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www.the-triton.com
November 2014 Boat show events, see B18. Triton networks on Nov. 19, see C5.
C2-3
Crew, yachts at their best Monaco Yacht Show brings out the best in industry. A20-21
Dredged up from ‘Below’ Charters not phased by show, readers respond. A22,26
Abide by acronyms Charter world ruled by host of governing bodies. B1
Study puts stats on the rail Passenger train report details impact on marine traffic. B1
E-learning a growing option for yacht crew
EXCEPTIONAL EXPO
By Dorie Cox
IN FULL SWING: The season kicked off with 800 captains, crew and industry professionals at The Triton’s largest event of the year, the Triton Expo in October in Ft. Lauderdale. See more on page A13. PHOTO/DORIE COX
Captains get new crew on dock, not agencies As Ft. Lauderdale’s marinas and shipyards teem with yachts, its streets, schools and crew houses teem with crew, many here for the first time in search of a new adventure, a new career or simply that first full-time job on a yacht. But it’s not easy. Ask any new crew member and they will tell you the From the Bridge competition for Lucy Chabot Reed daywork is fierce, meeting captains is and Dorie Cox no walk in the park, and even the advantage of being in a crew house can backfire. In this age of Internet and credentials, looking for work on a yacht has taken a different tack than it did when yachting was developing in the 1970s and 80s, or even when it was booming in the early 2000s. In the 2010s, kids focus on resumes
and placement agencies, and it occurred to us that maybe that’s not the best way. So when we hosted this month’s captains lunch, we also sprang for lunch for a group of new crew. We kept both groups separate and asked them the same questions (roughly) to see where they meet, and where they don’t. We were right when we figured new crew concentrate on crew agencies. “Type in ‘yacht crew’ [in Google] and you get all the crew agencies,” a deckhand said. The majority of crew at the lunch said they had dutifully uploaded or sent their resumes to more than one crew employment service. But that’s not where captains find entry-level crew. “For experienced crew, agencies are the way to go, but for green crew, they have to get out on the docks,” one captain said. “I’ve had great success hiring kids off the dock.” As always, individual comments
are not attributed to any one person in particular so as to encourage frank and open discussion. The attending captains and crew are identified in photographs on pages A16-17. “New crew do themselves a disservice going to the crew agencies,” said one captain who told the story of a tall blonde woman who wanted to work on deck. Because of her looks, agents repeatedly told her she needed to work on the interior, and she struggled to find a job that made her happy. “We always have three green crew onboard, two junior deckies and a junior stew,” one captain said. “The boss hates agencies. He lets me use them for officers, but it’s a waste of time for entry-level crew.” Instead, this captain and several others find their entry-level crew off the dock, from word-of-mouth referrals, and from Web sites such as Daywork 123 and the various Facebook pages
See BRIDGE page A16
Wean “Wouks” van der Westhuizen works long days as chief officer on the 171-foot (52m) M/Y Kiss The Sky. Upgrading his officer-of-the-watch unlimited ticket presented a challenge not only in time off but also in travel to a school and the financial commitment. He found a solution that lets him work online. “A couple of years ago, Fleetwood Nautical College [in the UK] developed a distance-learning course so you can obtain your OOW unlimited and chief mate unlimited,” van der Westhuizen said. “This is suited for the yachting industry. You don’t have to take the nine and six months off work to attend a maritime college.” Van der Westhuizen is part of a growing trend of electronic learning in yachting. There are some online courses available with many maritime institutes, but not necessarily the specific courses yacht crew require.
See ONLINE, page A9
TRITON SURVEY
If you are not working a boat show, will you attend one? Yes, most 10% No 22%
Yes, one or two 68%
– Story, C1