Chefs delight
Concours de Chef competition judges chefs best. A6
Crew innovate In memoriam Capt. Kluttz of M/Y Dream dies. A4 Vol.8, No. 10
www.the-triton.com
and instincts. “This type of thing happens often, boats that had had crew injured, charter guests gone missing and not found, and heart attacks,” a captain said. “This made news because of her fame.” “But accidents are different from crimes,” another captain said. “There is a big difference.” 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 A14. The investigation into the 1981 drowning of Wood, star of films such
A17
January 2012
Owners push the edge of law; captains won’t Yacht captains and yacht owners don’t always agree on what is right and wrong. The events surrounding the death of actress Natalie Wood are an example. In media reports, the captain of M/Y Splendour and yacht owner Robert Wagner disagreed on whether to search From the Bridge and call the U.S. Dorie Cox Coast Guard when Wood was missing. At this month’s Triton From the Bridge luncheon, captains discussed how to handle instructions from the boss that are contrary to their training
Let their enthusiasm help innovate a better way.
as Miracle on 34th Street, Rebel Without a Cause and Westside Story, was reopened in November when several witnesses, including Splendour Capt. Dennis Davern, presented new information. At the Triton lunch, we did not speculate on the details of Woods’ case but instead used it to explore how captains handle orders from the owner in cases of drugs, illegal actions or other questionable behavior. “Not one of us here will kiss a** for the owner and jeopardize our careers,” a captain said. “I don’t want to work for someone
See BRIDGE, page A14
TRITON SURVEY
How did you get your start in yachting? Someone I met in yachting opened a door for me Recruited from – 37.5% shore-based Friend life – recruited/hired 13.6% me – 22.2%
Walked docks until I was hired – 10.2% Replied to a job posting – 8.5% Crew agent – 8.0% – Story, C1
America’s Cup
Large yachts mostly no-shows for tune-up in San Diego The vision all along was to have dozens of superyachts anchored just outside the perimeter of the newly designed America’s Cup race course. Sleek, shiny yachts were supposed to mark the course boundaries while giving yacht owners, guests and crew a In the Cup front-row view of Capt. Paul Warren the action of the speedy AC Class 45foot catamarans zipping around at up to 25 knots. At least, that was the way it was presented by the new management team at the America’s Cup Event Authority at a superyacht forum in Ft. Lauderdale last spring. The ACEA is the San Francisco-based marketing arm for the America’s Cup organization. When the America’s Cup World Series (ACWS) racing action started in Cascais, Portugal, in early August, the catamarans knew exactly where the course boundaries were, thanks to electronics that warned them as they got close to the computer-generated boundaries. A new blend of GPS transponders and race committeemanaged chart plotters monitored each racer’s position. It’s a good thing, because the scores of megayachts needed to line the race course failed to appear in November in
GreenComm Racing from Spain sails past one of the few megayachts that watched the racing in San Diego in PHOTO/CAPT. PAUL WARREN November. San Diego. “The program is in test mode, prepping for San Francisco,” said Kate Pearson, president of the San Diego Superyacht Association (SDSA) and vice president of business development at Knight & Carver shipyard. “This was not the main event for the America’s Cup.”
The 183-foot Perini Navi ketch S/Y Zenji and the 106-foot Horizon M/Y Maximus II were consistent spectators, and a couple of other megayachts came out on individual race days, but that was all. This seemed to follow the pattern of low participation in earlier ACWS events in Europe, where photos and videos
showed only a handful of large yachts in the spectator fleets. The absence of superyachts was due to a breakdown in the ACEA’s planned Superyacht Program. The program was billed as a major element of the overall America’s Cup plan.
See AMERICA’S CUP, page A10