FT. LAUDERDALESunday • O c t. 31, 2010

o o o

For more news, visit www.the-triton.com

Respect makes Big Fish special

WE KNOW HOW TO DO IT: Have fun, that is. The crew and owner of M/Y Big Fish, including Bosun Susie Sunshine, have signed up for a high energy ride. PHOTO/TOM SERIO

By Tom Serio

Mutual respect is a cornerstone of good working relationships. On well-run yachts, that respect has to flow between captains and crew members.

When it works between crew and the owner, well, that’s something special.

That sort of respect abounds on M/Y Big Fish, the 147-foot expedition style yacht built by Aquos Yachts and docked at The Sails Marina southeast of the 17th Street bridge. And it’s that respect that turns a fabulous yacht

into a fabulous experience, not just for owner Richard Beattie and guests, but also for the crew.

“We had a team meeting today with Mr. Beattie,” Chef John Tubby said yesterday. “There’s great interaction on board.”

That’s mostly thanks to Beattie, who wasn’t only looking for qualifications in the crew, but rather those who are fun and can make the guest experience exponentially better. He brings that kind of energy to the yacht himself,

Sun & MoonSunset:6:39pm;Sunrise (Monday):7:29amMoonrise: 2:34am(Monday);34%litHigh tides:4pm/4:34am(Monday)Low tides:10:35pm/11:04am(Monday)

Weather

Today’s Events

Test Your MatesFindouthownauticalyouand

yourcrewmatesarewiththisquiz.nWhentwopowervessels

meetatahalfmileorlessdistance,twoshortwhistleblastsmeans:Iamleavingyouonmyportside,Iamleavingyouonstarboardside.nWhatisasemidurnaltide?nWasittruthormyththat

piratesmadetheircaptiveswalktheplank? ANSWERS on page 3.

All day, all weekU.S.CustomsandBorderProtectionofficerswillbeattheU.S.SuperyachtAssociationpavilionintheYachtBuildersandDesignersTenttoanswerquestionsandhandoutinformationaboutclearingintotheUnitedStatesonayacht,clearingintotheUnitedStatesattheairport,andthelocalboateroptionforU.S.citizensandresidents.

Halloween dinner, 5-10 pmTheGratefulPalateon17thStreet,arestaurantandyachtprovisioner,isopentonightforHalloween.Arriveincostumeandgetafreeglassofwine.Reservations:954-467-1997

Halloween crew party, 8 pm-Rybovich’sHalloweenCrewPartyatBiminiBoatyard(on17thStreetjustwestofthebridge)

Today: Partlycloudiy,high85;windsE,10mph;69%humidityTonight: Mostlyclear,low72Tomorrow AM: Partlycloudy,mid-70s

See BIG FISH, page 8

Sunday • O c t. 31, 2010 | 3

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Derecktor: Think of sea trials firstBy Lucy Chabot Reed

When it comes to tackling a build

project four times larger than anything his company had ever done before, Tom Derecktor said he had confidence in his shipyard in Connecticut because of the people who work there.

But it was the owner’s faith in the yard that made all those people want to come together to deliver the 281-foot Cakewalk this summer.

“Nobody in the industry thought we could do this,” he told

members of the U.S. Superyacht

Association yesterday. “Nobody thought we could do this.

But it felt good Wednesday night

when we had all the big yard CEOs there – I mean the big yards, the Lurssens, Feadships, the absolute best – come up to me and say ‘it is the best we’ve seen’.”

M/Y Cakewalk was built in the tried and true modular fashion with a steel hull and aluminum superstructure. The key to getting the yacht launched and at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show was something he called failure mode and effects analysis.

“You have to think about the sea trials at the beginning,” he said. “What could go wrong at sea trial? You have to think about it, anticipate it and proactively take measures to prevent it. We did as many trials inside the building as possible. There were no second chances here. We had to nail it.”

The yard built the launch system in concert with the yacht, and workers hauled and transferred a dredge three times to be sure the air transfer system worked the way it was supposed to.

“We got Cakewalk transferred in two-

and-a-half hours flat,” Derecktor said. To handle the complex systems the

yacht and yard required, Derecktor hired “a lot more people” for the yard, but also hired many subcontractors, a mix of American and European companies, he said.

“We have the quality,” he said. “What we need is the supplier base.”

The business people in attendance at breakfast wanted to know what the U.S.-based industry should do to compete more regularly with the strong European yards.

“The Europeans didn’t abandon ship building the way we’ve done,” Derecktor said. “They maintained their trade programs, their apprenticeship programs. Trades are an honorable profession in Europe, northern Europe specifically, on par with a physician.

“People’s all you have,” he said. “Sure we have a great shipyard, but it’s just a piece of property with some buildings and equipment on it. It’s nothing without the people. Once you create a center like that, it’s a draw.”

He urged the USSA to help the industry create a trade program that will catch students with talent and interest.

“We train our own people in house,” Derecktor said. “We have second- and third-generation guys working in the yard. And the young guys are being trained by the older guys. We need more of that.

“We can build a yacht like Cakewalk, but to build two or three of them concurrently, Jesus, what would we do?” he said.

“We need an industrywide-funded program in trades. That would be the single biggest impact you could make, getting guys at that age with those skills in the industry. That would be huge.”

Lucy Chabot Reed is editor of The Triton. Contact: lucy@the-triton.com.

Answerstothequizonpage1:nStarboardsidenAtidethathastwoequaldailyhigh

watersandtwoequaldailylowwaters.nMyth

Test Your MatesTriton Today Ft. Lauderdale ispublished

byTritonPublishingGroup.

Vol. 2, No. 4.

Copyright2010,Allrightsreserved.

About us

4 | Sunday • O c t. 31, 2010

DOING THE CREW THING, DAY 4: Uniformed Crew

Fromformaluniformstomorecasualdaywear,yachtcrewarealmostalwaysdeckedoutinmatchinggarb.Intenseteamworkandcloseworkingconditionsmaycreateasimilarlookbetweenthem,buttheywillalwaysretaintheiruniqueness. PHOTOS/JUlIANNE HAMMOND, TOM SERIO, DORIE COx

Sunday • O c t. 31, 2010 | 5

6 | Sunday • O c t. 31, 2010

Capt. Richard StalfordS/Y Cabochon92-foot custom

“Hopethatnextownerreallyusestheboatsinceitwasbuiltforglobalcruising.”

Stew Nina LangM/Y New Vida165-foot Delta

“Alaska.IamfromSeattle.Iwanttogothroughthecanal,headnorth,pullintoSeattleandsay‘hey,’andthenkeepgoing.”

Eng. Peter ThunM/Y Silver Shalis132-foot Abeking Rasmussen

“I’dgobacktoTahitiandthenVanuatu,Caledonia,forthespectaculardivingandthewonderfulfood.”

Mate Tucker YinglingM/Y Glaze161-foot Trinity

“TheGoldCoastofMexicofordiving,uptoAlaska,thentotheSouthPacifictodivetheBarrierReef.”

Mate Nick BoydM/Y Cocktails100-foot Hargrave

“TotheMed.Ifhesayswe’regoing,I’msold.”

Stew Svitlana GartvigM/Y Christine II100-foot Cheoy Lee

“WouldlovetogototheislandofSantorini,Greece.It’sbeautiful.”

Deck/Stew Elizabeth PellattM/Y Remember When162-foot Christensen

“IwouldliketostartintheSouthPacific,thentoAustralia,andthen,mightaswellgoallthewayaround-acircumnavigation.”

Capt. Todd LikinsM/Y Cocktails100-foot Hargrave

“Westcoastcruising,fromPanamatoAlaska.There’sgreatfishing,too.”

Deck/Stew Lindsay RobertsM/Y Milk and Honey125-foot Palmer Johnson

“ToMexico.I’veneverbeen.Thenagain,I’mnewtotheindustrysoeveryplaceisnewtome.”

First Officer Debora RadtkeM/Y Ohana154-foot Admiral

“Asia.It’sverydifferentfromwherewe’vebeenandhasadistinctculture.”

CHECKING THE TIDE: Triton Today’s Question of the Day

First Mate Nick MarrM/Y Thirteen157-foot Christensen

“ToCostaRicaforthegoodfishing,goodsurf.Iamanavidsurfer.”

Eng. Sebastian Andres LehmannM/Y Marin34m Sunseeker

“TotheBahamas,anyislandthere.Theyareallbeautiful.”

Chef Mark KleinM/Y Lazy Z168-foot Oceanco

“ToAlaska.I’veneverbeen,andIwanttoseethewildlife.”

Deckhand David BabatM/Y Muse123-foot Palmer Johnson

“I’dliketoseetheMed,togosomeplacenew,maybeCroatia.”

Capt. Bernard CalotM/Y Olga121-foot Crescent

“ToPolynesiaandFiji.Iwanttoseenewplacesandhaveanewadventure.”

Deckhand Matt BaynesM/Y Gotta Go145-foot NQEA

“SouthPacific,startinginIndonesia,thentoAustralia,thentheislands,forthesurfing.”

Deckhand Anthony PompaM/Y Sovereign120-foot Broward

“IwanttogotothePacific,thewestcoastofSouthAmericarightuptoAlaska.”

Stew Brittany FullerM/Y Krisujen126-foot Feadship

“IwouldwanttogotoBritishColumbia,becauseit’shome.”

Where do you wish the owner would take the boat?

Pacific – 55.6%Other places – 31.1%

Wewerenotsurprisedtolearnmostcrewwanttogosomeplacenew,butwewerealittlesurprisedthatmostofthosetouchthePacificOcean.AsmanycrewwantedtoheadtoAlaskaastotheSouthPacific,andsomewantedtoseethewholeocean.Andtherearestillcrewwhowantoldstandbys(Bahamas,Med).Afewsuggestedconceptsinsteadofdestinations(acircumnavigationandsomeplacewherethedivingisgood).

Concepts – 13.3%

Sunday • O c t. 31, 2010 | 7

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Capt. Richard StalfordS/Y Cabochon92-foot custom

“Hopethatnextownerreallyusestheboatsinceitwasbuiltforglobalcruising.”

Stew Nina LangM/Y New Vida165-foot Delta

“Alaska.IamfromSeattle.Iwanttogothroughthecanal,headnorth,pullintoSeattleandsay‘hey,’andthenkeepgoing.”

Eng. Peter ThunM/Y Silver Shalis132-foot Abeking Rasmussen

“I’dgobacktoTahitiandthenVanuatu,Caledonia,forthespectaculardivingandthewonderfulfood.”

Mate Tucker YinglingM/Y Glaze161-foot Trinity

“TheGoldCoastofMexicofordiving,uptoAlaska,thentotheSouthPacifictodivetheBarrierReef.”

Mate Nick BoydM/Y Cocktails100-foot Hargrave

“TotheMed.Ifhesayswe’regoing,I’msold.”

Stew Svitlana GartvigM/Y Christine II100-foot Cheoy Lee

“WouldlovetogototheislandofSantorini,Greece.It’sbeautiful.”

Deck/Stew Elizabeth PellattM/Y Remember When162-foot Christensen

“IwouldliketostartintheSouthPacific,thentoAustralia,andthen,mightaswellgoallthewayaround-acircumnavigation.”

Capt. Todd LikinsM/Y Cocktails100-foot Hargrave

“Westcoastcruising,fromPanamatoAlaska.There’sgreatfishing,too.”

Deck/Stew Lindsay RobertsM/Y Milk and Honey125-foot Palmer Johnson

“ToMexico.I’veneverbeen.Thenagain,I’mnewtotheindustrysoeveryplaceisnewtome.”

First Officer Debora RadtkeM/Y Ohana154-foot Admiral

“Asia.It’sverydifferentfromwherewe’vebeenandhasadistinctculture.”

CHECKING THE TIDE: Triton Today’s Question of the Day

First Mate Nick MarrM/Y Thirteen157-foot Christensen

“ToCostaRicaforthegoodfishing,goodsurf.Iamanavidsurfer.”

Eng. Sebastian Andres LehmannM/Y Marin34m Sunseeker

“TotheBahamas,anyislandthere.Theyareallbeautiful.”

Chef Mark KleinM/Y Lazy Z168-foot Oceanco

“ToAlaska.I’veneverbeen,andIwanttoseethewildlife.”

Deckhand David BabatM/Y Muse123-foot Palmer Johnson

“I’dliketoseetheMed,togosomeplacenew,maybeCroatia.”

Capt. Bernard CalotM/Y Olga121-foot Crescent

“ToPolynesiaandFiji.Iwanttoseenewplacesandhaveanewadventure.”

Deckhand Matt BaynesM/Y Gotta Go145-foot NQEA

“SouthPacific,startinginIndonesia,thentoAustralia,thentheislands,forthesurfing.”

Deckhand Anthony PompaM/Y Sovereign120-foot Broward

“IwanttogotothePacific,thewestcoastofSouthAmericarightuptoAlaska.”

Stew Brittany FullerM/Y Krisujen126-foot Feadship

“IwouldwanttogotoBritishColumbia,becauseit’shome.”

Where do you wish the owner would take the boat?

Pacific – 55.6%Other places – 31.1%

Wewerenotsurprisedtolearnmostcrewwanttogosomeplacenew,butwewerealittlesurprisedthatmostofthosetouchthePacificOcean.AsmanycrewwantedtoheadtoAlaskaastotheSouthPacific,andsomewantedtoseethewholeocean.Andtherearestillcrewwhowantoldstandbys(Bahamas,Med).Afewsuggestedconceptsinsteadofdestinations(acircumnavigationandsomeplacewherethedivingisgood).

Concepts – 13.3%

8 | Sunday • O c t. 31, 2010

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excitedly describing the boat and her features, boasting about the destinations the yacht has already been to and plans to travel to next, and marveling at the innovations of the yacht’s designers and builders.

And he has a genuine concern and affection for his crew. He considered the crew’s living space during planning as well as other typical crew concerns because the crew is considered part of the family. Beattie wants the crew to have as much fun as guests and family are having.

“We want you to be with us,” he said, talking to his crew. He has asked the crew for feedback on the yacht so that the design of the next one built, the 165-foot Star Fish, will be even better.

Bosun Susie Sunshine, who is also a dive instructor, said she sees the value in an involved owner, and likes the adventure of “doing things no other boat has done.”

Big Fish is planning a polar circumnavigation and is expected to become the first yacht to navigate the Northeast Passage. The yacht launched from New Zealand in May and has been to Tahiti and the Society Islands before heading to Ft. Lauderdale. From the

show, she is headed to Patagonia and Antactica, then around the Amazon and Cuba before heading to Northern Europe next summer for the Northeast Passage over Russia and through the Pacific back to the islands.

Sunshine hopes to retire from this yacht.

The yacht will pick up charter guests at its various ports and is targeting a younger, more active client. So the crew had to be fun and active as well. They are permitted and encouraged, Sunshine said, to be active in the areas the boat will visit “during their free time,” she said.

Her favorite toy is the tender, a custom craft called Triple Ripple geared for diving expeditions.

“Guests love it,” she said. “They can go dive for the day, and rock out to the stereo on the ride back to Big Fish.”

Chef John Tubby’s favorite space is the open galley, large work areas and the relaxing sitting area where guests can enjoy their morning coffee or snacks.

“I get to know everyone and how their day is,” he said.

In yachting about four years, Tubby

BIG FISH, from page 1

lEMME HEAR YA SAY YEAH: Big FIsh owner Richard Beattie inspires and energizes his crew and guests during a showing yesterday. PHOTOS/TOM SERIO

Crew considered part of family

See BIG FISH, next page

Sunday • O c t. 31, 2010| 9 WORLDWIDE CHANDLERY FULFILLMENT FROM THE MEGAYACHT

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said he’s excited by the destinations they have seen and by the ones still to see.

“I like food that is local,” he said. “It doesn’t make sense to fly food half way around the world.”

Big Fish also has a registered nurse. Ann McComb, currently a fill-in for the regular medic, came on in Tahiti and for the trip to Ft. Lauderdale, for about eight weeks. And it’s a good thing as one crew member needed treatment from the bends after a diving excursion. McComb was able to stabilize the crew member until the yacht reached a hyperbaric chamber in the Galapagos Islands.

Not only is having fun a goal, so is ease of operation. Stew Cath Carlsen pointed that out with the wrinkle-free linens in the staterooms. Not only do they not require ironing, but “they smell and feel more natural, what guests want,” she said.

“This allows for more time for services and looking after guests,” she said.

And more time to spend with the owner, too.

When Beattie and his guests crossed the equator, crew was allowed to tie them to the rails and cover them with pretty much anything they could get their hands on, including toothpaste, spaghetti, and syrup. Once cleaned

off with the fire hose, however, it was Beattie’s time to return the favor.

“Having an owner who is a little enigmatic adds to the adventure,” Sunshine said.

Tom Serio is a freelance writer and photographer. Comments are welcome at editorial@the-triton.com.

BIG FISH, from previous page

GETTING lOCAl: Chef John Tubby is looking forward to shopping locally for provisions in all the far-out places Big Fish will go.

Fun, efficiency are equally key

THE HARD WAY: Big FIsh is making a circumnavigation via Earth’s two polar regions, Antactica after the show and the Northeast Passage next summer.

10 | Sunday • O c t. 31, 2010

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Later sunrise means later dry boatBy Julianne Hammond

With the end of daylight saving time not coming until the week after the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show this year, yacht crew tasked with prepping their vessels for the 10 a.m. opening of the show get one less hour of daylight each morning.

And with the amount of prep work to be done each day, many deckhands and day workers are waking up in the dark to get it done.

But neither dark, nor damp, truly impedes the preparation process.

“It is harder to get out of bed in the dark, but my work is not especially weather dependent,” said Mark Manducca, engineer on M/Y Big Zip.

Daylight saving time ends on the first Sunday in November, which is Nov. 7 this year. Last year, it was the Sunday of the show.

The time change requires that most places in the United States turn their clocks back one hour, giving post-Halloween party crowds an extra hour of sleep last year. And prior to 2007, the time changed ended on the last Sunday in October, so for years the clocks have rolled back during the show.

This year, the sun continues to rise a minute or two later every day. Sunrise today was at 7:29 a.m.

Andrew Snow, mate on M/Y Krisujen, said it’s not the dark but the humidity that makes trouble.

Matt Baynes, deckhand on M/Y Gotta Go, says his work load is dependent on the weather.

“But we have ample time to get our work done, so it doesn’t really matter,” he said.

Andrew Barton, a deckhand on M/Y Boardwalk, agreed and said that there is not a big difference in that one less hour of sunlight in the morning.

“Maybe you have to chamois one more time,” he said.

Keston Lyman, solo deck on a 40m Westport, disagreed. He said that without the dayworkers who arrive each morning, it would be difficult to be ready on time.

“You have to see the smudges on the windows and the stainless,” he said. “That’s hard to do in the dark.”

Julianne L. Hammond is a chef/mate. Comments: editorial@the-triton.com.

Diver rescues ring and relationshipBy Dorie Cox

Although the Ft. Lauderdale boat show takes place in the water, it can be the last place some things belong.

A man was showing a friend the new gift he recently bought for his girlfriend – a six-carat ruby solitaire – when he

dropped it. It bounced a few times on H dock at the north side of Bahia Mar as people scrambled to stop it, but it fell into the dark water with a plink.

The ring is valued at about $200,000, so Show Management, after trying to retrieve it, called Commercial Diver Services.

Diver Cody Bitner recovered it in about 12 feet of water nestled into several feet of silt. Commercial Diver owner Geno Garguilo didn’t charge the man for the rescue.

Dorie Cox is associate editor of The Triton. Contact: dorie@the-triton.com.

Sunday • O c t. 31, 2010 | 11

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OFF THE DOCK: last night’s over-the-top events

AnythingwentasthousandsofcrewandindustrygatheredtowelcomebackNational’sBizarre-B-Qafteraone-yearhiatus.

PHOTOS/DORIE COx

There are more photos from this event at www.the-triton.com.

@ National

CaptainsandtheirdatesdressedupforaformalaffairatDockwiseYachtTransport’sBlingBall.

PHOTOS/TOM SERIO

There are more photos from this event at www.the-triton.com.

@ Dockwise