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March 2007 PRODUCT REVIEW: Captain’s Call
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The Triton
Meet the master of the Miele One of the most frustrating things I have encountered in my yachting career is trying to locate a professional technician who understands the German Miele appliances that are ubiquitous on board yachts. Mieles are arguably the world’s finest dishwashers, clothes washers and dryers. Their ability to wash Captain’s Call load after load of David Hare laundry, virtually running 24/7 on active charter vessels, is legendary. Equally legendary is the inability to find someone who knows what the hell he is doing when it comes to tinkering with these sophisticated machines. I can remember two weeks in a U.S. yard having the local, self-proclaimed Miele tech visit a 156-foot yacht I worked on several times. He never solved the problem. Dealing with this guy made me resolve to find a Miele tech who knew what he was doing. That man is Harry Persaud of Ft. Lauderdale. Persaud is an exU.S. Navy Seal. His commitment to professionalism and problem-solving are second to none. His company, Precision Commercial Repair, handles all Miele products, from small home appliances to Miele’s Professional Machine Line found on the likes of M/Y Floridian and M/Y Battered Bull. After a nine-year stint as a Seal, Persaud spent seven years working for Hobart Ships’ Marine Division installing, troubleshooting and repairing galley and laundry-room equipment on cruise ships. A chance encounter with Battered Bull’s chief engineer led Persaud to yachting. “I enjoy working with the professional yacht crew mentality,” he said. “A vast difference from the cruise ship game or the shore-side people who purchase a Miele and refuse to read the manual. They are frankly too silly to understand these complex machines.”
Harry Persaud is a former U.S. Navy PHOTO/CAPT. DAVID HARE Seal. Persaud’s eyes have a sparkle of keenness that most techs’ do not. I asked him why this was so. “These machines are mysteries waiting to be solved,” he said. “Their complex electronics can go haywire and I just love getting into each machine’s issues. They are challenges.” Persaud will travel to any yacht. In South Florida, he arrives by Mercedes van fully equipped with a work shop. If an owner will fly him somewhere, he is airport-ready. Persaud had two one-week sessions at Miele’s school in Princeton, N.J., initially, and he attends refresher courses quarterly in Boca Raton. “It is critical that I attend these seminars, as that is my secret to solving the Miele issues on the latest European new-build yachts,” he said. “Miele is constantly coming out with new products, new electronics and new methods of control functionality.” If you have a Miele, you have to know Harry, +1-954-854-6338. Capt. David Hare runs the 70-foot Delta expedition yacht M/V Thunder and is a regular contributor to The Triton. He is currently looking for a captain’s position on a yacht over 100 GRT. Contact him at david@hare.com. If you have a product or service you’d like to see reviewed, contact Editor Lucy Chabot Reed at lucy@the-triton.com.