The Triton
www.the-triton.com
FROM THE FRONT
March 2006
A29
Documentation is key to dismissing crew who use THE BRIDGE, from page A28 requested. That suggests fairly regular use, this crew member said. “You have to keep your pulse on the crew,” one captain said. “The documentation starts with the chief stew, the first mate or whomever. If it comes to me, he’s pretty much done.” “If six people are doing it, the rest of the crew is going to know and you can intervene if you know about it,” another said. So how does a captain intervene? They agreed it depends on the individual crew member and their career, on the guidelines laid out at the beginning, and on the situation. Documentation, they said, is key. “It’s not a clean-cut issue,” one captain said. “It’s dealt with differently on every level. You have to give good crew a chance to fix the problem. And you do that with documentation.” “Tell them once, put it in writing, have them sign it,” another captain said. “The second time, they have to go through counseling and sign that, too. The third time, they’re gone.” But several captains noted that firing crew can be a touchy matter. Yes, illegal drug use is grounds for dismissal, but “you have to be careful how you deal with it.” A few captains suggested that the employment contract the crew member signs when they start work on the yacht should include the yacht’s stance against illegal drug use. While few of the captains in attendance have dealt with illegal drug use among their crew, most have dealt with alcohol use – or rather, over use. Most have curfews on the night before a trip. “They hate curfews, but they understand.” And several captains have a “12-hour bottle-to-throttle” policy. One captain uses the 90-day probationary period to watch for alcohol abuse, including
hangovers. “You talk to them, and if they keep it up, their probation is extended a month,” this captain said. “I’ve never had to fire anybody. They’ve always pulled their socks up.” Other captains have fired crew over alcohol use, especially on board and on duty. “I’ve had stews that drank rum and Cokes, passing them off as just Cokes,” a captain said. One captain fired six crew over two months for drinking and being hungover. The final reason, though, was their attitudes and low performance. “But my issue was the alcohol,” this captain said. “We have mandatory crew dinners,” another said. “It’s tough, living together. It’s your home as well as your office. So you see them, you can see how they socialize.” In many ways, being a captain is like being a parent as well as a boss, they agreed. “You’ve got to find the line, and it’s a real wiggly line.” And that works with crew who are using illegal drugs, too. “When you’re young and first experiencing with drugs, it’s cool,” a captain said. “But when you are older and you see what drugs do to people’s lives, when you see people being taken away in handcuffs, the fun’s over.”
Join the largest environmental event in Broward County and help clean up our waterways, canals and shorelines at 31 locations county-wide.
March 4, 2006 9 am - 1 pm
Contact Editor Lucy Chabot Reed at lucy@the-triton.com.
Each month, The Triton invites yacht captains to lunch to discuss industry issues. If you are a hired yacht captain and would like to attend, e-mail lucy@thetriton.com. Space is limited.
IN THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN NEWPORT
Volunteers Needed! What To Do:
. Choose a Cleanup Site at
www.waterwaycleanup.org
. Come by boat or land at 9 am Information flyers at Broward Publix Supermarkets or call1. 800.BOAT. 001
www.newportshipyard.com DOCKAGE • REFIT • REPAIR • 25 FEET MEAN LOW WATER • 330 & 70 TON TRAVELIFTS
. Join the volunteer Trash Bash
celebration at John U. Lloyd Beach State Park from 2 - 5 pm