New guidelines
IMO adopted flexible, yet mandatory, measures. B1
Feeding in Fiji Path less taken Megayacht travels the Hudson River. B1 Vol.9, No. 2
www.the-triton.com
Crew from M/Y Noble House and M/Y Mary Jean help locals.
A4
May 2012
Yacht grounds under bridge in Ft. Lauderdale Extreme low tide, half-open bridge contribute to S/Y Inmocean incident By Dorie Cox Accustomed to being photographed for its sleek, classic design, the 134.5foot S/Y Inmocean got more attention than Capt. Richard Hollis expected on April 17 when it ran aground under the 17th Street Causeway bridge in Ft. Lauderdale. The yacht came from St. Maarten for some work and was headed for the 1 p.m. bridge opening. Only the west leaves of the bascule bridge were open and Hollis said he hugged the west side of the Intracoastal Waterway channel to avoid his mast hitting the bridge. That’s when the sloop, which draws 14.11 feet, hit bottom. “It was just a perfect storm of low tide, the bridge being down and communication,” Hollis said. “I’ve been through at high tide and had 12 feet under the keel. I should have had 4 feet. But you have to be in the center of the channel for that.” Even with the bridge’s 55 feet of clearance, the yacht’s 161-foot mast requires it be open for passage. Scheduled openings are on the hour and the half hour for the busy bridge. At 12:31 p.m that day, the port was in a spring low tide, which is exceptionally
TRITON SURVEY
Do you expect a severance when you leave the yacht? No, I understand (economy) – 1.2% Yes, full amount per manual – 31.7%
No, it’s not expected but would be nice Yes, even if less – 47.6% than promised – 19.5%
– Story, C1
low. The depth of the channel could not be verified at time of press, but the depth is about 16 feet in the center. Hollis, his crew and the blue-hulled sloop were unharmed, and Hollis mustered humor about the incident. “We’re not hurt, just my pride,” Hollis laughed. An experienced seaman, Hollis has logged more than 100,000 nautical miles racing and running megayachts. His specialization is in systems engineering and he represented the owner on the design, specifications and construction of the yacht, a finalist in the World Superyacht Awards 2009. He has navigated the channel many times and said once he committed to passing under the bridge, he motored at three knots to maintain steerage. “I’ve been going in and S/Y Inmocean, a 134.5-foot sloop, aground on April 17 under the 17th Street Causeway out of here for years,” he said. bridge in Ft. Lauderdale. PHOTO FROM TOWBOATU.S. FT. LAUDERDALE “You have to go through at speed, and then it was just gets much worse,” he said, relating it to and there are barges in the water, said too late to stop or back up.” what happens to the sand around the Barbara Kelleher, spokeswoman for With his fingers, Hollis drew the feet of a person standing in the surf. Florida Department of Transportation. shape of the channel in the air, pointing The longer you stand there, the more “Workers were under the bascule, out the flat bottom and angled sides entrenched your feet become. north of the bridge and east of the to explain why the keel hit bottom. The bridge, which carries four lanes fenders, working from the bank,” Luckily, the part the yacht hit was mud of traffic across the ICW just north of Kelleher said. “The crew was not in the and silt, he said. Port Everglades, has been undergoing channel.” “But if you’re in the mud too long, it See AGROUND, page A7 routine maintenance since February
Like a CV, your reputation tells a story As yachts begin to sell, the job market begins to shift with them. Several captains on long-term boats have seen their vessels sell, or face the prospect of them selling. In some cases, these professionals have become so From the Bridge tightly related to Lucy Chabot Reed the yacht they commanded that it seems odd to picture them on another vessel.
So how does a reputation -presuming it’s good -- work when looking for another job? Do megayacht captains look for another, similar owner and/or yacht? Or are they like actors who can play whatever part they land? “Do you get on something really goofy and let that impact your reputation?” one captain asked. “I wouldn’t do that.” 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 A16. Reputations attach to both captains and yachts. These captains didn’t see it as an attractive challenge to take a position on a troubled yacht in an effort to turn it around. Nor did they embrace the idea of working for an owner whose reputation in the yachting world isn’t well regarded. Most wanted, instead, to continue advancing their careers as they talked of retiring and resumes.
See BRIDGE, page A16