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March 2014 The Triton joins Viking SurfSUP and Smart Move for networking. See A10-11.
C2-3 Crew shine at Miami show News, photos from the Yacht & Brokerage Show. A12-13
Passenger, freight rail to impact New River
Ahead of the game Crew of M/Y Penny Mae take the extra step for MLC 2006. A3
Your ‘write to be heard’ Readers respond to leadership, rotation issues. A16-19
Under wraps Standards drafted for painting shrink wrapped yachts. B1
FEELING THE LOVE
By Lucy Chabot Reed Several new projects are convening on Ft. Lauderdale’s eastern railroad tracks, and the marine industry is poised to make sure they don’t derail South Florida’s yachting industry. The project getting the most attention is All Aboard Florida, a privately funded project to create highspeed passenger rail service between Miami and Orlando. But even more troubling to the marine industry are the freight trains that will come out of Port Everglades and the Port of Miami once expansion projects in both those facilities are complete. “We’re worried about the cumulative impact of all of it,” said Gene Douglas, vice president and general counsel at Bradford Marine. “All Aboard Florida is only one part of it. We have to look at the impact of all of it on the marine industry.” The marine industry’s main concern is the FEC railroad bridge that crosses the New River in the heart of downtown Ft. Lauderdale, the entryway to the majority of the area’s refit and repair yards. An increased number of trains – passenger and freight – means the 36-year-old, slow-moving bridge would be in the down position more often. (Just how often, no one is quite sure yet.) When down, it has a vertical clearance of just 4 feet, forcing all but the smallest dinghies to stop. “As this thing comes to life, I don’t think anyone understands the real impact,” said Phil Purcell, the new executive director of the Marine Industries Association of South Florida. “All we can hope for is influencing how long will it be open each hour. “People, the people stuck in their
See RAIL, page A5
CLOSE TO THE HEART: The crew of M/Y MiMu embrace the Valentine’s Day spirit onboard during the 26th annual Yacht and Brokerage Show in Miami Beach last month. PHOTO/TOM SERIO
Celebrate with us
The Triton turns 10 in April and we’re having a party. It’s the spring Triton Expo, actually, bigger and better than ever with at least 30 vendors, seminars from our beloved columnists, food, drinks and music, not to mention cake. Join us on the first Wednesday in April from 5-8 p.m. at National Marine Suppliers. This is a professional event, so dress the part and bring business cards. You never know who you’ll meet.
TRITON SURVEY: Transient Crew
What do you think of transient crew (among captains on yachts larger than 140 feet)? They’re OK – 32% Great idea - 14% Terrible idea – 54% – Story, C1
It’s not easy being green, but captains give crew a chance Yachting has always attracted young people, some infatuated with the sea, others intrigued by the prospect of working on these lovely vessels, most intoxicated by the idea of being paid to travel. While some of these men and women come to yachting eager to From the Bridge learn and see where Lucy Chabot Reed it can take them, many more intend to spend just a year or two in the industry, looking for an adventure but not a career. On the heels of yachting’s own reality show, the industry may perhaps lure even more young people seeking adventure so we talked to yacht captains this month on what they do with these kids. Do they give them a chance, knowing they’ll only be around for a short stint? “Absolutely,” one captain said. “All the time,” said another.
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 9. “Entry-level crew, they tend to be gypsies,” one captain said. “They come to work on a boat for the allure and the ability to travel and get paid for it. Some are really excited about it, but others, all they do is buy dope and get everyone in a big mess. It’s happened to me two or three times.” (This conversation soon revealed that it wasn’t always green crew who got seduced by drugs and/or alcohol, but seasoned crew, as well, and so we brought the discussion back on topic.) “We were all green once,” another captain said. “I came [in] never having worked on a yacht as crew.” But this captain grew up on and around boats, so while he was new to yachts, he wasn’t new to boats and being on the sea. And that makes a
See BRIDGE, page A7