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August 2015 Join summertime networking with IGY Marinas at the beach on Aug. 5.
C2 Taking sides Owner takes on Triton Survey results about brokers. A3
Sky’s the limit Marshall Islands issues first yacht unlimited license.
A4
Off the grid and off the yacht Checking out the world away from city and marinas. B1
Stew deliver more than food Partnership with the chef gives guests the best memories. C1
Captains choose job for best fit, not just owner or salary There’s a difference between taking a job and choosing a job. As the yachting industry gets busy cruising again, there seem to be more captains moving around. It’s less about needing a job, it seems, and more about landing a good one. Many times, of course, the choice From the Bridge is easy, depending Lucy Chabot Reed on how long they have been on the dock. But captains gathered for our August roundtable discussion said they are far enough along in their career
to be a little more selective about job offers. And while their impressions of the owner and the salary play a part, they agreed there’s other stuff more important to them now. “I’ve turned down three positions in the past eight months,” said one captain. “I’m honest with the owner and we agree it’s not a good fit. I have a two-way interview and interview them as much as they do me. The best part is when they ask if I have any questions and I pull my list out. I want to know what the program is, what the benefits are, who hires and fires, and how they handle crew. I’ve been stuck with crew I can’t fire.”
“Nothing’s worse than that,” another captain said. “It doesn’t end well. “It doesn’t end well because you end up emasculated in front of other crew, and pretty soon this one is getting away with stuff, and then this one, and that one,” the first captain said. “Where do you go from there? You end up looking for another job.” As always, individual comments are not attributed to any one person in particular so as to encourage frank and open discussion. The attending captains are identified in a photograph on page A10. The captains shared their stories of inherited crew and agreed that
they often resist jobs where the owner participates in crew management. Another deal breaker is salaries. “Before the interview, I have to know they’re going to pay industry standard,” one captain said. “I’ve wasted so much time and miles on my car to get to interviews only to be told they don’t. Crew agencies lead me down the wrong path.” “Is it their job to negotiate your salary or put you up for a job?” another captain said. “Point taken,” said the first. Beyond salary is the money question of how the owner funds the boat.
See BRIDGE, page A10
TRITON SURVEY
NEWPORT NEWS
This month captains weigh in on the details of dockage. See story on C1.
Do you find dockage rates to be reasonable? Yes 13% No 16%
Mostly 72%
ONE HAPPY BOAT: The crew of the 130-foot M/Y Far Niente (above) and the 50-foot S/Y Paradigm Shift took top PHOTO BY BILLY BLACK honors at the 34th Newport Charter Show. For details see page A7.
Business ‘steady as she goes’ under new owners at LMC By Dorie Cox Management and tenants at Lauderdale Marine Center in Ft. Lauderdale report a smooth transition after the July 1 purchase by The Carlyle Group, a global asset manager based in Washington, D.C. “If we could have kept this news under wraps, no one would have known there was a change since June 30,” Mark
Pratt, general manager of LMC, said. “A few staff are gone from the financial side. The chief financial officer and assistant, they went with the seller.” The company has hired a controller and an operations manager from within, but no other staff changes have been made, he said. According to Carlyle Group’s public relations agency for the purchase of LMC, there will not be a Carlyle representative on site.
“It’s not like Carlyle has a group of black suits that descended on us,” he said. “All the rest is exactly as it was. The employees are the same, down to their accrued vacation [days].” According to several people at LMC, The Carlyle Group has not made much of a public show on site. LMC is a doit-yourself yard where customers can work with businesses that lease offices and bays on the property as tenants.
As of press time, only a few of the nearly 60 tenants have seen a Carlyle representative. “I met a rep who will be responsible for remote oversight, but other than that we’ve seen absolutely no changes,” said tenant Chris Brown, owner of High Seas Yacht Service and Hydraulic. “There is no big news to report; it’s steady as she goes.”
See LMC, page A11