The Triton Vol.7 No.12

Reading stars

Real sailors become one with the heavens.

B1

Booking charters

Scams continue

E-mailed job offers What is the captain’s take unique twists, role?

C1 names.

C10 Vol.7, No.12

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March 2011

Hijacked American sailors killed by Somali pirates

By Lucy Chabot Reed In the hours and days after Somali pirates hijacked a 58-foot yacht off the coast of Oman and subsequently killed the four Americans aboard on Feb. 22, the yachting community struggled to make sense of news reports, government statements and military action.

“I see no reason for pirates to kill four people with a warship staring down their necks,” said Capt. Mike Dailey, who has traversed the region three times in the past year. “It just makes no sense.”

Indeed, the immediately released details present an almost unbelievable situation.

Nineteen pirates were involved in

the hijacking, most of who were on the yacht when the shooting began. Four U.S. Navy warships were involved in the response force – an aircraft carrier, a guided-missile cruiser and two guidedmissile destroyers.

Gunfire, believed to have been a rocket-propelled grenade fired from the yacht toward one of the Navy ships, began while officials from the FBI were

in negotiations with two pirates aboard the Navy ship. The remains of two pirates were found on the yacht when Navy forces boarded, killing two others and detaining 13 others.

“What possible use was an aircraft carrier?” Dailey asked. “How do you get 19 pirates on board? With the four

See PIRATES, page A12

IN MIAMI AND READY FOR DUTY

Despite a slow start and moderate crowds, brokers and crew were optimistic about the results from the 2011 Yacht & Brokerage Show in Miami Beach, PHOTO/TOM SERIO giving it the moniker “the good little show.” See more photos and news from the show on pages A10-11.

Yacht crew too, touched by global events It can feel isolated on a boat at sea, but eventually the world knocks on the hull of every yacht. Social, political, economic or environmental, global issues impact the lives of captains, crew and the yachting industry.

For example, the attacks in the United States From the Bridge by international terrorists in 2001 Dorie Cox affected one captain’s American crew.

“We were 150 miles out during 9/11

and we had our crew airlifted out,” this captain said. “They had to get to their family.”

Captains shared how their wallets, safety, destinations and staff are affected by events the world over at this month’s From the Bridge luncheon in Ft. Lauderdale.

As usual, individual comments are not attributed to any one person in particular so as to encourage frank and open discussion. The attending captains are identified in a photograph on page A14.

Even weather a half a world away affects business. When Cyclone Yasi hit

Australia in February, small Caribbean islands, some 9,000 miles away, had an increase in charter guests, a captain said.

“Atlantis marina was filled with VIP clients booking when the cyclone hit,” he said. “A Saudi prince had planned his honeymoon in Australia and had to move to the Bahamas instead.”

Although, the Middle East and Arab nations are not as popular as the Mediterranean when it comes to cruising grounds, captains said they monitor political instability across the

See BRIDGE, page B14

TRITON SURVEY

How valuable are charter shows in selling charters?

Not that valuable – 19.1% We don’t attend charter shows – 33.3%

Valuable but not crucial – 48.9%

They are the most important marketing tool – 2.2% – Story, C1

A March 2011

WHAT’S INSIDE

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Did you see that?

Crew keep busy – and entertained – at the Yacht & Brokage Show. See how on page A11.

PHOTO/DORIE COX

Advertiser directory Boats / Brokers Calendar of events Columns: Fitness In the Galley Latitude Adjustment Nutrition Personal Finance Onboard Emergencies Photography Rules of the Road Sound Waves

C15 B12 B14 C11 C1 A3 C7 C12 B2 B13 B1 B3

Stew Cues Career News Crew News Fuel prices Marinas / Shipyards Networking Q and A Networking photos News Photo Gallery Technology Triton spotter Triton Survey Write to Be Heard

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LATITUDE ADJUSTMENT

Former Merrill-Stevens CEO Fred Kirtland, left, and former President Ron Baker helped Spencer celebrate one year of work on the grounds of the old PHOTO/LUCY REED Merrill-Stevens Dry Dock Company in Miami.

It’s never too late to celebrate our survival, especially now It was an invite we could refuse: a Cuban-style pig roast – complete with homemade guava barbecue sauce – to celebrate survival.

Spencer Boat Company has been in business a year now, leasing space at the MerrillStevens shipyard on the Miami River. When Merrill-Stevens Latitude laid off nearly all Adjustment its employees a Lucy Chabot Reed couple of weeks before Christmas in 2009, former yard superintendent John Spencer decided to put everything he had on the table to hire back his crew and keep working on boats. It’s what he does.

And he does it well. Within days, he had enough work to last six months. In January, he had a party – complete with a cake – to say thank you to his guys.

“I want you to know I appreciate the help,” the softspoken Spencer said. “Thank all of you here today because without you, none of us would be here today.”

Spencer Connie James was there, a man who worked at Merrill-Stevens his whole life.

“He must have hauled the Blackhawk a hundred times,” said Capt. Sandy Broome of the 123-foot Feadship that made its home at Merrill Stevens for more than 20 years.

Other long-time Merrill-Stevens employees were there, including Whit Kirtland, the longtime Merrill-Stevens broker who is now with Bradford

Marine, his dad, Fred Kirtland, former CEO of the shipyard, and Ron Baker, the old yard’s president.

Spencer wrote the name of each of his roughly three dozen employees on a slip of paper and drew names for prizes that he either bought himself or had donated from vendors such as Interlux and Merritt Yachts. There were T-shirts, a camera, restaurant gift certificates, grocery gift cards, and a fishing pole.

To kick off the barbecue, he held a quiet ceremony at the yard, hoisting a Spencer Boat Company flag.

“On the last day of Merrill-Stevens, we took the flag down, gave it a military fold and gave it to Whit Kirtland,” Spencer said.

“Today, we raised a new flag to usher in a new era.”

We all wish you luck.

Capt. David Gunn recently commissioned M/Y Perspicaz, a Marlow 78. He and Mate Michelle Doveton received the yacht off its transport ship in January and prepared her for the Yacht & Brokerage Show last month.

They expect to go to the Caribbean towing a 32-foot Intrepid and eventually head to South America.

“We’ll train the crew so he’ll be able to run the boat himself,” Gunn said.

“Then, in about six to eight months, we’ll be back on the market for work.”

The new yacht is 86 feet overall, Gunn said; Marlow measures its vessels by the waterline.

Capt. Chris Day has joined the Ft. Lauderdale office of Yacht Concierge, a company that takes care of vessels with regular inspections, system checks and detailing. It focuses on yachts of about 110 feet and smaller that don’t have permanent crew.

Have you made an adjustment in your latitude recently? Let us know. Send news to lucy@the-triton.com.

March 2011 A

A March 2011

NEWS

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Ron Holland Design opens ‘second base’ in Vancouver

By Alison Gardner Two years ago, naval architect and megayacht designer Ron Holland started falling in love with Vancouver, British Columbia. The end result, after 36 years operating exclusively out of Ireland, is a second base for Ron Holland Design, which opened New Year’s Day. “Originally, I went to Vancouver to design a motor yacht for a client who was considering building at a respected shipyard there,” Holland said. “I made several trips to the yard and the city over the next two years, establishing a personal relationship with two shipyards.

“During that time, I identified the Pacific Northwest as an important region for custom and semi-custom yacht building,” he said. “To be frank, I see it as the most important yacht building location in North America.

While there are builders in Maine, Derecktor in Connecticut and Trinity in the Gulf area, I believe that Washington State and British Columbia are leaders in the field, based on the history of ship building and the yachts produced there during the last 15 years.”

Most of RHD’s clients are from North America, making opening an office somewhere on the continent a logical choice. Having an office in a city with a vibrant business community and harbor will allow clients better communication and greater access to the studio’s design work, Walsh Holland said.

It will also raise the possibility of more high-profile work coming to British Columbia. Already he has seen signs of opportunity, especially for local yacht builders, with new project enquiries for both sail and power.

“I see a diverse range of yachts presently being produced in the Pacific Northwest and believe my clients could benefit from this,” he said. “To date, we have produced design work for Worldspan Marine (Crescent Yachts) and Platinum Marine. I see this as the first step to establishing a design influence with builders and clients in this area of the world.”

A transplant of eight years with RHD in Ireland – but a Canadian by birth – new manager of the Vancouver office Catherine Walsh picks up the story.

“There are definite design differences on the West Coast,” she said. “One of the motivations for establishing this second base nearly half way around the world is to understand and meet the challenge of adapting designs to local factors, including four-season cruising weather

After 36 years, designer Ron Holland opens his first satellite office.

PHOTO FROM RHD

as enjoyed by many West Coast-based yacht owners.”

Platinum Marine General Manager Tim Charles offered RHD space in his building, including shared reception services and a conference room.

“Once the yachting community knows Ron is here, we expect to get lots of visitors and former clients stopping by,” Walsh said.

The majority of the firm’s designs up to now have been sailing yachts, but the expansion to the Pacific Northwest lets RHD further expand its designs into motor yachts, Walsh said.

One such project is a 146-foot yacht with Worldspan Marine, builders of Queenship and Crescent yachts.

“We’re thrilled to be working at close quarters with a world-renowned ship designer like Ron Holland,” said Lee Taubeneck, president of Worldspan Marine. “Through Ron Holland’s global connections, the studio will also create a profile and acceptance for large yachtbuilding shipyards on the West Coast, leading to expanded clientele.”

Equally enthusiastic is Jim Connolly, a broker with Freedom Marine.

“With Ron being one of the top naval architects in the world, his presence in Vancouver brings real credibility to any yacht brokerage partnerships we establish,” he said.

Yachtsmen, too, have taken note of the expertise that has moved into town.

Holland has given two standing-roomonly presentations at the prestigious Royal Vancouver Yacht Club. Fifty-year member Dr. Gordon Westgate had visited Holland’s studio in Ireland when he heard about his interest in opening in Vancouver. He suggested Holland as a guest speaker, remarking on him afterward as “very personable and humble for someone so famous in the yachting world.”

Alison Gardner is a freelance writer in Victoria, BC. Comments on this story are welcome at editorial@the-triton.com.

A March 2011

NEWS BRIEFS

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Octopus helicopter makes emergency landing off Ushuaia Octopus chopper in water landing

One of the helicopters from the 414foot M/Y Octopus made an emergency landing on water off Ushuaia the last day of January while en route to pick up the boss, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, according to news reports.

Reuters news service reported that the helicopter co-pilot was hurt in the landing and taken to the hospital.

Bloomberg reported that both pilots were treated for minor injuries and released. Nasdaq.com reported that no one was injured.

The helicopter took off from Octopus

at about 8 a.m. local time (1100 GMT) on Jan.31, according to Reuters.

Crew members activated flotation devices and landed upright and were rescued by crew on theyacht. Photos and video online show the helicopter’s rotor blades twisted.

Allen’s spokesman David Postman told Reuters the cause of the emergency landing was not clear.

An official with the coast guard station in Ushuaia told Nasdaq. com that the helicopter likely hit an antennae on the megayacht upon takeoff.

Pilotage eased for yachts

California has raised the tonnage threshhold for pleasure yachts in and around San Francisco needing pilots from 300 tons to 750 tons.

The rule – California Codes, Harbors and Navigation Code, Section 11271128 – went into effect Jan. 1.

The rule covers ports in Monterey Bay and the bays of San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun. It does not apply to “a vessel that is less than 750 gross tons and is manufactured and used for private recreation.”

San Francisco was recently selected as the host city for the 2013 America’s Cup.

Summit looks at yacht industry

Almost 50 people attended a dinnerdebate at the Yacht Club de Monaco in mid-January to discuss superyachts and the current economic situation in the industry.

Organized with the support of Only Yachts, this third symposium featured an introductory speech by David Legrand of Fraser Yachts.

“After a difficult end of year in 2009, 2010 saw a recovery in sales with transactions to the value of 2,575,866,000 euros, a more than 30 percent increase on 2009,” he said. “And the average value of these transactions

was 13 million euros.”

The rise is explained by a significant drop in prices for the 30m to 40m vessels, generating a volume of business. 2010 also led to an adjustment in prices of second-hand boats. It was also noted that the refit business has held up, and contrary to expectations, 2010 was a difficult year for the charter market (30-40 metres).

Crewing is one of the sectors most affected by the crisis, attendees noted, with falling wages (of about 30 percent) and the number of staff onboard reduced.

This year will be a pivotal year for shipyards, as recent deliveries are the result of contracts signed in 2007-2008.

There will probably be more mergers in 2011. The present difficulties with order books for 2012 and 2013 should sound the death knell for speculative orders from those who sometimes built yachts before they had even been sold,” said Olivier Blanchet, fund manager for yachts over 40m at BNP Paribas.

The next symposium will focus on the environment and is scheduled for March 30.

Foreign crew can get TWIC, too

The U.S. government has created

See NEWS BRIEFS, page A7

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March 2011 A

NEWS BRIEFS

Foreign crew eligible for TWIC with visa NEWS BRIEFS, from page A6 an annotated version of the B-1 visa – the visa issued to foreign citizens visiting the United States for business purposes, and the most often referred-to appropriate visa for yacht crew – that will make foreign maritime workers eligible to apply for a Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC).

The TWIC is a biometric identification card that maritime workers must have to gain unrestricted access to secure areas of maritime facilities, including ports and sections of some high-level security marinas.

Under this process, foreign maritime workers who need a TWIC must provide notice of that need to the U.S. Department of State (the same body that issues visas) upon application for a B-1 visa, as well as a letter from their employer indicating that the individual will be required to perform service in secure port areas.

Upon receipt of the new TWICannotated B-1 visa, each individual will apply separately for a TWIC. All applicants will undergo background checks.

It is unclear if foreign yacht crew need a TWIC. They may still be granted access to secure areas of ports and marinas, except they need an escort.

For more information, visit www.tsa. gov/twic or http://homeport.uscg.mil.

Cannes show backs up 1 day

The Cannes boat show is shifting back a day to make room for the G20 Summit being held in Cannes, France, .

The 34th Festival de la Plaisance de Cannes for 2011 will take place Sept.

6-11, (instead of the afore announced Sept. 7-12).

The show traditionally showcases yachts a bit smaller than those in the

Monaco Yacht Show two weeks later.

(The Monaco show is Sept. 21-24.)

Still, the Cannes show has more than 500 boats on display, including close to 200 new model debuts.

For more details, visit www. salonnautiquecannes.com.

passes and two IndyCar paddock passes.

Transient dockage is available at the City of St. Petersburg Municipal Marina on a per-foot basis.

– Jordan Sullivan

State to cut boat tax exemptions

Maritime heritage archaeologists working with the U.S.’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminstration (NOAA) have found the wreckage of the 1800’s Nantucket whale ship Two Brothers on a reef off French Frigate Shoals, nearly 600 miles northwest of Honolulu, in the remote Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument.

Two Brothers was captained by George Pollard Jr., whose previous Nantucket whaling vessel, Essex, was rammed and sunk by a whale in the South Pacific, inspiring Herman Melville’s famous book, Moby Dick.

Pollard gained national notoriety after the Essex sinking, when he and a handful of his crew resorted to cannibalism to survive their ordeal drifting on the open ocean. He went to sea again as the master of Two Brothers.

On the night of Feb. 11, 1823, Two Brothers hit a shallow reef off French Frigate Shoals. Pollard did not want to abandon ship but his crew pleaded with him and they clung to small boats overnight. The next morning they were rescued by the crew of another Nantucket whaler.

For the past 188 years, the wreckage has been lost on the ocean floor. The vessel was part of a fleet of several hundred whaling ships that were part of America’s economic and political expansion into the Pacific.

A 2008 NOAA-led expedition to the

Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy has proposed eliminating four tax exemptions for boating-related business, including labor fees on maintenance and repair and broker commissions, according to a story in Soundings Trade Only.

The state has a 6 percent sales tax, which is currently not charged on these activities.

Malloy’s budget proposals must still be debated in the Connecticut legislature. A new budget goes into effect July 1.

Malloy’s budget comes on the heels of legislation that would cut the sales tax from 6 percent to 4 percent on boat purchases and give buyers as much as a million-dollar-a-year break. The bills await action in the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee.

Yacht club back for St. Pete race

The Honda Grand Prix in St. Petersburg is once again offering the Acura Yacht Club for visiting yachts that want a stern-to view of the race.

The weekend of March 25-27, Indy cars will zoom around the 1.8 mile, 14 turn course through downtown St. Pete.

Twenty slips are available for between $4,000 and $9,500, depending on size, and include water, electric, closed circuit video feed of the race.

Yachts in the 80- to 150-foot slips will receive four VIP Suite passes and four IndyCar paddock passes. Smaller vessels receive two Trackside Club

Scientists find whaling ship wreck

See NEWS BRIEFS, page A9

A March 2011

CREW NEWS

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‘SEAsoned’ blends cooking, humor into a good read

By Dorie Cox Megayacht Chef Victoria Allman has published her second book, “SEAsoned: A Chef ’s Journey With Her Captain,” based on adventures accumulated during her career onboard yachts with her husband, Patrick.

The ingredients of her comic tales are blended from stories of her life as chef, crew and captain’s wife, and then they are sprinkled with recipes.

This book follows her first work from 2009, “Sea Fare, A Chef ’s Journey Across the Ocean,” a collection of vignettes from experiences in international ports with regional recipes.

“The first book was 100 percent what happened in yachting,” Allman said. “But people kept asking, ‘where’s the gossip?,’ because that’s what they really want to know.

“SEAsoned has fictionalized characters and boats with no real names,” she said.

But, as she said in the book’s introduction, “Although these stories have all happened to Patrick and me over the past 12 years in yachting, I fictionalized other characters and yachts to protect the extremely guilty.”

There are about 30 recipes in the 185-page book with enticing chapter titles including: The Disintegration of

Meet the author Chef Victoria Allman will be signing her new book, and offering a sampling of her culinary talents, on Friday, March 11, at 6:30 p.m. at Well Read, a used book store in Ft. Lauderdale.

Reservations are required. The $17 door charge includes a signed copy of “SEAsoned,” all applicable taxes and food. RSVP +1 954-4678878.

Find Well Read at 1373 S.E. 17th St. in the Southport Shopping Plaza near Luxury Yacht Group and Lauderdale Diver.

Dinner, The Galley Explosion, Better Than Sex and Loco. Recipes connect with yacht hot-spots throughout the Bahamas, Italy, France, Greece and Spain.

Some samples from the book include a chapter of sunburns and

swimming pigs with a recipe for Angel Hair Napoli. The recipe for Luke’s FiveYear-Old Macaroni and Cheese follows Allman’s tale of the charter featuring two children, possum sandwich threats and her defeat during a cook-off with a 5-year-old.

Yacht crew will recognize yarns of the panic caused by the return of departing guests when their flight is cancelled, necessitating a recipe for Quick Parmesan Chicken. And the exhaustion of cooking for guests who are still awake at 4:30 in the morning with a recipe for Bresaola and Salmon Tartar. And the horror of attempting to make Italian food for an award-winning Italian chef with a recipe for Vitello Tonnato.

Allman’s first book won first place in the 2010 Royal Palm Literary Award from the Florida Writers Association.

She also authored a chapter in “Female Nomad and Friends” by Rita Golden Gelman, as well as a variety of magazine articles and a blog.

Despite her writing success, Allman remains chef on M/Y Cocoa Bean.

“I still have to make a living.”

More details are available through her website www.victoriaallman.com.

Dorie Cox is associate editor at The Triton. Comments on this story are welcome at dorie@the-triton.com.

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NEWS BRIEFS

March 2011 A

Yacht perks for officials to end with EU code of conduct NEWS BRIEFS, from page A7 Northwestern Hawaiian Islands found an anchor, three trypots (cast iron pots for melting whale blubber to produce oil), another large anchor, hundreds of bricks and the remains of the ship’s rigging.

Easier entry for USVI local boaters

Imagine cruising from St. Thomas to Jost Van Dyke for one of those famous cocktails at the Soggy Dollar Bar and returning to St. Thomas without having to sit an hour and clear customs. This option has been available by phone since 2006 for U.S. citizens and legal residents in the Local Boaters Option (LBO) program.

But as of Jan. 1, those enrolled in the LBO can use the Small Vessel Reporting System’s online reporting system to report their arrival from a foreign port to any U.S. Virgin Islands’ port. The admission of the USVI to the LBO was announced at the Maritime Security Summit in St. Thomas in February.

New applicants can enroll by making an appointment for a faceto-face interview at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection office. Personal identification documentation is required, and captains need to show their vessel’s registration. Those who clear the background check will receive an e-mail with a Boater Registration number and password.

Mariners who already have a LBO number must apply online for a password so they can access the float plan functions of the Small Vessel Reporting System.

Float plans, which are a new feature of the LBO program, can consist of as little as the last foreign port of departure and current U.S. port of arrival. These plans need to be entered and activated within 24 hours prior to departure from the U.S. Enrollment in the LBO program is voluntary and free. Arriving mariners and passengers who either are not U.S. citizens or who have elected not to participate in the LBO must still report to the port of entry for an in-person inspection upon arrival.

For more information, visit https:// svrs.cbp.dhs.gov/ Registration locations in the U.S. Virgin Islands are: Port of St. Thomas: CBP, Edward W. Blyden Terminal, Veterans Drive, Charlotte Amalie, 340-774-5539 Port of St. John: CBP, Cruz Bay, 340776-6741 Port of St. Croix: CBP, Gallows Bay Marine Facility, Christiansted, 340-7731011 – Carol Baruether

CG medevacs shark victim

The U.S. Coast Guard medically evacuated a shark-bite victim about 18 miles north of West End, The Bahamas,

in late January.

Jim Abernathy, 55, was on a diving excursion with a commercial diving vessel when he was bitten on the arm.

A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Clearwater, Fla., deployed in support of Operation Bahamas Turks and Caicos (OPBAT) hoisted Abernathy and transported him to St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Fla.

New EU Code ends yacht perks

Two years after its commissioner was scolded for vacationing on Oleg

Deripaska’s yacht, the European Union has unveiled a plan to ban senior officials from accepting such perks, according to a story in The Moscow Times.

A clause in the new code of conduct for EU commissioners says they may not “accept hospitality except when in accordance with diplomatic and courtesy usage.”

The 14-page draft code was presented to European Parliament members in mid-February.

The clause effectively bans private invitations like the one that caused a scandal in 2008, when it became

known that then-Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson had vacationed on Deripaska’s megayacht in Greece.

The episode caused a political storm in Mandelson’s native Britain, with critics alleging that his ties to Deripaska led to cuts in European aluminum duties, creating benefits for the tycoon’s United Company RUSAl. The new rules come as France is rocked by a similar scandal after that the country’s foreign minister and prime minister accepted luxury trips from Tunisian ruler Zine El Abidine

See NEWS BRIEFS, page A16

A10 March 2011 Photo Gallery

Y

acht crew were at their show best for the 23rd annual Yacht and Brokerage show in Miami Beach from Feb. 17-21. Whether cleaning, smiling, cleaning, giving tours, cleaning or relaxing at the end of a long day, The Triton tried to capture every moment. See some of the news from our daily edition, Triton Today, on page A11 and tons more photos in our online gallery at www.the-triton.com.

PHOTOS/TOM SERIO, DORIE COX, JORDAN SULLIVAN

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YACHT & BROKERAGE SHOW

Miami’s boat show was a ‘good little show’ Despite a slow start and moderate crowds, brokers and crew were optimistic about the results from the 2011 Yacht & Brokerage Show in Miami Beach, calling it “the good little show.” Here’s a look of The Triton’s coverage from Feb. 17-21.

Optimism, not crowds, opens show

Talk on the docks this year indicated there were more boats in the show than in previous years.

“There are lots of boats here,” said Capt. Wayne Nolander of M/Y Shear Fantasea. “It’s better than it’s been.”

“It feels better than I’ve seen in a while,” Capt. Paul Stengel of M/Y Sea Owl said.

And because the point of these events is showings, sales and closings, many conversations centered on numbers. Although many brokers and crew felt the visitor count was down, many believed the caliber of potential buyers was up.

Boat Show Bingo a hit

illustrated bingo cards with more than 30 things to spot, including an all-white outfit (including shoes), an obnoxious amount of “bling” on one person and raccoon eyes.

SeaKeepers Society fundraiser

Capt. Steven Breen and the crew on the 220-foot M/Y Golden Shadow hosted a fundraiser for International SeaKeepers Society as the yacht prepares for a four-year global reef expedition. The yacht will carry scientists to some of the most remote reefs in the world to collect data, analyze the reefs’ health, and offer suggestions to help preserve them.

Golden Shadow is part of the Golden Breen fleet, which includes the 265-foot M/Y Golden Odyssey, owned by Prince Khaled bin Sultan of Saudi Arabia. The prince’s Living Oceans Foundation is conducting the research.

Florida’s tax cap helps brokers sell

Second Stew Tehane Brown of M/Y Life’s Finest II kept people entertained with her Boat Show Bingo.

She encouraged crew, brokers, and anyone else needing a laugh, to spot passers-by and events seen from the stern of a yacht at a show, through her

Yacht brokers reported a strong vibe of interest from potential buyers, and they credited the cap on state sales tax that Florida legislators approved last summer.

Capping sales tax on yachts to $18,000 – what is due on a yacht sold for $300,000 – makes it easier and more enticing for owners to keep their yachts in Florida, and possible to flag or even reflag their vessels to the United States.

“We had seven boats just in

December that took advantage of the tax cap, and that’s what made the difference,” said Raymond Young, a yacht broker with Robert J. Cury & Associates. “Utilizing the tax cap makes American buyers more comfortable. It’s easy in and out of ports because of the flag, and we should see an influx of American crew.”

Question of the Day

Triton reporters also surveyed crew every day.

Who is onboard? Seventy percent of the crew at the show were fulltime crew, leaving less than a third as temporary for the week.

How do you get your news? The largest group (36 percent) read trade publications targeted to crew, followed by those who access the Web (20 percent) and those who rely on fellow crew (also 20 percent). Just 10 percent read yachting industry publications (not crew-focused) and about 8 percent rely on their industry contacts.

What’s the worst job onboard?

Cleaning the heads/bilges is easily the worst task onboard (50 percent said so), followed by detailing (21 percent), and dealing with crew issues (12.5 percent).

What would you change about the show? Most wanted the basics improved, including the power, docks and food. Sixteen percent voted for more crew activities.

Where are you taking the yacht tomorrow? More than three-quarters of yachts were headed to docks in South Florida after the show, with the remainder going to South Florida yards.

March 2011 A11

A12 March 2011 NEWS: S/Y Quest

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On an independent course, S/Y Quest hijacked near Oman being held in Somalia, four months after their vessel, the S/Y Choizil, was Americans, that’s 23 people on a 50-foot hijacked. boat. Who decided to divert Navy assets 2. Paul and Rachel Chandler were in aid of a 50-foot sailboat and four held for nearly 400 days after their yacht people?” was hijacked near the Seychelles in October 2009.

3. French yacht owner Florent Details so far According to government statements, Lemacon was killed in April 2009 when French commandos tried to liberate news reports, and involved parties, him and four other people from their S/Y Quest had been in the Blue Water hijacked yacht, the Tanit, off Somalia.

Round the World Cruising Rally from Somalia has had no functioning Phuket, Thailand, to Mumbai, India. central government since 1991, allowing After arriving in Mumbai, “The piracy to flourish off skipper then made a its coast. decision to leave the In addition, the Rally in Mumbai on German-owned 15 February and sail transport ship Beluga a route independent Nomination was of the Rally to Salalah, carrying eight yachts [Oman],” rally organizer on deck when it was Peter Seymour told Sailhijacked en route World.com. to the Seychelles on According to that Web site, the owners, Scott and Jean Adams in an Jan. 22. A German newscast of the Scott and Jean Adams, undated photo. incident shows photos requested an escort by PHOTO FROM SVQUEST.COM of the ship and its the Navies patrolling yacht cargo. At least the area but were one is a megayacht. The yachts have denied. The yacht was hijacked about since been off-loaded and are believed 280nm off Oman and was being taken to remain in the hands of pirates, who to the northern tip of Somalia when may use them for additional attacks.

U.S. military forces responded.

The international security flotilla’s Two pirates boarded the Navy response to that incident is another ship Feb. 21 to negotiate the crew’s cause for question. After reporting release with FBI officials, according their mayday, the crew of 12 locked to news reports and U.S. government themselves in the citadel, the secure statements. During these negotiations, room onboard where they can be safe at about 1 a.m., gunfire could be heard and disable the ship. on board the Quest, U.S. Navy Vice After three days, pirates were able to Admiral Mark Fox told reporters. enter the room and take control of the U.S. forces then approached and ship. It remains in pirate hands. boarded the Quest, getting into a “And we divert four warships from skirmish with pirates aboard. All four their primary mission of protecting of the crew – the Adamses of Marina the world’s merchant fleet for a 50-foot del Rey, Calif., and Phyllis Mackay and Bob Riggle of Seattle – had been shot by sailboat and four Americans?” Dailey asked. “How arrogant can we be? Do their captors, according to a statement you think the Germans got that kind of from U.S. Central Command. Efforts to response? The Brits didn’t.” revive them were unsuccessful.

The Chandlers, a British couple Two pirates were killed in the kidnapped from their yacht, the Lynn skirmish and 13 were captured and Rival, were taken ashore in Somalia. detained, CNN reported.

“In total, it is believed 19 pirates were British authorities negotiated their release after more than a year for about involved in the hijacking” of the vessel, $1 million, it was reported.

Central Command said.

In April 2009, pirates seized the No details of the negotiations or U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama, leading whether a ransom had been offered to a standoff in the Indian Ocean. U.S. were available. forces moved to rescue American Capt.

U.S. forces had been monitoring the Richard Phillips after seeing a pirate Quest since it was hijacked Feb. 18. U.S. aiming a weapon at his back, officials Central Command said four U.S. Navy said at the time. warships were involved in the response Navy sharpshooters killed three force. pirates; one was arrested. The Somali man arrested was convicted of acts More yachts attacked related to high-seas piracy, and a federal The attack on the S/Y Quest is the court in New York sentenced him last latest in a number of attacks on yachts. week to more than 30 years in prison.

According to the BBC:

PIRATES, from page A1

1. South African couple Bruno Pelizzari and Deborah Calitz are still

See PIRATES, page A13

The Triton

www.the-triton.com

NEWS: S/Y Quest

Piracy attacks at record high with few solutions for yachts PIRATES, from page A12

Seychelles often pass through the same areas as S/Y Quest. As a yacht As of Feb. 15, pirates were holding 33 management company supporting vessels and 712 hostages, according to visiting megayachts to the region, the International Maritime Bureau.

Alastair Maiden of Seal Superyachts Seychelles monitors piracy news.

He recommends vessels take security Piracy hits record companies with them when transiting Despite having been prevalent for the Indian Ocean, Gulf of Aden and Red centuries, piracy in the region reached Sea areas. record numbers in 2010, the fourth “There are options of armed escorts,” straight year of increases. he said. “They have small patrol boats According to the International in the area. They have six crew on Maritime Bureau, which tracks such each vessel and stay attacks, pirates took with the traveling yacht. a record number of Sometimes if smaller hostages, 1,181, and or private vessels are killed eight mariners. cruising together, they Somali pirates accounted can organize a convoy for 49 of the 53 ships and possibly afford it hijacked last year and together.”

1,106 of the kidnappings.

Most often, however, A total of 445 attacks on boats will use onboard ships were logged by the security, he said. As to IMB’s piracy reporting why S/Y Quest didn’t center in Kuala Lumpur, have security onboard, a 10 percent increase Maiden thought it might over 2009 and the highest S/Y Quest underway in be for financial reasons. figure since the previous undated photo.

“We had a guy in the peak in 2003.

PHOTO FROM SVQUEST.COM marina on a smaller “These figures for the yacht going to the number of hostages and Maldives and, basically vessels taken are the on the advice of the port authorities, he highest we have ever seen,” said Capt. had the boat wintered and cancelled the n Pottengal Mukundan, director of trip,” Maiden said. “That size and speed the Malaysia-based Piracy Reporting cannot be protected and typically they Centre, which has monitored piracy don’t have the funds to do so.” worldwide since 1991.

“Anything over, say, 50m, there “As a percentage of global incidents, is a risk [of piracy], but if they take piracy on the high seas has increased precautions and have armed security, I dramatically over armed robbery in would say it is OK,” Maiden said. “But territorial waters. On the high seas they must take all precautions, the off Somalia, heavily armed pirates are razor wire, trail lines, all of it.” overpowering ocean-going fishing Not even that will prevent an or merchant vessels to use as a base attempted attack. for further attacks. They capture “How do you go in the middle of the crew and force them to sail to the ocean and find a 50-foot sailboat?” within attacking distance of other Dailey asked. “These attacks are well unsuspecting vessels.”

More than 90 percent of ship seizures orchestrated and well organized. They knew where they were going, and they occurred off the coast of Somalia. got that information from somebody.

The number of attacks in the Gulf of That’s why I run dark, no AIS. When the Aden has dropped sharply due to an AIS is on, I run confusing information international naval presence there, the before I leave. And I don’t tell the agents IMB reported. in Egypt where I’m going.”

“I’ve seen them moving farther The Marshall Islands shipping south, farther east all the way to registry issued an advisory soon after the Maldives and the Mozambique the killings to advise its yacht and Channel,” Dailey said. commercial clients to cease transiting The problem is area. The entire the area.

United States east of the Mississippi Jon and Sue Hacking, cruisers aboard River could fit into the Somali basin, the 45-foot catamaran Ocelot who have Vice Admiral Fox said. contributed stories about their travels Thirty-four warships patrol the to The Triton since 2004, have spent the region under 15 flags and work well past year cruising in the Indian Ocean. together, he said, but “there’s a lot of “We have thought about the problem places where we are not.” [of piracy] quite a bit, of course, being here in the Indian Ocean,” they wrote A few solutions in an e-mail to friends the day the About 800 miles to the south and east of Somalia, travelers to the See PIRATES, page A16

March 2011 A13

FROM THE BRIDGE: World Events A14 March 2011

www.the-triton.com

The Triton

‘As a deterrent, I go straight to the local sheriff ’ for introductions BRIDGE, from page A1 region, including Egypt.

“No one will go to the Suez area, not with the piracy,” a captain said of Egypt’s Suez canal, a megayacht’s most direct route to the Mediterranean from points east and south.

“But it’s always been like that,” another captain said. “They used to be called agents, government workers; they were legal pirates.”

“There used to be one reason; now there are more reasons not to go to some areas,” the first captain said.

Security is a daily news topic around the globe; due to war, religion, economics, politics, governments; just about anything.

“It’s like that article,” another captain said, pointing to the February Triton article ‘Yachts burgled in St. Maarten’s Simpson Bay.’ “You have to watch where you go.”

When the economy is down, another captain said, theft becomes an issue no matter where yachts travel.

“We had crew from Palau who was traveling back here to take courses and he had everything stolen, laptop, everything,” the captain said. ”You have to decide where to go based on reports,” another captain said.

“When I go into a place like that, as a deterrent, I go straight to the local sheriff to make introductions,” a captain said. “I make a contribution to the local widow and orphans fund or whatever, and ask if I can hire someone to travel with me to keep me out of trouble.”

“Then I’m the one on the island with a guy with a gun.”

How do captains and crew get their information about the global events that affect them? From everywhere they can find it.

“Insurance companies have tons,” a captain said. “They say, ‘we’ve gotten notice of intelligence from this area.’”

“Yeah, they tell you you can go here but, if you go there, you will not be insured,” another captain said.

Single-sideband (SSB) radio is a failsafe way to get information, several captains said.

“I used to listen to the BBC on the single-sideband on the beach,” a captain said about his time in the South Pacific.

“I heard the 9/11 news from an island.”

“I’m amazed at the boats without SSB,” a captain said. “And how many of them have a ham radio? You can use it just for listening if you’re not licensed.

That’s real information around the world.”

The attendees of The Triton’s February Bridge luncheon were, from left, Ian Walsh (freelance), Don Vogt of M/Y Inch by Inch, (top) William Maguire (freelance), Karen Holtan (freelance), Robb Shannon (freelance), Herb Magney of M/Y At Last, and George Frazier of M/Y Imperial Princess II. PHOTO/DORIE COX

The captain said he had used that technology since day one, but now the younger crew don’t know how to use it.

Egyptian protesters were reported to have used SSB when the Internet was shut down.

“Carib net is another way,” another captain said. “It’s real-time news, firsthand information from people who are there. It’s critical and you get answers back from cruisers in the harbor.”

“I think that was the origin of networking,” a third captain said.

Another captain mentioned listening to high-frequency radio stations in Cuba

for current news, and another suggested print and Internet media.

“I think some of the magazines and newspapers are important for what’s going on,” a captain said. “Some are what I call Prozac media, but there are some good ones with real information, not just fluff.

“Like The Triton,” this captain said.

“And Latitude 38 on the west coast. That tells you Joe the dockmaster is good or whatever. But there is a lag time in magazines.”

See BRIDGE, page A15

The Triton

www.the-triton.com FROM THE BRIDGE: World Events

March 2011 A15

‘Definitely use the U.S. State Department for their alerts’ BRIDGE, from page A14 All of the captains talk with other captains and travelers from the regions the boss wants to go.

“Definitely use the U.S. State Department for their alerts,” a captain said. “I check that before I get on any plane.”

“But when in doubt,” a captain said, “Google it.”

The lunch attendees were a diverse group with a variety of citizenships, abilities in many languages and exposure to a variety of regions and cultures. They said their knowledge of cultures outside their own – and which passport they hold – can change the feel of their international travel.

“Americans do have a bad image, that’s why I carry different passports,” a captain said.

“Yeah, I put Canadian stickers all over my luggage,” another said.

“I’ll say I’m from somewhere else,” a third said.

But another captain countered that people have prejudices no matter where they live.

“In the U.S., they’ll say, don’t go there, you’ll get shot,” a captain said of places such as the Middle East. “But, people say the same thing everywhere. In the Middle East they say, don’t go to New York, don’t go to Central Park, you’ll be killed. It is exactly the same no matter where you are.”

“In places like Qatar and Oman, when I live there, I can do anything and go anywhere with no problem,” a captain said. “They are regular people and do regular things, just like everywhere.”

Another captain talked of an experience in which he thought he would not be able to relate with a different culture.

“We met with some Russians for a game of football and I didn’t expect a lot,” this captain said. “But it was a real-eye opener. They were so hungry for contact with other people. It was the kind of situation where we would have been friends if we could have.”

But several captains in potentially hazardous regions said it still takes planning and research before they travel.

“I was in a Muslim part of the world and it was a mob violence mentality,” one captain said. “You really have to gauge the attitude to other countries.”

“Like where I was travelling, they hated the Dutch,” another captain said. “I heard someone saying I was Dutch so I spoke to them in their local language to tell them I wasn’t. Then I was American.”

Passport and visa status are a concern for many yacht captains and crew. Governments affect international relationships, which dictate who can be onboard, where yachts visit, what they are able to do and for how long.

“There are lots of rules and

regulations,” a captain said of experiences with international crew.

For example, one captain suggested that the French laws regarding rules of employment have made hiring their citizens more difficult due to strict laws on severance pay and dismissal.

“Don’t hire French because you can’t fire them,” the captain said.

“You can do it if you hire them in a sovereign territory,” another captain said. “Just don’t get near France.”

Prices, currency values, international stock markets and more cannot be separated from most every aspect of yachting, especially the owner’s wallet.

Events from the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico to political instability in the Middle East cause fluctuation in fuel production, distribution and pricing.

“Fuel prices, for us, definitely make a big difference,” a captain said. With a

boss new to yachting, he said the boat used to travel between Ft. Lauderdale and the Bahamas.

“When the fuel prices went up, the boss did the calculations and decided to just stay in the Bahamas.”

“It all makes a difference, how much money, how you travel, how fast,” another captain said.

“We can go 26 knots, but now we go slow and save a lot.”

“When fuel was $5 a gallon, our fuel bill was $12,000, twice as much as normal,” a third captain said. “So on the way south I lowered the RPM. Of course, I had to change the oil more, but we ran like that afterward, too.”

When the boss asked why the trip took longer, the captain explained that by running the boat at 10 knots instead of 12, he saved fuel costs.

“She asked about the extra dockage

and I said that was about $500,” he said.

But in fuel, “I saved [her] $6,000.”

“We’ve been running like that ever since.”

Whether positive or negative, captains said world events are part of yachting and always will be. Yachties need to maintain awareness of social, political, economic and environmental issues around the globe.

“I never left home before boats,” a captain said. “It was the beginning of my education about other people. It opened up my eyes to the world.”

Dorie Cox is associate 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 dorie@the-triton.com for an invitation to our monthly Bridge luncheon.

A16 March 2011 NEWS: S/Y Quest

www.the-triton.com

The Triton

Long-time cruisers offer blockade and military ideas PIRATES, from page A13 Adamses were reported killed.

“As we see it, the long-term solution probably involves lots of aid to Somalia as well as helping them establish a working government. But the Somali warlords who currently hold the power are unlikely to relinquish it anytime soon, so we also need a shorter-term solution.

“Shipping companies have no option - they must pay the ransoms - so the solution has to be military,” they wrote.

“We don’t like to complain without proposing solutions, so here are a couple of proposals we’ve come up with: “1. Blockade Somalia. The coastline is 1,600nm if you include Puntland and Somaliland along the north coast.

Station ships 50-100nm off the coast

(so out of Somalia’s territorial waters), search all ships coming out of Somalia and take away any weapons. No weapons, no piracy.

“The Israel’s have been doing this for years on their own coast, and Australia patrols a much longer coastline. Given Somalia’s sad economic state, not many boats are going to or from Somalia so there shouldn’t be many boats to search.

“If necessary, designate entry and exit paths and let it be known that any boat using different lanes will be attacked. This solution also prevents others from fishing the Somali coast, which has been one of their complaints.

“2. Set up stations in the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea where ships could stop to take on about four Marines.

“The Marines would need to be allowed to fire on pirates, or at least to return fire. The Marines would ride on and protect the ship for 2-3 days as they transit the pirate areas and then get off to catch another ship going the other way.

“Both the ships and the Marines would love it. About 300 ships/day go through that area. Unfortunately, this wouldn’t help us (unless more stations were setup) & also wouldn’t stop the attempts at piracy (the ransoms are just too great).

Like the Hackings, the Adamses were long-term cruisers who would rather be aboard their boat than just about anywhere else. Shipping their beloved Quest on a cargo ship to the Mediterranean was not an option for them.

Christian missionaries seven years into a round-the-world cruise, they opted instead in favor of sailing a new passage, even without an escort.

“They know the risks,” said Nancy Birnbaum, a freelance journalist and former editor of the Seven Seas Cruising Association newsletter.

“Certainly, there are other options,” she said. “Shipping your boat is obviously safer, and it gets your boat where you want it.

“As a cruiser, though, I know it’s just part of it,” she said. “This type of trip is typical of long-term cruisers; that’s just what they do.”

Lucy Chabot Reed is editor of The Triton.

Dorie Cox contributed to this report.

Comments are welcome at lucy@thetriton.com.

USVI check-in online valid for U.S. citizens NEWS BRIEFS, from page A9 Ben Ali and his Egyptian counterpart, Hosni Mubarak.

E-book for NZ helps entry

Cruisers Ken Machtley and Cathy Siegismund have written a guidebook for yacht crews visiting New Zealand for the first time and planning to stay several months.

Their sailor-specific e-book, “Destination Guide to New Zealand,” is available from the Web site supporting their cruising aboard S/V Felicity, www. svfelicity.com, by clicking on “articles”.

The e-book includes web links to the government departments relevant to visiting yachts such as Customs, Biosecurity and NZ Police.

Superyacht Australia

Superyacht Australia is organizing the first ever Australian Superyacht and Marine Export Conference (ASMEX) to be held prior to the 2011 Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show in May. ASMEX will be held May 17-18 to promote Australia as a cruising destination, place for refit and repair services, and address issues facing the superyacht and export industry.

“It is a timely initiative for the industry, given the recent publicity generated globally as a result of the Queensland and Victoria floods, Tropical Cyclone Yasi and the fires in Western Australia,” said Barry Jenkins, conference chairman.”

For more details, visit www. superyachtbase.com.

A18 March 2011 WRITE TO BE HEARD

www.the-triton.com

The Triton

Heroes and cowards only die once Preserve your life first when confronted by an intruder.

By Gary Carroll

the serious injury or death of a crew member who died protecting items It seems there’s been a spate of whose loss are covered by insurance. break-ins and burglaries on yachts Boats have security plans, recently. Regardless of the hype, it watchkeepers, cameras, etc., and brings to light a point that bears routinely dock in marinas with patrols, consideration and discussion. all of which can give owners and crew While captains and crew on luxury a false sense of security. It’s this false yachts like to think local police and sense of security that’s the problem. security are responsible for preventing While we may think marina security this from happening, at the end of guards are paid to prevent crime, the the day one simple truth remains: if a reality is they are paid to do nothing burglar wants to get onto and into your more than be present in the hopes boat badly enough he will. So, what do that their presence will deter would-be you do? criminals. If you think they’ll risk their Simple: you comply. lives for yours, you are sadly mistaken.

You do what the intruder says, give Owners and crew take measures him what he’s looking for and facilitate to prevent their boats from burning his exit as quickly and violence-free and sinking; and the No. 1 goal in both as possible. Then you call the police, of those situations is preservation of report the crime and file a claim with human life. So, too, should be the goal your insurance company. when dealing with armed intruders.

While there may be times when When boats burn or sink, owners physical confrontation is unavoidable, have insurance to help cover losses. the best thing you can do is avoid When boats are burgled, insurance can confrontation if at all possible. help with those losses as well.

There may be some who disagree If you avoid confrontation with an with this strategy, armed intruder but I believe there is a higher If you avoid wholeheartedly probability that that if you are you will be able to confrontation with an surprised by an do three things: 1. armed intruder there armed intruder, continue breathing; is a higher probability the intruder has 2. file an insurance the upper hand claim and recoup that you will be able to and you – as a some or all of your do three things: victim – are in a losses; and 3. assist 1. continue breathing; 2. law enforcement more vulnerable position, which with possibly file an insurance claim means that if apprehending the and recoup some or all something goes thief. These are of your losses; and 3. bad, you will three things that assist law enforcement probably get the would be difficult worst of it. to do if you were with possibly As one who dead. apprehending the thief. has been in a There is nothing These are three things position of facing in or on a yacht an armed person that is more that would be difficult on more than one valuable than your to do if you were dead. occasion I can life or the lives of tell you one thing: your fellow crew, Unless you have the owners or your the proper training guests – a point to respond to violence with violence that is lost on an intruder whose only with a reasonable expectation that you goal is to board your boat and take your will prevail, you are better off avoiding stuff. confrontation, complying and walking No marina is 100 percent safe and no away. All it takes is one wrong move security system is 100 percent effective, with a drugged-up crackhead to ruin so if you find yourself in a position in your day, your job, your career and which you are forced to deal with an possibly your life. So comply and let armed intruder, do everything you the police and insurance companies do can to stay alive, and let the insurance what they are paid to do. company worry about paying for stuff And if you’re worried about losing – exactly what they are paid to do. your stuff, consider this: the yacht’s insurance policy has an allowance for Gary P. Carroll is the owner of CYA/ theft of personal belongings – yours, Comprehensive Yacht Assurance, an the guests’ or the owners’. Read your insurance brokerage company in Ft. policy for specifics. And I would be Lauderdale. Contact him at gary-pwilling to bet that a vast majority carroll@cyacht.net. Comments on this of yacht owners would much rather essay are welcome at editorial@thedeal with a burgled boat than with triton.com.

The Triton

www.the-triton.com

WRITE TO BE HEARD

March 2011 A19

It’s a reward, a trophy and a reminder – it’s a Breitling

By Bob Howie Three icons, I suppose you could say, identify pilots: Ray-Ban sunglasses, leather flight jackets and rather large watches.

Over the years, Ray-Bans have given way to more durable eyewear, but I do still wear the flight jacket. The watch thing until recently, though, hadn’t been a focus of mine. But, that has changed.

Now, as I sit here with a tick-tock that cost more than my monthly mortgage payment strapped to my wrist, I wonder if I have lost my mind.

Expensive, accurate, functional, likely to prompt a stick-up … but, what the hell?

After more than 30 years and 13,000 hours of accident- and incident-free flying, I think maybe I’m due for, well, a trophy of some sort. And, no, it’s not a Rolex; pilots wear Breitlings.

I told a pilot friend who also wears a Breitling that I finally bought mine. He laughed and said, “Hey, man, what’s the use of working if you can’t spend a little money on something that makes the statement that somewhere along the line you actually ‘made it’ at least once?”

That’s what got me to thinking.

My new watch represents fine craftsmanship and is considered by some – me included – as one of those ubiquitous “finer things” in life.

And, that is what my profession – as well as my friends’ in the yachting world – provides; one of the “finer things” in life.

Private aviation and yachting customers the world over expect our services to be those “finer things” and, if my watch is a reminder of that, then our presence aboard either bridge or flight deck should likewise represent that, too.

Now, it might be silly to say that something as trivial as a new watch should be the constant reminder that customer service is the objective, but it sure beats a string around your finger.

Bob Howie is assistant chief pilot with Wing Aviation Charter Services in Houston, Texas. He spent 13 years as a writer with the Houston Chronicle, and is a lifelong boat owner.

The Perfect Owner Facebook saves a stew trapped in the walk-in [Editor’s Note: This letter comes to us from a known captain who asked that neither his name nor the name of the boat be printed. We are honoring his request in the interest of sharing this story.]

We were under way in big seas and our stew went to the walk-in cooler to get something. She did not turn the light on, and the door slammed shut behind her. The emergency door release was working but it is stiff and she was not able to open it.

It was early in the morning and she did not have a radio with her and did not tell the bridge what she was doing.

She was locked in there for more than an hour.

Luckily, she had her iPhone and we have Internet so she Facebooked a friend in Thailand to call her sister in the Philippines to call the boat.

She is fine now and we have a learned a few things. At sea always be ready for a door to slam shut. Carry your radio at all times.

Name withheld by request

Advertising Sales Becky Gunter, becky@the-triton.com Mike Price, mike@the-triton.com

I just read “Consider the benefits of a Chef ’s Log” [Culinary Waves column, page C1, February issue.] I love this idea.

I have been keeping a menu log for the past 12 years (somewhat regularly) and it has helped me remember dishes and combinations that work. On day 19 of a three-week charter, when it is hard to focus and think of new things to cook, it is easy to look at an old menu and run on auto-pilot.

Plus, I seem to forget some of my favorite dishes for long periods of time unless I casually flip through the menu log to remember.

Great idea.

Chef Victoria Allman M/Y Cocoa Bean Author of “SEAsoned: A Chef ’s Journey With Her Captain”

Taking advantage of others

In reference to “Chef falls victim to e-mail job scam,” [page A4, January 2011 issue], my daughter has also

received a job offer from these scammers, offering her $12,000+ per month as a deckhand.

There were red flags all over the information the “captain” sent her (which, thank God, she forwarded to me and my husband).

The signature on the offer letter did not even match the name listed right below it, the questions asked in the questionnaire had nothing to do with her experience or skills, and when we Googled the so-called captain’s name, we couldn’t find him anywhere.

And, of course, he needed her “immediately.” My daughter is in Thailand and was seriously considering to fly to the UK for this job.

She has not sent them any money, and since she stopped cooresponding with them, she has not heard from them again.

It sickens me to think that there are people who spend their lives taking advantage of others.

Ann Burchett Kansas City, Mo.

You have a ‘write’ to be heard.

Send us your thoughts on anything that bothers you.

Write to us at editorial@the-triton.com Editor Lucy Chabot Reed, lucy@the-triton.com

Publisher David Reed, david@the-triton.com

Chef’s log keeps ideas fresh

News staff Dorie Cox, dorie@the-triton.com Lawrence Hollyfield, Jordan Sullivan Production Manager Patty Weinert, patty@the-triton.com The Triton Directory Mike Price, mike@the-triton.com

Contributors Mike Avery, Carol Bareuther, Gary Carroll, Mark A. Cline, Jake DesVergers, Alison Gardner, Beth Greenwald, Bob Howie, Chef Mary Beth Lawton Johnson, Chief Stew Alene Keenan, Keith Murray, Steve Pica, Capt. Gordon Reid, Rossmare Intl., James Schot, Capt. Tom Serio, Kirsten Tarafa, Chef Peter Ziegelmeier

Vol. 7, No.12

The Triton is a free, monthly newspaper owned

by Triton Publishing Group Inc. Copyright 2010 Triton Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.

Contact us at: Mailing address: 757 S.E. 17th St., #1119 Visit us at: 111B S. W. 23rd St. Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33315 (954) 525-0029; FAX (954) 525-9676 www.the-triton.com

Don’t think: The lights are No way, not me. dimming Don’t ignore heart attack symptoms

B2

Voltage surges bad for boats

Clouds, cleats Shows the and colors world over

B3

Section B

Tips for photo composition

B13

Palm Beach and Middle East

B14

www.the-triton.com

The joy of astro-navigtion

By Capt. Gordon Reid

“What time does the moon set?” I asked.

It was a set-up question posed after a bit of light banter. Funny how sometimes the celestial bodies align and good things happen.

She moved a fraction closer, made eye contact and stirred my soul.

She was taller than me and a lot prettier.

“Never though about it,” she said. “What time?”

“About an hour later each day.” I paused.

“The rest of the stars and planets are on a 24-hour orbit. The moon is unique; she is in her own orbit, about 25 hours.”

It turned out later that she knew well what the Mayans had proven 3,000 years earlier, and what Galileo had been threatened for declaring in the 16th century. The Earth is not the center of the universe or the solar system. In fact, the west-to-east spin of our planet makes the celestial bodies appear to be stuck on a canopy in orbit around us. Our night sky is an illusion, but a convenient one for wethe-navigators.

“Are you a pilot?” she asked. She closed in a fraction; my stomach tightened.

“I fly, but I deliver yachts for a living,” I said. “I’m a sailor.”

Her body-language relaxed and revealed that she was slightly less impressed.

“I didn’t think sailing was a profession,” she admitted as she rocked away slightly.

“It’s a niche,” I said. “Yachts have to be moved around. I do the off-shore stuff mostly.”

“That’s why you know about the stars and the moon,” she offered.

“I use them to navigate.”

“Sexy,” she said with a smile as she regained interest.

“My boat is the white one with two masts and three hulls. Would you like to see her?” I asked as I pointed down the dock from the pool bar.

Linda was athletic, agile and equipped with 44-inch legs. She bounced aboard with ease. She loved Scheherazade: the wide expanse of deck, the chrome, mica and mirrored interior, the neat low-aspect offshore rig and the clean cockpit featuring a stainless steel destroyer wheel that I had wrapped in doe skin with baseball stitching.

“Is this how you track the stars?” she asked as she lightly brushed my sextant on her way past the chart table.

Over the next few weeks I fear I created a monster. Linda and I became a couple.

She became an accomplished sailor and helmswoman, and she became obsessed with astro-navigation.

See STARS, page B8

The Triton at the Superbowl Spotted in Texas, Virgin Gorda, BVI

B15

March 2011

New alerts in safety equipment The beginning of the year saw an influx of announcements by various regulatory agencies.

These safety alerts ranged from issues dealing with safety equipment to fire suppression and fuel valves.

Here is a summary of those topics Rules of the Road potentially affecting yachts.

Jake DesVergers

Misuse of lifejacket straps

Recent U.S. Coast Guard inspections of Type I Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs) in both adult and child size identified a potential hazard that could prevent proper donning in the event of an emergency. The chest strap was threaded through the fixed “D” ring that the strap is intended to clip to when worn.

It was discovered that several PFDs were assembled this way at the factory and, if not corrected, could create a hazardous condition during an emergency when they are donned.

Instead of the strap falling away, allowing the wearer to put it on, the clip end of the strap could snag in the “D” ring, preventing the wearer from getting it around his or her body.

Captains and crew should review the instructions provided with these types of life jackets. Emphasis on proper use should be made during crew training and guest orientation.

Fuel oil quick closing valves

U.S. Coast Guard inspectors are discovering fuel oil quick closing valves (QCVs) intentionally blocked, modified and poorly maintained, See RULES, page B6

B March 2011 ONBOARD EMERGENCIES: Sea Sick

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When guest feels chest pain, is it a heart attack or indigestion?

If someone tells us we may be having a heart attack, our first reaction is, “No way, not me.” Our second reaction: “What if I am wrong? Could I be having a heart attack?

Am I going to die?”

Few people truly understand heart attacks and what causes them.

A heart attack, also called a Sea Sick myocardial Keith Murray infarction, is usually caused by a blood clot that stops the flow of blood in the artery of the heart. Think of this like a clogged fuel line.

This blockage deprives the heart of oxygen-carrying blood. The more time that passes without treatment to restore blood flow, the greater the damage to the heart. If blood is not restored quickly, the heart muscle typically dies, resulting in acute heart failure or death.

Remember, the longer you wait, the worse your condition becomes.

Heart attacks are the leading cause of death in the United States for people over the age of 40.

Half of all Americans who have heart attacks die. And they aren’t all men.

Fifty-three percent of the people who women are often more subtle and may die from heart attacks in the United include: States were women.

Fatigue Symptoms of heart attack may Shortness of breath include chest pain or discomfort in the Upper back pain center of the chest. Sometimes people Neck or jaw pain say it feels like an elephant is sitting on Indigestion their chest. This pain may come and go Nausea for minutes at a time.

Vomiting Other symptoms include discomfort Weakness in the upper body (including the arms, Dizziness left shoulder, Not all back, neck, jaw symptoms of Heart attacks are the or stomach); a heart attack leading cause of death difficulty occur in everyone. breathing or Sometimes in the United States for shortness of symptoms people over the age of breath; sweating; a come and go.

40. Half of all Americans feeling of fullness, Sometimes men indigestion or feel the symptoms who have heart attacks choking; nausea common in die. And they aren’t all or vomiting; women; sometimes men. dizziness; extreme women experience weakness or more classic male anxiety; and symptoms. rapid or irregular So it looks like heartbeats. it could be a heart attack. Now what?

The top five heart attack symptoms The first thing you must do is call 911 for men are: or radio for help. When a heart attack Chest pain and/or pressure strikes, time is critical. Time equals Upper body discomfort muscle. The longer it takes the victim Shortness of breath to get to the hospital, the greater the Racing heart damage that will occur to the heart Intense anxiety and/or cold sweat muscle.

The symptoms of heart attack in Doctors only have a few hours to

restore the blood supply to the heart muscle by unblocking the affected heart artery. Treatments such as the administration of clot-busting drugs to dissolve the clot, heart catheterization and angioplasty must be done in a hospital.

Until we get our victim to the hospital, we can help him/her to a comfortable resting position. If you have a telemedicine service, call it.

Often the doctors will instruct you, if the victim is alert and able to swallow, to give aspirin. Ask the victim if he/she has prescribed medication such as nitroglycerin that you can assist them with.

As with any medical issue, when in doubt, get checked out. Make the call, talk to a medical professional quickly and let them decide the next step.

Always err on the side of caution when it comes to your life or the lives of your crew and passengers.

Keith Murray, a former Florida firefighter EMT, is the owner of The CPR School which provides onboard CPR, AED first aid safety training for yacht captains and crew as well as AED sales and service. Contact The CPR School at +1-561-762-0500 or www.

TheCPRSchool.com. Comments on this column are welcome at editorial@thetriton.com.

The Triton

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TECHNOLOGY: Sound Waves

March 2011 B

Manage voltage surges, noise to protect life of A/V equipment Managing power on audio/video equipment on motoryachts must begin in the planning stage of the design of the system. Switching from shore to ship’s power is a sensitive transition and creates a lot of stress on audio/ video equipment.

When equipment is constantly subjected to over/under Sound Waves voltage, it begins Mike Avery to diminish the lifespan of the equipment and creates failures in the operation of the equipment.

Monitoring the input voltage with a power management product that has some kind of AVM (automatic voltage monitoring) will protect equipment from damage and major component deterioration by disconnecting and reconnecting the power from the different power changes. This type of device will maintain a constant voltage.

When the transition of shore power to ship’s power occurs, it will take over and maintain the correct voltage level.

Have you ever seen the lights in a room dim and flicker when a power change occurs? This happens when something new comes on (i.e., a hair

dryer) and pulls power from the flow already being used.

Simple things change the voltage and make visual differences, so imagine what you can’t see and the damage it’s causing.

Voltage regulation (or stabilization) is the best way to stabilize power, either with a battery back-up or a device for controlling voltage. This keeps your voltage at a constant level and keeps your equipment operating at an optimum level, giving it the lifespan it was intended to have.

Once you’ve switched from shore to ship’s power the challenges really begin.

Concerns with voltage drops and power surges need to be addressed.

Equipment on a yacht doesn’t face some of the things that land-based equipment does, such as natural disasters, but it is subject to lightning and power surges and needs to be protected the same way. The question is always the same: protect or disconnect?

Protecting equipment during such electrical nightmares is a must with some sort of surge protection.

Using thermal fuses and high capacity metal surge protectors also known as MOVs (metal oxide varistors) or other power management protection products have a catastrophic protection circuit as a fundamental layer of defense to keep equipment

protected. These devices are the last line of defense to protect equipment from electrical events.

As more and more new gadgets flood the market, their digital components become more sophisticated. As these components evolve, their power supplies become more efficient as well.

It’s important to use the recommended power supply for each piece of equipment and not mix and match these or use what is leftover in a drawer.

Power management devices such as a power line conditioner and surge protection filter out unwanted noise that is often contributed to severe electrical feedback and is common in audio/video equipment.

Most line conditioners use a generic circuit to filter the AC line noise. These basic internal components do their job, but they still leave behind unwanted harmonic noise, which is detrimental to your system’s performance and is unacceptable in a power management product. Most high performance home theater devices (Blu-ray disc players and digital projectors, for example) benefit greatly from noise filtration.

Using Lift (Linear Filtration Technology) in specific power management products will filter the unwanted noise evenly and ensure firstclass noise filtration.

Changes in technology have created

smaller devices such as iPhones and MP3 players. These do not need 120volts out of the wall, so they use a small black box -- a conversion transformer -- on the power cables for charging these devices. Using your ship’s laptop computer is one way to charge these devices as well as using surge protectors with built-in USB connection on the front of the panel.

Some gaming items such as Xbox and PlayStation 3 are powered by internal batteries and require transformers to be connected to the wall. The problem here is that some outlets are not always convenient to access, so using an extension or power strip is necessary.

Power management can be confusing at times, and it’s difficult to understand which technology is right for protecting equipment and maintaining performance. If it’s important, plug it into a quality surge protection device, not a $9 power strip bought at the nearest store.

Mike Avery is a founder of MC2 (Music, Cinema and Control), which specializes in design, engineering, and installation of audio/video, lighting, remote control and theaters for yachts. Contact him at 954-914-4755. Comments on this column are welcome at editorial@thetriton.com.

B March 2011

TECHNOLOGY BRIEFS

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Dometic launches air purifier Dometic Marine introduced the In-Duct Breathe Easy Air Purifier at the Miami International Boat Show in February. The purifier works within the ducting of a yacht’s air conditioning system using photocatalytic nano-mesh technology with UV light. If retrofitted, it does not require alterations to the vessel’s existing air conditioning unit.

It won a mechanical systems 2010 IBEX innovation award and is used by yacht builders including Trinity Yachts.

For details visit www.dometic.com.

Ocean Signal launches new GMDSS

Ocean Signal announced a series of GMDSS products for the pleasure and commercial shipping markets at the Miami International Boat Show in February.

The products include the SafeSea E100/E100G series of EPIRBs, the SafeSea S100 search and rescue transponder (SART), and the SafeSea V100 survival craft VHF hand portable radiotelephone.

The EPIRBs have maximized battery life, with capacity to operate continuously, typically for four days, even using the GPS fix. The batteries can be replaced by the user, eliminating the need to return the unit to the manufacturer. It is fitted with a 50 channel, integral GPS. The SART, when switched on, remains in a standby mode until automatically activated by an X band radar sweep from any vessel in the vicinity.

For more information, visit www. oceansignal.com.

KVH introduces smaller VSAT

KVH announced the ultra-compact TracPhone V3 at the February Miami International Boat Show. The TracPhone V3 uses a small maritime VSAT antenna, measuring 14.5 inches (37 cm) in diameter and weighing 25 pounds (11 kg). The TracPhone V3 offers download speeds as fast as 2 mbps on KVH’s global mini-VSAT broadband network.

The TracPhone V3 includes a stabilized antenna, a ViaSat ArcLight spread spectrum modem, and integrated below-decks antenna control unit. ArcLight spread spectrum technology enables small antennas such as KVH’s 24-inch (60 cm) TracPhone V7 and now, the TracPhone V3 to receive satellite transmissions with the speed and reliability of older, 1-meter VSAT antennas that use TDMA transmission schemes.

For more details, visit www.kvh.com.

Edson: new mounting system

Edson International introduced a new radar, satellite antenna and accessory mounting system. Known as the Vision Series, the new product line offers a sleek, modern design in a modular system that makes

installations easier.

Designed and manufactured at Edson’s Massachusetts facility, the new towers have a series of mounting plates that let customers mount any manufacturer’s antenna onto any Edson Vision Series Tower.

The towers are available in single, dual and the first production triple mount configuration.

For more information, visit www. edsonmarine.com.

New gyro increases stabilization

Maryland-based Seakeeper has introduced the new M8000 Gyro Stabilization System that delivers 8,000 nms (Newton meter seconds) of righting force to stabilize any vessel with up to 35 tons displacement.

The system has an internal system without the need for external fins that create drag, lowering top speed and reducing fuel efficiency. The M8000 is speed-independent and performs optimally whether the boat is at anchor, at the dock, or under way. Suited to new builds or retrofit projects, the M8000 measures 36.2 inches by 39.2 inches by 27.7 inches and weighs 1,155 lbs. Multiple gyros can be installed on heavier craft, or Seakeeper’s larger M21000 may be used.

With a two-year, unlimited-hour warranty it is expected to be available this spring. For information, visit www. seakeeper.com.

BoatUS offers smart phone app

Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) offers a smart phone application to assist in calling for a tow and includes location and tracking features. Anyone, not just BoatUS or BoatUS Angler members, can download the free app.

“The new BoatUS App can greatly improve towboat response times due to the accuracy of the GPS latitude and longitude technology built into these high-tech phones,” said Jerry Cardarelli, BoatUS vice president of towing services.

“The moment you hit the app’s ‘call now for a tow’ button, it automatically provides us with critical information before our crew even answers the phone,” he said.

See TECH BRIEFS, page B5

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TECHNOLOGY BRIEFS

New nav unit is Apple friendly TECH BRIEFS, from page B4 Available for iPhones and Android phones, the app gives boaters three choices: call now for a tow, share your location, and the BoatUS directory.

The “share your location” allows users to privately send text messages or emails containing latitude and longitude with a Google map link.

For more information, visit BoatUS. com/app.

New nav device for smart phones

Digital Yacht offers iAIS, a navigation device designed to work with Apple’s mobile products. It wirelessly links a boat’s navigation data to the iPhone, iPad or iTouch and incorporates a dual channel automatic identification system (AIS) receiver and NMEA data converter allowing compatible apps access to NMEA instrument, GPS and AIS data.

The free app provides an AIS overlay on a radar-like display and an AIS target list. The AIS receiver helps boaters identify other vessels equipped with an AIS transponder and decodes these transmissions. No connection to the Internet is needed. The AIS data (which brings information such as position, name, call sign, MMSI number, course and speed of other ships) then becomes available for any compatible application.

The iAIS black box requires a connection to a standard AIS / VHF antenna, is priced at $499 and is compatible with any PC or other application (Android, Windows Mobile, etc.) that can accept wireless (TCP/IP) data for navigation information.

For details, visit www.digitalyacht. co.uk.

3 cameras optimize night vision

312x zoom.

The Poseidon also comes standard with radar and ARPA target tracking and 360-degree continuous pan capability. It retails for $84,370. The Poseidon without HD thermal retails for $74,995.

For more information, visit www. nightboating.com.

Honda debuts concept outboard

Honda Marine debuted an outboard engine model at the recent Miami International Boat Show. The concept BF250 engine provides the first indication of the design direction for the all-new 250hp outboard, which will be available to boaters later this year.

The engine is based upon a 3.6-liter engine platform designed to deliver fuel economy and outstanding performance.

For more information, visit http:// marine.honda.com.

FarSounder software upgraded

FarSounder recently released SonaSoft version 2.3, an upgrade to the software that powers all FS-3 series sonars. Major upgrade features include improved in-water target detection and automatic bottom detection, and support for C-Map vector charts.

Previously focusing on long range performance, the system transmits signals for customers using sonars at short ranges and when navigating in shallow waters. The software will automatically switch to the appropriate transmit signal when setting the sonar’s range mode in the processor settings.

FarSounder has also upgraded its chart plotting capabilities and now offers support for C-Map vector charts

by Jeppesen-Marine.

For more details, visit www. farsounder.com.

TRAC add distributors

TRAC Ecological Products announced 29 new U.S. and international dealers and distributors for its onboard equipment cleaning and maintenance product line.

The line includes Barnacle Buster for raw water cooling systems, Descaler for fresh water systems, Sew Clean for black water systems, PSR for potable water systems and GreenClean Boat Soap.

For more details, visit www.traconline.com.

South Florida-based OceanView has introduced the Poseidon HD Tri-Camera System an all-in-one unit that includes a high-definition, thermal-imaging camera, a low-light camera, and a color camera. The night-vision camera has two-axis gyro stabilization and offers surveillance for any time of day.

The thermal imager has 4x zoom; the low-light/lux camera has a 10x zoom; and the color daylight camera has a

BOW sells, distributes De-Oil-It

D.S. Hull Company will now handle South Florida wholesale distribution for De-Oil-It, an environmentally friendly stain remover for scuff marks, wine and fuel stains, bugs, carbon build-up.

De-Oil-It is available retail in three South Florida Boat Owners Warehouse locations.

For more information, call BOW at 1-800-BOATS-99.

March 2011 B

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.

Region Duty-free*/duty paid U.S. East Coast Ft. Lauderdale 785/830 Savannah, Ga. 750/NA Newport, R.I. 770/NA Caribbean St. Thomas, USVI 885/NA St. Maarten 1010/NA Antigua 1020/NA Valparaiso 870/NA North Atlantic Bermuda (Ireland Island) 925/NA Cape Verde 890/NA Azores 870/NA Canary Islands 800/970 Mediterranean Gibraltar 890/NA Barcelona, Spain 910/1,790 Palma de Mallorca, Spain NA/1,840 Antibes, France 850/1,795 San Remo, Italy 980/1,890 Naples, Italy 965/1,840 Venice, Italy 945/1,715 Corfu, Greece 920/1,695 Piraeus, Greece 890/1,630 Istanbul, Turkey 860/NA Malta 900/1,650 Tunis, Tunisia 850/NA Bizerte, Tunisia 860/NA Oceania Auckland, New Zealand 890/NA Sydney, Australia 895/NA Fiji 910/NA

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

*When available according to local customs.

*When available according to local customs.

B March 2011 FROM THE TECH FRONT: Rules of the Road

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Inoperable QCVs on fuel tanks create serious onboard hazard RULES, from page B1

portable extinguishing equipment.

However, before it was declared preventing them from operating as completely extinguished and about five designed during an emergency. QCVs hours after the fire started, the master of are positive shutoff valves on fuel oil the vessel made the decision to release systems that isolate fuel tanks in the CO2 from the vessel’s fixed firefighting event of a fire and also prevent “fueling” system. It failed to operate as designed. of a fire in circumstances where Subsequently, crew members were system piping and components are unable to activate it manually and CO2 compromised. was never directed into the machinery In some circumstances they could space. The following issues pertaining to be the only means of securing the fuel the CO2 system were discovered. to a flammable liquid fire. These valves l Numerous piping and hose are designed to be remotely operated. connections leaked extensively. When Inoperable QCVs create a serious the system was activated, on scene hazard, putting the video taken by the vessel and its crew firefighters showed at greater risk in numerous leaks QCVs are positive the event of a fire. into the CO2 room. shutoff valves on Blocking Post casualty, while or disabling fuel oil systems that pressure was still these valves is on the system, isolate fuel tanks in the unacceptable some of these event of a fire and also under any leaks continued prevent “fueling” of a circumstance. even after the It is absolutely connections were fire in circumstances critical that they tightened. where system piping operate correctly, l The zone and components are are regularly valve for the aft maintained, and machinery space compromised. are ready for that admits CO2 use at all times. from the bottle Proper routine bank manifold to maintenance, and in some cases the space failed. Specifically, the ball approved modifications and/or valve’s opening actuating arm fell off replacement of components may be the valve when the gas-powered piston necessary to ensure reliability of the actuator attempted to move it. The ball remote operator and closure of the valve actuating arm was held in place valve. by a small machine screw and washer.

When firefighters attempted to open the valve manually using the provided Fixed CO2 fire suppression system hardware, it could not be moved. The A machinery space fire onboard a valve was only able to be moved after relatively new vessel was effectively the gas pressure was relieved from the responded to and extinguished by the inlet side of the valve. vessel’s response team firefighters using l Actuating arms to five of the six other zone valves were found loose.

They were also attached by small machine screws. l Hemp-type pipe sealant was used extensively on pipe threads throughout the system and in some instances seems to have entered the system. l Certain elements of the distribution manifold contained low points that allowed the accumulation of water within piping that could not be drained. Such a circumstance could cause corrosion that could negatively affect operation of other components. l The CO2 system’s pilot bottles did not appear to operate correctly, according to firefighters involved, and thus had to be manually activated using the valve handles on top of the cylinders. Additionally, during the event, the bank bottles were similarly activated due to the uncertainty of their release.

At least one pilot bottle activation hose was reported to have leaked.

See RULES, page B7

The Triton

www.the-triton.com FROM THE TECH FRONT: Rules of the Road

March 2011 B

Fire suppression systems need thorough and regular exams RULES, from page B6 The system had been recently serviced and inspected by an authorized service provider. Captains and crew should conduct thorough and regular examinations of these systems, especially after refit periods. During the annual service of the system, it should be verified that the authorized inspector completed the required tests in accordance with international regulations and the manufacturer’s recommendations.

Bridge team operations

With respect to vessel operations, the bridge team management approach to safe navigation is an essential element of risk management and safe operations.

The team approach to safe navigation requires the clear, frequent and accurate exchange of information between all crew members relative to the safe operation of the vessel.

In other evolutions, such as loading fuels, full attention is required by all involved to prevent casualties or pollution incidents.

Additionally, when mariners are navigating or working alone, the use of cellular or other devices unrelated to the operation at hand could impede the exchange of vital operational

information, delay reaction time, covert alerts indicating the security of or cause attention lapses of those the ship under threat or having been involved that could result in unwanted compromised (such as piracy, terrorism, circumstances having serious or armed robbery). SOLAS requires that consequences and causing injuries the SSAS is capable of being activated and fatalities, material damage, and from the navigation bridge and in at environmental impact. least one other location. The SSAS In investigation should conform findings to performance It has been noted involving other standards that the use of cellular transportation equivalent to modes, it has those adopted by telephones and other been noted that the International wireless devices can the use of cellular Maritime degrade performance, telephones and Organization. other wireless An slow response times, devices can degrade investigation into and increase attention performance, slow a recent Breach lapses of those in safety- of Security (BOS) response times, and increase onboard a vessel sensitive positions attention lapses operating overseas of those in safetyrevealed that the sensitive positions. Consequently, the system did not function properly. It was U.S. Coast Guard strongly recommends discovered that the primary activation vessel owners and operators develop button failed to send the BOS message and implement effective operational and that when the secondary location policies outlining when the use of activation button was depressed, not cellular telephones and other devices is all critical data was transmitted. Under appropriate or prohibited. other circumstances, this type of failure could have been disastrous and result in significant harm to the crew.

Ship Security Alert Systems (SSAS) Although the SSAS was serviced two Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) days prior to the incident as part of the Chapter XI-2/6 mandates the carriage annual Safety Radio Survey, records of shipboard equipment for sending

indicate that the technician did not have the proper testing equipment for the system on board and only an internal operational self-test was carried out and accepted.

A complete SSAS survey with an external test would have identified the system faults that then could have been corrected prior to the incident.

Unfortunately within our industry, most safety improvements are implemented based upon an accident.

It is imperative for professional crew to keep current on these topics. This will ensure preventative actions are integrated into a yacht’s daily operation.

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 +1-954-596-2728 or www. yachtbureau.org. Comments on this column are welcome at editorial@thetriton.com.

B March 2011

CELESTIAL NAVIGATION

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Exact time essential for calculating lines of position STARS, from page B1 During World War II, sight reduction tables were published by the United States and the United Kingdom. They are virtually identical.

There are two versions: one for aviators, one for mariners. The mariners’ version became known as U.S. publication HO No. 229.

The tables greatly simplify celestial navigation; they all but eliminate trigonometry from the calculations.

Mariners could now navigate with ease by measuring the angle of a celestial body above the horizon at a precise time. A simple calculation from HO No. 229 combined with data added from a current nautical almanac gives the navigator a bearing

or azimuth to the body and a line-ofposition (LOP) perpendicular to the bearing on which the vessel must lie.

Linda embraced the concept, and she soon understood the process.

The stars are outside our solar system and must be treated differently from the sun and moon. They have their own set of sight reduction tables, sometimes known as the Points of Aries.

The exact time is essential for calculating lines of position from celestial bodies. Greek mythology has it that the god Zeus rides his sun chariot from east to west across the sky. He completes his 360-degree journey in 24 hours, a velocity of more than 900 nautical miles per hour. An error of one second during the timing

of a sight results in a plotted position error of about four miles.

When possible, mariners keep two times on a boat: The first is Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), also known as Zulu or Co-ordinate Universal Time on the ship’s clock below. I adjust GMT every morning with a time-tick from the National Observatory in Colorado.

And I keep local mean time (LMT) on my wristwatch or chronometer.

I keep track of the chronometer error each day and update it with a time-tick at noon every Sunday.

Knowing chronometer error is critical; one never knows when one will be navigating from a life raft.

The rest of the tools of the trade are simple: HO No. 229 for the intended

latitude Points of Aries for the intended latitude A current nautical almanac Plotting sheets Sextant. Accurate modestly priced sextants are available.

A weekend routine

The crew of Scheherazade fell into a weekend routine. We sailed into the Gulf of Mexico on Friday afternoons; we tacked on the wind, we reached, we set and jibed the spinnakers, practiced man-overboard drills and anchored off the beach. We faithfully shot sun lines during the day, moon lines if she was visible, and a round of stars sights at dawn and dusk.

Linda would go below, concentrate on her calculations and announce our Lat/Long with pride. Soon after, a gourmet meal would magically appear from the companionway. Good crew is hard to find.

There is no more fun for an offshore crew than to gather at dusk in the cockpit to shoot a round of stars.

Step 1: the would-be navigators should each consult the Points of Aries tables for the azimuth (bearing) and altitude of the seven designated stars of the day.

Step 2: the navigators should gather around the compass binnacle a.k.a. the Monkey Island. Each star has a name like an old friend to the navigator: Archturus, Sirius, Altar, Antares, Spica, Alderbran, Regulus, Rigel, Polaris and The Southern Cross constellation.

The Mayans were not navigators of the seas, but they lived under the night sky and observed the movements of the stars, passing on knowledge generation to generation.

They made sophisticated calculations and predicted celestial events such as eclipses far into the future.

The Polynesians were the master mariners of history. Two thousand years before Europeans ventured across the western ocean, they navigated thousands of miles of open Pacific, with their entire families, to find tiny islands by the declination of stars.

It is believed that the Chinese, too, were master navigators. They circumnavigated the globe beginning in 1421 with three huge armadas consisting of hundreds of ships each.

They explored most of our planet using Polaris and the Southern Cross as their main navigational aids and left their DNA footprint on most of the peoples of the world.

Polaris almost exactly matches the latitude of the observer: Height Observed - HO equals latitude. The Southern Cross offers a mariner’s trick: project four and half times the length

See STARS, page B10

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FITNESS: Keep It Up XXXXXXXXXX

March 2011 B

B10 March 2011 CELESTIAL NAVIGATION

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Three or four stars of the day can produce good ‘cocked hat’ STARS, from page B8

a crew.

The night was glorious but it of the cross at the horizon, then drop had been a long day and our dead a perpendicular to the horizon to find reckoning position was fresh; celestial true south. navigation was tabled until the Modern-man might learn a thing ’morrow. We fetched Rebecca the next or two and gain an extra measure of day and rounded north into the Gulf appreciation for our Earth if we spent Stream. We set a course for Isaac Light more time under the stars. In fact, and let the Gulf Stream set us north at some astrophysicists hypothesize that a good clip. we are made from the same dust as the “Altered course to zero-eight-five stars. degrees at Isaac Light,” I entered into Back in the cockpit, the wouldthe ship’s log that evening. We popped be navigators should gather around out of the Northeast Passage into the the Monkey Island and pre-set their broad Atlantic hard on the wind in the sextants to the altitude of the target dead of night. star. One by one, they should align A few hundred miles offshore, the the bearing of the target star with night sky intensifies like nothing most their sextant and observe the magic. land-lubbers ever see. Brilliant planets Your new star-friend will appear and millions of stars appear down to like a headlight the horizon. Linda bouncing on shot Polaris for the horizon latitude, energetic Just before the long before she girl. purple dawn cracked is visible to the Just before naked eye. Make in the southeast, she the purple dawn a final adjustment cracked in the put my Rolex on her and mark for the southeast, she slender arm and pulled exact time GMT. put my Rolex on my sextant out of its Incidentally, the her slender arm western horizon mahogany box. She shot and pulled my disappears from sextant out of its a round of stars before visibility last, so mahogany box. they disappear for 12 shoot the stars She shot a round in the western of stars before hours. Her calculations quadrant last. they disappear became routine and Step 3: for 12 hours. flawless; no longer did each would-be Her calculations navigator must became routine I double check her lines work out their and flawless; of position. calculations for no longer did I each star line and double check her plot them on a lines of position. plotting sheet.

The offshore routine for any Three or four of the seven navigator is demanding: calculated stars of the day offered by At dawn: Shoot a round of stars, the Point of Aries are usually clear of which produces a “cocked-hat” clouds. That number is sufficient to calculated position that launches produce a “cocked-hat” or intersection navigation for the day. of lines on the plotting sheet.

At 9-ish: The sun has enough The tighter the cocked-hat, the altitude for a line of position more or more confidence the navigator can less north-south. have in the calculated position. The At local noon: The sun reaches its navigator with the tightest cockedzenith. It stops rising out of the east; hat wins the cupid doll and has the it hangs in the sky like a trapeze artist privilege of transferring the ship’s for a few seconds then it rolls into a position to the chart with a circled dot descent to a final splash down in the and the time. west.

Our first trip as a crew – and Linda’s In late afternoon: Shoot another first offshore navigator role – came sun line of position. This completes soon enough. We departed the boat the tracking of Zeus for the day. yard in Tampa Bay on a new factory If the moon is visible during the delivery after a full day of stowing day, it can add to the certainty of any supplies and completing last-minute line of position. The moon is tougher tasks. We cleared the Skyway Bridge to shoot and calculate, but it is worth at sunset and set course: 180 degrees the effort, especially in clouding for Rebecca Shoal. I took a reef in the conditions. main, balanced the helm, engaged the At dusk: Shoot a final round of auto-helm and we reached south in a stars that will produce a “cocked force five westerly.

See STARS, page B11 Thank you Jesus; steering wears out

The Triton

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CELESTIAL NAVIGATION

Become one with the stars to become a true navigator STARS, from page B10

wrecked the Marie Gallant (a.k.a.

Santa Maria), my navigator-girl was hat” calculated position, which gives bleary-eyed but fully graduated as an the navigator confidence to put the astro-navigator. sextant away ‘til dawn tomorrow.

When we went ashore in Tortola for dinner, Linda seemed to have grown taller.

‘You had better get up here’ Her shoulders were ram-rod The night that we cracked off the straight, her smile was unstoppable, easterlies at 69 degrees west and and her eyes radiated confidence. footed southeast for the Virgin Islands, When I saw her emerge from below, I the full moon exploded out of the sea had to take a round turn and two half in the eastern quadrant at full dark. I hitches on my had watch below; heart strings.

Linda had the con.

At sea, as in By the time we “You better get life anywhere, up here skipper,” fetched the Silver experience begets she sang out.

Banks of Hispaniola, competence and I had been confidence.

I my navigator-girl was anticipating her believe that in reaction to a fullbleary-eyed but fully order to become moonrise at sea. graduated as an astroa true blue“It’s the water mariner, a navigator. moon, babe,” I navigator should said, matter-ofWhen we went ashore become one with factly from the in Tortola for dinner, the stars. companionway.

Linda seemed to have “It looks like a Capt. Gordon Reid bloody city; can I grown taller. Her holds a 200-ton shoot it?” shoulders were ramYacht Master “Let it gain license. He has rod straight, her smile some altitude; you cruised his 44may not get much unstoppable, her eyes foot trimaran and of a horizon,” I radiated confidence. delivered yachts said, knowing throughout the that the reflection Caribbean and of the moon on Mediterranean the sea would probably wash out the for decades. He works with www. horizon line. But Linda was getting good at rolling the sextant to allow the kaliafoundation.org in the Kingdom of body to kiss the horizon with precision Tonga. Contact him at captaingord@ and averaging the visible horizon from gmail.com. Comments on this story are welcome at editorial@the-triton.com. the deck of a sailboat at sea.

Cover image copyright Aaron Price; By the time we fetched the Silver from.bigstockphoto.com.

Banks of Hispaniola, where Columbus

March 2011 B11

B12 March 2011 BOATS / BROKERS

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The Triton

Neptune adds to charter fleet: Seas the Moment, Andiamo Neptune Group has added two new yachts to its charter fleet: M/Y Seas the Moment, an 85-foot Pacific Mariner, and M/Y Andiamo, an 85-foot Symbol.

M/Y Seas the Moment will be based in Harbour Island, Bahamas and then to New England for the summer.

M/Y Andiamo will be based in Marathon, Fla., chartering Florida, the Florida Keys and the Bahamas.

Ocean Independence has sold the following yachts: M/Y Sensation, a 50m built by Sensation Yachts; the 43m Feadship M/Y Masquerade of Sole; M/Y Jade 112, a 34m vessel built by Jade Yachts; M/Y Teneo II, a Sunseeker Predator 82; and M/Y Windrose, a 21.5m Holland Jachtbouw.

The company also has added the following yachts to its new central agency listings for sale: M/Y Reverie, a 70.1m Benetti; M/Y Asteria, a 49m vessel built by Anastassiades; M/Y Explorer, a 43m Eurocraft; M/Y Maxima, a 37m Technomar ready for delivery in 2013; the 34m Feadship M/Y Eleanor Allen; M/Y Devil’s Advocate, a 23m vessel built by Cape Horn Canada; and M/Y Cleopatra, a 23m Maiora.

New central agency listings for charter include the 47m Heesen M/Y Seadweller, and M/Y Polycarpus, a 34.6m vessel built by Arsenal de Toulon.

Ocean Independence’s management division has appointed Piers Flood as a yacht manager based at the head office in Uster, Switzerland.

Sanlorenzo has delivered the SD92, M/Y Lady Kathleen, a 27m (92-foot) which represents the company’s 14th SD92 hull delivered since debut of this model in 2007.

Dan Shea of Bristol Boat Company plans to build a “new” boat from Capt.

Nathanael Greene Herreshoff ’s (NGH) designs. The H-20 Class will be built to Herreshoff ’s design of a model of the 12½, initially known as the Buzzard’s Bay Boys Boat.

The model was never built in Herreshoff ’s lifetime and sat unnoticed for 80 years. Working in collaboration with Herreshoff Designs, hull No. 1 is nearly complete. The new class of recreational and sail-training boats

will have greater sailing abilities and a deeper, bigger and drier cockpit than the 12½ and will allow for an optional electric inboard.

For more information visit www. bristolboatcompany.com.

Heesen Yachts has sold two new megayachts and has 15 in construction.

YN 16551, a 51M, full-displacement vessel, was completed in December, and YN 15850, a 50M, all-aluminium semi-displacement vessel, was completed in January under a contract with Burgess.

The yachts in construction are expected to be delivered by the end of 2014. Heesen sold seven vessels last year.

YPI Brokerage announced its latest exclusive signing for sale, and the second with AB yachts for M/Y AB 116.

The new-build AB 116 is expected to be delivered in June.

Northrop & Johnson has hired Katya Jaimes to the charter retail division, based in Ft. Lauderdale.

Originally from Siberia, Russia, Jaimes has worked Jaimes for a megayacht management company in New York.

M/Y Audacia is at Pendennis Shipyard for a two-meter stern extension and is due for re-delivery in the middle of April. Other current projects include new builds Barracuda 105 Sloop S/Y Akalam and Ron Holland 150-foot S/Y Christopher; refits S/Y Adela, S/Y Andromeda La Dea, and M/Y Dardanella; and the completion of 44m catamaran S/Y Hemisphere.

Delta Marine has announced the signing of a contract to build a new 50m full-displacement motor yacht.

This is the sixth yacht built to Delta’s hull design with large tank volumes and extended range needed for transoceanic cruising. Designed and engineered by the Delta Design Group, this motor yacht is more than 750 gross tons ITC. For more information, visit www.deltamarine.com.

This Delta yacht has plus-sized tank volumes.

COURTESY OF DELTA MARINE

The Triton

www.the-triton.com

PHOTOGRAPHY: Photo Exposé

Lines, textures, space and color mix to make best photographs Welcome aboard photo enthusiasts.

At the same time, do not overlook On the last go around, tips to improve negative or empty space, as it can work your photographs through better power to the overall composition. composition were on the agenda.

When talking about depth, I suggested to considerations for depth of field try and always are important. Previous articles I’ve include something written cover more technical aspects, in the foreground explaining that higher, smaller f-stop, to add depth to such as f/8, f/11 and especially f/16 will your composition, allow for greater depth of field. and when including Most lenses on SLR cameras, but objects, to have unfortunately not on pocket cameras, odd numbers, such will have a depth-of-field button, so you as three, five or can preview the depth of field given by Photo Exposé seven sailboats in a a specific f/stop.

James Schot photograph. These One last terrific tip I can pass on is are not steadfast about where to focus for the best depth rules, but they generally make for more of field, but it requires manual focus to interesting images. do.

We now continue on with the I could also go into hyper-focal subject of composition. distance, but the new digital camera There are a variety of elements from systems have made this approach art we can use in our photographs to focusing obsolete, that is to say to achieve compositionally superior the setting scales are no longer even results. available on current The use of lines is equipment, so there’s the most basic. They not much sense in The visual pull of can direct the viewer exploring it further. a dark tone carries and define space or Using tones can more weight than a also help define your shapes, and even evoke emotional responses composition. Tones light tone. in more abstract would be shades of visualizations. gray from white to The lines formed by triangulation black that make up an image, along the of three elements in a photograph can lines of the Zone System developed by carry a viewer around an image.

Ansel Adams.

Enough lines in some sequence may Even though I am using tones from give the impression of texture, another white to black, what I am talking about effective compositional element. applies as well to color photographs.

How does what is photographed Highlights and shadows that are vital appear to feel? A steel cleat will reflect to visual dimensions are tones. as something hard and possibly cool; Tones will direct the eyes. The visual the folds of a blanket will appear soft pull of a dark tone carries more weight and give a feeling of warmth. than a light tone. They may also convey Clouds provide a texture that I emotions. always hope to include in landscapes, Colors, we know for sure, convey and are even a more welcome addition emotion and harmony. Color can to my seascapes. articulate space and provide modeling With enhancing texture, keep in for fashions. Colors can represent mind the importance of the direction symbols, for instance, a photograph of of light. We professionals often use the scarlet letter or the golden religious early morning or late afternoon light aura, project color symbolism. They can for the very reason that such intense also follow cultural preferences with side-lighting adds to texture. the jade green and Chinese red or the Shapes are geometrical, twostrong reds, yellows and oranges found dimensional elements that we south of the U.S. border. photograph. If they are angular, they A photographer, an especially can project a more high-tech or graphic talented one, will know how to mix vision and they can be more disturbing his/her lines, textures, shapes, spaces, to the eye. Curves will tend to be more tones, colors into their visual images. from nature, giving a feeling of the Oh, and don’t forget to keep your organic or sensual responses, and can horizon line straight. feel more relaxing.

These suggestions should get you on The shapes of objects in your your way to better compositions, so I’ll photographs occupy positive space. take leave to go ashore.

Placement of objects in space will give a photograph its sense of depth. I always James Schot has been a professional try having something in the foreground photographer for more than 35 when taking a land, sea, or cityscape. years and has a studio/gallery in Ft. This adds depth, and this means drama Lauderdale. Send questions to james@ in the visual experience. bestschot.com.

March 2011 B13

B14 March 2011 CALENDAR OF EVENTS

www.the-triton.com

The Triton

Boat shows on both sides of globe, cleanups, competitions March 1-4 Diesel Engine and Support Systems Certification, Thomaston, Maine. www.abycinc.org

March 1-5 The Dubai International

Boat Show, Dubai International Marine Club. Among the top five largest international boat shows in the world. www.boatshowdubai.com

March 2 The Triton’s monthly

networking event (the first Wednesday of every month from 6-8 p.m.); this month in Ft. Lauderdale with Nautic & Co. at Lauderdale Marine Center. See story page C3. www.the-triton.com

March 3 The Triton Bridge luncheon,

noon, Ft. Lauderdale. A roundtable discussion of the issues of the day for yacht captains only. RSVP to Associate Editor Dorie Cox at dorie@the-triton. com or 954-525-0029. Space is limited.

March 4-13 16th annual Miami

International Film Festival. 100 films, 40 countries, 10 days. www. miamifilmfestival.com

March 5 34th annual Waterway

Cleanup by MIASF, Broward County, Fla. Volunteers and 100 boats gathering debris from the waterways, rivers and canals. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. www.miasf.org

March 5-6

22nd annual Las Olas Art Festival, Ft. Lauderdale. Free. www. artfestival.com

March 6

Sunday Jazz Brunch, Ft. Lauderdale, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. www. fortlauderdale.gov

March 11-13 Ladies, Let’s Go

Fishing! Saltwater Seminar, Naples, Fla. 1-888-321-LLGF (5543), www. ladiesletsgofishing.com

March 14-17 Cruise Shipping

Miami Virtual Tradeshow. www. cruiseshippingmiami.com

March 16 Networking Triton-style (the occasional second Wednesday of the month), 6-8 p.m. with Dockwise Yacht Transport and Global Yacht Fuel Ft. Lauderdale. See story page C4. www. the-triton.com

March 16-17

Marine Pollution 2011, London. By Lloyd’s Maritime Academy. www.informaglobalevents.com

March 17-20

Dania Beach Marine Flea Market, Dania Beach, Fla. www. thedaniamarinefleamarket.com

March 20-25 Advanced

Marina Management School by the International Marina Institute, Charleston, SC. www.

EVENT OF MONTH March 24-27 26th annual Palm Beach Boat Show West Palm Beach, Fla. $350 million worth of boats, megayachts and accessories.

In-water portion of the show is on the Intracoastal Waterway along Flagler Drive. Free shuttle buses, tickets are $14. www. showmanagement.com marinaassociation.org

March 21-April 3

27th Sony Ericsson Open, Miami’s Key Biscayne. Top world tennis tournament. www. sonyericssonopen.com

March 24-26

Abu Dhabi Yacht Show (ADYS). www.abudhabiyachtshow.com

March 25-27

Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Fl. Boaters can reserve a spot at St. Petersburg Marina, call +1 727-898-4639 ext. 203. For race details, +1 727-898-INDY, www.gpstpete.com.

April 3

Sunday Jazz Brunch, Ft. Lauderdale, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. www. fortlauderdale.gov

April 7 The Triton Bridge luncheon,

noon, Ft. Lauderdale. A discussion of the issues of the day for yacht captains only. RSVP to Associate Editor Dorie Cox at dorie@the-triton.com or 954525-0029. Space is limited.

April 9 11th anniversary Captain

and Crew Appreciation Party, Sunrise Harbor Marina, Ft. Lauderdale. Hosted

by Westrec. This year’s theme is Saturday Night Disco Fever.

April 13

Triton Forum, Ft. Lauderdale.

The captains forum is an educational opportunity for captains only. An industry topic will be discussed by a panel of captains with expertise. RSVP is required (lucy@the-triton.com) and space is limited. www.the-triton.com

MAKING PLANS Apr. 6 Triton Expo, Ft. Lauderdale

Triton Expo, Ft. Lauderdale.

Join The Triton and industry businesses at Lauderdale Marine Center from 4-8 p.m. The Expo is the place to make new connections, find old friends and enhance your career. And see the latest styles in our nautical fashion show. www.the-triton.com.

The Triton

www.the-triton.com SPOTTED: Dallas, Texas / Virgin Gorda, BVI

Triton Spotters

Kirsten Tarafa, the owner of Al T. Marine Electronics in West Palm Beach, brought her Triton to Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, site of the American football championship game, the 44th Super Bowl. Her team, the Green Bay Packers, beat the favored Pittsburgh Steelers.

“I grew up 30 miles south of Green Bay, bleed green and gold, and would not have missed this game,” Tarafa wrote us about two hours before kickoff. “I am here with my sister Beth who flew in from Minneapolis to attend the game with me. Go Pack.”

The Packers get their name from the cheese making and packing industry in northern Wisconsin. That’s a foam block of cheese on her head, and if you call her a cheesehead, it’s a compliment during football season.

If we weren’t Packers fans before, we are now.

Chef Peter Ziegelmeier of M/Y Rena shared this energetic shot off of Bitter End Yacht Club in Virgin Gorda, BVI. “When it’s your mind you must enlighten, don’t hesitate to pick up The Triton.” We couldn’t agree more.

Where have you taken your Triton recently?

Send photos to editorial@the-triton.com.

If we print yours, you get a cool Triton T-shirt.

March 2011 B15

February networking

March networking

Giving service, reading minds

Quick and easy recipe

With TowBoat U.S. and PCS

Nautic and Co., and DYT, GYF

Stew must figure guests out fast

Exotic and tastes like a million

C2

C3-4

C5

March 2011

www.the-triton.com

Section C

A foray into the land of freelance chefdom

TRITON SURVEY: BOOKING CHARTERS

Charters shows, such as this one in St. Maarten, are only one way to market a charter yacht, and not an FILE PHOTO overwhelmingly popular way at that.

Captains play a role in booking charters

By Lucy Chabot Reed In the middle of charter season, with the Easter holidays still eight weeks away, we were curious to learn how much the crew on a charter vessel is involved in the process of booking charters.

So we asked. Nearly 50 charter captains replied to our survey, giving us a feel for vessels from less than 80 feet to more than 160 feet.

Who obtains the most charters for your yacht?

Far and away, the majority (52.2 percent) is charter brokers as a whole.

We interpret that to mean that it’s not only the personal broker working with a vessel, but all brokers looking for the

C6

perfect fit for their clients.

Among all respondents, just 20 percent said it was a specific charter broker who booked the bulk of their charters. More than a quarter had other thoughts.

“We have always used a primary brokerage house, but use every and any means to get our program in front of prospective clients,” said a captain who has run charter yachts from 141160 feet.

“We have referrals, repeats and happy brokers who book us because they are sure of our performance,” said a captain who runs a charter yacht between 121-140 feet.

“The owner gets a lot of charters through his network of friends,” said

the captain of a charter yacht less than 100 feet.

When we crunched those numbers a bit by size, we discovered an interesting phenomenon. Among vessels from 80-100 feet, the majority (57.1 percent) said a specific broker booked most of their charters, nearly triple the results from all charter captains as a whole.

The interesting thing is that the trend didn’t hold up for vessels less than 80 feet, which – like most vessels – credit charter brokers as a whole for booking most charters.

So if brokers book at least a half of all charters, where do captains and

See SURVEY, page C8

After 20 years as a private chef on yachts, I had my first chance to work as a freelance charter chef recently. I joined a vessel with five other crew, all of whom were total strangers to one another. Yet we banded together as though we had worked together for years.

As a private yacht chef, you feel some sense of job security.

Culinary Waves After just one trip, Mary Beth you have some idea Lawton Johnson what the boss likes and dislikes and you can tweak your performance to excel.

You have some idea what to expect. It is not a guessing game.

As a freelance chef, it’s a guessing game. You don’t know the likes and dislikes of the guests other than what’s on the preference sheets. And you really have to function as part of a team and put in that extra effort.

My experience as a freelance chef was fun while it lasted but I enjoy knowing the person I work for. I feel more comfortable knowing what they want in food. As with any job, it is what you make of it. Nothing is forever but I act like this is the last yacht owner I will work for, and I go the extra mile to accomplish that goal.

Maybe I am old fashioned in needing that sense of job security. But it was invigorating to see how total strangers can make or break the yachting experience for someone who is paying.

I must say, I was impressed, and I credit that to our experience.

Older, more experienced crew really

See WAVES, page C6

C March 2011 NETWORKING LAST MONTH: TowBoat U.S./Professional Captain’s Services

H

www.the-triton.com

The Triton

undreds of brokers, insurance and legal professionals, captains and crew, and industry leaders networked on the third Wednesday in February at the Yacht & Brokerage Show in Miami Beach to raise money for Shake-A-Leg. Produced

by FYBA and the Ft. Lauderdale Mariners Club, The Triton and Professional Captain’s Services were proud sponsors. PHOTOS/TOM SERIO

M

ore than 250 yacht captains, crew and industry folks joined us on the first Wednesday in February at the Briny Pub in Ft. Lauderdale for networking Triton-style. Sponsored by TowBoatU.S. New River, guests enjoyed great company, delicious food and tours of a tugboat and workboat. See more photos online at www.

PHOTOS/TOM SERIO the-triton.com.

The Triton

www.the-triton.com

NETWORKING THIS MONTH: Nautic and Co.

March 2011

C

Network with The Triton, experienced folks at Nautic and Co. On the first Wednesday in March, The Triton is bringing its networking event to Nautic and Co. at Lauderdale Marine Center in Ft. Lauderdale.

Join us on March 2 from 6-8 p.m. The Parrot Lounge will supply the food as well as wine, beer and soda. Enjoy music from Yacht Entertainment Systems and enter Markle a raffle for some fun prizes.

Until then, here’s some background about Nautic and Co. from managing partner Harry Markle.

Q. So tell us about Nautic and Co. What do you do?

We are a one-stop shop for all boat repairs, from the smallest to the most difficult project. We cover all areas, including painting, bottom work, fiberglass, gelcoat repairs, bimini tops, interior work, carpentry, varnish, canvas, electrical, plumbing, mechanical and sail drive service.

We can also buff the hull, clean the engine room and detail boats.

We’ve expanded our inflatable business because they can be expensive to buy, so we save our customers money

by cleaning and repairing their tenders.

We can pretty much handle anything.

Lauderdale Marine Center. The current owners bought the company about a year-and-a-half ago.

Q. What do you consider your My wife and I moved from specialties?

Pennsylvania and my background is We excel in carpentry work in our as an airline pilot and certified airline custom cabinetry shop, especially mechanic. teak decks, custom I run the cabinetry and business and the interior finishing.

We excel in carpentry money side, and We have a spray I’m picking up on work in our custom booth and do a great stuff every day. cabinetry shop, job with full paint Most importantly, jobs, touch ups and we’ve really hired especially teak decks, bottom paint. the right people custom cabinetry and We have the full here. interior finishing. ability to handle electrical and Q. Tell us mechanical repairs about the person and can do new installs. captains will be working with.

We just extended a boat 36 inches We used to have a revolving door, and removed the sugar scoops. And we but we have it down to the best people. do great work on all fiberglass, from We’ve built a good team with the right repairs to customizing a vessel. We can people in the right places. produce and build custom molds and Gilles Milon is our service manager modifications. and is our expert on catamarans. That’s We’re the place for window and been his specialty for more than 10 hatch repairs or replacements, and years. we’re a dealer for Lagoon Catamaran Jesse Tiplicki is our project manager. parts. We do their warranty work.

He’s been working with motor yachts for the past 20 years.

Q. How long has Nautic and Co. Charlie Hottenstein oversees all of been around? our projects as the general manager, Nautic and Co. has been in business and Bryan Jenkins is our electronics for 13 years, 10 of which have been at troubleshooter and installer.

Q. Why would a captain chose Nautic and Co.?

Customer service is our top priority.

We stand behind our work and our estimates.

Our personnel all have their maritime cards, everyone has been through the OSHA (U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration) courses, including our office personnel. We think it is important for everyone to be knowledgeable and safe.

We go above and beyond in our safety, quality and workmanship.

Q. What will 2011 bring for Nautic and Co.?

We will set the standard of the business in safety and customer service. We strive to make the captains’ and owners’ time with us a pleasurable experience, not a stressful one.

We aim to have the Nautic and Co. name associated with quality and top customer service. We now offer the convenience of 24-hour service for emergency situations.

Nautic and Co. is in Lauderdale Marine Center at 2001 S.W. 20th St., Bay 117, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., 33315.

It can be reached at +1 954-523-0057 and +1 954-523-0057 and on the Web at nauticandco.com.

C March 2011 NETWORKING THIS MONTH: Dockwise Yacht Transport and Global Yacht Fuel

www.the-triton.com

The Triton

Share some luck o’ the Irish mingling with DYT, GYF On the third Wednesday of March, join The Triton as we network with the Dockwise Yacht Transport and Global Yacht Fuel in Ft. Lauderdale. Since it will be the eve of St. Patrick’s Day, expect all things green (including the beer) and festive Irish music and hors d’oeuvres around the fountain at The Quay, 1535 S.E. 17th St. Until then, learn more about DYT from managing director Jeff Last.

Q. Tell us about Dockwise Yacht Transport.

Based in Ft. Lauderdale, DYT operates a fleet Last of four dedicated, semi-submersible yacht carriers featuring the unique float-on, float-off loading method.

Our parent company is Dockwise Ltd., in Breda, The Netherlands, and a leading marine contractor. We got involved in the yacht trade in 1984 using two Super Servant vessels.

In 1992, Wijsmuller Transport and Dock Express established one joint venture – United Yacht Transport – which in 1995 became DYT. Q. How does the float-on, float-off method work?

The yacht carrier begins by taking on 9 million gallons of water in its ballast tanks, causing the ship to submerge. Once at desired depth, the DYT loading master calls in each yacht, one by one, to float in over the dock bay in its designated position. After all yachts are in place, the ship begins to pump out the water from its ballast tanks and slowly rises from the water.

While de-ballasting takes place, the divers get busy placing the prepared temporary supports upright under each yacht. When the deck is dry, welders secure the supports to the deck and the yachts are tightly fastened with nylon straps. For a more detailed description, visit www.yacht-transport.com, click “Information” then “How does it work”.

Q. In what circumstances is this method better or preferred for transporting yachts?

Since there is no lifting involved, there is less strain on the yacht and we are not limited by size or weight; as long as the yacht fits inside the dock bay (beam of up to 70 feet with the catwalk removed), we can ship it.

Q. It’s expensive to ship a yacht with your company. Why so much?

I have heard captains and owners say that the cost of taking their yacht on its own keel vs. shipping it with DYT is comparable but worth the extra expense. If you take into consideration the rising costs of fuel, wear and tear on engine and parts, the costs of

maintenance once ocean crossing is complete, the ability to give the crew a break before (or after) a busy season – all these benefits outweigh the cost consideration.

DYT operates its own fleet of ships, thus is responsible for all operational costs, resulting in slightly higher tariffs.

However, we provide custom cradling, and insurance is included in the overall price, as are custom clearances for loading and unloading ports.

DYT also offers voyages via the lifton, lift-off service to destinations not normally serviced by our “sinking” ships. Like we say, you can travel coach or business class.

Learn a little about Global Yacht Fuel from the sisters who run it, Gail and Marianne Vanstone.

Q. Tell us about GYF. Gail, Marianne Vanstone Global Yacht Fuel’s primary function is to arrange supply of fuel (and lube oil) for yachts wherever they are in the world.

We are able to help captains plan the best places to stop for fuel based on fuel price as well as efficiency of the port for delivery, and we know which ports to avoid. Aside from extending credit terms to our customers, which they wouldn’t get from local suppliers, we are also able to save them money.

We also know some jokes.

The company was founded by Richard Manto in 1993. He sold it six years ago to ISO Industries based in Norfolk, Va., and has since retired.

Q. How did you end up at GYF? Marianne worked on yachts as a deckhand, then went to cooking school, returning to yachting as a chef.

She later helped Richard get his new company up and running.

Gail went to work for GYF in 2001, taking over when Marianne decided to try something non-yacht related. Gail recently did an Atlantic crossing.

Marianne returned in 2006 when Richard retired and we’ve been working together ever since. We enjoy confusing customers who can’t tell us apart on the phone.

Q. How has the yacht fueling business changed the past few years?

Captains complain a lot more about the price, but in the end say “it is what it is.” We experienced a sharp decline in business in 2009, but last year was markedly improved and this year is on track to be better. The charter market seems to be holding its own, which keeps the boats moving. As long as the celebs keep vacationing, we’ll be fine.

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INTERIOR: Stew Cues

Yacht stews must figure out expectation levels fast to serve Today’s world has many examples we don’t really know what the specific of corporate and individual high-netservice standards and expectations worth personalities. are?

These groups of people often have Every chief stew who has ever taken huge estates, large a job on a yacht where there has been yachts and private no formal handover knows how this aircraft that feels. demand exacting If you are lucky, there will be management a “manual” of sorts, with a list of skills, technical preferences and “do’s and don’ts” at the knowledge, and very least. But if there is no manual, an understanding you may be on your own, unless the of professional captain and the rest of the crew can service clue you in.

Stew Cues relationships to The fact of the matter is, there are Alene Keenan function smoothly. broad generalities of personality types On yachts, in among people who own and charter particular, the level of service skill yachts, and each type requires different demanded is high. What does this level service. of service look like?

There are commonalities among Well, as we all know, in the minds of types, but there is a lot of specific some captains, interior service is “not and personal information we have to rocket science”, but what is it? sift through in order to quickly and The abilities a good stew must have discreetly figure out how to provide are so much more than housekeeping the best service once the guests are on skills. Service is the management of board. meeting and exceeding expectations.

Sometimes the only common Today’s professional yacht language and a system of standards to stews have a help us out here sophisticated is the preference For great service to knowledge of sheet we get entertaining, from the captain, exist, there must be an etiquette, manager or exchange of information charter broker. It computers, food, cleaning products, would be great is between a service giver fine collectibles, we could read a and a service receiver. technology, personality profile security, safety, and know more Without this exchange, and so much more. about the guests, the art of service Today, more but that is not cannot be consistent, than ever, really an option. managing the level Those in smooth, and effective. of service expected positions of But that’s exactly what of high-net-worth authority – be they individuals – be professional yacht stews captains, charter it on a yacht, at brokers or are often expected to an estate, or on management a private aircraft companies – must do.

– is more or acknowledge less a process that this is an for managing almost impossible a lifestyle and creating a particular proposition. quality of life.

What makes a good stew great How does one go about managing is the ability to quickly discern the a lifestyle such as this smoothly, expectations from clues available effectively, and consistently? How does beginning from the moment guests one meet these expectations? step aboard.

For great service to exist, there must Then, hopefully within just a few be an exchange of information between hours, we are operating where we want a service giver and a service receiver. to be and giving the guests the best The giver must know what the service service experience possible. standards and expectations of the receiver are.

Alene Keenan has been a megayacht Without this exchange of stewardess for 19 years. She offers information, the art of service cannot interior crew training and crew be consistent, smooth, and effective. placement through Nautic Crew But that’s exactly what professional International as well as the workshops, yacht stews are expected to do. Often, seminars, and onboard training offered we are asked to perform to the highest through her company, Stewardess levels of service without ever having Solutions (www.stewardesssolutions. met the owners or guests. com). Comments on this column are How do we give the best service if welcome at editorial@the-triton.com.

March 2011

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C March 2011 IN THE GALLEY: Culinary Waves

Crew was a perfect mix WAVES, from page C1 are to be cherished in yachting as they bring so much more to the table than newbies. Not to discount anyone new in yachting, especially among charter yachts, but from someone coming from both sides, as well as freelance, I must say that veteran yachties who make this seemingly glamorous job a serious career offer a lot.

The deckhand was a gentleman who was a captain but also a marine surveyor with close to 45 years under his belt. He was in better physical condition than most.

The engineer was mind-blowing, a woman with incredible tenure, going for her Y4 license.

The second stew was new and was a sponge, opting to help instead of taking a break, learning in the process.

The first stew, a 20-year veteran, knew exactly what needed to be done and how.

The captain was the most sincere, thoughtful person I had ever met on the water. He did not mind helping with dishes, doing what had to be done to keep the owner and guests happy.

See WAVES, page C12

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The Triton

Tom Yum Gai

By Capt. John Wampler Here is a quick and easy recipe for Tom Yum Gai (chicken soup with lemongrass). Some of the exotic ingredients can be found in any Asian supermarket – itself an adventure in shopping. The prep and cooking time is about 25 minutes. Tastes like a million bucks.

Ingredients 2 skinless, boneless 1/2 chicken breasts 3 cups chicken stock 1 fresh lemongrass stem, cut into 2inch lengths 2-3 kaffir lime leaves, torn 7 oz can of whole straw mushrooms, rinsed and strained 3 tbsp Thai fish sauce (comes in a jar) Juice of 1 large lime 1/2 tsp sugar 6 cherry tomatoes, halved 5 fresh hot Thai chilies, broken with pestle Cilantro leaves Put the chicken breasts in a gallon ziptop bag and beat them thin with a rolling pin. Cut into 2-inch portions and set aside.

Lightly crush the lemongrass segments to release their flavor. Set aside.

Place the chicken stock in a pot, add

A dish such as this one offers not only culinary intrigue but also a chance PHOTO/CAPT. JOHN WAMPLER to learn some new things while shopping. the lemon grass and torn lime leaves, and bring to a slow boil over medium heat.

Add the chicken meat, mushrooms, fish sauce, lime juice and sugar.

Cook slowly and uncovered for 10 minutes. Do not stir.

Add the tomatoes and chilies and cook

5 more minutes. Remove from heat.

Just before serving, add cilantro leaves.

Great served on a bed of jasmine rice.

Capt. John Wampler is a freelance contract captain and frequent contributor to The Triton.

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NUTRITION: Take It In

March 2011

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Cabbage recognized as a health food for thousands of years Cabbage might not be the sexiest vegetable in the produce department, but it’s certainly one of the healthiest.

It’s also featured prominently on the menu March 17 for St. Patrick’s Day when it pairs with corned beef and potatoes. If you haven’t indulged in this “super food” vegetable, now is the time.

Cabbage is Take It In a cruciferous Carol Bareuther vegetable like broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and kale. There are many types of cabbage. The typical pale green head with its dense-packed leaves is most common and is the variety of choice for cole slaw. Germans love pickled red cabbage, an almost purple look-alike of the green type. Then there’s mellowflavored savoy cabbage and crinklyleafed Chinese cabbage of egg roll fame.

Cabbage has been recognized as a health food for thousands of years.

Food historians quote Cato, a Roman statesman who lived from 234 to 149 B.C., as saying that cabbage will “purge wounds full of pus, and canceps, and make them well when no other treatment can accomplish it.”

Food scientists have examined cabbage down to the cellular level and have amassed a library of data about what makes this vegetable so good.

For starters, cabbage is low in calories. One cup provides only 33 calories. This serving size also contains nearly 100 percent of an adult’s daily requirement for vitamin K, nearly 50 percent of vitamin C and nearly 20 percent of dietary fiber.

Studies have shown that the fiber in cabbage has special cholesterollowering benefits.

Steaming cabbage, rather than eating it raw, makes it easier for cabbage’s fiber components to bind with the bile acids in our digestive tract and cause these acids to be excreted thus lowering blood cholesterol.

In general, short steaming of cabbage is better nutritionally than microwaving. Research has shown that microwaving can destroy the healthful enzymes in cabbage.

There are many other nutrients in cabbage. For example, this vegetable is a great source of mineral manganese, vitamins B6 and folate, and even omega-3-fatty acids. It’s also a good source of vitamin B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), calcium, potassium, vitamin A and magnesium. Red cabbage is an especially good source of vitamin A. Cabbage has a distinctive aroma whether it’s cut fresh or boiled. This comes from its sulfur-containing compounds called glucosinolates, which are converted in the body to

cancer-preventative compounds that can help avert cancers of the bladder, breast, colon and prostate.

Glucosinolates are also one substance that has earned cabbage juice the reputation of being beneficial for stomach ulcers.

Interestingly, different types of cabbage contain different types of glucosinolates. Therefore, you’ll get the most health benefits if you eat a variety of cabbages.

However, Savoy cabbage is an especially good source of a glucosinolate called sinigrin. This

substance has shown potent tendencies to help prevent bladder, colon and prostate cancer.

On another cooking note, slice, shred or chop cabbage and let it sit 5 to 10 minutes before incorporating it in a recipe. This allows the vegetable’s natural enzymes to work and start converting the glucosinolates into disease-preventing isothiocyanates.

Cabbage’s rich supply of vitamins C and A make it a potent source of antioxidants. What’s more is that this vegetable contains a heaping helping of polyphenols or plant-based

antioxidants as well. The antioxidant content of cabbage is another reason for its cancer preventative powers.

The beauty of cabbage is that it can be enjoyed raw or lightly cooked.

Experiment beyond coleslaw and corned beef and cabbage and enjoy cabbage in salads, soups, casseroles and even blended up with other fruits or vegetables in smoothies.

Carol Bareuther is a registered dietitian and a regular contributor to The Triton.

Comments on this column are welcome at editorial@the-triton.com.

C March 2011 TRITON SURVEY: Booking Charters

Who obtains the most charters for a yacht?

As a captain, are you expected to work on booking charters?

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If so, who expects this of you, primarily?

The Triton

If you land a charte compensated for it

Charter company – 3.0% A specific charter broker – 21.7% Other – 26.1%

No – 28.3% Charter brokers as a group – 52.2%

Yes – 71.7%

I expect it from myself – 48.5%

The owner – 48.5%

No, it’s part of my job – 50.0%

Want repeat business? ‘Always go over and above what is expected SURVEY, from page C1 crew come in? Are captains expected to work on booking charters?

Nearly three-quarters said yes.

The larger the vessel gets, the less likely the captain is expected to book charters.

Among vessels 140 feet and above, just a third of captains do so.

“Chartering should be a great way to offset expenses for the owner, and lucrative for the crew,” said a captain on a charter yacht of 121-140 feet. “If the owner is pretending that the yacht is too expensive to maintain unless the crew get charters, I would recommend finding another boat to work on.”

For those captains who are expected to book charters, we were curious to learn who expects this of you?

The responses were evenly split between the owner expecting it and the captain expecting it of him/herself. Only one captain said the charter company expected him to book charters.

“Always go over and above what is expected by the guests,”said a captain who has run charter yachts of 141-160 feet.

“Repeat business is the best advertising.”

For those captains who do book charters for their vessels, we wondered are you compensated for it?

Again, the answers were almost evenly split between “yes, the boss gives me a bonus (47.7 percent) and “no, it’s part of my job” (52.3 percent).

“Make sure you get the owner to agree to blocks of time when he does not want to use the yacht,” said the charter captain on a yacht larger than 160 feet who is not compensated for booking charters. “The most unreliable part of the owner-brokercrew-client chain is the owner.”

In an effort to help the charter business along, we asked captains Do you contact previous guests?

Three-quarters of captains say they reach out to previous charter guests and invite them to return, even many who aren’t compensated for it.

As for marketing the yacht, we were curious how many captains out there are involved in things such as web sites, brochures and the like. Does the yacht have a Web site?

The largest group of yachts (almost

half) have a Web page with the charter company. Nearly a third has its own Web site. A full 20 percent don’t promote their charter vessel on the Internet.

Among those yachts with a Web presence, we wondered how active the charter crew is in that.

If the yacht has a Web site, who updates it?

Half of the sites are updates by someone with the charter company the yacht is registered with. Nearly a third of sites are maintained by the company the yacht hired to create the site. In just 17.6 percent of cases do the crew maintain the Web site.

In addition to the brokers and the Web, the only other charter marketing component we asked about were boat shows. How valuable are charter shows in selling your vessel for charter?

Nearly half said they are valuable, but not crucial. The surprise here was that a full third don’t attend charter shows.

“I attended, at my own expense, the show in Genoa charter show last April/ May looking for work as a commercially licensed captain with U.S. and Caribbean

charter experience,” said a captain on charter yachts less than 80 feet who doesn’t find shows valuable. “I was surprised that the show consisted of mainly vessels larger than 120 feet with only two yachts in my size category exhibited. Although I wouldn’t have expected to see the smaller, U.S.-flagged vessels over there, I was surprised that there was no representation from European charter yachts in the smaller category.”

Only one charter vessel said boat shows are the most important marketing tool it has.

“We have superb food, great service and a great boat, but as a relatively small boat (less than 100 feet) have to be careful not to oversell,” said the captain of a charter vessel that does not attend charter shows.

“Some guests have come aboard expecting cruise ship service and amenities.

With those marketing numbers sort of mid-range, we were surprised at the response to this question: Do you feel there is much competition in your sector of the charter industry?

Overwhelmingly, charter captains said

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er, are you t?

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Do you contact previous guests?

Yes, the boss gives me a bonus – 47.7%

g

yes (84.8 percent).

We crunched these numbers further to see if size played a factor here, but they didn’t. Pretty much everyone agrees there’s a lot of competition in the charter market.

“It is a hugely competitive market out there with so many yachts now reducing prices,” said a charter captain on a vessel of 141-160 feet. “It was so bad last year we lost most of the season to rock-bottom pricing and also newer yachts new to the market wanting a chunk. This year (for the upcoming summer Med season) I have booked already a week and a half, but also lost a week from my repeat clients who chartered for the past seven years.

We’re getting some good enquiries coming through, though. Let’s hope they come off.”

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 e-mails online at www.the-triton.com.

March 2011

Does the yacht have a web site?

No, I leave that to brokers – 22.7%

d by the guests’

d

TRITON SURVEY: Booking Charters

If the yacht has a web site, who updates it?

Captain or crew – 17.6%

No – 20.5% Yes, it has its own page – 31.8%

Yes, I contact them and invite them to return – 77.3%

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Yes, it has a page with the charter company – 47.7%

Company we hired to create and maintain site – 32.4%

Someone with charter company – 50.0%

‘The captain and crew are what make it happen’ We asked respondents to share their thoughts on the best way to market a charter yacht: l l l

Word of mouth and flyers. l l l

Broker open houses, charter shows, Web sites and bend-over backwards for the guests. l l l

A combination of word-of-mouth, charter brokers and captain lead marketing. l l l

Decide first what type of clients you want to cater to and focus marketing dollars and crew services there. l l l

Service and reputation. A happy guest means happy brokers and more business for the yacht. It’s easy mathematics. l l l

Brokers are necessary, but the

captain and crew are what make it happen and are responsible for the yacht’s reputation. l l l

It should be a collective effort, involving a central agent with the charter brokerage and cooperation from the owner to allow for it properly in the schedule.

The owner should also allow the captain and crew the proper budget to maintain the yacht to the standard necessary to at least be competitive in the market, without having to severely discount the rate. l l l

Use www.superyachts.com. It eliminates the middleman. l l l

With professional charter agencies. l l l

Have a yacht people want. l l l

Via charter brokers. Get ’em onboard, get ’em familiar with the crew,

show ’em the boat, but make sure that there are drinks and nibbles for them. l l l

Hotel employees, TV, magazines, and direct mail to former charter guests. l l l

Roll up your sleeves and contact past clients. Keep in touch with them year after year. Contact other brokers often.

Offer incentives.

Have regular broker showings and shmooze them a little, maybe a little cruise, appetizers, music, a little fun.

You must try to keep the boat on the front lines so the brokers think of your yacht first. Maybe additional incentives for the brokers. l l l

Crew, Crew, Crew. Have the right attitude with the guests at all times, and if one crew doesn’t perform, push him behind scenes and keep smiling. Work to please the guests as a challenge and not only for the tip. And finally, don’t undersell your charter rate. The guests get what they pay for.

C10 March 2011 CAREER NEWS: E-mail scams / resumes

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The Triton

E-mail employment scams continue to invade inboxes

By Dorie Cox E-mail-based employment scams have been teasing yacht crew in a variety of forms the past few months as Internet spammers continue to learn about the industry, using the names of reputable and well-known companies as their latest method of operation.

Crew reported questionable job offer e-mails in three recent scams.

1. A short e-mail simply requesting a CV. The e-mail has no salutation and includes several irregular features.

The names of the e-mail sender (michaelkent) and letter author (Jenny Ward) are different.

The sender’s e-mail address ends in www.egginternational.com, which does

not appear to be an authentic domain name or company in the industry and the job offer does not include a company name or address.

2. An e-mail that appears to be sent from Edmiston and Company, the Monaco- and London-based yacht brokerage, management and placement company. Scammers get money by visa processing fees, for a nonexistent job.

3. An e-mail inviting the recipient to work on a new year-round U.K.-flagged passenger ship using the subject line “Yacht Employment Available On Greenwich Yacht Club”.

This fraudulent offer included inconsistent and irregular names and language. For example, the subject line mentions Greenwich Yacht Club,

a legitimate organization, but uses Greenwich Yacht Group and Greenwich Yacht Hotel in the body.

The e-mail contained multiple misspellings, improper punctuation and capitalization, and incorrect grammar, which are always clues that tell crew to investigate further.

With the prevalance of predatory and illegal scams, crew can guard against financial loss and personal information violations by watching for a few tell-tale signs frauds may contain: l no salutation l mismatched names of the e-mail sender and letter authors l no letterhead or searchable company name or address l unsolicited offers (usually frauds)

l inconsistent and irregular names and language l multiple misspellings, improper punctuation and capitalization, and incorrect grammar l being sent from seemingly personal e-mail addresses instead of company e-mail addresses l a request for money or personal information, including a CV or resume Crew can report issues and seek help on several resources including www.spamhelp.org, spam.abuse.net and www.411phonesearch.co.uk

Dorie Cox is a staff reporter and associate editor with The Triton.

Comments on this story are welcome at dorie@the-triton.com.

Want to lose a job opportunity? Turn your resume into a piece of fiction

By Bob Howie Don’t people want jobs? From pouring over resumes while trying to decide who to turn loose with a $30 million jet and a few billion in my company’s liability, I’m not so sure.

They say pilot logbooks and resumes rank as some of the best fiction ever written and I’m beginning to believe it. Poor spelling and bad grammar are often combined with “There I was…” stories, all of which is certainly not what is being sought.

Job markets are tight. For every flying job, there are at least 100 (or more) applicants. But, like the recent article in The Triton about freelancers and honestly representing their availability, there’s something to be said, too, about honestly representing your resume.

In aviation – and, of course, yachting – where safety- and security-sensitive issues are commonplace, we are taking

ever-increasing care in guy who claimed to be a the hiring of flight crews former Navy SEAL … but, … even those we know (or, wasn’t. once-upon-a-time knew.)

Social networking sites Backgrounds checks can doom a prospective including credit reports, new-hire’s chances, too. criminal histories, chats Ill-conceived postings can with former employers, be revealed despite a site’s friends and references are so-called settings because common. a 12-year-old chewing Driving offenses on a banana can hack involving drugs or alcohol, privacy settings, revealing misdemeanors other a person’s entire party than Class C (speeding, history. parking tickets), felony Having a good time Having a resume convictions, dings on a reviewed by peers or isn’t necessarily a pilot’s certificate resulting a mentor might catch bad thing, but being in a suspension, all little things that can trip recognized by high-net instantly disqualify a you up in an interview. worth, affluent and candidate. A prospective typically well-educated

FILE PHOTO new-hire was surprised a clients as the pilot domestic violence arrest kicked him off wearing the grass skirt, coconut bra the list, another claimed college degrees and lamp shade with a rum punch in he didn’t have and then there was that each hand at the Bahamian bikini beach

party doesn’t instill confidence.

It’s not obvious things that can trip people up. Neither is it unusual for prospective new-hires to put the very best spin on their resumes because, after all, the product they are trying to sell is themselves, so a reasonably varnished resume is to be expected.

It’s the little things, though, that pile up to become insurmountable obstacles.

For instance, someone who began flying 10 years ago isn’t going to have 15,000 hours; nobody flies, on average, 1,500 hours a year for a decade. Airline pilots are limited to 1,200 hours annually and another 300 tacked on top means someone isn’t eating or sleeping.

People who have acquired expertise over time instantly can recognize those who claim to possess the same, but actually don’t. The giveaways are subtle.

Don’t fall into the trap of claiming something that’s clearly not true.

In the interview, a prospective newhire who explains how nothing bad is ever their fault suggests an inability to accept responsibility and to hold themselves accountable; fatal flaws, to be sure, especially if a captain’s post is being sought.

Job seekers need to be honest; just be themselves. An interview board knows the candidate can be nervous and no one discounts the stress in trying to put a best foot forward in leaving that allimportant good first impression.

A relaxed, honest prospective newhire who convinces the interview board he or she would seamlessly fit in well within the company and easily contribute to its success will walk away with the job every time.

Bob Howie is assistant chief pilot with Wing Aviation Charter Services in Houston, Texas. He spent 13 years as a writer with the Houston Chronicle, and is a lifelong boat owner. Comments on this essay are welcome at editorial@thetriton.com.

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FITNESS: Keep It Up

March 2011

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Challenge your balance while performing strength exercises The following workout incorporates the use of a BOSU, a balance trainer of molded plastic with a weighted rubber base and a stability ball. This provides an unstable surface, challenging your balance while performing the strength exercises.

It is best to choose dumbbells of a lighter weight when first starting to work on an Keep It Up unstable surface.

Beth Greenwald Complete three sets of 15-20 repetitions

Circuit 1: Up and over

you can. Simultaneously extend both arms behind you, making sure not to move your upper arms. Slowly return to starting position for one repetition.

Unstable squats

Stand on the BOSU, arms at your sides, feet shoulder width apart with a slight bend in your knees. Slow and controlled, lower your body as if to sit in a chair, not letting the knees cross over the toes. Raise your arms to shoulder height. Push through your heels to raise to starting position for one repetition.

Step touch

Face the BOSU and place your right foot on it, left foot on the ground.

Quickly switch feet. Do this for one minute and speed up your movement as you advance.

Circuit 2: Oblique twists

High plank

Plank to push-up

Stand with your right leg on the BOSU, left leg on the side. Push off of your right leg, bringing your body “up and over” as you land on the other side with your left leg on the BOSU, right leg on the ground. Push off of your left leg to land back where you started to complete one repetition. As you advance, try to make the transition from side to side as quickly as possible.

Sit on the BOSU, bend your knees, keep your legs together and your heels on the ground. Hold a dumbbell at chest level and balance. Twist from the waist to the left and right for 15-30 seconds.

Balancing bicep curls

Side-lying balance Place both hands on the BOSU, extend your legs behind you, and tighten your abdominals as you hold your beginning push-up position. Lift your right hand off the BOSU, and lower to place your right elbow on the BOSU, repeating this movement with the left arm. Tighten your abdominals as you hold your plank position.

Reverse the movement, bringing your body from the elbows back to your hands for one repetition.

Stand on the BOSU, feet shoulder width apart, arms at your sides, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Turn your palms forward and curl the dumbbells up to shoulder height, keeping a neutral wrist throughout the motion. Slowly lower the dumbbells back to starting position to complete one repetition.

Balancing tricep extensions

Stand on the BOSU, feet shoulder width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Slightly hinge forward at the waist, keeping the neck and spine aligned, bend your elbows to a 90degree angle and keep them as high as

in the middle of the BOSU. Bend your left elbow and place your arm on the ground (elbow directly below your shoulder). Lift your legs, keeping the right on top of the left and at the same height as your hips. Your body should be completely straight. Hold this position for as long as you can. Repeat on the other side.

Lie on your side so your left hip is

Flip the BOSU over, keeping the blue side on the ground. Place your hands on each side where the handles are, extend both legs behind you, abdominals strong, hips up. Hold this plank position as long as you can. For an added challenge, move the BOSU from one side to another while holding your plank position. Repeat three times Beth Greenwald received her master’s degree in exercise physiology from Florida Atlantic University and is a certified personal trainer. She conducts both private and small group training sessions in the Fort Lauderdale area.

Contact her at +1 716-908-9836 or bethgreenwald@hotmail.com.

Comments on this column are welcome at editorial@the-triton.com.

C12 March 2011 PERSONAL FINANCE: Yachting Capital

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Church bonds: unique way to broaden your portfolio Most have heard the terms stocks and bonds. Let’s agree to a quick definition of these products.

Stocks are, in short, a certificate of ownership in a corporation and are typically the last in line when it comes to liquidation of a company.

Bonds are like a note or a Yachting Capital mortgage that is collateralized Mark A. Cline by an asset of some kind. A little more information about bonds helps to better understand them as an investment. Companies and governments use bonds as a way to raise money to pay for a project or building. Bonds can be sold individually or institutionally.

Most people invest in bonds through mutual funds but some are sold individually. I want to walk you through a process that shows how a church bond comes to life.

A church is a commercial building similar to any other commercial building and can be used as collateral on a loan. Most banks will not make a loan on a church because having to foreclose on a church would be terrible publicity. And some of the bank’s customers may be members of that church. You can see how easily a revolt against the bank could happen, especially in a small town.

There are a few companies that specialize in developing church bonds.

Just like any bank, these companies must do their due diligence to make sure the church can pay back the loan.

These types of bonds typically require that at least a quarter of the money comes from church parishioners. In other words, the bond

Bonds are not a highyield investment. All bonds are different, but church bonds typically yield anywhere from 5 to 8 percent, depending on whether you purchase a six-month bond or a 20-year bond. requires that church members loan money to their church through these bonds. This helps ensure that at least the church members believe in their church’s survival. This makes it a more comfortable investment.

Bonds are not a high-yield investment. All bonds are different, but church bonds typically yield anywhere from 5 to 8 percent, depending on whether you purchase a six-month bond or a 20-year bond.

This is the time of year that most people receive their investment statements. It is a good time to review them with a financial adviser. Don’t procrastinate on this important part of planning your retirement.

Business owners and captains are aware that you have a better chance of reaching a goal or destination that is planned.

Information in this column is not intended to be specific advice for anyone. You should use the information to help you work with a professional regarding your specific financial goals.

Capt. Mark A. Cline is a chartered senior financial planner. He is a partner in Capital Marine Alliance in Ft. Lauderdale. Comments on this column are welcome at +1-954-764-2929 or through www.capitalmarinealliance.net.

New experiences are enriching WAVES, from page C6 Does this happen all the time on yachts where the captain hires seemingly unknown crew to fill a void for a short time? Not always. This crew really impressed me.

If you haven’t tried it yet, all yacht chefs should try the freelance charter route at least once.

Perhaps in no other setting is your reputation on the line. Granted, lots of short-term jobs don’t look good on a resume, but if you can define yourself then your career is in the right direction and the sky is the limit.

You gain experience this way. If

you are in a sterile environment and the scenery – meaning the taste buds – never changes, then you might not know how it works on other yachts.

I enjoyed my stint on a charter yacht, and I bring back to private yachts a new appreciation for teamwork.

There is a big yachting world out there. Go discover what you have not done.

Mary Beth Lawton Johnson is a certified executive pastry chef and Chef de Cuisine and has worked on yachts for 20 years. (www.themegayachtchef.com) Comments on this column are welcome at editorial@the-triton.com.

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