $10 per day per crew (we had four crew then), and buying food in the Caribbean on that budget was a challenge every week,” a chef said. “This yacht is for sale and the owners are not around to be cooked for,” said a captain on a yacht with 1-3 crew. “The crew was left with per diem of $2.38 a meal. Better than nothing, I guess.” We were curious to know “Does the yacht supply basics such as milk, cereal, or coffee?” Even those without a crew allowance piped in, so we’re not sure how accurate this statistic is, but more often than not, staples are provided (56 percent); 42 percent said staples came out of the crew food allowance. “We have no specific budget, though as captain it is my job to keep costs reasonable,” one captain said. “That said, I’m not afraid to take care of my crew. Everything is covered (milk, coffee, beer, whatever). I don’t set a monetary budget. We are adults and it isn’t abused.” One of the issues for chefs is preparing more than one meal for the same group, so we asked “Do any crew require alternative menus such as vegetarian or gluten-free?” More often than not, crew don’t require special diets (56 percent) while 44 percent do. “As a chef, I realize that the crew work hard and appreciate as well as look forward to a good meal,” wrote in a chef on a yacht with 4-6 crew. “I do whatever I can to make everyone happy, even if it entails honoring special requests or dietary needs. I actually love what I do and seeing the crew happy makes me happy, as well as the owners. Happy crew are more
Does the yacht cover your food Does the yacht supply basics costs off the boat? such as milk, cereal, or coffee? No – 36.5%
Yes, but only if I’m working – 45.4%
Yes, all the time –18.1%
Don’t know – 1.4% All crew food comes out of crew food allowance –18.1%
Staples are provided – 46.4%
Statistics/graphics by Lawrence Hollyfield productive, which benefits everyone.” “I try not to hire people with special diets,” said the captain on a yacht with 4-6 crew. “I had this before and it always complicated things, plus extra room is a storage problem.” “We cannot possibly be asked to cater to all the various eating styles, vegetarian, etc.,” said the captain with 11-15 crew. “They usually say, ‘it will not be a problem’ however it does always end up that way. They will also end up asking for space of their own in the already over-stuffed fridge.” We also wondered “Do those crew who require alternative menus cook for themselves or does the chef handle it?” In most cases, the chef handles the special food preparation. Just 18 percent of crew with special needs prepare their own meals, and a full 16 percent of crew didn’t know. “We have two chefs and on weekends food is pre-prepared and left in the fridge and freezer and can then be microwaved,” said the captain on a yacht with 11-15 crew. “Currently, we have the best food I have ever had onboard a yacht and as I am lactoseintolerant, chefs are very attentive to all diets.” So “Are crew members allowed to cook for themselves?” (For a story on one yacht that has fun in this regard, see page C7.) This was the only other question in our survey with a strong response. Crew members are allowed to cook for themselves in 72.6 percent of respondents. “When the chef is off, the crew rotates cooking duties,” said the captain of a yacht with 4-6 crew. “Breakfasts are on your own, but lunch and dinner are prepared meals. Crew can cook their own meals with the chef ’s permission and the clear understanding that they are responsible for keeping the galley clean and clear.” The following questions didn’t offer all the responses that crew wanted, so several of them wrote them in.
In our question “Who prepares meals when the chef is off?”, we offered “We eat off the boat” (18 percent); “We each fend for ourselves (36.8 percent); and “A crew member steps up and cooks for everyone” (45.1 percent). Respondents reminded us that, for short absences, many chefs will prepare meals that require simply heating up. For longer absences, many yachts hire a temporary chef. “The chef always makes sure there is food prepared to cover off time so crew only has to reheat,” a chef said. “Owners and captain take good care of crew and in turn, crew takes good care of them.” “If the chef is off for the night/ weekend, they prepare stuff that can be heated up so the crew can eat at will,” said the captain on a megayacht with 11-15 crew. “If the chef is away, another chef is brought in to cover. This is yachting and not some Banana Boat. Any captain who allows an owner to treat his crew in any other way needs to think about how good of a captain he really is. Crew will not follow or stay loyal if no one is looking after them. Crew turnover is far more expensive than steaks seven days a week.” In our question “Does the yacht cover your food costs off the boat?”, we offered “Yes, but only if I’m working” (45.4 percent), “Yes, all the time” (18.1 percent) and “No” (36.5 percent) but didn’t offer options that distinguished between on or off charter. “When eating off the boat, we have a $15 allowance, no alcohol,” a chef said. “We have a few crew dinners, on average 1 to 2 per month,” said the engineer on a yacht with 11-15 crew. “If it is your own time, then no. If there is food provided on-board, then no. If no food on-board has been provided then per diem kicks in of a set amount, e.g. $25 per day in the states, 30 euros in the Med.” “For the most part food and drink, off boat, is not covered by the boat,” said the captain with a crew
See SURVEY, page C13
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TRITON SURVEY: Crew food allowance
March 2010
I’m lucky ‘to work for owners who allow crew to eat what owners and guests eat’ REACTION, from page C11 budget, though I was never told what the budget was. I thought that was funny, but by no means the first time that’s happened. n
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The boat covers all food while on charter. While sitting and waiting, the crew pays their own food. n
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Crew gets spoiled on yachts and expects everything to be provided by the vessel from Actimel to condoms. That may be a good gesture but it creates “users.” You end up with a lot of unhappy people when they suddenly need to provide some items themselves or the candy drawer is missing Lindt chocolates. Spoiled crew equal demanding crew. They become worse than guests. n
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My crew decides what I am to eat most of the time. I have been lucky enough to have crew members who, for some reason, think that I need well-balanced meals and great coffee throughout the day with lots of fruit snacks all the time. n
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Crew permanently living onboard, the owner is responsible for providing crew meals cooked by a chef. If freelance or non-live-aboard, only lunch should be provided when the yacht is dockside. n
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I have worked on several yachts for long periods and have always had captains and owners who have not questioned the crew budget. Most crew have been easy to please, often with a few favorite products and meals they like. It usually doesn’t involve expensive ingredients, mostly just fresh and tasty. There is usually plenty of product left after a charter or during a trip with the owners and there should be ample for the crew. They work long hours and the deck crew are doing physical work, needing plenty of fluids and energy foods. Inside crew are usually weight watching so a light option with the energy foods work or light meals. n
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I wish we could put in more than one response for some of these answers as multiple answers are equally correct. For example, the question about who
prepares meals when the chef is off the boat could result in any of the responses. For lunches, a crew member might put together a basic lunch of salad and sandwiches. For dinner we alternate between eating out and everyone picking at the leftovers in the fridge. If we’re lucky, someone might offer to cook. While on charter, we most often get a mix of a few select guest nibbles but most of it is something more basic that the chef found easier to prepare for us ahead of time. He insists that it is easier making us a separate meal rather than feeding us what the guests eat and the captain is OK with that. Also, while running a busy charter yacht, most of our food came from the food we bought for the guests with their APA. n
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As the chef [with 4-6 crew], I’ve been fortunate to work for owners who allow crew to eat what owners and guests eat, within reason. We can also go out for dinner here and there on the boat credit card. Sometimes, I make nice meals for our crew when the owners are not on board. n
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The owners suggested many times that the crew should primarily be eating cold cuts, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, hot dogs, and frozen dinners. I didn’t agree with their opinion and was able to provide made-fromscratch homemade healthy meals within budget. n
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On our yacht, we have never had a budget, however, I use coupons, buy oneget on free, etc., so that the crew eats very well. I also ask the crew on a regular basis any requests they may have. I feel this is an important key to keep the crew happy. Sometimes they give me Mom’s favorite recipe for some “home cooking” feeling. This also works great with a multi-national crew and allows everyone to sample another crew’s home cuisine. n
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While not serving the crew the best filet from the meat store, the crew get filet from Publix on a regular basis. n
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Perhaps I am fortunate or fussy about the jobs I choose but if owners are tight on food, it usually follows that all else will be tight. If you are aware that a boat’s
safety standards are compromised due to a tight owner, then by taking the job you are voluntarily putting yourself at risk. n
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If both chefs are off for vacation, we get a relief chef. If it’s a weekend, they pre-make meals and leave in the fridge. On rare occasions a crew member will fill in. There is no food budget. Meals off vessel are usually covered. n
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My owner stopped paying for my food last July. I buy all my own food while living and working on board. The only time I do not have to pay for my own food is when the owner is aboard (which is rare). This is totally contrary to common industry practices to not cover the captain’s food when he is working and living on board. I figure I must be the only professional captain in Florida that does not have his food covered as part of his overall compensation. n
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We have never had a food budget. Everything is covered by the boat, food, bathroom supplies, water, sodas and beer (no spirits). n
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Every yacht is different. In this recession, the first thing to go is the luxuries for the crew, not the owner. Feed your crew well. No exceptions, no excuses. n
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Crew food allowance varies as to where the boat is so we have an average per person per day amount, which is a little more than generous. Beer and wine is included in the allowance. n
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On all the yachts I used to work it was good, healthy and plenty even though most of the time there was a budget for it. What I sometimes found inappropriate is, that some crew take it for granted that everything is paid for, even alcohol. They ask for the most expensive food and toiletries without realizing that someone has to pay for it. At home they would never buy the most expensive toothpaste they can find, so why should the owner? n
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It is my experience that some owners give crew food to eat after the guests have finished eating. That is so wrong. It makes you feel like you are waiting for their scraps off the table.
Crew who choose to eat out often pay themselves SURVEY, from page C12 of 4-6. “There are times when the owner directs us off the boat, at his expense, or treats us to a meal and entertainment off boat.” “In the last question, I assumed ‘off boat’ means when the boat is not habitable and crew live ashore, then yes,” said the chef on a boat with 4-6 crew. “If crew choose to eat out, then they pay, but a couple of times a month the captain will suggest we eat out
as a crew and this comes out of food allowance. “The chef can spend $25US per crew member per day and all food and drink is easily paid for out of this.” Whether there is an industry standard in all of this or not, the issue of crew food generated lots of opinions and was one of our largest surveys in terms of number of respondents. And several crew seemed genuinely grateful. “I am just lucky to have a job,” an
engineer wrote in. “And we are lucky to have a great chef.” Lucy Chabot Reed is editor of The Triton. Lawrence Hollyfield is an associate editor. Comments on this survey are welcome at lucy@the-triton. com. We conduct our monthly surveys online. All captains and crew members are welcome to participate. If you haven’t been invited to take our surveys and would like to be, register for our emails online at www.the-triton.com.
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C14 March 2010 NUTRITION: Take It In
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Traditional St. Patrick’s Day fare packs vitamins, antioxidants Celebrate March 17th as St. Patrick’s isolation, but as part of a whole meal. Day with a hearty dish of corned beef Luckily, both cabbage and potatoes and cabbage. It can be a healthier meal contain no fat or cholesterol and only than you may think. miniscule amounts of sodium. These St. Patrick’s vegetables are also good sources marks the day of vitamin C and dietary fiber, two when Irishmen nutrients that meat such as corned everywhere beef lacks. celebrate their Cabbage. The ancient Greeks and religious freedom Romans once ate this vegetable for its from England presumed medicinal properties. Today, – thanks to St. we know that cabbage, and other Patrick. Born members of the Brassicaceae family in Scotland, St. such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale Take It In Patrick (whose and cauliflower contain substances Carol Bareuther real name was called glucosinolates. Maewyn Succatt) Glucosinolates are powerful was kidnapped by pirates at age 16, antioxidants that have cancer sold into slavery in Ireland, and later preventative properties. Cabbage had religious visions while working as a comes in many forms from flat to shepherd. round in shape with heads compact as He ultimately escaped, traveled to well as loose and leaves that are plain France and became a priest. St. Patrick or curly. The most popular cabbage returned to Ireland at age 60 where he used to make corned beef and cabbage cleverly conveyed the Christian trinity is the green variety, which is really with the three-leafed nearly white. One shamrock, winning cup of boiled cabbage A final way to turn converts wherever he contains only 35 traveled. calories. the favorite IrishSt. Patrick’s Day White potatoes. American dish of has been celebrated The Incas in Peru corned beef and in the United States cultivated this since the early starchy vegetable or cabbage into a more 1700s. However, it tuber for thousands healthful meal is wasn’t until a Jewish of years. However, to add additional butcher in New potatoes didn’t gain York put corned favor in Europe, vegetables. beef on sale one St. where they were Patrick’s Day that thought to be the celebratory meal changed from the poisonous, until 16th century explorer traditional Irish bacon and cabbage to Sir Walter Raleigh planted some in the Americanized version of corned Ireland and debunked the poison beef and cabbage, often served with notion. boiled white potatoes. Today, there are hundreds of Corned Beef. This meat, actually varieties of potatoes. The type most a salt-cured brisket of beef, was favored to accompany corned beef customarily stored in barrels where it and cabbage is the small round white was packed in coarse grains or ‘corns’ of variety that has a waxy texture and salt. According to Sharon Tyler Herbst remains in one piece when boiled. One in “The Food Lover’s Companion,” there cup of boiled white potatoes provides are two types of corned beef, which 120 calories. vary by butcher and region. One is an Other ingredients. A final way to old-fashioned type that is grayish-pink turn the favorite Irish-American dish in color and very salty. The second is of corned beef and cabbage into a more a newer style that is rosy red and has healthful meal is to add additional less salt. Much of today’s corned beef vegetables. Carrots, leeks and even leafy is made without nitrites, which are greens such as kale or spinach provide thought to cause cancer. delicious taste, texture and a heaping A 3-ounce or palm-sized portion helping of added vitamins and minerals of corned beef contains 210 calories. in a low calorie, fat-, cholesterol- and The good news is that this serving size sodium-free form. provides one-fourth of an adult’s daily So, fork into corned beef and requirement for vitamin B-12 and zinc cabbage this St. Patrick’s Day and and less than one-tenth of an adults thanks to a trim here and addition daily calorie needs. there, it’s a holiday dish you don’t have The bad news is that the amount to feel bad about enjoying. of fat, cholesterol and sodium are respectively, nearly one-fourth, oneCarol Bareuther is a registered dietitian third and one-half of what an adult living in St. Thomas. Comments on this should consume each day. The key, column are welcome at editorial@thethough, is not to look at corned beef in triton.com.
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PERSONAL FINANCE: Yachting Capital
Some savvy retirement plans for U.S. and non-U.S. residents You cannot avoid death nor taxes. The trick is getting those gains out But at least with taxes, you can control of the policy. If you simply withdraw when you pay them, how frequently you them, you will immediately owe tax at pay them and how much you pay. ordinary income rates. Check your tax There are bracket to see the tax impact. For nonthree phases U.S. policies there is no limit to how of retirement much you can put in or take out or how planning: the you take it out. contribution Now let’s talk exit strategy. The way phase, the to get your money out without paying accumulation tax is through the loan provision of phase and the the contract, specifically through a distribution low-interest loan or a zero-cost loan. Instead of simply withdrawing it, Yachting Capital phase. Visualize that your annual the money you receive is considered Mark A. Cline contribution the proceeds of a loan, and thus not phase is your smallest pile of money taxable. There is a cost to the life and your distribution phase is your insurance but with the right products largest pile of money. the tax savings can far outweigh the All things being equal, which pile of interest and cost. money do you want to pay taxes on? The concept is similar to a Roth First let’s provide a working IRA. You contribute money to your definition for the three types of investment account after you pay taxes Universal Life, commonly called UL. on it. But remember, the maximum you The UL policy can contribute is simply a to a Roth IRA per All things being life insurance year is $5,000, or equal, which pile policy that you $6,000 if you are are guaranteed older than 50. This of money do you coverage as long money grows tax want to pay taxes on? as you keep the differed and you policy paid. There receive it back are two variations tax free. The only called Variable UL catch is you can’t and Indexed UL. take it out until after 59 ½ without a 10 An easy definition is a life policy percent penalty. With a VUL, there is that allows you to buy life insurance no penalty for loans. coverage while simultaneously There are many things to consider investing parts of the premiums. The when using a UL strategy, including investments can be in stock and bond your insurance needs, health, what portfolios that are much like mutual is your estate worth, how much can funds. Part of the premium pays for the you put away in a lump sum or on a insurance side while the rest goes into monthly basis, and whether you want the “cash value” portion of the policy. access to this money for emergencies That portion can consists of mutual before retirement without a penalty? funds or can give you a return based on In short, do you pay taxes on a a particular index such as the Dow or smaller pile of money or that larger S&P and these are called sub-accounts. pile? These are great vehicles for U.S. citizens Remember, the UL is a product. and residents but have not historically Never develop your retirement plan been available to non-U.S citizens. based on a single product. Always Fortunately, a few companies will do get the help of a qualified financial Term or UL and they pay a fixed rate planner to develop your objectives into much like a money market account for a custom plan for you. Just because non-U.S. citizens. The plus side for non- someone can buy a nice yacht doesn’t residents is that it can be considered a mean that they can go anywhere conservative part of your portfolio. without a trained captain. Currently, it could offer 5 percent Information in this column is not but would have a minimum guarantee intended to be specific advice for rate of 3 percent. For those of you anyone. You should use the information from countries that have unstable to help you work with a professional governments, this could be a good regarding your specific financial place to park your money. Unlike U.S. objectives. Universal Life policies, there is no limit to how much you can fund your policy. Capt. Mark A. Cline is a chartered The big advantage for U.S. citizens senior financial planner and mortgage by doing their investing within an broker. He is a partner in Capital insurance policy is that any gains in the Marine Alliance in Ft. Lauderdale. “cash value” or investment accounts are Comments on this column are welcome not taxed as long as they remain within at +1-954-764-2929 or through www. the policy. capitalmarinealliance.net.
March 2010
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