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SXM visas South Africans need them this year

Well done Burger ﬁnds success with yachts, crews www.the-triton.com

September 2005

Yachting memories of Sept. 11 By Capt. Terry Ingels aboard M/Y Golf Coast We arrived at Chelsea Piers the evening of Sept. 10, a rainy, stormy night. The morning of Sept. 11 was bright and clear. We were washing the boat when we heard the ﬁrst plane hit. It sounded like thunder. Suddenly people were shouting and pointing and we saw the tower on ﬁre. We wondered how a pilot could make such a grave error. It’s funny what goes through your mind. We even speculated that a movie was being made and it only looked like it was burning. I guess that’s how far your imagination can go when you can’t believe what you are seeing. In the back of our minds, we knew it could be deliberate. We were watching when the second plane hit. We could not see the plane coming from our position, but we saw the explosion and we no longer had any doubts about it being deliberate. I don’t recall ever feeling that we were in danger, but I do remember wondering where the next one would strike. Sept. 18 was the day we were permitted to leave and, looking back, we are grateful to have spent that very special week in New York. Chelsea Piers became a triage. In front of the buildings were dozens of ambulances from everywhere, no two alike. Mountains of donated supplies were piled all around. The ice rink was designated as a temporary morgue and closed to skaters for several days. We stood and watched the skaters the evening they returned. A temporary morgue had been unnecessary;

Pilot fees hit megayachts cruising U.S. East Coast By Lucy Chabot Reed

there had been no bodies. Things would never be the same, but they were slowly beginning to move back to normal. Though my partner, Capt. Carl Moughan, and I suffered no personal losses as a result of the attacks, there were still many occasions that would move me to tears. The event itself and the week that followed were too hideous and beautiful to comprehend. More people turned out to help than could be used. Many had traveled to offer their services and when they could help in no other way, they set up posts along the roads with signs that said “We Love You” and cheered the emergency workers, even police, as they traveled up and down West Side Highway. Random acts of kindness were everywhere to behold, like the offer of a mask from a police ofﬁcer the day the wind changed and blew the smoke our way.

See SEPT. 11, page A32

In shipyards, captains choose what’s familiar With many boats preparing to enter a shipyard this month and next for annual maintenance, we decided to ask our Bridge captains how they choose a yard. We took the September Bridge luncheon on the road and collected three captains in Newport. (Although FROM THE BRIDGE seven captains had LUCY CHABOT REED RSVP’d as late as 10 that morning, four had last-minute matters with their

Megayachts get 3-D sonar

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yachts that kept them away. That’s Newport in summer.) As always, comments are not attibuted to anyone in particular to encourage frank and open discussion. The attending captains are identified in a photograph on page A20. The captains assembled had a range of experience from fairly new to more than 20 years in. Their first suggestion when it comes to yards was to “stay away as long as you can.” When they do have to go, they noted that their first consideration is the owner’s preference, but “quite often

they will default to the captain,” one captain said. So is it better to go where the captain has been before or where the boat has been before? “I took over a boat in January and we went to the same yard because they knew the boat,” one captain said. “It was ﬁne.” Myriad issues play into selecting a yard, they agreed, including a captain’s experience, the boat’s experience and word-of-mouth recommendations from

See THE BRIDGE, page A20

Capt. Krystal Rankin has taken Lady A, a 110-foot tri-deck with a Cayman Islands flag, through the Chesapeake Bay dozens of times over the years. The owner lives in Philadelphia and enjoys cruising the inner harbor with its charming port towns and marinas. Enjoyed it, that is, until the yacht got a $4,324 bill in July for harbor pilots Rankin said she didn’t need. “They didn’t even care if a pilot was really on board, just as long as we paid,” she said. “They said it was because of security, but not one time have I been boarded by the Coast Guard. And the pilot, when he boarded us, he didn’t look around or ask us any questions.” Several megayachts have been surprised this summer with a radio call from the pilots associations in Delaware, Maryland, New York and even Georgia’s Savannah River, all advising the foreign-flagged vessels that they need pilots to transit the waters. Capt. Les Annan got the call as he was driving the 118-foot M/Y Portofino from Ambrose Light to the dock at Chelsea Piers in New York. Portofino flies the St. Vincent flag; in New York, foreign-flagged vessels over 100 feet need a pilot. “He said, ‘You need a pilot, but if you don’t want one, that’s OK,’” Annan said. The pilot then asked for the yacht’s fax number and sent a bill for $770.62 – one way. “It’s all 9-11 fallout and bureaucracy,” Annan said. “Even the pilot insinuated it was a waste of his time.”

Sept. 11 fallout

Annan is partly right, at least in New York. Since Sept. 11, 2001, the long-time regulation requiring vessels of 100 feet or greater to take a pilot has been revisited for yachts, said Bob Pouch, executive director of the Board of Commissioners of the Pilots of the State of New York.

See PILOT FEES, page A19

September 2005

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WHAT’S INSIDE Where on Earth is Cici? Page A30

Cici van der Watt of M/Y Queen of Diamonds buys handmade woolen items in a market in Chile. Read part 2 of the yacht’s journey. PHOTO/IAN VAN DER WATT

Advertiser directory B22 Business briefs A16 Calendar of events B22 Classiﬁeds B12-17 Cruising Grounds A30-31 Features Getting Started B2 The Afterlife B3 Proﬁles A14-15,17,18,B8 From the Experts: Culinary Waves B6-7 Go Figure B10

Take it In B11 Wine Steward B9 Fuel prices A28 The Hard Way B18 Horoscopes B20 In the Stars B21 News A6,8-10,12-13,21 Photo Gallery A22-23 Puzzles B16 Puzzle answers B2 Technology A24-29 Write to Be Heard A34-35

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KRISTY’S COLUMN

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Captain revels in technology after 6-month refit Welcome to this edition of Latitude Adjustments. I hope all has been well. Now to report on what I have had the pleasure of hearing from some of you over the summer. Capt. David Hare, who recently took command of the private 90-foot Delta expeditionstyle M/Y Thunder, is under way from Halifax to LATITUDE Yarmouth, Nova ADJUSTMENT Scotia with the KRISTY FOX owners and crew of four. Thunder has a busy schedule after this trip: to the Newport and Ft. Lauderdale boat shows, then to St. Barts for Thanksgiving with a stop in Puerto Rico, back to St. Barts again, on to Saba for some diving and then to the Dominican Republic. David says the ship is equipped as fine as any megayacht afloat. She recently finished a six-month refit at Newport’s Hinkley yard. With a bridge that has three NEC flat-screens with black box technology, a 96-mile Furuno radar and Admiral Nobeltec software, David says he can drive with zero visibility. Next, we have an update from Capt. Jeff Hoerr, who recently took command of the new 130-foot Westport M/Y Vita Bella, which has a 26-foot beam and a draft of 6½ feet. Engines are MTU 12V4000 at 2,735 hp each. Jeff says she will cruise at 20 knots comfortably and top out near 28. The yacht recently was christened with a nice bottle of Dom on her anchor. Jeff ’s crew of five has just joined him; they will be off to Vancouver Island for some salmon fishing. Here is someone from whom I haven’t heard in awhile, some good acquaintances of mine, Charlie and Linda Johnson. They were interested in receiving some extra Triton newspapers for their traveling in Canada this summer. Charlie says he knows all the hot spots up that way. They have been on the West Coast of the United States for about two years with M/Y Piano Bar, which is a 157foot, Italian-built yacht designed by Arthur Defever. Piano Bar runs with a crew of nine; Charlie is captain, Linda chief stewardess and purser. We have another new addition to the yachting industry: Charlotte Lynn Sanford, born to proud parents Wes and Kelly Sanford on April 12. Wes captained the 95-foot Hargrave M/Y

Alegria, which ran with a crew of four, for a couple years before he and Kelly decided to start a family. Wes says that Charlotte has been a blast and although they miss being at

sea, they say that having Charlotte is totally worth it. Wes works in yacht sales with Allied Richard Bertram at its Bahia Mar ofﬁce and is also selling real estate. Kelly, who worked on Alegria as chef, is now – in her precious free time – helping Hargrave Yachts as a consultant. Congratulations to you both. Finally, we have two very busy people, Capt. Herb Magney and his lovely wife, Tanya, back in Ft. Lauderdale. A whole year has gone by, during which time they concluded the sale of M/Y Miss Lillie, a 2003 75-foot

Hatteras. They were on Miss Lillie for two years – Herb as captain and Tanya as first mate – cruising the eastern seaboard and the Bahamas. They’ve been in St. Petersburg, Fla., running a high-speed ferry service with six vessels. Herb is finishing celestial classes at MPT, and Tanya will finish massage therapy school in a few weeks. Congratulations are in order again. Fair winds and following seas to all. Send news of your promotion, change of yachts or career, or personal accomplishments to Kristy Fox at kristy@the-triton.com.

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September 2005

CARIBBEAN NEWS

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South Africans need visa to enter, work in Sint Maarten By Carol M. Bareuther South African yacht crew will need visas this winter to enter and work in the Netherlands Antilles, including Sint Maarten. Actually, citizens of 87 countries now need a visa to visit the Dutch islands, but South Africa has the most yacht crew. Crew members from the United States, Europe, Australia and New Zealand still only need a passport. (For a complete list of countries impacted, visit www.the-triton.com.) The visa rule was effective Jan. 1, 2005, but not actively enforced last

season. This is expected to change this winter. The islands of Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Curacao, Saba and Sint Eustatius are part of the Netherlands Antilles. The new rules have already impacted one charter yacht. First Mate Andy Pauw, a South African on M/Y Harmony, said he’ll end his yachting career soon, in part to avoid the paperwork problems associated with working in the Caribbean this winter. “I am leaving the industry at the end of the [summer] season and part of my decision was based on the visa situation,” he said. “Dealing with all the

hassles and paperwork is not worth the effort.” The new requirement has not been well publicized in the yachting community and several calls to government authorities were not returned. Yet there is much to learn from Harmony’s experience. In early February, her crew “heard through the grapevine” that South African nationals needed a visa to enter Dutch Sint Maarten, Pauw said. Once at immigration, though, there was no formal memo or forthcoming directives from ofﬁcials, they said.

However, when the captain inquired directly, he was told that the several South African members of his crew must obtain a visa from a Netherlands Antilles consulate within 30 days. The closest of these ofﬁces is in Guadeloupe, about 150 miles away. Thirty days later, the captain said he learned that there had been a temporary suspension of the visa act to allow crews to enter Sint Maarten to complete the season. They completed the season and left in April, still without any formal notice from the government that the visa rule was in effect. “The way I understand it is that we need a Netherlands Antilles visa or a seaman’s book to enter Sint Maarten now,” Pauw said. Taking up a work placement is a valid condition to enter the Netherlands Antilles, according to the government’s Web site. Visas are issued for stays of three months or less. To stay longer, a special visa called an authorization for temporary stay (MVV) is required. The ﬁrst step for a South African crew member to avoid immigration problems seems to be obtaining a visa before departing from South Africa. For those in or near Sint Maarten, it may be best to contact the Dutch Consulate in Guadeloupe. Calls to that agency also went unreturned. Contact Carol Bareuther through editorial@the-triton.com.

SOURCES

 Dutch Consulates in South Africa

Cape Town, www.dutch-consulate. co.za  Durban Consul: Mr. Ch.G.J. Beekman, P.O. Box 51171, Musgrave Road 4062 Tel: (031) 2020461; Fax: (031) 2015043 netherlands.consul.durban@ worldonline.co.za  Maseru, Lesotho Consul: Ms T.E.M. van Mastrigt, Lancers Inn, Private Bag A216, Maseru Tel.: (0926622) 312 114; Fax: (0926622) 310 223; Cell: 082 334 4606 lancers-inn@ilesotho.com  Mbabane, Swaziland Consul: Mr F.G.J.D. Oostergetel, P.O. Box 1622, Mbabane Tel.: (09268) 404 5178/9; Fax: (09268) 404 4771; Cell: 602 0197 (in Swaziland) or 082 4070 229 (in South Africa) xerographix@realnet.co.sz  Department of Guadeloupe, Consul Christian Vivies, GVH Boîte Postale 2324, 97187 JARRY CEDEX Guadeloupe Tel.: 00-590-387500/501 Fax: 00-590-387508 christian.vivies@wanadoo.fr  Sint Maarten Immigration. Contact through the central Police Department operator at ++-(599) 542-2222, or by contacting the Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority: ++-(599) 545-3183.

NEWS

September 2005

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Two megayachts run aground in Mediterranean in August Two luxury megayachts hit reefs in the Mediterranean Sea on Aug. 9, one sinking and the other suffering serious damage. M/Y Land’s End ran aground on the St. Joseph reef in the Gulf of Sagone on the east side of Corsica, about a mile offshore. Press reports indicate the yacht had a full compliment of 12 charter guests and 13 crew. There were no injuries. The 162-foot yacht sank three days later. In a separate incident, the 100-foot Azimut Mr Z ran aground in Croatia, according to Boats Yacht Marinas magazine. The magazine credited a radio report received by the Croatian Search & Rescue center that the yacht drove ashore at high speed near the lighthouse on the island of Greben at about 0410 hours. The yacht was badly damaged, and the ﬁve people on board sustained minor injuries. Attention returned to Land’s End two days later when her captain, Christopher Jones, was arrested and charged with “endangering life by imprudence and negligence and causing pollution with hydrocarbons by imprudence and negligence,” according to the magazine. That same day, the 400-ton yacht

shifted in a swell and sank. Water depth there is between 15 and 65 feet. Boats Yacht Marinas indicated the yacht had just made an overnight passage from Cannes. Shortly after the grounding, the yacht sank by the bows, but the stern remained on the reef. Several government vessels stood by to monitor environmental damage. The yacht is believed to have been carrying about 70 tons of diesel. Joe Russell, chairman of the Professional Yachtsmen’s Association’s executive council issued a statement soon after the incidents. “We urge all members and nonmembers alike to exercise extreme caution, to adhere strictly to the regulations for safe navigation, and to abide by the ship’s standing orders and operational procedures. “These sad events should only strengthen the resolve of all of us in the yachting community that safety remains of paramount importance.” For photos and more details about the grounding of Land’s End, including some ﬂag and insurance-related matters regarding the number of people on board and safety regulations, visit www.bymnews.com. – Staff report

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September 2005

Tender hits, kills woman swimming off Sardinia By Lucy Chabot Reed A mother of three was killed in Cala di Volpe in Sardinia, hit by the tender of a yacht, while she was swimming from one boat to another. According to the Times of London, Alexandra Ciardi, 48, a fund manager who lived in Chelsea, West London, suffered fatal head injuries after she was hit by a propeller as she swam to join her husband on Aug. 10. The 26-foot tender was driven by the owner of M/Y Tanit, according to press reports. The Guardian newspaper noted that police officials have seized the vessel and questioned the owner, Giovanni Mahler, and “his Turkish mariner assistant, Suleiman Slavtak” in a homicide investigation. No charges had been filed as of press time. A yacht captain known to The Triton but who asked not to be identified was on charter in the area at the time. He and the mate pulled Ms. Ciardi from the water and revived her temporarily as they got her ashore where paramedics took over. She died as the medical helicopter landed, he said. “It would be nice to try and remind people how dangerous it is to swim in a busy anchorage, and also how dangerous it is to drive dinghies quickly through a busy anchorage,” he said.

Rolly painter dies suddenly It is with deep sadness that we at Rolly Marine report the loss of one of the “good guys.” Gary George, president and owner of Paramount Yacht Refinishing, died suddenly on Aug. 3 from a brain aneurism. Gary founded his company at Rolly Marine and was loved by all who knew him. He never said “no” to anyone and was always there to help with a smile. His company will continue his legacy of one of the finest yacht refinishers in this industry under the direction of his wife, Susan George, and managed by brother-in-law, Ravi Ramsakar. We will all miss him dearly. His untimely death was a shock to his co-workers, competitors and his customers. At his funeral service, people came from New Zealand, New York, Newport, England, California and the Caribbean. And it was no surprise that they traveled from all over the world to attend, say their goodbyes and to honor him. His enthusiasm and love of life was infectious. For those of us lucky enough to share a small portion of his life comes also the tremendous sense of loss with his passing. He leaves behind his wife, Susan, and their three sons: Brandon, Daniel and Darren. He was 35. – Greg Poulos, general manager, and all of Gary’s friends at Rolly Marine

The accident occurred in a popular and busy resort area about 4 miles south of Porto Cervo. The area was crowded with motor and sailing yachts, personal watercraft, as well as swimmers and divers. Soon after the accident, The Guardian reported that American ﬁnancier Tom Barrack, who has developed stretches of the Smeralda coast, asked to meet with authorities to discuss the incident and the crowding of boats and swimmers around resorts. Last summer, Italian authorities introduced regulations governing the

speed of boats close to shorelines, and codes for water where people are swimming, according to The Guardian. Ms. Ciardi worked as a banker in London for Goldman Sachs and, at the time of her death, for GLG Partners LP., the paper reported. She had been married to Italian ﬁnancier Giuseppe Ciardi, who founded the hedge fund Park Place Capital, for 22 years. As the family returned home to Chelsea, Giuseppe Ciardi and the couple’s three teen-aged children – all of whom witnessed the tragedy – issued this statement: “We are immensely

saddened and grief-stricken. Alex was a wonderfully devoted mother and a loving wife, an extraordinarily generous friend to many and deeply committed to children’s charities. She brought sunshine into our lives and will live in our hearts forever.” The family is considering launching legal action over her death, the paper reported. Contact Editor Lucy Chabot Reed at lucy@the-triton.com. Information from several international newspapers contributed to this report.

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September 2005

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Young couple charged with killing yacht owners A former child actor and his wife were ordered in August to stand trial for the murder of a California couple who, prosecutors say, were tied to the anchor of their 55-foot yacht Well Deserved and thrown overboard alive. Orange County Superior Court Judge John Conley ordered 26-year-old Skylar Deleon, who once starred in the “Power Rangers” TV series, and his wife, 24year-old Jennifer Henderson Deleon, to stand trial for the murders after a twoday preliminary hearing in Santa Ana, south of Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles Times. “It’s haunting to think these nice, loving people were trying to hold their breaths as they sank to the bottom of the ocean,” Deputy District Attorney Matt Murphy said at the hearing. “This is as cold-blooded as it gets.”

Prosecutors say Deleon came up with the plot after spotting the yacht for sale in a boating magazine last November and meeting owners Thomas Hawks, 57, and his 47-year-old wife, Jackie. The couple were killed Nov. 15. A police detective testiﬁed during the hearing that Deleon and his wife posed as interested buyers and convinced the Hawkses to take the yacht on a test run, the paper reported. Miles off the coast of Newport Beach, prosecutors say, Thomas and Jackie Hawks were attacked with a stun gun, handcuffed and gagged with duct tape. After signing over power of attorney to one assailant, they were tied to the boat’s 66-pound anchor and thrown overboard. The couple were reported missing

by relatives and police were led to the Deleons, who produced a bill of sale for the yacht and the power of attorney. Authorities believe the bill of sale was falsiﬁed.

The Joneses are big boaters

Nationally acclaimed writer and trends guru Jonathan Pontell – who identiﬁed and named “Generation Jones” as the large lost generation between the Baby Boomers and Generation X – will be the keynote speaker at the annual International Marina & Boatyard Conference in January. This newly deﬁned age group constitutes 40 percent to 50 percent of all consumers of marina products and services, he said. Born between 1954 and 1965, Jonesers are now 39-50 years

old and demonstrate a distinctive set of consumer behaviors and attitudes. “Jonesers are 26 percent of all U.S. adults, but make up a much larger percentage of the marina market; it is unusual for an industry’s market to be so dominated by one generation,” Jonathan said. “While this makes it crucial for those in the marina industry to really understand this particular age group, it also provides a huge opportunity for this industry to inexpensively, but very effectively, target market this key age segment.” The 2006 International Marina & Boatyard Conference will be held at the Renaissance Orlando Resort at SeaWorld. For more information, visit www.marinaassociation.org. For more information on Pontell, visit www. jonathanpontell.com.

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The 377-foot Pelorus received a tank of contaminated diesel in Malta, but thanks to onboard monitoring devices, no damage was caused to the engines. Simon Borg Cordona, the Maltese agent for Pelorus, said the fuel contained an excessive amount of water, according to The Times of London. A warning system on board detected the problem while she was still docked at Malta’s Manoel Island Marina and shut down the generators. He said no damage was caused to the engine. “These things happen all the time; unfortunately, it’s a common problem,” the newspaper quoted him as saying. “In this case, the yacht in question is world-renowned.” The tank had to be drained and fresh fuel supplied the following day. According to the paper, Pelorus runs with a crew of 40.

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NEWS

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2004 hurricanes reveal new, cheaper dockage options By Lisa H. Knapp The concrete floating docks at Ft. Pierce City Marina stood strong through 28 hours of thrashing by Hurricane Frances last September before a boat finally broke loose and started the domino effect of pilings laying down and docks coming off. But now that it’s time to rebuild, marina General Manager Dean Kubitschek is not automatically signing up for concrete floating docks again. He and coastal engineers are analyzing site-specific construction materials including wood, concrete, steel, aluminum, and new pilings after the $1.7 million clean-up. Marinas with floating concrete docks damaged in last year’s hurricanes aren’t rushing to replace them with ad.qxd 5/13/2005 5:57 PM Page 1 concrete again. An informal survey

Though he liked his old ﬂoating concrete docks, Ft. Pierce City Marina General Manager Dean Kubitschek said he’s looking at other options to replace them after last season’s destructive hurricanes. FILE PHOTO

of damaged Florida marinas show several are considering new ﬂoating docks constructed of wood, aluminum and composite materials instead of concrete. “A driving requirement after a storm is saving money,” said Dick Czlapinski, a coastal engineer with Stuart-based Tetra Tech EC. Concrete is more

expensive than wood or plastic, he said. One new dock material to watch is the new high-density polyethylene, said Czlapinski, who has been working with Kubitschek on Ft. Pierce Marina’s rebuild. HDPE is a ﬂoating system with real potential in its low cost – about 30 percent less than other systems – and high performance, he said.

“It has good strength due to the high density and avoids the maintenance problems of concrete and corrosion issues with aluminum,” he said. “The strong, thick wall pipe is also used for sewer pipes, is easy to build and work with, and has solid joints.” After last year’s brutal hurricane season, Czlapinski said he sees marinas moving to more flexible dock systems, such as aluminum, timber or composite materials, as does Robert Fortin, president of Radisson Design Canada, a dock manufacturer in Quebec. “The rigidity of concrete is not good in wave action,” Fortin said. “It cracks.” Aluminum, on the other hand, flexes in wave action, but it is more expensive than concrete. After Hurricane Ivan last year, Pensacola Shipyard and Marina replaced its cracked concrete floating docks with wood planks over galvanized steel frames, he said. The concrete docks cracked at Everglades Marina, too. The marina had wood, concrete and aluminum docks. After the hurricane, the aluminum docks had the least damage and were easiest to repair, said John Sprague, a managing partner of Everglades Adventures in Pahokee, Fla., operators of the marina. The marina lost 1,000 linear feet of concrete docks during Hurricane Frances, said Sprague, who noted that aluminum is a better choice for his marina on Lake Okeechobee. Despite the damages the 2004 hurricanes inflicted on concrete docks, they are the best docks to stand up in the conditions as engineered for a facility, said Steve Ryder, manager of project development at Bellingham Marine, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of concrete docks. Based in Bellingham, Wash., the company has been in business for 50 years, having built thousands of docks and marinas in existence today. “Concrete floating dock systems are a stiff system to walk on and are demanded,” said Jack Cox, director of waterfront development for Retec, an environmental engineering consulting firm in Bellingham, Wash. The broom-like finish of concrete provides a less slippery surface than other docks, and it doesn’t discolor, engineer Czlapinski noted. It is also best for salt water, he said. Chips and breaks are easily repairable. But Newport Shipyard will replace its concrete floating dock with floating wood next year, said Eli Dana, dockmaster of the Rhode Island marina. The south floating concrete dock ripped apart with one boat tied to it in a November storm with 60-65 mph winds, he said. Their two wood floating docks were fine. “The wood floating docks are seemingly better,” said Charlie Dana, See DOCKS, page A13

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September 2005

Crew don’t mind dock material, as long as it floats DOCKS, from page A12 president of Newport Shipyard. Some megayacht crew don’t have a preference for wood versus concrete, as long as the dock floats. While Mate Greg Paterson of M/Y Time for Us said the floating concrete docks at Bahia Mar Yachting Center are perfectly made for his yacht’s height, he said he likes the floating wood docks at Newport Shipyard just as well. “Newport’s floating wood docks are a little lower than Bahia’s Mar’s concrete, but it’s a no-brainer to reset your fenders,” he said. “At the end of the day, you lock off your lines and that’s how it stays with floating docks. You don’t have to keep rechecking the lines, once they’re tight.” Bahia Mar combined three types of docks in its multi-million-dollar makeover in 2003, providing custom pedestals with louvered lighting in addition to extra long finger piers, said Kevin Quirk, vice president of marina operations for The Blackstone Group, owners of Bahia Mar as well as Pier 66 and Boca Raton Resort and Marina. “We used concrete docks, as it was the best marina we could make at the time.” Quirk said of Bahia Mar’s renovation. He was Bahia Mar’s marina manager at the time. Now Quirk is a decision maker in

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Bahia Mar Yachting Center spent a year before the 2003 boat show upgrading its docks to concrete floating docks, but its former marina manager says there’s something better out there now. TRITON FILE PHOTO Pier 66’s marina renovation. He said he is open to every dock option, including concrete and wood, fixed and floating. But why is Quirk researching the whole dock story all over again if concrete floating docks are the industry’s unofficial gold standard? “Because there is something better than Bahia Mar’s docks,” he said. “We’re improving it and making it better. But I can’t tell you what it is, yet.”

Docks are designed to withstand minor storms, not monster ones with big weight loads and boats tied to them. All docks disappear in such conditions, Czlapinski said, but for different reasons. “We need stronger systems to resist those conditions,” he said. Contact freelance writer Lisa H. Knapp at lisa@the-triton.com.

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Jim Ruffolo remembers the day he committed to resurrecting Wisconsinbased Burger Boat Company, then bankrupt in spring of 1992. Ruffolo and his partner, David Ross, met with the mayor of the city and a representative from the Former Burger Workers (FBWs), a group of employees who worked at Burger when it shut its doors with a $13 million bankruptcy. While skeptical, they remained united, hoping one day to build Burger boats together again. “The meeting was at some senior citizens hall in Manitowoc,” Ruffolo recalled. “When David and I asked who would help us build boats, 165 FBWs gave us a standing ovation. It gave me a chill up my spine.” The workers pledged to come back to the company with passion for their old jobs in an interim period. “So David and I looked at each other and said we’d do it, too,” he said. Ruffolo is now the company’s executive vice president and co-owner with Ross, now president. They took over in February 1993. And so goes the revival of Burger, a company that’s survived for centuries due to its marketplace adaptability and generations of loyalty from its highly skilled craftsmen. Today, the new regime of Ruffolo and Ross has positioned Burger to become a worldclass business building world-class megayachts. With seven yachts on order at an average length of 124 feet, Burger is considered the 13th largest custom builder in the world and the 20th largest builder overall, according to Showboats International magazine’s 2005 Global Order Book. Burger is building the largest vessel in its history, M/Y Time for Us, a 154foot tri-deck designed by Vripack due for launch in 2006. The company’s sole 2005 launch is M/Y Tenacity, a 116-foot raised pilothouse completed in June.

A new computer-controller router with custom software improves efficiency in handling interior fit-out and finish. PHOTO/CAPT. KEVIN KNAPP

The company has 320 employees, up from 175 in 2004. Burger’s human capital laid the groundwork to invest in the latest technologies to improve efficiency. A $5 million state-of-the-art manufacturing complex was completed in September 2004, adding 48,000 square feet of fabrication space. The expansion of the facility will continue with Burger having 150,000 square feet of manufacturing systems and designers under one roof for 2007. A new computer-controlled router and machining center for the joiner shop provides leading edge millwork efficiencies and capabilities that show in Tenacity’s homey wood detail. Burger carpenters carved the exotic African makore wood with raised paneling and crown molding throughout. Megayacht crews have noticed the attention to detail and appreciate Burger’s efforts to make better boats. For example, Burger uses stainless steel tubing and swagelok fittings for hydraulics and fuel as standard in its engine rooms. “The tubing won’t leak, it lasts forever,” said Tenacity Capt. Tim Silva. Capt. Chris Young, who oversees construction of M/Y Time for Us, likes the fuel efficient Caterpillar 3508 engines, which burn 80 gallons an hour at 14 knots. “You can run 100 percent hard 100 percent of the time in this boat,” Young said. Time for Us will have a 5,000 mile range at 12 knots and the full displacement hull is expected to be comfortable in the heaviest of seas. There will be no green water over the bow in 16-foot seas, Young said of the efficient hull. Four big Burgers are to be delivered in 2007, including the 143-foot fantail cruiser M/Y Sycara, built in a classic 1920s style, and M/Y Sea Owl, another tri-deck. Sycara and Sea Owl will be the first yachts built in the United States with alustar, a new, high-strength, highly corrosive-resistant material used by the Royal Heisman Yard in Germany, Ross said. Ross attributes part of the success Burger is experiencing to Henry Chriss, a business consultant Burger hired a few years ago to examine its people and manufacturing processes and help it compete globally as a world-class builder. Chriss insists that being a worldclass builder isn’t a fluffy term. His charge was to make Burger emulated in its industry in the way Coca-Cola and Nike are regarded in their respective industries. Burger is about two years away from reaching that goal, he said. See BURGER, page A15

The Triton

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BUILDER PROFILE

September 2005

A15

Burger focuses on building a better company from generation to generation,” Cameron said. “They are very “The best people in the world, knowledgeable, and the with the best processes in the warranty guys are fair and world, are building the best boats helpful, working to see that in the world,” Chriss said. “That’s your problem is resolved. how Burger will become a worldI’ve nothing but good to say class manufacturer of yachts 35about that.” 50 meters.” Cameron said he has Chriss has brought Burger more confidence in Top from “good to great,” said Times than any other boat Katie Ross, Burger’s director of marketing and David Ross’s wife. After 12 years turning Burger Boat Company around, he’s run. It burns 40 gallons David and Katie Ross and their partner Jim Ruffolo an hour and is Burger’s first “We’re a 12-year overnight see success. PHOTO/LISA H. KNAPP full-displacement hull. success,” she said. Cameron was part of the The builders of that success, “Finding good, skilled labor is building process and had considerable however, have been working for difficult,” he said. “The attitude input as the end-user. He likes the generations to get Burger to this point. and skills of the workers is one of design of the windows. The console About a quarter of the company’s tremendous pride. Encouraging is lower for a better view of the workforce has been on the job more nepotism is unusual at many wheelhouse. Little details that the crew than 10 years, and at least a dozen companies but works well at Burger.” thinks about, like the placement of father-son teams keep the tradition Capt. James Cameron of M/Y Top fixtures, outlets and folding areas, were alive. adjusted for their convenience. Part of life at Burger is the leadership Times, launched in 2003, said the woodworking on his yacht is second to “We really care about what we training program called Burger none. The craftsmanship of its African do here building these unique and University that enables employees mahogany is on par with the best beautiful vessels,” Gauthier said. to develop as well as mentor other Dutch and German yards, he said. employees. This training isn’t an “There are fit and finish craftsman Contact freelance writer Lisa H. Knapp option, Ruffolo said. It’s a method for with skills and traits handed down at lisa@the-triton.com. sustained self-improvement. One employee who’s advanced through Burger U. is Gene Gauthier, manager of the joinery department. A 20-year veteran, Gauthier was one of By Lisa H. Knapp those Former Burger Workers whose dedication helped rebuild a company. It was love at first sight when Chef “There are so many different Adam Mulroney met his now-fiancée personalities involved, from design to Heather Davis on M/Y Monte Carlo. final touches. We’re working together, “There was something unusual one big team, to build this very unique about her,” Mulroney said. “An unusual product,” Gauthier said. person in an unusual place.” Gauthier helped develop the joiner So he wooed her as only a worldcurriculum and is one of the company’s class megayacht chef could. He put love 30 senior mentors, Ruffolo said. As a notes under her food. But she never mentor, he helps all the carpenters, but noticed them. Then he put rose petals he helps his son, Reed, a little bit more. on her plate. She still didn’t get it. “He feels a little bit more So he took matters into his own comfortable asking me questions, I hands with “a more direct approach.” guess.” The all-couple crew of Tenacity: from It is a story that Mulroney, a South There are literally generations of left, Chef Adam Mulroney, Stew African, will likely tell throughout his workers who have built boats at Burger, life to the family he builds with Davis, Heather Davis, Mate Gillian Silva, said Wendy Lutzke, the museum an American from Orlando. Davis has Capt. Tim Silva. PHOTO/LISA H. KNAPP educator for the Wisconsin Maritime a master’s degree in French and was Montefino. She is now co-captain and Museum. Burger and its employees a tutor on Monte Carlo when she met mate on Tenacity. have been recognized worldwide for Mulroney last summer. “I loved my job, but I’m glad to have quality construction and seaworthiness Since then, Davis has undergone fun and explore with someone,” she since 1863, she said. a career change and crews as the said. “It’s lonely running by yourself.” There’s a heritage of woodworking stewardess in the stew/chef team Burger reconfigured the crew in this area that goes back to the old with Mulroney on M/Y Tenacity, quarters for Tenacity to accommodate country, in Germany, where many did the new 116-foot Burger launched the married couples. fine handwork or worked as carpenters. this summer. They shouldn’t have a “We got rid of the crew lounge for They adapted their skills to build problem scheduling time off together a bigger stateroom layout,” Tim Silva boats when they saw the resources of to get married Oct. 16 in Orlando said. “Bigger bunks, full size for Adam Wisconsin were rich with timber and and honeymoon in South Africa. and Heather, too.” deep water, she said. The captain of Tenacity, Tim Silva, The owners have been married 47 “We would never move out of this understands these kinds of things. years and like the dynamics of the allregion,” David Ross said. “This is where Silva got married March 7. It was couples crew. the true craftsmen are.” the kind of ceremony where you might “It makes a difference to be able to Captains of new builds seem pleased have heard, “I now pronounce you enjoy beautiful places with a special with the yachts and the people who captain and captain.” person,” Mulroney said. make them, too. Silva married 500-ton master, Capt. Young said he has “enjoyed the Gillian. The Silvas met in 2000 and Contact freelance writer Lisa H. Knapp local talent” during the build for Time crossed the Atlantic Ocean together. at lisa@the-triton.com. for Us. Gillian was running an 82 A-Team

BURGER, from page A14

Tying the knot – Burger style

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September 2005

BUSINESS BRIEFS

Denison takes over for Denison Denison Yacht Sales announced in August that Bob Denison is the company’s new broker of record. He replaces his father, Christopher “Kit” Denison, who will focus on Marine Realty Inc., which he founded to concentrate in the acquisitions, sales and consulting of marinas. Bob Denison, 28, represents three generations of Denisons in the yachting industry. His grandparents, Frank and Gertrude Denison, founded Broward Marine in the 1940s. He is also the nephew of Ken and Skip Denison.

Bradford Yacht Sales sold Miami-based Merrill-Stevens Dry Dock Co. acquired the brokerage ﬁrm of Bradford Yacht Sales in August. Bradford, once part of the shipyard group but independent more than 40 years, had 13 licensed brokers and a long-time administrative staff that Whit Kirtland, president of Merrill Stevens Yacht Sales, called “phenomenal.” The acquisition is expected to increase Merrill-Stevens brokerage revenue by $12 million to $15 million a year, more than doubling what Kirtland and veteran broker Bob Zarchen have been bringing in, he said. Buying the company also gives Merrill-Stevens eight coveted slips in the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show and six slips in the Miami Boat Show, he said. Merrill-Stevens Yacht Sales has relocated to Ft. Lauderdale in new ofﬁces in the Causeway Corporate Center off Southeast 17th Street. – Lucy Chabot Reed

Broward hires new VP After a six-and-a-half-year hiatus, David Wiest has returned to Broward Marine as vice president of sales and

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marketing where he will not only oversee the marketing and sales of Broward’s yachts, but also manage its full-service brokerage operation. Wiest first joined Broward Marine in 1994 as controller and chief financial officer. Upon the sale of Broward Marine in 1998, Wiest joined Robert J. Cury & Associates as a broker for Broward and Hatteras motoryachts.

Regs4yachts hires new CEO UK-based Regs4yachts, a regulatory and compliance support company for large yachts, has appointed Nick Gladwell as chief executive ofﬁcer. Gladwell begins in his new role Sept. 1. Gladwell was director of safety and survey at the Cayman Islands Shipping Registry (CISR). Before that, he was a principal surveyor with the MCA. During his seven years with the CISR, Gladwell became an expert in building and operating yachts to MCA code. Contact him at nick. gladwell@consultancy4.org.

Grateful Palate sold Aaron and Amanda Heady bought the international foods market The Grateful Palate this summer. Neither yachties nor restaurateurs, the Headys say they are “foodies” as well as successful entrepreneurs. “We’ve been faithful customers for ﬁve or six years and the opportunity came to us to buy it,” Aaron Heady said of the store on Southeast 17th Street in Ft. Lauderdale. The couple has no plans to change the store, just improve it. It will begin to carry fresh seafood and vegetables as well as fresh exotic items such as wasabi root and trufﬂes. And beginning this fall, Aaron Heady said he plans to open for dinner at least on weekends, and to continue with the chef ’s night on Wednesdays. – Lucy Chabot Reed

The Triton

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CREW PROFILE

Two boats, two crews, one family at sea By Lisa H. Knapp Capt. Hamish de Frenne Chilvers tried to restrain Boomer, an enthusiastic, tail-wagging member of his crew, to pose for a photo on the 122foot motoryacht he runs. But Boomer, a black lab, had other ideas. As he tried to snuggle up close, he knocked the captain’s morning cup of coffee all over the aft deck. Then he got right to work, cleaning it up. “Good boy, Boomer,” several crew members said. “Lick it all up so there’s less to clean.” Boomer isn’t the only dog aboard this yacht. There’s Mac, a 14-year-old Springer spaniel, too. In fact, most things about this boat and this captain deviate from the norm. The yacht is a Breaux Bay craft, a commercial hull designed as a private yacht launched in 1979. It has always been a private yacht and sleeps 18. Tied alongside it at Newport Shipyard in late July was S/Y Bandit, a 45-foot Swan competing in the Rolex Swan American Regatta. de Frenne Chilvers pulls double duty and is captain of the racing sailboat, too. He petted Boomer as he expressed his disappointment at not sailing well the day before, but said he had higher hopes of doing better as the crew jumped from the yacht to the sailboat and back, readying themselves for another day of racing. “The two boats are always together for regattas,” he said. “We have about 50 days of racing this year, and the racing crew sleeps and eats on the motoryacht.” It’s for convenience and camaraderie’s sake. “The crew is one, big happy family,” de Frenne Chilvers said. One ship follows the other from regatta to regatta, from Newport to Antigua. de Frenne Chilvers moves one yacht to the next port, ﬂies back, and then brings the other across. The motoryacht is run by a crew of four to ﬁve with de Frenne Chilvers and Ben “Nipper” Allen working on both. Bandit picked up several semiprofessional and amateur sailors for a crew of 11 to 13 to race the Rolex Swan in Newport. Though it didn’t place, Bandit won its class division at Block Island Race Week presented by Rolex in June. de Frenne Chilvers has the utmost respect for the owner, his friend, with whom he has worked for four years. Bandit is their third sailboat together. The owner had a serious motorcycle accident three years ago, breaking a leg, his back, and losing an arm. But he still sails. “He is recovering and building his strength, and helps out wherever he can,” de Frenne Chilvers said. “He’s an amazing, awesome boss.” The owner, who asked not to be

September 2005

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The 45-foot S/Y Bandit travels with more than twice the crew of its mothership, a 122-foot motoryacht. PHOTO/LISA H. KNAPP named, said he drives the sailboat while his wife runs the pit in races. “Some people don’t like being with their crew,” he said. “But I consider the crew my family; we like to hang together. “How we place is secondary to running a good race, but hopefully goes hand-in-hand with having a good time.”

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de Frenne Chilvers agreed. “When it becomes a job, I’d quit,” he said. “I started for fun, to get into it. I’m not sure I can or want to get out.” Next regatta: Larchmont NOOD, New York. Contact freelance writer Lisa H. Knapp at lisa@the-triton.com.

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September 2005

PROFILE

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Women to race rowboat across Atlantic Ocean By Lisa H. Knapp Sarah Kessans and Emily Kohl are thrill seekers. They’re into adventure racing on kayaks and bikes. They climb mountains and surf oceans. “Anything to get our adrenaline pumping,” Kessans said. Once, they entered and completed The Glass City Marathon – a 26.2-mile foot race – without any practice, just because they were up for the challenge. Now the women face their biggest challenge yet: A 2,000-mile trip in a rowboat from the Canary Islands to Antigua in the Woodvale Events Atlantic Rowing Race 2005. Even for the adventuresome, this is a daunting task. More people have climbed Mt. Everest than have rowed an ocean. But Kessans and Kohl say they are prepared. They rowed together for three years on Purdue University’s crew team. And they’re out to beat the women’s record of 50 days, 7 hours. Their strategy: one will row while one rests, switching every two hours. Forty rowboats will compete against them, with a mother ship hovering nearby. But Kessans and Kohl must be completely self-sufﬁcient. There is no motor, sail or outside assistance available, just pure sport powered by four oars and the will to succeed. Kessans and Kohl are the only Americans in the British-sponsored race and are also the second youngest team in the race. If they are successful, they will be the youngest women’s team to cross an ocean. What would motivate two women to take on such a task? They are driven, a new set of brave American women, breaking boundaries to inspire others to new aspirations. “If we touch one person, one kid, to achieve their dream, it’s worth it for us,” Kohl said. Their 12-hour practice sessions in South Florida’s summer heat are grueling. The boat is loaded with 700 pounds of sand to mimmick the 1,600pound weight of the rowboat stocked for their race. They’re bringing a stove and 75 days of provisions. Their plumbing consists of two buckets: one for cooking, one for the bathroom. They have taken courses at Maritime Professional Training including radio

Sarah Kessans, top, and Emily Kohl, front, have been rowing around South Florida in preparation. PHOTO/DEAN LAUTERMILCH

operations and astronavigation. A satellite phone, beeper, computer, two hand-held GPS units and one fixed GPS will guide their journey. If all else fails, a sextant and stars will have to suffice. Both women have a passion for rowing but their ultimate inspiration is Bill Butler, their mentor, famed for a real-life survival at sea documented in his novel, “66 Days Adrift.” “Bill has an unfailing attitude with so many setbacks,” Kessans said. “He keeps going and doesn’t look back. He is the true definition of an explorer.” Butler warned the women they will emerge from their trans-Atlantic experience as new people. “Fifty days at sea in a small craft propelled by mostly their energy will remain with them as a truly epic adventure,” Butler said. After the race, Kessans will enter graduate school for genetic engineering and Kohl will coach crew at Michigan State University. As for their next adventure, they will re-team in 2008 to race across the Indian Ocean from Western Australia to the Marquesas. And, who knows, they may pop up in a triathlon on their next day of rest. Contact freelance writer Lisa H. Knapp at lisa@the-triton.com.

Raising $200,000 to cover training, living expenses, transportation, the rowboat and supplies has proven to be one of the women’s biggest challenges. The race starts Nov. 27, and they are only halfway to their budget goal. They are accepting donations from individuals, sponsorships from corporations, and in-kind donations of equipment for things such as iPods, water makers and sunscreen. Information about sponsorships and tax-deductible donations is available at www.americanﬁrerowing.com, where they will also post their progress through the race. Or e-mail them at skessans@purdue.edu or kohltrain12@yahoo.com.

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FROM THE FRONT

Pilots association: ‘We have to enforce the law’ PILOT FEES, from page A1 “It had come up in conversations to review the policy on yachts in the post 9-11 environment,” he said. “All of us in the system have a great deal of respect for the captains of these yachts. They’re sitting on a lot of fuel.” Pouch said the key element pushing enforcement of the regulations on yachts is the sense in the security environment that megayachts are at a high risk for terrorism. The act of having a pilot onboard as a yacht enters or leaves New York’s waters minimizes the likelihood of someone using it as a missile in a terrorist attack. “Some of our board members are marine insurance people and deal in the world of liability and negligence,” he said. “A vessel that deliberately fails to take a pilot and commits a crime of some sort, or if the vessel had a casualty or an oil spill, the insurance company could deny the liability and offer no coverage. The stakes have been raised somewhat, and that’s why you see more compliance in a post 9-11 era.” Many yacht captains never have had to pay for a pilot in the United States. “In my career, 20 years, this is the only time,” said Annan, who has paid for pilots in Harbor Island going over Devil’s Backbone, in Cannes and going

through the Panama Canal. While New York requires a pilot on yachts over 100 feet, Delaware and Maryland require pilots on foreignflagged vessels over 100 tons. And although those rules have been in place since the mid-20th century, they had been enforced only on commercial vessels until a few years ago. “It’s just something that came up,” said Michael Linton, president of the Pilots Association for the Bay and River Delaware, when asked why the rule was now being applied to yachts. “Someone said why are all these things floating out there without a pilot? Do we like it? No. But we have to enforce the law.” When asked if the pilots association, a non-government group, had been given a directive from some government authority to begin putting pilots on yachts, Linton said: “I can’t comment on that.” As megayachts continue to get larger, drawing military or commercial captains, some expect pilot fees to become more accepted. “Pilots are designed for commercial ships but megayachts are getting bigger,” said Leslie Lallande, the refit and service consultant at Global Ship Systems, a shipyard on the Savannah River. Lady A is headed there this fall

and Global notiﬁed Capt. Rankin of the fees. “More and more captains are coming onto yachts from the commercial side so they’re used to it. If it gets to be a problem, we’ll pay it. It’s not the sort of thing we’ll let people use as reason to turn away.” Some, though, are steering clear of the fees. Capt. Dave Ober of M/Y Magic found out ahead of time that he might have to pay for a pilot in the Chesapeake. So he made some calls, and found it might have cost him as much as $6,000 to travel from Cape May to Baltimore and Annapolis. After talking with the owner of the yacht, they decided to forgo the Chesapeake this summer. “I just ﬁnished canceling two weeks of reservations at marinas in Annapolis and Baltimore,” he said. Instead, the 130-foot Northern Marine spent August heading north to Maine before turning south again this fall. “They think these yachts drive around with money in the bilge, but they’re going to kill the golden goose,” he said. “If they made it over 500 tons, I could see that. That’s a pretty big boat. But it’s anything over 100 tons. That’s everybody.” Contact Editor Lucy Chabot Reed at lucy@the-triton.com.

September 2005

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September 2005

FROM THE BRIDGE

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Attendees of The Triton’s September Bridge luncheon were, from left, Andrew Law of M/Y La Dolce Vita, Dawn Ward of M/Y IBEX and Gui Garvia of M/Y Sovereign. Lunch was held in the library of the Seaman’s Church Institute in Newport. PHOTO/LUCY REED

It’s still center of repair world, but Lauderdale not only choice THE BRIDGE, from page A1 other mariners they trust. “There’s also the matter of availability,” one captain noted. “You usually have to make plans six months in advance. If you don’t, and you use the same yard, they might make room for you.” The captains acknowledged that Ft. Lauderdale was still the center of service in the world, but that alone is not enough to bring them to South Florida. “What Ft. Lauderdale has is it’s the center of everything,” a captain said. “Everything you need is right there.” Still, the captains noted good experiences they have had other places. “Up in Palm Beach, at Rybovich Spencer, they’ve really cleaned the place up,” one captain said. “And Bennett Brothers,” another added. “They were excellent with American-trained, proper tradesmen.” “My complaint about Ft. Lauderdale is people get off boats or come off the street and they can get a job.” One captain noted a reﬁt experience in Caines, Australia, was “great.” “It was fast and reasonably priced,” this captain said. “You can’t haul out there but we did a huge amount of work in six weeks,” including a complete new galley and crew quarters. When approaching the owner with a list of work that needs to be done, these captains suggested putting it in writing and prioritizing it. “Let him know ‘This is what must be done for safety,’ and give him the estimated cost and time,” one captain said. “If you hand it to him, it’s much easier than just talking to him about it.” “The owner wants the boat to be

peaceful,” another captain said. “They don’t want to talk business on the boat. E-mail it to him.” This captain e-mails a majority of boat operation matters to the owner, including crew salaries and negotiations. When estimating the cost, the captains agreed to add a line of about 25 percent for unexpected projects. “You always get a curveball when you are in dry dock,” one captain said. “I feel conﬁdent that I can estimate a job, then I’m wrong.” For a haul out, get a written estimate to show the boss, they agreed. “A quote is better,” one said. It’s better to give a high estimate and come in under than to tell the owner it will be less and come back over budget, they agreed. And if work or dollars have to be cut, ask the owner to choose based on the priorities the captain has supplied: safety items stay, cosmetic items are trimmed. If the owner chooses to eliminate more-important safety items in favor of more-enjoyable cosmetic items, several captains said they would resist. “We work really hard to get the licenses we have,” one captain said. “The business we are in, it’s real easy to make a mistake. If something is not working for me, I always try to put my license in front. I’ll tell him I’m going ashore for a while. It shows that you have a goal, a plan, and they will back off and go with your plan.” How do you choose a yard? Be a part of this discussion and send comments to Editor Lucy Chabot Reed at lucy@thetriton.com. If you are a yacht captain and in Ft. Lauderdale the beginning of the month, contact us for an invitation to The Bridge. Space is limited to eight.

The Triton

SHIPYARD NEWS

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September 2005

A21

Last of Denison yachts christened Broward Marine launched M/Y has introduced three new lines for Soulmate, the last of Broward’s 20production, including a 120 foot foot-beam series introduced in the raised pilot house with a 24-foot 1980s by Frank Denison, former beam, a 135-foot tri-deck with a 26½owner of the yard. foot beam and a 160-foot tri-deck The 106-foot yacht will become with a 28-foot beam. Broward’s corporate yacht with Capt. Lewis read the “Old Sailor’s Prayer” Tom Miller, above, at the helm. at a christening ceremony on Aug. 24: The 20-foot beam series was one Wherever you may sail, may the of the most popular yachts ever built skies be clear, may the winds be fair, by Broward Marine, which has been may the seas be calm, may the tides building yachts since 1948. always be with you. God bless all who Real estate developer Tom Lewis 5:36sail Soulmate. 11110_WM_Triton_Sept_05 8/15/05 PM on Page 1 bought the company in March and PHOTO/DAVID REED

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Navigating the good life

GettingUnderWay T E C H N I C A L N E W S F O R C A P TA I N S & C R E W S

Pages A24-29

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September 2005

Respect the Real forward-facing sonar exists dangers in closed space By Bransom Bean

FarSounder can generate a 3-D image ahead of a traveling vessel with a single ping (left). Other systems take multiple pings and use valuable minutes to generate a sort-of 3-D image (below).

GettingUnderWay

Confined spaces are considered one of the most hazardous places in the shipyard and on marine vessels. Fatalities still occur today as a result of unsafe exposure to chemicals in confined spaces. In shipyards, confined space operations are one of the riskiest activities and pose the greatest SAFETY MATTERS threat to injury for BLAIR DUFF, CMC employees. OSHA regulations 29 CFR 1915.12 (Subpart B) details the precautions necessary before anyone enters a confined or enclosed space. Any space that has been sealed, coated and closed up, or painted spaces that haven’t been properly ventilated, need to be tested prior to entry. The shipyard competent person should test for oxygen content (greater than 19.5 percent and less than 22 percent), flammable atmospheres (less than 10 percent LEL) and for toxic, corrosive and irritants in the atmosphere. Employers are required to ensure that employees who work in confined and enclosed spaces have been properly trained. This training must be certified and documented. This includes crew working on yachts. No one should enter a confined space without someone standing by. Shipyards should have trained rescue teams and equipment readily available while employees are working in confined spaces. A confined space is defined as a space large enough for an employee to enter and perform work. It has limited or restricted means for entry or exit, and it is not designed for continuous occupancy. Confined and enclosed spaces include ballast tanks, fuel tanks, cargo tanks, and holding tanks (fresh water and wastewater). Spaces that have restricted entry and exits might also include engine rooms on some smaller yachts. Oxygen

See SAFETY, page A28

In 1992, assuming all was clear ahead, the captain of the QE II plowed across Buzzards Bay at over 20 knots. There was plenty of water everywhere else under the grand old ship, except over the unseen rock that caused about $13.2 million in damage. On Aug. 13, M/Y Land’s End sank off Corsica two days after hitting “a plateau of rocks” lying 2 to 5 meters below the surface. (See story, page A8.) This hazard also happens to be surrounded by deep water; so presumably, while some forward part of Land’s End screeched on solid rock, her depth sounder was still blissfully reading “60 feet.” In the Gulf of Mexico, mariners worry about submerged bits of partially dismantled oil rigs and the 10,000 containers that fall off ships every year that are likely hovering just under the surface. Not surprising then that sales of forward-looking sonar are brisk. Unfortunately, not all so-called forward-looking sonars are created equal. Many don’t see very far ahead and most can show only a partial, two-dimensional picture. Others waste vital minutes while the vessel sails on blindly, assembling a sort-of 3-D picture using multiple pings. Nuclear submarines can see ahead in 3-D under the ice but they

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T E C H N I C A L N E W S F O R C A P TA I N S & C R E W S

need several highly trained sonar technicians to interpret what they see. The technology to provide a clear picture, in real time and in three dimensions, of what’s under water just up ahead, hasn’t been available – until now. Enter FarSounder’s forwardlooking sonar. To say that FarSounder is revolutionary wouldn’t be trite; in fact, it may actually be an understatement. In June, it won ﬁrst place for technology in the International Superyacht Technology and Innovation Awards (ISTIA) sponsored by The Yacht Report. Unlike most other marine technology converted from military requirements, FarSounder has a civilian pedigree. Still, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security

and the U.S. Navy are interested. “We are at the beginning of our technology,” FarSounder CEO Cheryl Zimmerman said. “Our FS-3 and FS-3DT are the only sonars capable of generating a 3-D image ahead of the vessel with a single ping at navigationally signiﬁcant distances.” The company calls it a “black box” solution, but the secret is in

See FARSOUNDER, page A26

Customers’ needs spark custom metal shop By Lucy Chabot Reed When you can’t get something done right, sometimes you just have to do it yourself. That’s how Taz and Galit Papanikolaou started building their newest business venture, Xtreme Yacht Products, a manufacturer of fittings, manifolds and flanges. The couple – together in life now 20 years – has spent the past two researching the equipment needed to make their own high-quality fittings, testing their products and making revisions. “So many times we had to look for parts and we have to get metric from out of the country,” Galit

Papanikolaou said. “So many things we had to go through to give our customers what they needed, we decided to do it ourselves.” But then, of course, one thing led to another and now Xtreme is ready to break out onto the yachting scene as the manufacturer of other types of custom metal work, including one-piece name step plates and name boards. “I reverse engineer a lot of products,” Taz Papanikolaou said. “Anybody with a little machine shop can make these, but because I’m hands-on, I know how to engineer them better.”

See XTREME, page A27

A computerized cutting machine creates parts and name boards from one piece of material. PHOTO/DAVID REED

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SYSTEMS TIPS

Treating your chilled water By Charlie Seybold It is common for operators of vessels with chilled water systems to neglect the chilled water loop. They assume that the self-contained loop of fresh water is not susceptible to damage. This attitude has the potential to result in a costly chilled water system overhaul. A typical chilled water loop is plumbed from a central location to all of the air handlers aboard the vessel and can easily incorporate hundreds of feet of inaccessible piping. A small leak in just one section of pipe can quickly escalate into a huge predicament. Such a leak is common in non-operational systems exposed to very low temperatures. Fresh water expands as it crystallizes into ice. Dometic Corp., maker of Marine Air and Cruisair chillers, recommends using a glycol solution with the percentage of glycol determined by the climate in which the vessel cruises. A glycol water mixture has a lower freezing point than fresh water alone, which prevents the occurrence of catastrophic expansion. The percentage of glycol should be the minimum necessary for the temperature as the glycol negatively affects heat transfer, meaning more run time for your chillers. Don’t use automotive antifreeze, as it contains silicates that cause pump seal wear and

ﬂuid gelation. An often unnoticed occurrence in chilled water loops is deposit build-up. The symptoms include proper loop temperature with poor air handler performance and possible spot freezing in the chiller evaporator. To prevent deposit formation, the glycol solution should also contain a nitrite inhibitor that counteracts the caustic properties of the glycol. If the vessel only cruises in warm climates, it is acceptable to solely use a nitrite inhibitor that protects the inner surfaces and suspends existing particles in the ﬂuid. A removable strainer is also a must-have to help remove all of those suspended particles. Chilled water systems with air elimination issues are also susceptible to sludge build-up. This can be the case if your chiller is not equipped with air elimination devices such as a Spirovent. The non-dissolved air bubbles can also cause pitting throughout the loop and at the circulating pump’s impeller. With regular maintenance and water treatment, you can look forward to many years of trouble-free functionality from your chilled water system. Charlie Seybold is the mechanical systems engineer at Cool-Temp Design Corp. in Ft. Lauderdale. Contact him at charlie@cooltempdesign.com.

September 2005

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FROM THE TECH FRONT

September 2005

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FarSounder goes in reﬁts, new builds, cruise ships FARSOUNDER, from page A24

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the software. FarSounder has no moving parts and uses off-the-shelf components, which add about 35 pounds to a vessel’s displacement. It is also mounted flush, creating no additional drag. Half of FarSounder’s installations are in refit. The fact that Lurssen, DML and a Dutch yard are said to be installing them in new builds doesn’t mean FarSounder applications are only for the nautical toys of the super rich or even just for navigation for that matter. Clipper Cruises has installed FarSounder in two of its ships with expedition cruising in mind. “More vessels are going where charts are based on surveys done two centuries ago,” said John Edwards, president with Sea-Image Corp. and a FarSounder dealer. “That explains why interest is high from expedition yachts and cruise ships.” On barges, FarSounder can be temporarily mounted on a pole and communicate wirelessly to the master of a tug or towboat hundreds of feet aft. Even Greenpeace should be happy. FarSounder operates at frequencies well above the hearing of the great whales, another obstacle at which FarSounder is particularly adept at locating, before they become impaled on blind bows of surface vessels. Still, all is not rosy for FarSounder. “One of our marketing challenges is product differentiation,” Zimmerman said. “When speaking of the capabilities of forward-looking collision avoidance sonar, it’s important to be comparing apples and apples.” In the case of FarSounder, which costs upward of $70,000, product differentiation is even more important because some competing products – actually derivations of fish finders – call themselves “forward looking” but cost much less. FarSounder says it is different because it uses “fixed frame of reference image stabilization techniques,” which is “technology being commercialized as a human user interactive forward-looking navigational tool for surface ships.” “Most systems are based on a series of 1-D or 2-D pings which are then sewn together for a 2-D or 3-D image over time,” said Matthew Zimmerman, FarSounder’s vice president of engineering and Cheryl Zimmerman’s son. “And because of their scanning techniques and beam resolutions, in shallow water, these other sonars can operate only at short ranges.” What does that mean? Edwards applies his so-what index to answer. “It won’t let you hit a rock when the boss is late for the dinner reservations

ashore,” he said. “Bottom line, it uniquely makes a 3-D image – with range, bearing and depth – every 2 seconds.” Some of Far Sounder’s competitors take a two-dimensional vertical “slice” of underwater information to tell a captain something’s out there. But is that something a two-foot diameter piling that can be steered around or a wall? By generating only a single “slice” on a single bearing, competitors cannot provide depth information on either side of a ship, which begs the question, “Which way do you turn to avoid it?” It is possible to rotate 2-D sonar through 90 degrees, taking a horizontal slice of data. But competitor sonars can’t tell the difference between the bottom, the surface and the rock/wall. Then there’s the question of range. How far forward can they see? For an idea of how far a captain needs to see, consider how far a yacht cruising at 15 knots travels: 1,520 feet. Some “forward-looking” sonars are limited to four water depths. FarSounder’s product can see beyond 11 depths. FarSounder, www.farsounder.com, is a young, private company run by some technical people: the mother-son team of Cheryl and Matthew Zimmerman and James Miller, a professor of ocean engineering at the University of Rhode Island. Miller actually began work on the concept in 1989, spurred on by the Exxon Valdez oil spill. When Matthew Zimmerman was a student in the 1990s, he began working with Miller to further develop the software to make the technology work. In addition to being the company’s president and CEO, Cheryl Zimmerman is charged with bringing FarSounder to market. She has 20 years experience as an entrepreneur. The trio founded the company in 2001 in Providence, R.I. By outsourcing, they’ve managed to keep FarSounder small – so far. Rising demand for their product may change all that. FarSounder is limited only by the speed of the device processing the data it collects. Water passing over the transducer does not affect performance, so speeds above 20 knots are feasible in the future. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has asked FarSounder to help watch for dubious divers, something the minders of high-profile megayacht owners are finding interesting as well. Bransom Bean is a yachting industry business consultant and ocean sailor. He was a regular officer and watch stander in the U.S. Navy, qualified in submarines. Contact him through editorial@the-triton.com.

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FROM THE TECH FRONT

Machine carves one-piece fittings and name boards XTREME, from page A24 He gets a little help from one of the largest computerized numeric control machines in the United States. The CNC works through computer-aided design software where engineers design what they want on a computer and the computer controls the machine to carve it into the metal. The difference between the finished product and those designed and constructed by many other companies is that whatever is cut – be it a fitting, a name board or an intricate shower drain cover with the boat’s name on it – is cut from a single piece of metal or plastic. That means no welds. And as anyone who has had to clean rust lines off the superstructure can attest, no welds means no rust. Two of Xtreme’s processes are under patent review so the Papanikolaous are hesitant to say too much about them, but the machine is working so well they have plans to buy 11 more. Frequenters to Ft. Lauderdale shipyards will know Taz Papanikolaou as the owner of the yacht repair business Mega Marine and, before that, service manager at the old Broward west yard. He says he knows just about every old Broward yacht out there either from working on her new or servicing her along the way. “I can pretty much walk onto any Broward blindfolded and tell you what’s wrong,” he said. He continues Mega Marine and, in

fact, Mega is Xtreme’s best customer, ordering fittings for repair projects and promoting the more artistic side of the business. It all started when one of Mega’s customers spent $42,000 in three years replacing fittings that had deteriorated because of cheap metals or lousy craftsmanship. Taz Papanikolaou did the service, replacing cheap parts with more cheap parts, the only ones available. Finally, the customer complained. “I told him ‘what do you want me to do, I don’t make the parts,’” he said. “And he said, ‘well, you should.’” So to keep his customers happy, he started making the parts, or making the tools to make the parts. One of the best things the Papanikolaous say they offer is time. They used to have to send their finished pieces off to be powder coated, but it would take three weeks, leaving customers unhappy, Galit Papanikolaou said. So they set up two powder coating stations in the back of the warehouse and now the process takes a few hours. The Papanikolaous, married now 16 years with three children, say they plan to expand their business and go after government contracts and medical clients. But first, they seek success with what they know best: yachts. In October, Xtreme Yacht Products plans to open a showroom in the new Harbor Shops shopping plaza on Cordova Road in Ft. Lauderdale. “It’s going to be like a gallery, really high end, just beautiful,” Galit Papanikolaou said. “It’ll be like nothing the yachting industry has seen before.” Contact Editor Lucy Chabot Reed at lucy@the-triton.com.

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FROM THE TECH FRONT

September 2005

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The Triton

Megayachts’ biggest safety problem easy to fix: ventilate SAFETY, from page A24 deficiency is the biggest and most prevalent problem with these spaces. But it is also easily corrected with forced air ventilation. Engine rooms should have adequate ventilation to ensure that exhaust emissions are removed. Carbon monoxide is an asphyxiate produced by diesel engine emissions. According to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the permissible exposure limit for carbon monoxide is 50 ppm, while the ACGIH TLV is 25 ppm. This is the concentration that a worker can be exposed to for an 8-hour workday, 40 hours a week. Most vessels I’ve been on have adequate air flow in the engine rooms, but some are designed with the blowers on only when the main engines are running. If the boat is running only generators, make sure you have ventilation to ensure proper air exchange as well. I don’t know of any yachts that have gas metering equipment or any crew members that are properly trained to use the equipment. Depending on the size of the vessel and the frequency of entering confined spaces, some yachts might want to have the equipment and

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have either the captain or first mate trained to use the equipment. Most commercial vessels today have the equipment, trained personnel and confined space permit policies. They recognize the importance and dangers involved with confined spaces. The majority of deaths associated with confined spaces are of wouldbe rescuers. Always have someone standing by to call for help if needed. Confined spaces should always be tested prior to entry. Employees and crew should be trained to recognize, evaluate and control hazards associated with confined and enclosed spaces. Anyone in the South Florida area interested in taking a Shipyard Competent Person course to meet the requirements in 29 CFR 1915.7 can contact Marine Chemists & Testing Co. at 954-436-1480. The three-day course will be offered Sept. 28-30. The one-day refresher course will be Saturday, Oct. 1. Blair Duff is a marine chemist in South Florida. Contact him at 305-469-7594 or at marinechemist@gmail.com. Contact other U.S. marine chemists at www. marinechemist.org. For OSHA shipyard regulations (29 CFR 1915) visit www. osha.gov.

Today’s fuel prices

One year ago

Prices for low-sulfur gasoil expressed in US$ per cubic meter (1,000 liters) as of Aug. 15.

Prices for low-sulfur gasoil expressed in US$ per cubic meter (1,000 litres) as of Aug. 15, 2004.

Region Duty-free*/duty paid U.S. East Coast Ft. Lauderdale 553/591 Savannah, Ga. 557/NA Newport, R.I. 571/NA Caribbean St. Thomas, USVI 644/NA Trinidad 567/NA Antigua 570/NA North Atlantic Bermuda (Ireland Island) 595/NA Bermuda (St. George’s) 631/NA Cape Verde 526/NA Azores 519/NA Canary Islands 556/NA Mediterranean Gibraltar 544/NA Barcelona, Spain 683/NA Palma de Mallorca, Spain NA/1,135 Antibes, France 592/1,342 San Remo, Italy 696/1,445 Naples, Italy 695/1,403 Venice, Italy 702/1,395 Corfu, Greece 720/1,122 Piraeus, Greece 695/1,098 Istanbul, Turkey 560/NA Malta 555/NA Tunis, Tunisia 516/NA Oceania Auckland, New Zealand 556/NA Sydney, Australia 557/NA Fiji 546/NA

Region Duty-free*/duty paid U.S. East Coast Ft. Lauderdale 368/385 Savannah, Ga. 379/NA Newport, R.I. 395/NA Caribbean St. Thomas, USVI 466/NA Trinidad 394/NA Antigua 442/NA North Atlantic Bermuda (Ireland Island) 435/NA Bermuda (St. George’s) 486/NA Cape Verde 338/NA Azores 422/NA Canary Islands 395/NA Mediterranean Gibraltar 385/NA Barcelona, Spain 460/882 Palma de Mallorca, Spain NA/900 Antibes, France 451/1,183 San Remo, Italy 473/1,175 Naples, Italy 535/1,181 Venice, Italy 465/1,192 Corfu, Greece 451/873 Piraeus, Greece 425/852 Istanbul, Turkey 362/NA Malta 380/NA Tunis, Tunisia 396/NA Oceania Auckland, New Zealand 401/NA Sydney, Australia 398/NA Fiji 423/NA

*When available according to customs.

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TECHNOLOGY BRIEFS

September 2005

A29

SatDirect offers easy way to make sat calls A new service called SatDirect being introduced by Global Satellite of Ft. Lauderdale makes a satellite phone call as easy to dial as a local call. With SatDirect, users can call direct from any phone by dialing a local number that routes the call automatically to a designated satellite phone anywhere in the world. SatDirect offers a unique and dedicated local phone number for each satellite phone. Multiple SatDirect numbers are available with either individual or grouped billing. The service also offers real-time billing with online access to call records and account balances, and an optional passcode number to protect against unwanted callers. Perhaps the biggest beneﬁt is the cost savings. Satellite calls can cost the caller anywhere from $3 to $15 a minute. SatDirect offers calls to Inmarsat for $1.99 a minute and to Iridium for $1.49 a minute. For more information, visit www. globalsatellite.us/satdirect or call 954556-5617.

Second generation Lear takes off Shanda Lear, daughter of worldrenowned inventor Bill Lear, has designed and launched a 20-foot electric boat called the Lear 204.

Manufactured by Lear Baylor Inc. of Garden Grove, Calif., the new boat includes a retractable hard top and patent-pending propulsion system. The Lear 204 debuted earlier this year. Lear spent 30 years working in the non-proﬁt sector. Eight years ago, she met and married Terry Baylor, a veteran aerospace and marine pattern maker and designer. Baylor has worked with NASA, Boeing and Douglas Aircraft as well as Columbia Yachts, Erickson Yachts, Arthur Marine and Willard Boat Works. He also developed the pattern and all the tooling for the 1975, Lyle Hess-designed Nor’Sea 27, a sailboat with world-voyaging capabilities. A ﬁxed hardtop version of the boat retails for $48,950. The standard model, which includes the retractable hardtop, is priced around $59,950. Contact Lear Baylor at 866-572-2567 or on the Web at www.learbaylor.com.

PCM gets OK for watertight doors Pacific Coast Marine Industries of Everett, Wash., has been awarded Lloyd’s Register type-approval certificate for watertight doors and hatches (WT) for its marine and offshore door and hatch configurations with clear openings up to 47 x 81 inches.

This achievement eliminates the typical lengthy approval process for special sizes or shapes, and gives designers new freedom to quickly add custom doors and hatches to their projects, the company reported in a release. Last-minute adjustments to designs are now free of the time penalties that previously existed where changes had to be resubmitted for approval. For more information, contact PCM at 425-743-9550 or visit www.pcmii. com.

certified

New electronic-control diesel

mechanic or representative for one

Yanmar Marine USA Corp. has introduced another engine in its new line of electronic control diesel engines. The 6LY3A-ETP is now in full production and available for new installations and repowers. The engine is rated at 480 hp at 3,300rpm. It is a turbocharged and intercooled in-line-six with four valves per cylinder. In testing, it achieved up to 10 percent better fuel consumption than the model it replaces, the company said. The 6LY3A-ETP complies with EPA Tier 2 emissions regulations. For more information, contact Yanmar in Illinois at 847-541-1900 or on the Web at www.yanmar.com.

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September 2005

CRUISING GROUNDS

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South American journey wobbles between extremes In the July issue of The Triton, Capt. Ian van der Watt chronicled the ﬁrst half of a trip around South America aboard M/Y Queen of Diamonds. We followed the 131-foot Feadship to the Straits of Magellan and pick up the journey here as the yacht heads north.

in the southern ice fields of Patagonia. The trip was fairly calm, with small chunks of ice in their unmistakable fluorescent blue floating downstream. After collecting century-old ice for Ft. Lauderdale folks, we sailed back down Seno Eyre to Icy Straits and Paso Grappler en route to Puerto Eden. With By Capt. Ian van der Watt Angostura Ingles just beyond Puerto Eden, it was necessary to get the tide Navigating the channels through the exactly at slack high to transit the Straits of Magellan can be a navigator’s narrows, as they were purported to be dream or nightmare. quite hairy through which to pass. We plotted a course on a newly On clearing Paso Indio, you see acquired Chilean Chart No. 10700, Puerto Eden nestled between large, Estrecho Collingwood y Canal Smyth, snow-covered peaks. Puerto Eden is and found that if we stuck to the the first sign of civilization we have suggested course line and coordinates had in 10 days. It is a quaint town taken directly off the chart, we would surrounded by wooden boardwalks be aground in several locations. A and wooden houses painted the colors tanker passed us at 15 knots in one of the rainbow. Boardwalks keep your location; we wondered what chart the feet dry; the town is built over a peat pilot was using or if he was navigating bog and it rains continuously. We got by intuition. permission to anchor in front of the You get very good radar returns from town. After visiting the Armada office, channel edges, but with unmarked we walked around. rocks in some locations, it is prudent We awoke to a perfect day – no only to run clouds or wind, in daylight. It so a good was unusual time to transit to see many the narrows. vessels; the Once clear official count of of Angostura vessels annually Inglesa, it is transiting straight up the the Straits of relatively wide Magellan is Canal Messier 1,000. to Golfo de Anchorages Penas, where recommended Michelin tractor tires were used in the you leave the by the Chilean relative security exposed harbor in Arica. Armada are of the channels basically for small sailboats that for sea. We anchored overnight in a bay generally anchor and tie up to trees called Calleta Austral. ashore. Most anchorages didn’t have Our intentions were to enter into enough swinging room for a larger Canal Darwin at daylight and proceed vessel, especially with variable winds. up the Canal Moraleda to the Golfo Winds were sustained 40 knots with Corcovado, and then Golfo de Ancud occasional gusts to 55. You could to Puerto Montt. The ocean part of the almost set your watch by the fact that voyage was calm and we arrived at the by 1400, the wind was more than 30 entrance to Canal Darwin at daybreak. knots after a relatively calm morning. The scenery is spectacular. We had a We encountered gusts up to 60 knots. great sunrise followed by sunshine to Most times we anchored more photograph the huge mountains. than once as the bottom was so hard We arrived in Puerto Montt in that anchors just dragged. There the wee hours and anchored in the were exceptions, and we often found roadstead. This has to be the most spectacular anchorages with good protected Chilean port on the West holding ground. We did not take the Coast and was abuzz. We contacted anchoring instructions seriously from Alejandro Cuevas of Oxxean Marina. Imray – RCC Pilotage Foundation He moved boats to accommodate us Guide by Andrew O’Grady. (We did, and we found a floating dock for the however, use O’Grady’s Chile and found first time since Buenos Aires. It was good information, especially about nice to tie up and get a good night’s various anchorages and sights.) sleep, as we had been doing anchor After anchoring in Estero Falcon watches for about three weeks. in a magnificent unnamed anchorage, With a population of 100,000, Puerto we left at first light to see the Pio X1 Montt is the area’s administrative Glacier. It is up Seno Eyre and rated as and logistic capital. It has ship repair one of the most spectacular glaciers See CHILE, page 31

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CRUISING GROUNDS

September 2005

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The island of Chiloe is a 40-minute ferry ride southwest of Puerto Montt. electronics expert and had some CHILE from page 30 stainless welding and fabrication work completed to a high standard. facilities to support its huge salmonAfter replacing two crew members, raising industry (second in the world the day came when we had 36 favorable after Norway), but it was much more weather hours to reach Valparaiso. expensive than Argentina. We departed early Sunday and took Puerto Montt is said to be one of the advantage of good weather to go as far fastest-growing cities in Chile and is north as possible. becoming quite prosperous with two Five days later, we arrived in Arica, gigantic malls. Chile. We had contacted an agent to get Lago Llanquihue, a lake region us clearance and a berth for bunkers in very popular in summer, is nearby. the port. This time we were not so lucky It has national parks, volcanoes and with getting an exemption for pilotage. waterfalls and has boomed as a flyEven after a specific request from the fishing destination. agents to the Chilean Naval authorities, Once you leave the urbanization we were told we would need a pilot. Of of Puerto Montt, you immediately are course, to get a pilot you need a launch immersed into Chilean agriculture. and then line handlers – eight of them. In some cases, you are taken to an era By the time the vessel is tied up and the when the auto did not exist. Milk is agent has shaken your hand, your petty left in cans by the farm entrance and cash has been reduced by $3,700 (U.S.). farmers use carts to get produce to Arica’s exposed harbor had a wicked market. surge. We were moored to a wall on The island of Chiloe is a 40-minute which 37-by-57 Michelin tractor tires ferry ride away southwest. Its most were attached. We employed every interesting large settlement was Castro, fender to separate the tires from the with handicraft Awlgrip. Fenders markets that had were trashed in something for Weather Routing minutes, and would everyone. For information about Weather become a fun On a sightRouting, visit www.wriwx.com. project to clean. seeing trip from Three fender hooks Puerto Montt, straightened out, south on the Carretera Austral, one incurring some damage to rails and crosses the Estero Reloncavi with a paintwork. small vehicle and passenger ferry. You Arica is our final stop in South then travel along the banks of the America. Because of our long stay seno for about 60 miles, passing huge in Chile and yard work ahead, we salmon installations. Unfortunately, eliminated Peru, which was stated as fish kept captive are prone to disease being a dangerous area for yachts. We – antibiotics and other medications headed straight for the Galapagos. keep them healthy. We have been told We contacted the agency called fish are individually inoculated. After Agunsa to provide dockage, get fuel hearing this, salmon was removed from and get an oil change. We were quoted our regular diet. $5,300 to have 400 liters of waste oil Pacific weather kept Queen of disposed of. We declined. We were Diamonds prisoner in Puerto Montt. required to have a pilot to enter this Fronts were like freight trains, arriving open roadstead and port. The pilot was every three to four days. There was on board for 5 minutes and the cost for never a break to give us the 72 hours we the privilege was almost $1,800. needed to get to Valparaiso. This is not a place to stop for fuel. Dockmaster Cuevas became a good From the time we departed Puerto friend and soon we were invited to Montt until we reached the Panama great restaurants that only a local could Canal, Weather Routing’s predictions find. We took over a small section of were accurate to the point that we his office to use the Internet instead never got water on deck. It was a great of having to go to town. He also had passage. a host of really good tradesman at his disposal. We had our gyro repaired Contact Capt. Ian van der Watt through by an incredibly knowledgeable editorial@the-triton.com.

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SEPT. 11 MEMORIES

September 2005

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The Triton

On Sept. 11, 2001, four commercial airplanes were hijacked and sent on suicide missions. By the end of the day, about 3,000 people had died. We all remember what we were doing when we heard the news. Here are a few of your colleagues’ recollections of ...

... The Day that Changed the World By Capt. Peter Wahn As told to Lucy Chabot Reed We were at Liberty Landing Marina in New Jersey, looking right across the Hudson River at New York City. I was in the ﬁrst T-head with my bow pointing right at them. We had just dropped the boss off and were getting ready for his wedding on the boat the next weekend. [Moxie is a 95-foot Stephens.] It was a beautiful, clear morning. I got a cup of coffee and went up to the foredeck to call my wife. I looked up and saw the ﬁrst tower burning. I went inside and told the crew and we turned on the TV. I grabbed my camera and went back on deck. We listened to the reports and got the news like everyone did, that a small twinengine plane had hit the building, that it likely was an accident. We just sat there watching. I was on the foredeck with the mate, Joy, and I looked over toward the Statue of Liberty and here comes another plane. It seemed to me that just before he hit that he tilted the plane a little. My mate screamed. I just stood there, more in disbelief than in terror. I was off the coast of Vietnam and have been shot at. I’m not saying I’m a brave person but I’ve seen a lot of shit. I was concerned more than I was scared. I didn’t scream, but I understood the people who did. It was so surreal; we couldn’t hear anything. The wind was blowing and the smoke was going 90 degrees from us. I guess the winds up that high were taking the sounds away from us. I forget the time frame but I guess

it was about 20 minutes before that second plane hit, and boats were starting to come over from Manhattan to Jersey looking for life preservers, anything they could to get the people out. I gave them all my life boats. Within hours, there was a complete triage area about 100 feet from the boat. Doctors, nurses, tractor trailers with water, food, baby food, everything. And there must have been 200 ambulances. The Army closed the whole marina. I think they intended to use the place as a morgue but there were no bodies. The next day, the ambulances left empty. There must have been about a thousand people who came out of Manhattan to the marina. There may have been more. We just tried to help any way we could.

We took in a couple with their 2month-old triplets. They were in an apartment building near the towers and they just ran. The father had no wallet, they had no strollers. They carried their babies out. They were ferried to a police boat and ended up with us. They stayed with us for two days until their family came to take them home. When the husband called his mother on my sat phone, we got to talking and he said his mother worked at a hospital in the Bronx. Well, my dad worked at a hospital in the Bronx for 56 years. His mother knew my dad, though he had been dead 10 years. I still get invitations to those triplets’ birthday party every year. I haven’t made it yet, but I will one day.

Photographs were hard to take that day SEPT. 11, from page A1 We went to St. Thomas Episcopal Church one day to hear the men and boys’ choir, but also just to be in a place with others and feel the unity that was suddenly so palpable in New York. I did not take pictures of the disaster. It’s not that it didn’t occur to me; it just didn’t seem like the thing to do at the time. I had mixed feelings the morning we were leaving. Only after we had passed the still-smoldering Ground Zero did I pull out a camera, and when I looked back to snap this picture, the ﬂag we were proudly ﬂying blew up into the frame. 

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Helpless. That’s all I can say about Sept 11, 2001.

That beautiful Tuesday morning found me in my ofﬁce at my day job, having just received a call from a friend telling me a plane had just crashed into one of the towers. Thinking it was a small, sightseeing plane, I did not rush to the TV to get an update until coworkers started talking about it with a look of concern. Then the second plane hit, and we knew it was more than an accident. We watched TV all morning; watching as people clung to hopes of getting out, watching as emergency personnel did their jobs, watching as their worlds and our worlds collapsed. Helpless, as we could only watch and not help those poor people, only 25 miles away as the crow ﬂies. Helpless, as I could not even get one of my client’s boats to New York City to pick them and their family up and get

them out of the hell of disaster. They called around 1130 hours, basically pleading for me to get their boat from Long Island and rescue them. I had no problem getting out of work, but after a few quick calls to the U.S. Coast Guard and N.Y. police, I found that the East River was closed to trafﬁc. I was not able to help my client escape from 9/11. They found their way back to Long Island later that day. What did make me proud was seeing any available commercial vessel assisting in the evacuation of Manhattan. Ferries, tugs, even dinner cruise boats helped get people out of harm’s way, and they also assisted later in supporting the recovery teams with meals and transportation. I have cruised around lower

See SEPT. 11, page A33

The Triton

SEPT. 11 MEMORIES

www.the-triton.com

September 2005

Captain, crew have eerie visit the weekend before SEPT. 11, from page A32 Manhattan many times, always looking for the “twins” that were my major reference point. Now, emptiness in the skyline, and the feeling of helplessness as I pass by. I say a quick prayer every time I go by, and then back to the task at hand. Capt. Tom Serio 

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Departing early from Castle Island, a quiet anchorage in the lower remote Bahamas, we planned a fuel stop at Flying Fish Marina, Clarence Town, Long Island, and to continue on to Staniel Cay for the night. Entering the beautiful harbor of Clarence Town with the two prominent church steeples showing above the hills really is quite a view. Having tied up at the marina’s fuel dock, the dock man asked if we were Americans and what we thought about the terrorism. It was 9:40 a.m. and we didn’t know what he was referring to. We went to the ofﬁce to watch CNN. I had to pinch myself in disbelief of the events on the news. We made some phone calls to conﬁrm the safety of loved ones, and made a decision to carry on with our plan. A few days later the weather turned, forcing us to stay a few days longer. It was an experience being in one of the most peaceful harbors in the Bahamas on that day that I’ll never forget. Capt. R. Kimball

PHOTO/JEFF BENEVILLE, YACHT BROKER,YACHT INSURANCE BROKER

We departed Chelsea Piers at 1130 Sept. 9, 2001. This photo (above) was taken very close to noon that day. Of course none of us knew that would be the last time we would see the towers standing. We were off the South Carolina coast when we saw the news broadcasts. Capt. George Whitehouse was on the trip with us. George is from New York and was the dockmaster at North Cove Yacht Harbor for about seven years. One of his family members occasionally worked in the towers so it really shook him to the bone. Aside from the fact it was so unbelievable that this happened, it sent an additional chill through my body because my wife, Wendy, and I stayed at the Marriott World Trade Tower hotel for three nights the weekend before. It, of course, was destroyed. All I could think about were the faces of the people who worked there. Capt. Chuck Limroth M/Y Caprice 

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Capt. Rob Mase and I were delivering a 46-foot Bertram from Haiti to Florida on the morning of Sept 11.

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Sylvie and I on M/Y Intrepid were to leave Annapolis that morning with reservations at New York’s North Cove Marina, a block or two away from the twin towers. Four years later, we stand here at Ground Zero. It is just that: Zero on the Ground, an unreal jagged hole gouged out of New York City. Standing there looking into this

PHOTO/SYLVIE STABOLI, INTREPID

crater, reading the timeline, all I could think was “could this have really happened?” It did and the Big Apple is back and rocking. The crew saw a couple of shows and now we’re cruising to Boston with all the stops in between. Capt. Chris Berg

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WRITE TO BE HEARD

September 2005

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Captain returns home to hero’s welcome We walked to the sea. Just my father and me. And the dogs played around on the sand. — “Ships” by Barry Manilow

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I was ﬂipping through the dusty pages of a well-worn Chapman’s when my husband, Kevin, hollered to “get it in gear” for the airport. We were wrapping up a week-long visit home to Wisconsin but I was more interested in several old books I had just discovered in his former bedroom in his TIED UP IN KNOTS parent’s house. LISA H. KNAPP These relics were about sailing, basic boat operations, and weather. This was Kevin’s stuff from more than 20 years ago. I realized I was holding history that shaped our lives to the present day as I turned each page. I suppose my life path was wrapped around this man’s dreams long before I ever met him. Kevin ﬁrst fantasized about driving a yacht as a teenager. He grew up in Milwaukee and sketched boats on his

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papers to pass the time in school. When Kevin got his USCG 100-ton license last year, at age 46, he said, “I dreamed every day of driving a big white yacht in a tropical place. Now, I can actually say I did it and was paid money to do it.” His desire for yachting was a byproduct of sailing with his dad on Lake Michigan. Looking for a way to connect with his oldest son, Kevin’s dad took him to his brother-in-law’s lakeside cottage where Kevin spotted a sunﬁsh. “I want to do that, Dad,” Kevin announced as he pointed to the sunﬁsh. “I want to go out on that boat.” He was about 11. Kevin’s parents learned how to sail, bought a sailboat and joined the yacht club. Kevin was already a scout and joined Sea Scouts. The sailboat became his life. As a young man, he raced competitively and constantly on brisk Lake Michigan while his parents took bareboat cruises every winter. We moved to South Florida seven years ago and bought a condo on the Intracoastal in Aventura. Leaving Wisconsin was hard, but we were drawn to South Florida’s warm waters and big boats. It just felt right. At the time, I sensed the relocation

would be good for Kevin’s career in some way. Now, standing in the loft with the old books, I realized we did more than just move across the country and get jobs in the marine industry. We had reached out and embraced Kevin’s destiny. I wasn’t ready to leave the loft, but I crammed two books in my luggage. Kevin mumbled that we had way too much stuff to bring home and that he had already read those books. It made me giggle. My father-in-law sold the family boat long ago; he’s into cruises now. He works out at the YMCA every day and tells everyone about his son in Florida, his son the yacht captain. He noted that few men achieve such a rank and enjoy their occupation, too. As we made the rounds of the relatives in Wisconsin, I noticed that everyone had a photo on their refrigerator of Kevin on a yacht, photos I have sent them in the three years since his last visit. Kevin’s family has always pictured him on some boat, somewhere. That shot is drilled into their heads. Lisa Hoogerwerf Knapp is the wife and granddaughter of a captain and the daughter and granddaughter of a marine engineer. Contact her at lisa@the-triton.com.

The Triton

WRITE TO BE HEARD

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September 2005

A35

Yard estimates hard to get, keep Most owners, particularly new ones, demand that their captains procure bids on any major projects from shipyards. It is difﬁcult for any shipyard to bid on a project where they must dig into something, not knowing what they will ﬁnd. A classic example was a bid, from a major shipyard, to MENTOR’S MINUTE replace the Lexan CAPT. BILL HARRIS windows in the main salon and wheelhouse with toughened, tempered glass. They did not know that the pliable Lexan was bent to the curve of the hull, something that could not be accomplished with tempered glass. All of the framing had to be rebuilt. The job was estimated at $16,000, and ended up costing more than $60,000. These kinds of mistakes have resulted in an enormous “fudge factor” being built into virtually any bid, other than paint jobs, which are estimated by the square foot. Work – with a shipyard you know and trust – should always be billed on a time and material basis. Careful supervision keeps everyone on their toes. Demand weekly billing, where the work is always currently memorable, should employees misallocate their job time. Billing after two months or more dulls the memory. Contact Capt. Bill Harris through editorial@the-triton.com. Take a “Mentor’s Minute” and share your advice to younger yacht crew. E-mail comments to Editor Lucy Chabot Reed at lucy@the-triton.com.

You have a ‘write’ to be heard. Send us your thoughts on anything you read in The Triton or on other stuff that bothers you in the yachting world. Write to us at editorial@ the-triton.com

Don’t forget: cigarette butts are litter, too I ﬁnd Carol Benbrook’s column [“Up to Us” about environmental issues] so important and relative to the oceans’ dire status today. I want to commend her on her August issue’s ideas for improving the health and future of our precious seas. I just wanted to add an important action that many yachtsmen and women could take on a daily basis – the one of cigarettes being thoughtlessly disposed of into the waters so many yachts enjoy. I do see the occasional yachtie disposing just the ash in the water and putting the cigarette butt into the trash, but not often enough. Everyone should realize the number of birds, turtles, ﬁsh and dolphins (according to scientists, their blowholes can choke on the butts, or ingest them into their systems) that die every day from this type of pollution. Let’s get the word out and get smokers to responsibly dispose of their cigarette butts. Every little bit helps. Thank you for a fabulous publication. I look forward to the new issue each month. Trish Lafferty Freelance chef

Suez pilots do take ‘tips’

I have just read with interest your article titled “New generation of captains still takes bribes” [August 2005 issue, page A20]. I was wondering a little about the credibility of Capt. Peter Jago’s statement about the Suez Canal situation. I suspect that Capt. Jago has: Business Manager/Circulation Peg Soffen, peg@the-triton.com

Publisher David Reed, david@the-triton.com Advertising/Business Development Kristy Fox, kristy@the-triton.com sales@the-triton.com

Administrative Assistant Samanta Smith, sam@the-triton.com Graphic Designer Christine Abbott, sales@the-triton.com Abbott Designs Distribution Ross Adler, zakad68@aol.com National Distribution Solutions

1) Never been through the canal or 2) Is the luckiest captain in the world. I have been through the canal more than 30 times on commercial vessels as well as yachts (I hold a master unlimited license) and I have had to “grease palms” every time. It is common knowledge that the night before the convoy starts, a tug goes around all ships at the anchorage in Port Said or Suez due for the convoy to collect cigarettes and whiskey. It is also false to state that canal pilots do not accept tips. They do and massively so. Should you fail to comply with their friendly request for “tip,” they will make sure that you end up dead last on the list for your next transit. I don’t have Capt. Jago’s experience but I still have 28 years at sea, 18 of which were in the merchant navy, 10 of those as captain. I have found tipping a very useful tool to get things expedited or done at all. Capt. Helge Menk M/Y VaKoMaaNo

Painter made the paint job great

I wish to compliment you for the informative article regarding Nauticoat and the repaint of the M/Y Marijane. [“It’s back: Paint company turns aerospace paint on yachts,” page A21, August 2005.] The success of this project may not have been possible without the skill and experience of Southeast Yacht Editor Lucy Chabot Reed, lucy@the-triton.com Contributing Editor Lawrence Hollyﬁeld Contributors

Carol Bareuther, Bransom Bean, Jeff Beneville, Capt. Chris Berg, The Bridge, Blair Duff, John Freeman, Robert Gleed, Capt. Bill Harris, Jack Horkheimer, Capt. Steve Huggins, Capt. Terry Ingels, A.J. Jacobs, Chef Mary Beth Lawton Johnson, Capt. R. Kimball, Capt. Kevin Knapp, Lisa H. Knapp, Dean Lautermilch, Capt. Chuck Limroth, Capt. George McHugh, Capt. Brian Mitchell, Eng. Phil Nicholas, David Nichols, Steve Pica, Greg Poulos, Rossmare Intl., Capt. Tom Serio, Charlie Seybold, Michael Thiessen, Pat Teodosio, Capt. Peter Wahn, Capt. Ian van der Watt

Reﬁnishing and Mr. Al Durosier. This company’s ability to complete an almost perfect, total repaint in open-yard conditions was beyond my expectations. Tom Winnubst Axon Products

Career section nice addition

Congratulations on your new section [Earning Your Stripes, section B]. It is wonderful to watch your paper grow and provide such a great service to the industry. Giving those that serve a voice and an educational tool to expand their careers lets them provide better service to their employees. It is a win/win. Marty Ward Bollman Yachts

18 months pays off

I have been reading The Triton since it came out last year and I congratulate you and your staff for the excellent work you are doing in covering what’s happening on the ground in our industry. Ann Morrow Waite & Morrow Associates

Free classiﬁeds land job

Thanks to The Triton, a last-minute charter and a red-eye ﬂight, I was able to get from Vail, Colo., to NYC in 12 hours to chef on a 115-foot motoryacht. I really appreciate the free classiﬁeds. Chris Deighan Freelance chef Vol. 2, No. 6.

Contact us at: Mailing address: 757 S.E. 17th St., #1119 Visit us at: 2301A S. Andrews Ave. Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316 (954) 525-0029; FAX (954) 525-9676 www.the-triton.com

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September 2005

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The Hard Way Learn a lesson from what Mirabella V’s captain did and didn’t do.

B18

Is the Grass Greener?

Free Classiﬁeds

So you want to be a chef? Here’s how to transition successfully.

Check them out, just updated with loads of new categories and features.

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EarningYourStripes CAREER NEWS FOR CAPTAINS & CREWS

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September 2005

Being prepared wins over the interviewer Spit and Polish By Lisa H. Knapp

xperts say the decision to hire someone is made in the first five to 10 minutes of an interview, with the rest of the interview time spent justifying that choice. That’s why it’s important to make a good first impression on a job interview. One of the best ways to do that is by doing your homework and being prepared. Many crew inadvertently start their interview off on the wrong foot by not researching the yacht’s history or learning its protocol. While a candidate may rightly expect to learn that job information on the interview, it’s a mistake to come in empty-handed. At the least, enter the boat’s name in an Internet search engine, said Neal Harrell Jr., the president of Brooks Marine Group. “You’ll learn the history of the boat, its size and past itinerary,” he said.

“It’s all about image,” she said. “You’re part of the image of the boat. They want to know that you can handle that.” That little bit of investigative work puts the candidate in a position to ask questions. So when the interviewer asks you, “Do you have any questions for me?” you aren’t left scrambling for something to ask about. Or worse, you say “no.” Interviewing is a two-way street, Harrell said. Let the interviewer lead, but there are appropriate times to interject along the way. A candidate with no questions frustrates Harrell. “You should be able to say, ‘Yes. I do have a few questions.’” Not everything gets covered by the person doing the

interviewing. And be ready for trick questions, too, advised Heather Gill, manager of Crew Unlimited’s Newport office. “What would you do if the owner’s daughter asked you to take the dog for a walk?” she said. You ask where the poop bags are and walk the dog, she said. Put another way, Gill said crew may be paid lots of money for their specific credentials and skills, but at the end of the day, it all comes down to service. “You need a thick skin,” Gill said. One final note: Look professional for the interview. It’s not OK to dress casually just because you’re working on a boat. “Wear a pressed pair of khakis or nice shorts, a polo shirt, a belt. No flip flops,” Gill said. Yachts look for a clean-cut image, so downplay face piercings and tattoos, she said. “It’s all about image,” she said. “You’re part of the image of the boat. They want to know that you can handle that.” Contact freelance writer Lisa H. Knapp at lisa@thetriton.com.

Be prepared at the interview • Ask: the responsibilities of the position; nationalities and ages of people on board; future itinerary; special licenses or training required. • Don’t be a know-it-all. Each boat is different. Don’t walk on the boat like you know everything, regardless of the position. • Be easy to locate and available for an inperson interview. Candidates who want to be considered should usually be in a yachting center, not backpacking in India. • Bring: resume, letters of recommendation from past employers and respected personal references, and identiﬁcation (driver’s license, passport).

V.EASY

EASY

HOW I GOT MY START IN YACHTING

September 2005

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4 9 www.the-triton.com The Triton 7 3 5 9 4 6 footer and called him to His advice to young crew is to 3 6because who 9 know if 2He 1went, 9network, 1 you be mate again. and has been in and out more important than a resume. 2 always 5 listen, really listen, of the industry a lot in 7 “And the past 20 years. “Everyone has 2 5to people,” he said. 7 4 8 6 “Every time I didn’t something to teach you.”3 MEDIUM #3 have a girlfriend, it3was 7 8 9 easy to get on boats. And How did you get your start on boats? every time I got Send stories 5 one, I 8 to Lucy Chabot 7 Reed at wanted to get off.” lucy@the-triton.com. Who knows? You 3may4inspire someone. 6 He’s older and mellower now, and he’s 5 this 8 Answers2to puzzles on1page B16-174 off boats again, only time it’s for school. 14 5 9 7 2 3 #“I 1 enjoy #2 #3 8 1the 6 business 3 6 5 2 4 1 7 9 8

Best yacht jobs 3come from who you know 2 8 7 By Lucy Chabot Reed

Four days after Mike Treanor graduated high school in 1985, he drove a U-Haul ﬁlled with boat supplies from Connecticut to Maryland to join a new 54-foot boat that belonged to a friend of his father. “They had a hired captain, an old salt who smoked cigars, wore a hat and beard, the whole thing,” he said. “I was the ﬁrst mate.” The captain was also a master carpenter and used the leftover wood from the cradle used to ship the boat from Taiwan to make things. The wood was teak and the boat soon sported new hand rails and other teak accents. The boat leaked on the journey and Treanor helped navigate with a handheld compass and charts, but he said he learned a ton.

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THE AFTERLIFE: LIFE AFTER YACHTING

September 2005

Yachting and uniforms: the fabric of their lives By Lisa H. Knapp Kathy and John Phillips spotted each other in the Panama Canal as their yachts crossed paths en route to the South Paciﬁc in 1982. They spent two months in Tahiti as the yachts traveled together before John talked Kathy onto his yacht, M/Y Anore, and they fell in love. They chartered for several years together as captain and chef, married in 1986, and made many interesting friends around the world during their voyages. But as Kathy’s parents got older, she and John decided they would leave yachts one day. They always had wanted their own business, so they saved and thought about their options before leaving the boat. They started off running Dunmore Beach Club, a resort in the Bahamas off Eleuthera. Experienced in chartering, they knew they had the service and hospitality skills to manage the operation. Kathy ‘“When thought chartering a yacht was you leave on hard work, but the boat, guests at Dunmore left her with little simply downtime. pick a They managed place you the operation for three years before really Hurricane Andrew want to blew through live.’ with its winds — Kathy of change. They Phillips, bought property in co-owner Ft. Lauderdale, put of Antibes down some roots Yachtswear and were set to buy a business of their own. The Phillips’ had friends in France who ran a uniform company. They became overseas business partners. Two years later, they bought their friends out of the uniform business with the equity appreciation in their property. They self-funded the launch of their company, Antibes Yachtwear, in Ft. Lauderdale in 1993. John said their yacht uniform company is thriving and allows them to stay committed to yachting. Their network of friends around the world provided them with the contacts and options to integrate other businesses, such as airlines and restaurants, into Antibes’ now-diversiﬁed client base. Today, John runs the embroidery shop while Kathy manages the store. The Phillipses said the bonus of yachting is the number of people you meet when you travel around the world. They still love boating and yachting; John still does a few yacht deliveries.

They advise crew to take opportunities as they come along. “When you leave the boat, simply pick a place you really want to live and look for something locally to do, while always assessing your opportunities,” Kathy said. Contact freelance writer Lisa H. Knapp at lisa@the-triton.com

John Phillips runs the Antibes Yachtwear embroidery shop and Kathy Phillips manages the store. Friends helped them diversify. PHOTO/LISA H. KNAPP

Inlet Fine Wine & Spirits ��

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MARKETING

September 2005

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Superyacht Web site: help or hindrance? By Robert Gleed Web sites: Love them or hate them, they are a critical tool in the marketing arsenal. The problem is, they are damn hard to get right and easily can become a major hindrance to achieving the marketing success you want. More people can potentially see your Web site than any other form of promotional media. A Web site is often the ﬁrst view someone will have of your company or yacht. Yachts are not purchased online, so what’s the objective of the typical superyacht-related web site? There are usually quite a few, but one nearly always tops the list: To get new clients to contact you so you can begin to develop a personal relationship. A typical superyacht Web site needs to do everything possible to convince visitors to make contact by e-mail, phone, tradeshow visit or by some other means. Some visitors may even be searching on behalf of someone else, so you need them to act as a referral. Remember that the visitor’s perception is your reality. You need to create the perception you want them to have when you are not there to do it yourself. You are relying on your Web site. What they see is what they think,

Lurssen’s www. yachtshui.com provokes emotional thoughts by associating the superyacht experience with the mind, body and soul. so play the emotion card. Remember, a Web site can only ever appeal to the senses of sight and sound. Your ﬁrst opportunity to create the right perception and emotional link is via the visual experience, so make it look good. If your budget is tight, cut back on the content, get it looking right and build it in stages. If you include background audio, give visitors the option to turn it off. They either love or hate music, but it can help create the desired overall feeling.

Think of the visitor’s needs

What they ﬁnd is what they know. Any gains achieved by the visual experience will be forgotten quickly if they can’t ﬁnd what they want. Make it easy. The important words here are “what they want.” So, what do Web visitors want? In my opinion, we just don’t think

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enough in terms of the visitor. For example, many Web sites promoting “superyachts for charter” only allow you to find a yacht if your need is based on specifications or name. Why? What happens if you have no idea what “type” of yacht is best for your purpose? After all, aren’t most people searching for an experience, not just a yacht? Use market segmentation to prioritize and present meaningful results. Present information in terms of benefits, solutions and needs, not just in terms of specifications and names. There are generally three types of people who use Web sites. 1. The Skimmers. These people skim the site and want to feel instantly happy and confident that they have found the right place. They then get more information via personal contact or e-mail. 2. The Investigators. These people look longer, investigate the most relevant information, then make contact. 3. The Diggers. These people look at everything, dig around most of it, download and print information and thoroughly educate themselves before asking relevant questions. You need to layer the information so visitors easily can find what they want without being forced to hunt for it.

Keep an up-to-date site

A Web site is not a brochure. You don’t spend big dollars and then stress about the information going out of date before you use it up. Time and again I have seen clients get all excited about the development and launch of their new site, and then what happens? Nothing. They breathe a sigh of relief and get on with business. One great thing about a Web site is that it can be improved and updated at any time. You should constantly review the site, removing out-of-date content, adding new information and looking at ways to improve the users’ experience. Why do sites have “latest news” that is Theit Triton old? If it’s not the latest, Add remove or to your don’t call it the latest. and promotions budge Why do they have poor-quality year’s boat shows. For ju photos? If it’s not a goodaphoto, paper,don’t you can reach t put it on the site. of the industry’s most Here’s a site that works: Lurssen’s decision makers – the www.yachtshui.com. It provokes senior crew and emotional thoughts by associating the professionals superyacht experience with the mind,who opera body and soul. The yachts themselves Call or e-mail us for d play a small part, but thespecial link to them advertising pac is very effective. The whole is boat sho ourapproach upcoming different, refreshing and looks stunning as well.

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Robert Gleed is owner of Superyacht Media, a New Zealand-based marketing (954) 525-002 and media ﬁrm concentrating on the sales@the-triton. yachting industry. Contact him at www.the-triton.c robert@superyachtmedia.com, or visit www.superyachtmedia.com.

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COMMUNICATION

Keep your crew connected and you’ll keep your crew By Phil Nicholas

Phil Nicholas is co-owner of the Ft. Lauderdale-based crew placement agency Carole Manto Inc. and a relief engineer. Contact him at info@carolemanto.com or (954) 5232500.

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As a crew agent, I often get asked if there are any foolproof ways of keeping crew. It’s an interesting query and one as a working crew person I find easier than most to answer. For the owner, the cost of high crew turnover can rocket to literally thousands of dollars in agency fees. So what cost can you reasonably expect him to put out to keep crew and on what can they spend it? Bonus incentives can work. Medical coverage works. Better leave and flight schedules help. But in my experience, good communications on the yacht, crew-accessible and cost-effective, would come in very high on the list. The easiest is 24/7 Internet access. If the yacht is working in the “milk run” areas, such as chartering in the Mediterranean or Caribbean, this can be a cost-effective solution. Not only do several systems benefit the crew, they also can give owners, charter guests and the captain a tool to use for safe navigation, up-to-date weather information and myriad other things that we take for granted at home. Global yachts can have similar sorts of coverage but the cost can go up on software, hardware and, indeed, airtime. Fleet 77 and an airtime provider such as Stratos can be an option. The “milk run” boats are able to take advantage of a system known as Stratos. This was developed for the oil industry and has its operations centers in Aberdeen, Scotland, and Texas. They developed the system with SeaTel and now several yachts, including a couple on which I have worked, have the system. In fact, this column was written at sea off the coast

of Brazil, en route to the Amazon River. The following morning it arrived at the editor’s computer via Stratos e-mail. The system basically gives the yacht unlimited 24/7 Internet access at broadband speeds for less than $3,000 (U.S.) a month. The yacht then can have a wireless network for owners and another for crew. Crew can use their own laptops in their rest periods and can be in touch with the world through their own private e-mail addresses. Skype, a company that lets you use voice-over-IP services over a broadband connection, began operating recently. You can use the service at no cost to communicate with other Skype users and at a competitive rate to landlines and other phone users worldwide. Of course, this service can be used from any Internet connection, which basically means your laptop is your phone wherever you go. Visit www. skype.com and buy a quality headset. Stratos does offer a VoIP service but, in my experience, it is better for the yacht to just sign up for the Internet service and then ﬁnd its own dialtone provider elsewhere for the ship’s VoIP service. Stratos’ service is costprohibitive; it even admits it. Owners, captains and crew who need further assistance for crew requirements or Stratos installation details can contact me and I will be eager to assist you. Or Skype me at Y1chiefengineer or Carolemantoinc.

September 2005

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September 2005

IN THE GALLEY

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So, you want to be a chef on yachts? My boss just left after two weeks. Having served quite a large number of people and crew for two weeks straight – four times a day – I have to admit I am a little tired. Sometimes I wonder how I continue to do it: I am not 20 years old anymore. Reﬂecting on my yachting career, I went from being a CULINARY WAVES stewardess/mate to a chef. When I MARY BETH received an e-mail LAWTON JOHNSON from a new chef who went the same route, I was thrilled to offer my opinion. Dear Mary Beth, I just read your column in The Triton. I just graduated from the French Culinary Institute in March. I have been working on yachts for nine years as chief stewardess. Finally realizing my dream of attending culinary school, I am now at a loss for what’s next. I love to cook, but I don’t feel ready to go solo at the moment. I was wondering if there were any chefs out there who would be glad to trade some of my labor for my getting experience. If you have any suggestions as to

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how I can beef up my skills to gain the conﬁdence that I need to get started, I’d love to hear them. Pat Birdy First, I applaud Pat for the courage to return to school, as I am all for education no matter how old you are. But she was gun-shy about going back to yachting and swinging it alone, as I gathered she didn’t spend much time in a galley when she was a stew. Even though it sounds glamorous to be the chef on a yacht, it is probably one of the hardest jobs in terms of long hours and what we put into it. We are the creative bunch behind the scenes that seems to effortlessly pour hearts and souls into food to create elusive art forms. Our days are long and arduous, and we toil as hard as a sledgehammer on a New York City street.

Five tips for success

We constantly are being critiqued by peers, owners and guests, so maintaining a healthy attitude and not becoming burned out are key. To answer Pat’s questions on how to feel more comfortable re-entering yachting as a chef and boost her conﬁdence to go it alone, I have a few suggestions: 1) If you are a stewardess, deckhand, engineer, etc. who aspires to be a chef, offer to cook for the crew once a week.

Of course, clear it with the captain first. Give the chef a break and practice your skill as much as you can. Read all the culinary books you can afford to borrow or buy. Sign up for online culinary courses. Practice, practice, practice. 2) Ask chefs questions about their job and then watch. Find out where they buy provisions and offer to prep vegetables into the correct shapes and sizes (julienne, diced, etc.). Learn how they do it. Watch and listen and learn from them. Do they make homemade stocks? Watch how. Do they have great knife skills? Get them to teach you. 3) What are your goals? Do you want to work on a yacht of 200 feet or more? If so, you will need experience first on smaller yachts and the culinary education to boot. Superyachts are not going to hire someone who has only cooked on an 80-footer for two or four people and who does not have an extensive culinary background feeding the masses to back it up. 4) Get experience by working on smaller yachts first, then seek distance education or sit in a classroom or train under another chef who can use a galley attendant. Consider working as a crew cook on a larger yacht. Do this for as long as you can. Not

See CULINARY WAVES, page 7

N O W S C H E D U L I N G F O R FA L L & W I N T E R 2 0 0 6

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IN THE GALLEY

Your career, your decisions CULINARY WAVES, from page 6 all people pay their dues, but they eventually are found out by the more qualiﬁed persons, so I suggest you do pay your dues so you have something to show for your efforts and can back up what you preach. 5) Start small and stick with it for one year if you can. Don’t jump from yacht to yacht (the “grass is greener” syndrome). This seems to be the norm in this industry these days. You get a reputation for doing this, so captains and owners will be less likely to hire you. They want someone who is going to stay and do an excellent job, not someone that they will pay to have trained only to have that person desert them in six months.

Longevity and loyalty

I have been with my current yacht for seven years – this is extreme longevity. There are crew out there who have the same amount of time on a yacht and some have even more, but some think a few months is a long time. Case in point: I recently was approached by a stewardess who thought she had been a stewardess long enough and wasn’t making enough money, so she wanted to go from her current yacht (98 feet) to a 180-footer and cook. She had been in yachting only since November. She also thought that she should be making a lot more money – a salary comparable to mine, and I have two culinary certiﬁcations. She did have some experience cooking for her current employers, but she explained that the boss’ wife was too demanding. (if she thinks her boss is demanding, she hasn’t seen anything yet.) I sat her down and suggested she stick with her job for one year. Then, if she still feels the same way, she at least would have a year at one job, which is the start of longevity. I suggested she take some culinary courses on weekends when she wasn’t traveling. Eventually, the time adds up. Then try for a boat that is a little larger, but not as large as she wanted because she ultimately would fall on her face without the experience to back it up. I hope she took my advice, but I am afraid that she didn’t. Is the grass really greener on the other side as chef? Can you do 64 meals or better a day? Can you handle four or more special diets a day, all at the same time? Can you cook for the crew and do a 5- to 10-course meal that is different for the owners? Can you oversee other crew at the same time and provision, plan and execute all those meals? Sure, the pay might be better, but are you willing to do all this just to make more money and claim the chef title while working on the large yachts? I was offered a chance to work on the one of the largest yachts in the

Think the grass is greener as chef on a yacht? How does 64 meals a day sound, with four or more special diets? TRITON STAFF PHOTO world as the second executive chef. I turned it down because I want a life. The money was not the issue. How much should I sacriﬁce to attain that position and at what cost? Where was time for me and my life and interests? Also, I had to think long and hard that perhaps once I got there, they would not like my style of cooking and I would have to start over. I have seven years in, and my employer values my dedication. Money is not always the reason to switch boats and jobs. Pat’s letter was refreshing because she did not feel ready to accept the assignment of sole chef onboard the yacht. Her ego was in check, unlike some chefs out on the blue waters, probably including mine. It was nice to see. It’s scary out there alone, especially if you are in a strange environment and dealing with strangers and different diets. You question your sanity and the kind of job you are doing. If you have the background and education to back it up, insecurities are not as insurmountable, but they still will be there. If you didn’t have those feelings, I would have to say you don’t really care. So my advice is to start small, learn along the way, get an education or take courses that will help you better yourself. Then, when you are ready to jump to that new fresh patch of green, you will do it with ease and not regret. There are a lot of factors to make a person want change. It could be other crew members who make our lives miserable and yes, I have been there and probably caused some of it. Then there are the owners and their wives or girlfriends who make our lives miserable. When you are dealing with the unbearable, it is an entirely different story. Only you can make that decision – it is your career. Mary Beth Johnson is a certiﬁed executive pastry chef and Chef de Cuisine. A professional yacht chef since 1991, she has been chef aboard M/Y Rebecca since 1999. Contact her through editorial@the-triton.com.

September 2005

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IN THE GALLEY

Ruch said he was trained as a classical cook.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF JIM RUCH

Ruch is part teacher, part artist, part chef By Lucy Chabot Reed Megayacht chefs often have to answer dozens of questions from charter guests about how they make their dishes, how they get the sauce just so or how they come up with recipes. Usually, the questions begin to wear on a chef, but Jim Ruch reveled in them. Curious guests reminded him how he learned best, by watching and asking lots of questions. So he’d show guests anything he could, conducting impromptu in-galley training sessions and leaving them with a deeper appreciation of fine cooking, if not a better feeling of their charter. “The parmesan cup is a smash,” he said, describing the simple recipe of melted cheese set to harden over an inverted cup to make an edible cup of its own. “People are mystified if they don’t cook, or they are intimidated.” Well, one thing led to another and eventually, Ruch turned his informal instructions into official cooking lessons. He tied in his hobby of moviemaking with his desire to teach others to cook and developed the first in a series of cooking DVDs. The series, “One-Pan Wonder,” is aimed more at the home chef, Ruch said, but it can teach anyone who wants to learn more about fine cooking but doesn’t have the time to take courses. Think of it as watching the chef and being able to ask questions.

For more information on Jim Ruch or to view a sample video clip from his DVD, visit www.onepanwonder.com. The DVD retails for $14.95. “I was trained by old men,” he said. “Everything I learned is classical. The yacht chef will get some great techniques here.” The first DVD in the series, released in June, is titled “Pan-sear and Deglaze” and opens with a folksy introduction by Ruch himself. This is one of the only times you’ll see his face on the DVD as much of the remainder of the video is shot of food in the pan. The DVD has ROM files so a viewer can pause the instruction and go to a glossary to learn how to peel an onion or butcher a lamb chop. Also included on the DVD are recipe index cards that can be downloaded and printed. “The whole thing about art is touching people’s emotions,” Ruch said, relaxing in the cozy cabin of his own yacht, surrounded by firstedition culinary books, his guitar and Macintosh computer. “It’s a teaching thing as well as a cooking thing.” Ruch is an artist, both with food and in other areas of his life. He plays guitar (the folksy strummings in the

See RUCH, page 9

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Finally, a French wine on a $10 best buy list 60-Second Wine Steward A.J. Jacobs I get lots of comments about the price of good red wine from consumers who don’t want to spend a lot to drink red daily. With everchanging selections, the quality of different vintages, increasing prices and most importantly, individual tastes, the question “What’s the best red for about $10?” is becoming more difficult. Recently, it could have been a red from California, Australia, Spain, Italy, or even Argentina (which produces terrific, inexpensive Malbec) but I have not considered answering with a French wine. Now I can. The 2003 Cotes du Rhones are here. The Rhone Valley in the south of France has been producing wine for centuries, never receiving the accolades of Bordeaux or Burgundy. While those regions made magnificent wines from primarily Cabernet, Merlot or Pinot Noir grapes, the Rhone Valley produced wines from lesser-known grapes

such as Grenache, Syrah and Mouvedre. These wines often were less complex and ageworthy but were a better buy. While the price of even average Bordeaux or Burgundy has spiked, prices on Cotes du Rhone wines have been stable. This means that in very good vintages, such as 2003, you get a lot of bang for your buck. The majority of 2003s are fullbodied, dry, consistent, big and high in alcohol content. Not bad for a $10 bottle. With Cotes du Rhone, look for a peppery taste with lots of spice and blackberries. It complements many entrees pairs very well with lamb (see the recipe at right). Better-known producers include Guigal, Perrin & Fils, Jean Luc Colombo, and Jaboulet. Until next time, cheers. A.J. Jacobs is the yacht provisioning specialist at Inlet Fine Wine and Spirits in Ft. Lauderdale. He has been a wine and spirits merchant in South Florida for 10 years. Contact him at (954) 318-0060 or aj@inletliquors.com.

His second DVD due in spring RUCH, from page 8 background of his DVD are his), is a fan of Michelangelo and Medici, and enjoys photography. He’s working on Chapter 1 of his novel about, you guessed it, a yacht chef ’s exploits in bizarre markets. “My real goal in everything is to have all these creative outlets have a common thread – my cooking inspires my guitar playing inspires my writing inspires my ﬁlming,” Ruch said. “If you’re not a cook, try to apply your math logic to it. Food is universal. It’s psychological.” Ruch produced the entire DVD on Pajova, his 1961 wooden trawler docked on the Dania Cut-Off Canal where he lives with his wife, Melissa. He works summers now as a freelance yacht chef, spending the rest of his time pursuing artistic projects. It wasn’t always so. Ruch spent 10 years on yachts, including a three-year stint on M/Y Excellence III before

deciding to go freelance about ﬁve years ago. He got his industry start on an 80-footer in the Florida Keys. Then Ami Williams at Crew Unlimited landed him a job on the 125foot Palmer Johnson Astral. “I wanted to get on one of those big giant things, which I’m over,” he said. But not before working on Octopussy, Excellence III and Picante. “All those chefs are Cordon Bleu trained so I was getting that training, too.” Ruch is now formally trained with degrees from The New York Restaurant School, Le Cordon Bleu and the Royal Thai Culinary Institute. Volume 2 of his DVD series is due out this spring at the Miami Boat Show. A collaborative effort, it will be titled “Don’t look now, we’re yachting: Elegant and tasty breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes from Fort Lauderdale’s leading megayacht chefs.” Contact Editor Lucy Chabot Reed at lucy@the-triton.com.

IN THE GALLEY

Lamb chops with mint-onion glaze and lemon zest 1 rack (6-8 chops) of lamb 3 tablespoons ground coriander 2 tablespoons crushed red pepper 2 teaspoons sea salt 4 cloves garlic 1 bunch mint Extra virgin olive oil 1 medium onion 1 cup white wine 1 lemon 1. Combine chops, dry spices, 3 cloves of the garlic (grated) and 3 tablespoons oil in a mixing bowl. Toss gently but thoroughly until a homogenous blend covers the meat. Transfer to a sealed container. Refrigerate at least two hours. 2. A half hour minutes before serving, pull marinated chops from refrigerator. Pick and wash the mint. Chop half the mint and toss it in the container with the chops. Slice the onion and wash the lemon. 3. Preheat pan to medium high. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil to hot pan. Tilt pan to completely coat cooking surface with oil. Oil should smoke slightly. 4. Add chops to pan carefully so that they’re ﬂat and in one layer. Shake the pan occasionally to prevent sticking. Watch the spattering. The chops must be seared with high heat to produce a tasty crust while not overcooking the meat. For extra rare, keep chops refrigerated until pan is preheated. Sear chops one minute per side until browned. 5. Transfer seared chops to a plate and cover. Reduce the heat and discard the excess oil. 6. Add the sliced onion and scrape the pan with a wooden spatula. Caramelize the onions slowly until golden brown. Chop the remaining mint and grate the zest of 1 lemon into the mint. (It’s best to zest citrus fruit before squeezing.) 7. Add ½ cup white wine to caramelized onions and stir. Reduce the wine to a syrup and add the juice of ½ lemon. Reduce this to a syrup and add the mint and lemon zest. Stir to combine and return chops and any collected juices to the pan. 8. Squeeze remaining ½ lemon over the chops and cover. Simmer 1-2 minutes to warm chops. Serve over grilled eggplant with steamed new potatoes, with roasted tomato lentils and green beans, or with French fries and salad. - Jim Ruch

September 2005

B10

September 2005

Arms, torso are key in a long day’s work

Yachting is hard work. You are up at all hours tending to the yacht and her guests. For you to do that with a smile on your face and a whistle on your lips means you need to take the time to tend to yourself, too. I have devised a simple workout you can do with minimal equipment on any yacht anywhere. Invest a few dollars in a Thuro ball (that GO FIGURE inﬂates and deﬂates PAT TEODOSIO for easy storage) and some dumbbells for a whole-body workout you can use for the rest of your life. Last month, I detailed moves for chest and shoulder exercises. This month, we move down a bit for our triceps and biceps. All these exercises will continue to work your shoulders and chest as well, not to mention your torso because sitting on this ball requires balance, calling into action most of the core muscles in your torso. Don’t forget to mesh these repetitions with one minute of jumping jacks. By the end of a 30-minute workout, you’ll have about 12-15 minutes of jumping jacks in and that’ll lean you down like you won’t believe.

TRICEPS

It’s best to begin with the larger muscles ﬁrst, so we begin working our arms with the triceps muscle, which makes up two-thirds of the muscles in the upper arm. For triceps, place your hands on a chair or bench behind you, feet about shoulder-width apart with the knees bent (photo top right.) Dip your body

FITNESS

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until your triceps are parallel to the ground, then push back up. You will feel your body is a little too far forward, but you’ll get a better workout this way. You can also try this with your hands on one chair and feet on another, giving you a tougher range of motion. Continue until muscles fail.

BICEPS

Start with a set of curls first and then do a set of hammer curls. When doing curls, stand straight with your feet spread a bit. Keep your shoulders back and elbows tucked into the body. Keep the dumbbell parallel to the floor. Resist the urge to twist your wrist and turn the dumbbell while curling. This stresses forearms and diminishes the efficiency for the biceps. Exercise to failure instead of to a set number of repetitions. Working a muscle until it truly can’t do any more develops the muscle from the inside out, giving you the look and strength you want. A fatigued muscle grows stronger much quicker. Hammer curls are similar to regular curls except you hold the dumbbell perpendicular to the floor. Again, stand tall, shoulders back, elbows in and be careful not to twist the weights it in any way as you curl or release. If you concentrate while working out, you will control weights’ extension and contraction, working the muscle in both directions and doubling your workout with no extra time. For all these moves, your stomach should be contracted throughout.

TORSO

There are two things you should do between sets: one minute of jumping jacks or some abdominal work. A great

These workouts will strengthen triceps (top), fabs (left) and biceps (below), all of which are key muscles on a job.

way to work abs is on a Thuro ball. Lay on your back on the floor, ball under your legs. Flex your feet and put your heels on the top of the ball. Pull the ball toward you and reach up to touch your toes, crunching your abs. Do these to failure. To get more from the move, stay flexed between crunches. Instead of resting your head on the floor, tuck your chin into your chest. Another abdominal move is to sit on top of the ball, roll forward and

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lean back, like you do when preparing for presses. Pick your body up, going forward, almost to a sitting position, they lay back down. Do this to failure or at least until you feel a burning sensation in your abs (photo above). While doing abdominals or any other body part, keep the muscle contracted to get maximum efficiency. Don’t forget jumping jacks. They will become the core of our workouts and give you great cardiovascular conditioning. Doing jumping jacks for one minute, 10 times, is equivalent to running for 30 minutes. Workouts are good for muscles, ligaments, heart, lungs, etc. But if you want to lose weight, you must monitor consumption. A good way is to write down everything you eat and drink. If you are honest, you’ll see patterns that keep you from shedding stubborn pounds. Recall the shoulder presses we did sitting upright on the ball, and the shoulder presses we did laying back on the ball. Move from those exercises to the curls and hammer head curls and you have the first 10 minutes of your workout, sprinkled with jumping jacks. Next month: more intense ab work. Pat Teodosio has been in the fitness industry for 30 years and owned Southport Gym in Ft. Lauderdale. He now owns Go Figure, a 30-minute workout studio on 17th Street. Contact him through editorial@the-triton.com.

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FROM THE EXPERTS: NUTRITION

September 2005

B11

Skip your mid-morning funk, not your breakfast What would you say to something that could boost brainpower, control weight, protect heart health and enhance workout results? Skip it? More than onefifth of Americans do. But eating breakfast will serve up all these benefits and more – quickly, easily and inexpensively. Breakfast eaters seem to “rise TAKE IT IN and shine” above CAROL BAREUTHER non-eaters. This has proven true in several studies where school kids have excelled at concentration, problem solving and memory tasks when their brains are well-fueled. Adults can reap these A-plus advantages, too. Juggling yacht-related affairs, work responsibilities and an active lifestyle is similar to going from class to class, then to sports or club meetings. Breakfast keeps adults from hitting that mid-morning slump when they may feel fatigued or lose concentration. It’s the slump that can send adults, even those with the best of health intentions, straight for a candy bar. This fast-food fix sends blood sugar soaring and with it a rush of energy. But this superhuman feeling fades quickly back to that fuzzy headed, can’t-seemto-concentrate funk when blood sugar nose-dives within an hour or two. Food choices like candy, donuts or other high-sugar, high-fat, low-nutrient fare ultimately don’t sustain that brainpower spark. It also leaves your body hungry for key nutrients. Studies have shown that people who eat breakfast, especially one that includes a ready-to-eat breakfast cereal, get more of as many as eight different vitamins and minerals – more calcium, zinc, magnesium, iron, folate and vitamins A, B6 and D – and less fat than those who don’t eat breakfast. Think that by skipping breakfast you’re saving calories? Guess again. You tend to make the calories up during the day, but not the critical nutrients. In truth, eating breakfast may actually help you lose weight. In 2003, University of Colorado researchers looked at a cross-sectional group of nearly 3,000 people followed by the National Weight Control Registry, a database of people successful at weight loss and maintenance. They discovered that of those who had lost an average of 60 pounds and kept it off for six years or more, 78 percent ate breakfast daily. Sixty percent of this breakfasting group had ready-to-eat cereal on their menu. If a morning workout is on your agenda, should you eat breakfast before going to the gym? The answer is yes. Just think about the Goldilocks analogy

– not too much, not too little, just right. Exercising on an empty stomach results in fatigue. A full stomach can hinder a workout as well. Eat and drink something light beforehand, perhaps juice and a banana or toast. Follow with a more satisfying breakfast afterward. What makes a good breakfast? A combination of protein and carbohydrates will satisfy you in the short term and last until lunch. Include at least three food groups, like a grain or cereal, fruit and dairy. If you’re guilty of being a breakfast skipper, take heed. Once you start eating breakfast, even if you’ve muddied along for 25 years without, you’ll be amazed at your sense of strength and how good you feel. Give breakfasting a try for 21 days and make it a new healthy lifestyle habit.

BEST BET BREAKFASTS Here are two weeks of nutritious, quick ideas for a breakfast that will keep you fueled through the morning.  Peanut butter and banana sandwich on whole grain bread with nonfat milk.  Bran mufﬁn, lemon nonfat yogurt and banana.  One-cup O-shaped cereal, 2 tablespoons unsalted peanuts, 2 tablespoons raisins with nonfat milk.  One-ounce Swiss cheese, 6 whole grain crackers and a fresh apple.  Cereal bar and fruit smoothie.  Bowl of whole grain cereal with nonfat milk and sliced fresh fruit.  Bagel, cream cheese and fresh fruit or 100 percent fruit spread.  Egg salad or sliced deli turkey

wrapped with grated carrots in a tortilla with 100 percent fruit juice.  Low-fat cottage cheese and sliced fruit sprinkled with granola.  Toasted frozen wafﬂe topped with nonfat vanilla yogurt and apple slices.  Egg white omelet topped with salsa and rolled in a cornmeal tortilla.  Two turkey sausage links and two microwave pancakes topped with jam.  Sliced fresh fruit (banana, apple, peaches) topped with nonfat yogurt and ﬂake whole grain breakfast cereal.  Leftovers: cold slice of pizza, chicken breast with rice or macaroni and cheese with fresh fruit. Carol Bareuther is a registered dietitian and a regular contributor to The Triton. Contact her through editorial@the-triton.com

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THE HARD WAY

September 2005

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Mirabella V grounding: There but for the grace of God By Bransom Bean At sea, it’s amazing how fast things can go south from idyllic. In the case of Mirabella V, it took just three minutes. Thucydides said “A collision at sea can ruin your whole day.” As the Isle of Man Marine Administration’s Casualty Investigation Report into the Mirabella V proves, a grounding doesn’t do much for your day at sea, either. It’s old news now, but some lessons to be learned from the grounding are timeless. The Triton bounced the report off several sailing yacht captains for their thoughts.

The stage is set

According to the report, Sept. 16, 2004 dawned just as had the previous three. Outside the French Riviera port of Saint Jean Cap Ferrat, Mirabella V was lying to her biggest 600 kg anchor in about 18 meters of calm water with 65 meters of cable out. The weather had been ﬁne with 3- to 8-knot variable breezes. It was all about to change – typical Med. By 0800, the breeze was freshening, blowing from the southeast against the yacht’s hull and rigging. This is an onshore breeze with a lee shore (those dreaded words) but to be fair, Mirabella V had been safely anchored in much stronger winds in other anchorages.

The report notes that the chart is unclear as to the holding ground – mud or sand being best, of course – and Mirabella V would not be the ﬁrst or last to drag here. The report does discuss Mirabella V’s 3.7/1 scope and the 300 meters (approximately 4 boat lengths) to shore, comparing it with a longer, more conservative scope used by the Merchant Marine but not observing that plenty of Merchant captains also have come to grief on a lee shore. After lunch, the master and mate recognized the situation and agreed to weigh and shift berths to a more sheltered anchorage around the corner in Villefranche. The master was on the bridge; the mate went forward. The engineer, unknown to the master, was already in the engine room but effectively out of communication. It was 1300, the wind had piped up to SE, 20 to 22 knots. At 1301, the master observed that Mirabella V was dragging toward shallow water, just four boat lengths astern, and took action. Unfortunately, just three minutes later, she struck just off Pte Rompa de Talon. Her engines, which had been shut down at 1301, were now backing full but with no effect. Mirabella V’s rather unique 150-ton lifting keel was fast into the rock. M/Y Big Roi and M/Y Ecstasea came to her assistance but Mirabella V remained ﬁrmly aground. Hours later, a commercial tug would pull her off. Instead of starring in the Monaco Yacht Show, Mirabella V was off to the yard for repairs.

Monday morning quarterbacking Lee shore, freshening wind, uncertain holding ground: all the classic elements of a grounding.

Get, share information

A copy of the Isle of Man incident report is available at www.the-triton.com Have you learned a lesson the hard way? Share your experience with your yachting brethren. E-mail us at editorial@the-triton.com. It would be easy to fault the master. The report mentions no anchor watch, a failure to access updated weather reports, short scope, no emergency start sequence for the engines, as well as the unfortunate choice of anchorage, which was inﬂuenced by the convenience of picking up the boss’ daughter and avoiding a regulated area requiring a pilot. But the report also highlights extenuating circumstances, such light onshore breezes and that Mirabella V had been anchored before in strong winds. There’s a clue as to what happened in the picture on pages 16 and 17, ﬁgures 4 and 5 of the report. A straightedge being held against the massive anchor shank shows the anchor clearly bent to the side in response to some force. It turns out that like so many vessels of a modern design, Mirabella V had the tendency to hunt – snatching from side to side, almost sailing under bare poles – when lying on one anchor. The traditional method for dealing with it is to drop a second hook and lie to two anchors, which works until wind or current shifts and the anchors foul each other … which brings us back to a 24-hour anchor watch. But there’s a lot to be learned by lots of people: Mariners: Being anchored off a lee

shore is the classic stage for many great tragedies. Monitoring weather, a competent 24-hour anchor watch, an ECDIS alarm and engines on immediate standby probably are a minimum. Avoiding the situation would be best – easy to say, sometimes. A procedure and equipment for rendering and accepting a tow quickly might have helped as well. Designers and class society: New designs mean new criteria and almost everything in three dimensions is exponential; Mirabella V pushes the envelope. What is pretty clear from the report is that having designed a vessel that depends on the wind for propulsion and having taken so much credit for the tallest sailing yacht in the world, the designers may have lost sight that the same record-breaking rig created more force than all the windage of the hull. Big rigs mean substantially bigger anchors, even if they’re not so pretty. Owners: Several yacht captains agreed that a great challenge they don’t share with commercial colleagues is having to deal with bosses who can afford expensive toys because of their sheer force of personality – one reason many commercial masters avoid a megayacht. There’s no mention that Mirabella V’s master anchored where he did under any speciﬁc direction or pressure from the owner but it’s well known in the industry that it’s a brave master who says “no” to some bosses. The rest of us: Above all, everyone should remember, “There but for the grace of God go I.” Bransom Bean is a yachting industry business consultant. He was a regular ofﬁcer and watch stander in the U.S. Navy. Contact him through editorial@the-triton.com.

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September 2005

IN THE STARS

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A good month for Virgos to purchase some artwork HOROSCOPES By Astronomer Michael Thiessen

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 23) Accept the

inevitable. You can make profitable investments if you purchase an art object for your home. Someone you least expect could be trying to make you look bad. Exercise your talents and present your ideas to groups to which you think you can contribute. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Tuesday. LIBRA (Sept. 24-Oct. 23) You are best not to confide in anyone right now. You will have the get-up-and-go to con tribute a great deal to groups of interest. You should be looking into making changes around the house. Travel and communication will be lucrative for you. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Monday. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) You may be emotionally unstable if you let someone you care about get away with verbal abuse. Try to ease any disappointment by making amends. Be careful when dealing with loved ones. Get help to finish a project if you need it. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Tuesday. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Don’t let domestic problems interfere with your objectives. Your dynamic, determined approach will win favors as well as a helping hand. Put your energy into home renovations. You will easily blow situations out of proportion. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Wednesday. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) Do things with your children and avoid situations that make you feel as if you’ve neglected the ones you love. You can make new friends by taking part in social events involving colleagues. You may find yourself caught in a triangle. Problems with relatives and friends could surface. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Tuesday. AQUARIUS (Jan. 21-Feb. 19) Take care of any pressing medical problems that affect you or one of your parents. You can make it up to them later. Don’t let your mate bully you into thinking that you owe them your time and your life. This will not be the best time to initiate change. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Friday. PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Show what a dedicated person you can be. Deadend projects could plague you. You may be somewhat emotional concerning a rather private matter. Do a little investigating if there is someone at

work you don’t trust. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Friday. ARIES (March 21-April 20) Be prepared to lose friends or alienate loved ones due to your stubborn nature lately. Accomplishment is yours if you direct yourself accordingly. Residential moves also will be advantageous for all concerned. Don’t shy away from potential mates to whom you may be introduced. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Saturday. TAURUS (April 21-May 21) You will have to check your cash ﬂow before you decide to indulge in hobbies or entertainment that may be beyond your budget. You will meet exciting new people through interest groups or functions that you attend with your children. You can enhance your reputation by making contributions to worthwhile causes. Avoid being overly opinionated or you will alienate friends. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Monday. GEMINI (May 22-June 21) You may want to take a trip; however, before you do, make sure that your vehicle or vessel is serviced properly. Join humanitarian groups and let your leadership ability take over. Your need to use emotional blackmail will only cause more conﬂict. Travel and communication will be lucrative for you. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Saturday. CANCER (June 22-July 22) Your courage and willpower will enable you to get rid of destructive habits. Read between the lines when signing contracts. Get together with friends and catch up on reading and letterwriting. Use discretion in your dealings and refrain from making verbal promises of any kind. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Thursday. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Uncertain get-rich-quick schemes will not be as lucrative as you anticipate. This is a great time to mingle with people you would like to impress. Deal with the needs of children and get into groups that deal with self-awareness. Don’t be disappointed if you don’t get your way emotionally. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Monday. Astronomer Michael Thiessen maintains the largest astrology site on the Internet. See more at www.astrologyonline.com.

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IN THE STARS

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False dawn of Omar Khayyam: what it is and how to find it By Jack Horkheimer Almost a thousand years ago, the Persian poet Omar Khayyam in his book of poetry “The Rubaiyat” wrote his most famous line: “a jug of wine, a loaf of bread and thou beside me singing in the wilderness.” But did you know that besides being a poet Khayyam was also an astronomer? In fact, elsewhere in “The Rubaiyat” he makes a poetic allusion to a “false dawn,” which can only be seen at a certain time of year. And although no one a thousand years ago could even suspect what this “false dawn” really is, we now know it to be a scientific reality. And we can not only tell what it is, we also can tell when and where to find it. If we could go far into space and look down on our solar system with superhuman vision, we would notice a faint, almost imperceptible vast cloud extending outward from the Sun in the plane of the orbits of Mercury, Venus, Earth and slightly beyond, an enormous cloud of cosmic dust. And while one would expect it would be impossible to see this super faint cloud from Earth, nevertheless in September when the plane of our Earth’s orbit is almost vertical to the horizon, we can. It is the “false dawn” about which Khayyam wrote. The best time to see it is in September, but to see it, you absolutely must be far from city lights. If you can see the Milky Way, you’ll have a good chance of seeing this phenomenon. Look for this “false dawn” in the east two hours before sunrise. It will look like a wedge or cone-shaped dim patch of light about the same brightness as the Milky Way and it will extend from the horizon about half way up to the zenith about 40 degrees ... an ethereal faintly glowing rounded pyramid of light. Its scientific name is the zodiacal light, and it’s caused by sunlight scattered from all those trillions and trillions of dust particles. This “false dawn” has a counterpart: A “false dusk,” the evening zodiacal light, which looks pretty much the same except that it is visible two hours after sunset in the west in March, when the plane of Earth’s orbit is also almost vertical to the horizon. Additionally, if you ever see a similar oval-shaped glow directly overhead at midnight, you could be seeing the zodiacal light’s sister phenomenon called the gegenschein or counterglow.

Weekend of the Harvest Moon

Mark the 21st as a night you can use the Moon to ﬁnd the brilliant planet Mars, which is racing toward us. And mark the weekend before as the time of the Harvest Moon. On Sept. 17 and 18, just after sunset,

face east and you will see an exquisite full moon called the Harvest Moon, which is the name given to the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox (the first day of autumn). Although the moon is officially full at 10:01 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, traditionally the Harvest Moon lasts five nights. It includes the two almostfull moons two nights before and after. Normally the moon rises about 50 minutes later each night except for the moon closest to the autumnal equinox, which rises 20 to 25 minutes later each night. The reason is that the moon’s path closest to the equinox makes a much smaller angle with the horizon than at any other time of year. Before the invention of electric lights, having a full moon for several nights just after sunset was important to farmers at harvest time because it meant they could work late several evenings in a row to gather crops. Rising full moons always look bigger and more colorful, usually reddishorange, than when they’re overhead because when the moon is close to the horizon we see it through thicker and dustier layers of our atmosphere.

Here comes the sun

On Sept. 22, the first day of autumn, you will notice that the Sun will rise exactly due east. It also will set exactly due west. Believe it or not, the Sun rises exactly due east and sets exactly due west on only two days of the year - on the first day of autumn, the autumnal equinox, and on the first day of spring, the vernal equinox. That’s because on these two days the Sun lies exactly on the celestial equator, which is what marks the equinoxes in the first place. To find Saturn in the third or fourth week of September, look east about an hour before sunrise. You’ll see the bright stars of Gemini – Castor and Pollux. Directly below is wonderful Saturn, which still looks great through a small telescope. It’s the same brightness as Procyon, the bright star to its right, which marks the eye of Orion’s little dog. If you’re one of those who always has a hard time finding any planet, you can use the moon as a finder on the 27th when an exquisite old crescent Moon will be parked just below Castor and Pollux and right above Saturn, all four almost in a straight line. It doesn’t get any easier to find it than this. Jack Horkheimer is executive director of the Miami Museum of Science. This is the script for his weekly television show co-produced by the museum and WPBT Channel 2 in Miami. It is seen on public television stations around the world. For more information about stars, visit www.jackstargazer.com.

September 2005

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WHAT’S UP?

September 2005

ADVERTISER DIRECTORY Company

Page

Alexseal Yacht Coatings A19 Antibes Yachtwear A8 Argonautica Yacht Interiors A12 ARW Maritime B23 Associated Marine Technologies A10 Automated Marine Systems A12 The Beard Marine Group B20 Bennett Brothers Yachts A27 Boat Blinds International A17 Bradford Marine A30 Broward Marine A13 Brownie’s A8 Business cards B12-17 C&N Yacht Reﬁnishing A4 CME Marine Electronics (Calypso) A31 Camper & Nicholsons International A14 Cape Ann Towing A21 Concord Marine Electronics B11 Cool-Temp Design A17 Dunn Marine A29 Ecoland Expeditions A33 Elite Crew International A13 Florida Marine A34 Fort Lauderdale Marine Directory B18 Global Marine Travel A11 Global Satellite A16 Global Ship Systems B24 Global Yacht Fuel B6 Gourmet Market Caves Village A27 Harbortown Marina-Ft. Pierce A20 Heidi Kublik A26 Inlet Fine Wine & Spirits B3 Island Marine Electric A20 Island Marine and Industrial Services B9 Japan Radio Co. A9 J.F. Recruiting B2 Lacasse Services A33 Lauderdale Marine Center A18 Lauderdale Propeller A25 Lauderdale Speedometer & Compass A31 Lifeline Inﬂatable Services B18 Light Bulbs Unlimited B4 Mackay Communications B20

Company

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Mail Boxes Etc. B4 Maritime Professional Training B7 Marshall Islands Yacht Registry B2 Matthew’s Marine A26 Megafend A29 Meridian Marine B5 Mrs. G. Propeller A32 The Mrs. G Team A26 Nauti Tech A16 Northrop & Johnson B10 Ocean Marine Yacht Center B6 Ocean World Adventure Park & Marina A2-3 Orion Yacht Solutions A15 Performance Marine Coatings A10 Perry Law Firm A31 Peterson Fuel Delivery A31 Pier 17 B23 PM Restoration A34 Professional Tank Cleaning A32 Resolve Marine Group A19 River Supply River Services A26 Rolly Marine Service A7 Rossmare International Bunkering B21 RPM Diesel Engine Co. A29 Sailorman A4 Scalise Marine A30 Schot Designer Photography B21 Sodablast Solutions A15 Southern Drydock A25 St. Augustine Marine A28 Sunshine Medical Center B11 TowBoatUS B21 Turtle Cove Marina A33 Uniden A6 Virgin Islands Charteryacht League B21 Westrec Marinas A21 Wet Effects B8 Windjammer B19 Wotton’s Wharf A28 Yacht Entertainment Systems A30 Yacht Equipment and Parts A36 YachtFest B8 Yachting Pages B9 Yacht Toys of Florida B5

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Must be September: It’s boat show season Sept. 4-6 Newport Irish Waterfront Festival, Newport, R.I. Three-day festival celebrates Irish music, culture, cuisine and crafts, with ﬁve stages. www.newportfestivals. com

Sept. 4 Sunday Jazz Brunch, Ft. Lauderdale, along the New River downtown, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., free. Five stages including a variety of jazz types. www.fortlauderdale.gov

Sept. 7-12 Grand Pavois de La

tournament, hosted by the Marine Industries Association of South Florida, Bonaventure Country Club, Ft. Lauderdale. Proceeds beneﬁt the MIASF’s political action committee. $500 for a foursome, $125 for an individual before Sept. 2, otherwise $600 for a foursome, $150 for an individual. Join The Triton, which is cosponsoring a watering hole. Call Carlen at (954) 524-2733, www. miasf.com

Rochelle, at the Grand Pavois in Port des Minimes. www.grandpavois.com

Sept. 16-25 Southampton

Sept. 8-10 Shipyard Cup, East

Sept. 23-Nov. 13 “Magniﬁcent

Boothbay, Maine. An invitational regatta open to sailing yachts over 70 feet. Contact Andrea Holland at Boothbay Region Boatyard, (207) 633-2970, andrea@brby.com; or Ted Smith at Hodgdon Yachts, (207) 633-4194, tedsmith@hodgdonyachts.com. www.shipyardcup.com

Sept. 14-19 28th annual Cannes International Boat Show, France, at the Port de Cannes. www. salonnautiquecannes.com

Sept. 14-18 6th annual YachtFest, San Diego, the U.S. West Coast’s largest yacht show, on Shelter Island Marina, $150. (858) 8360133. Includes free crew seminars: “Going for Broke: Insider Tips for a Successful Brokerage Career” to learn how to protect clients and build a brokerage career (Thursday, 9 a.m.) and “Your Career in Yachting” where captains, engineers, stews and chefs discuss their years of experiences aboard yachts (Sunday, 9 a.m.). www.yachtfest. com

Sept. 15-18 Newport International Boat Show, Newport Yachting Center, 401-846-1115, www. newportboatshow.com

Sept. 16 12th annual MIASF golf

International Boat Show, Southampton, U.K. Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D” at IMAX, Museum of Discovery and Science, Ft. Lauderdale. Narrated by Tom Hanks. www.imax.com/ magniﬁcentdesolation

Sept. 23-26 Norwalk International In-Water Boat Show, Norwalk (Conn.) Cove Marina. www. discoverboating.com/norwalk

Sept. 27 Step Up to Leadership, a Dale Carnegie management training course for captains and senior ofﬁcers sponsored by The Triton, Ft. Lauderdale, 9 a.m.4 p.m., $300. Space is limited. Reservations: (954) 771-8477.

Oct. 2 Sunday Jazz Brunch, Ft. Lauderdale, along the New River downtown, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., free. Five stages including a variety of jazz types. www.fortlauderdale. gov/festivals

Oct. 6-10 36th annual U.S. Sailboat Show, Annapolis City Dock and Harbor, Annapolis, Md. www. usboat.com

Oct. 8-16 45th International Boat Show, Genoa, Italy, at the marina Duca degli Abruzzi. 1,500 exhibitors expected and nearly 2,000 boats on display. www. salonenautico-online.it

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September 2005

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EVENT OF MONTH

PHOTO/PIERRE PETTAVINO

Sept. 21-24, Monaco Yacht Show, Port Hercules

This is the 15th anniversary of the show that attracts the largest and most prestigious yachts. The focus is on quality, with 530 exhibitors and 93 yachts. About a third of the yachts were launched in 2005 and will be making their ﬁrst public appearances. There will be more, larger air-conditioned tents to house equipment manufacturers and service providers, shipyards (including 14 of the 15 largest in the world), designers, interior decorators and the national pavilions. Tickets are 40 euros. www.monacoyachtshow.org

Oct. 19-21 International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition & Conference (IBEX), Miami Beach. For trade only. www.ibexshow.com

Oct. 26 Superyacht Society membership meeting and breakfast, 8-10 a.m. at Bahia Mar, Ft. Lauderdale. (954) 525-6625, www.superyachtsociety.com

Oct. 27 Superyacht Society Gala Awards, Ft. Lauderdale, 8 p.m., Marriott Harbor Beach Resort, (954) 525-6625, www. superyachtsociety.com

Oct. 27-31 46th annual Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show in six locations, including Bahia Mar Yachting Center, Swimming Hall of Fame, Hyatt Pier 66, Marriott Portside Marina and convention center. www. showmanagement.com

Oct. 28 Superyacht Society Crew Training seminars, 10-3, Bahia Mar. (954) 525-6625, www. superyachtsociety.com

Oct. 28 SYS Distinguished Crew

Services Awards and luncheon, noon, Bahia Mar. (954) 525-6625, www.superyachtsociety.com

Nov. 4-6 24th annual BVI Fall

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Charteryacht Show, Village Cay Marina, Tortola. www. bvicrewedyachts.com

Nov. 6 Sunday Jazz Brunch, Ft. Lauderdale, along the New River downtown, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., free. Five stages including a variety of jazz types. www.fortlauderdale.gov

Nov. 8-10 31st annual St. Thomas Fall Charteryacht show, Crown Bay Marina. (800) 524-2061, www.vicl. org

Nov. 15-17 Marine Equipment Trade Show (METS) 2005, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. For trade only. At least 900 exhibitors expected. www.mets.nl

Nov. 15-17 Project 2005, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. This event draws many industry leaders to discuss the state of the industry and its future. 645 pounds. Register online at www. theyachtreport.com

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