Working at any job, for a prolonged period of time one can develop complacency. Like a metastasizing cancer, it grows slowly deep inside until ultimately, an event happens, a close call perhaps, that makes you aware of it. Unlike cancer, thank God, you can change complacency.

I remember one such close call, while I was delivering a 157’ motor yacht between Fiji and Tahiti. We had just had a brutal passage from Fiji to the Island of Tonga in the South Pacific. The yacht was basically way out of its league in this huge blue water, and going the wrong way against the seas as we were traveling from west to east. We were averaging about 15 foot swells, with a just short enough period that we were able to substantially bury the bow on pretty much every wave. I remember lying down in my bunk, watching my stomach rising and falling as the yacht flexed beneath us and wondering if we were going to make it without breaking apart. I would, in all honesty, have given anything for a 50 ft steel sailboat at that point!

Well when we arrived in Tonga, we were relieved to say the least, and we need some R &R before the next passage to Tahiti, which promised to be rougher still and longer at around 5 days. We went to the local bar, “Tonga Bob’s” I think it was, and we had some cocktails while listening to Jack Johnson on the radio no less! We gave them a t-shirt of our yacht, since there were hundreds hanging on the walls, and we wanted to insert our little slice of posterity amongst our friends in the industry. Then we called our deckhand on watch and got a pick up in the yacht’s tender.

Once we got back to the boat, we noticed that the yacht next to us was having a party. They were playing loud music, and it just seemed like a really good time. So a couple of us got into the tender and drove over to visit. It was a really sweet Nordhaven 78’ motor yacht, that had just completed a journey of over 6000 miles directly from Hawaii! Now our celebration from our 3 day passage seemed a little inappropriate, but we forgave ourselves and partied along with our new friends anyway.

A couple hours later, more than a little inebriated, the drunk people decided in that infinite wisdom we all get after a few rum punches, that swimming in the crystal blue water would be a great idea. Before long we were all jumping in the water, and splashing around and having a grand old time.

I remember pulling myself up on the swim platform when I turned around to see an old native man rowing by in what looked like a dugout canoe. I turned and gave him a smile with the innocence of the blissfully numb, however, he looked quite grave. I was confused and he pulled his boat up alongside, and I thought he was going to complain about the music being too loud or something, when he said.

“No good, no swim here at night. Many sharks.”

I was no longer smiling and told the deckhand about to jump in the water to wait.

“Sharks?” I said.

“Many many sharks” he replied. “Just one week ago, a tourist tried to swim across this bay and she was eaten”

Now I took this with a grain of salt, as most local legends form, sometimes the accuracy is a little lacking .

“You have lights?” the old man queried pointing a bony bent finger downwards.

I turned to our new friends, and asked the yacht’s captain if he had underwater lights. He  went inside to find them, while my deckhand was yelling for permission to jump. I told him no again, in a more stern voice having heard this story now.

And like that ray of sunshine that hits actors in the movies, the underwater lights exploded on over thirty sharks, swarming in a circle directly underneath the boat. Even the old man gasped as he looked down with a toothless grimace.

“No swim.” he said again as he pushed his little boat away.

I remember sitting down heavily on that teak swim deck, and looking shocked at how close we had come to disaster. The sharks were no doubt attracted by the splashing and loud erratic heartbeats of us having a good time, and who knows if they ever would have attacked. But I sure am glad for that old man, smacking some sense into us.

During our attempt to Clear immigration and customs, we requested the right to leave the country and we were denied at first. The reason being, the government of South Africa wanted proof that all of our previous crew (students/passengers) had actually departed the country before they would approve us to sign on the new arrivals. This was a highly unusual occurence, and we were fighting the immigration authorities on the grounds that we had no proof that they had left, execept flight numbers, and home addresses. Well according the immigration authority, they were required to find out where all of our previous crew members were, BEFORE they would process the new crew. He apologized profusely for the delay, recognizing that it would be very difficult to determine where those people all were at any given time, after all some may have remained and did exploring South Africa, quite legally on visas.

However, according to the immigration officer, ships were coming into Cape Town with African crews, among others, and unloading huge numbers of crew, who would then stay in the country illegally. So the authorities were tracking down as many crews as they could in a crack down. In the end it came down to 2 students, whom we had to prove were in the United States by looking at facebook pages of all ways!

The big irony here is that the South African immigration computers at the airport, are NOT available or connected to the ship immigration authorities, so finding out whether or not our crew had left was rather difficult. However, we had written down all crew’s flight details for just such an occurence and one by one the immigration authorities proved that our previous crew had departed on their scheduled flights.

Lessons learned, are to ALWAYS write down the flight details of passengers and crew when they disembark. This may be your only proof that your guests actually left the country. And hire an agent while in South Africa, as it can save a lot of time in the end.

After three days delay, we were allowed to leave South Africa by the authorities, until of course we discovered that in order to enter Brazil, we had to apply for Visa’s before we left South Africa! But that’s another blog….

As all good yacht crew know a Captain is an all powerful being. A god of sorts on the yacht. He is to be obeyed, somewhat worshipped and most definitely a little bit feared. But he should also be a benevolent god, whose aim is to protect his crew at all costs, in both physical and emotional senses. They say however, that absolute power, corrupts absolutely. We know all to often how much this can apply to yacht captains.

There will always be the Captain Blighs, who rule the ship with a iron and uncaring fist. But Blighs also tend to control their vessels, and are almost 100% likely to say NO to an owner on a ridiculous request. They after all see themselves as in charge.

There is the Captain Friend, who fails to control his crew as well as he should. Discipline slacks, there is little respect for authority and the vessel kind of wanders of its own free will. This also kills crew moral and eventually the boat and owners pay the ultimate price.

Then there is the Captain “Yes”. This is a Captain who for whatever reason, refuses to say no to the owner. The Owner wants to eat a marsh deer, while sitting in Nassau, the Captain cheerfully says “yes sir”. The chef then spends the next 9 hours with the proverbeal spear, sitting the marshes of the local grocery store and he for all his good intentions comes up empty. After telling his skipper that marsh deer is impossible to catch, the Captain will say “well you go tell the owner he has to eat chicken”. And ultimately it is the Chef who becomes the bearer of bad news.

The Owner says, “I want the deckhands to do a wash down”, even though they have all already been up for 17 hours running guests to shore and back and putting in toys and tenders, “yes sir” says your captain. And there you are, 3:30 in the morning falling asleep in the tender, your head bobbing ever so softly against the hull, while your illustrious skipper is asleep in his cabin.

There is a saying in business, “under promise and over deliver”. It is folly to over promise and under deliver. Unfortunately there are Captains who just can’t say no.

Now it is our job to meet our clients every wish and desire. Our clients are all the very upper echelons of the world and they have certain expectations. We must never forget that it is their high standards that allow us the luxury of living in a 2o million dollar floating palace every day. We must as yacht crew say “Yes” whenever we can. However, a captain should never say that he can do something for the owner, when he in fact cannot. I see all to often in this business, Captains that will promise the client the world and when it proves to be impossible to achieve blames the failings, on his horrible crew.

We saw glowing dolphins!!! This wasnt some horrible irradiated byproduct of nuclear waste but was due to thousands of tiny bioluminescent plankton, that when disturbed give off the same eerie green light that you find so often in your expensive watch hands so that you can read it at night. This pod of dolphins discovered that if they rode the bow wave of Argo not only were they getting a free ride to surf and play, but they easily picked off the dazed and confused little fish that scattered in front of the bow wave. The dolphins would shoot in and out of the bow wake as they chased fish, and like glowing green torpedoes we watched with fascination their every movement. They look liked green wraiths, with long comet style tails of glowing luminescence flowing behind each individual dolphin. When the dolphins accelerated after a fish, their tails would explode in bright light as the plankton roared their disapproval at being disturbed yet again. It was a stellar and gorgeous ballet of symmetry of movement and agility. Quite simply, it was one of those perfect moments that make you stop and take stock, jaw agape in awe at natures magnificence, your own insignificance, and the meaning of being happy.

I have concluded that to me, being happy, is to obtain absolute contentment in a moment, however fleeting, a moment, in which, the past and the future cease to exist, and only the present matters. I had that moment last night, and had I been alone it would have been amazing. But sharing it with special people made it, unforgettable.

In fact, I would even go so far as to say that some of the most loyal and unyielding SIRIUS XM subscribers make their livings on the sea. Whether it be commercial fishing, yacht crew, tug boats, harbor ferries or any other maritime sea-faring activity SIRIUS XM is there. I was just recently on one such vessel in Northern California for over 2 months straight at sea and on board we had no fewer than 8 separate satellite receivers!

As truckers well know, there is nothing that beats radio when you’re running mechanically intense operations or engaging in standing a watch for 8 hours straight. You can’t watch tv, no matter how fancy they make it, it’s simply unsafe. And you have to remember that because we are miles offshore, we are always out of FM/AM range and cell phone range as well. So what’s left for entertainment?

SIRIUS. You can catch the latest headlines on CNN with Wolf Blitzer in the Situation Room, or you can listen to the latest business news on CNBC. And if you sprung for the extra few bucks when you bought your receiver, you can even have your stock portfolio scrolled right across your screen with real time quotes letting you keep track of your investments while underway. Looking for a laugh? Raw Dog can’t be beat. Looking for some audio caffeine? Try the Strobe. Missing the playoffs at home while you’re out catching salmon in Alaska? Listen to them live right on your MLB channels!

I think I speak for all us sea-faring Sirius loyalists, that there is no better product in the world than Sirius. Hell there is nothing that has made making a living on the high seas more bearable since the invention of coffee, than the advent of Sirius.

SIRIUS also provides a Marine weather program that downloads real time marine weather information right to a compatible chart plotter. This weather service is unparalleled in the industry providing valuable and relevant marine weather warnings and information. It downloads real time and displays various types of information including wind/wave data, national buoy information and more. I unfortunately feel like SIRIUS has focused so much on the car market that it has not really developed this valuable product. I’d like to see Sirius focus more on this product and really push it out there in the marine industry where it is invaluable for safety and can truly save lives.

What would I like to see from Sirius in the future? Maybe a low cost internet solution for an extra monthly fee. Or a Gmail download function via the Sirius satellites to a tablet style receiver. I think the possibilities are endless for SIRIUS on the Sea.

37 Meter Couach M/Y

The major French yacht maker Couach has closed its doors after seeking refinancing of its staggering 23 million euro debt. In the current credit crisis, the banks refused to refinance Couach’s debt seeing not only a staggering 50% drop in yacht demand but also a swath of unhealthy yacht manufacturing companies. Royal Denship, Rodriguez Group and Poncin yachts to name just a few are also all in bankruptcy protection. Ferretti Group one of the largest producers of yachts in the world, just barely squeezed itself out of bankruptcy by enacting a huge debt for stock swap which was spearheaded by the Royal Bank of Scotland which held a majority of its debt. Ferretti as part of the deal will downsize and sell off some of its smaller brands, but it remains to be seen if they can even find buyers and if the downsizing will take place quick enough to save the company from fiscal disaster.

Gulf Craft 88 M/Y

While all of the big European yacht building companies are hurting, Gulf Craft in the United Arab Emirates is doing better than average business. Gulf Craft which is a maker of yachts that look strikingly familiar to any Azimut or Ferretti design, is based in the UAE which is the open minded Middle Eastern block of states that plays home to the always over-the-top Dubai.

During the global recession, Gulf Craft has been steadily increasing their market share in the Middle East as well as building their brand name. Being based in the U.A.E. also allows Gulf Craft serious advantages, such as being able to operate with greatly reduced labor costs, and no messy labor unions that plague businesses in the European market. Furthermore, Gulf Craft is based in a country of enormous wealth that is bolstered by a commodity that will never devalue like a stock, Oil. Oil money is the key to the Middle East market and it is also one of the few commodities that the world cannot live without. Furthermore, with Dubai booming with billions in foreign investment materializing each year, and 70% of the worlds cranes taken up by a country the size of Rhode Island, its no wonder Gulf Craft is succeeding. Add to this the growing number of millionaires in rapidly expanding India, and you have a market for success.

Will some customers still go for the “Made In Italy” aura that has been in such demand for years, or will they make the sensible and far more economical choice of going with their regional boat building leader? Only time will tell. But with Gulf Craft expanding and venturing out into new Middle Eastern markets as well as acquiring smaller competitors, while most other yacht building companies are down sizing, one has to wonder if the timing is right for Gulf Craft to make a big move.

In closing I think the real question is whether or not the Middle East and not the Med will soon become the hot cruising ground for the wealthy. With over one third of the worlds yachts owned by Arabs, it makes you wonder if the golden age of European and American yachting is beginning to wane. The Middle East boasts cheaper labor costs, fuel at a fraction of its prices in Europe and with ever expanding facilities one must wonder if its now the time of the UAE and Dubai to enjoy the great wide world of yachting.

No Azimut for Kim Jong Il

Kim Jong Il the reclusive and eccentric leader of North Korea, apparently has a soft spot for yachting. He recently attempted to take possession of two luxury motor yachts built by Azimut-Benetti group. The Italian yacht builder was delivering a 105 and a 95 foot motor yacht to what they thought was an Austrian business, but later a Chinese business stepped in to complete the purchase. This raised red flags with Italian authorities who launched a sting operation.

Italian financial authorities discovered that the Chinese business then paid a Hong Kong company to take delivery of the yachts. Further investigation discovered that the yachts final destination was the ailing North Korean leader. The vessel’s were subsequently seized by authorities and their combined value was worth well over 18.5 million US. The vessels have since been returned to Azimut-Benetti Group who has also been allowed to keep the non-refundable deposit.

U.N sanctions bar the sale of luxury goods to North Korea.

So will this loss of both his yachts jar this Elvis loving, world hating, reclusive leader into opening his eyes and make him stop pissing off the world? Doubtful. But I gather that if you saw a statue of lady justice right now she’d have a slight smile on her face. I am ecstatic that these yachts were seized, and it shocks me that leaders like this guy survive in this modern world in which we live.

It certainly makes you wonder how many bags of rice would his 18.5 million dollar yachts would have bought for his starving people? We’ll never know, because King Jong Il would rather spend it on failed missiles, and saber rattling than on focusing on the plight of his dying population. Wake up call? Nah, that’s assuming hes awake to begin with, but a slap in the face? Definitely. All in all a very good thing has happened.

Besides how would you liked to have gotten a job in North Korea working for the Hermit King on his yachts? Not exactly Antibes now is it?

The Saudi Arabia International Boat show will be held at Al Furusya Marina and Yacht Club from October 14-17, 2009 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It is being organized by the Dubai World Trade center and is being organized by the Al Ahlam Marine Tourism Group. Many of the biggest names in the marine industry will be showcasing their latest products and services, including AlKhorayef Group, Art Marine, Emirates Boats, Icon Yachts, IMG Boats, and Saudi Yachts, and Sunseeker among many others.

Traditional Saudi Dress for Women

I have a unique perspective on this idea because I lived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for over 2 years during high school(parents were international

school teachers). And I can tell you from first hand experience that Jeddah is ULTRA-CONSERVATIVE. Cans of coke have been routinely thrown at women if their hair shows outside of their traditional headdress. Shorts are NOT allowed for men, which makes the 110 degree days all the more interesting in your nether regions. Furthermore, Jeddah is roamed around constantly by the “mutwahf” or religious police, and they essentially harass and yell at people for “religious compliance”, namely a sort of national dress code enforcement. And yes the ladies above are the NORM in Saudi Arabia NOT the exception!

Secondly, the whole country is a dry country, no alcohol whatsoever. Which begs the question how is it even possible to have a boat show without any booze or girls?? It’s like ordering a rum and coke and holding the rum and coke. It’s wrong! lol

The Holy Mosque in Medina

Now lets look at the more serious political ramifications of such an a western opulent event like a boat show in Jeddah. Remember that guy Bin Laden, real spoiled brat that pissed off a lot of people? Well he and his followers got pissed off the first time around when they thought the Saudi Royal family (Al Sauds) were living a little too large, and becoming a little too Western. See the extreme fundamentalists see the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as ground zero for Islam. In their minds, it’s the line you don’t cross. This has a large part to do with the fact that Saudi Arabia is the “Custodian of the Two Holy Places of Islam” namely Mecca and Medina.  So I’m thinking that a bunch of luxury yachts on the coast, Ferrari’s and excess a couple hundred miles from these holiest of holy sites might piss a few people off. But what do I know?

People can say, “but they have a boat show in Dubai”, but you have to realize that Dubai gets away with its excess because it’s located in the much more tolerant United Arab Emirates. And Dubai has also created a financial environment of banks, stock exchanges and so on that has previously been lacking in the greater Middle East. As such Dubai is now so necessary for the financial well being of the other countries in the region, that they are essentially tolerated and a blind eye is turned to their Western tendencies and loose rules.

However,  I think that having a yacht show in the middle of the religious epicenter of the middle east is somewhat of a bad idea. It’s a tough contradiction of ideas there. I mean Jeddah is a place where women still can’t drive!!! Which makes the logistics of the event a nightmare to begin with. You also can’t go down the street with a woman whom you are not related too, so boss and employee going to a meal after a successful day at the show? Not a chance.

But there is vast wealth in Saudi Arabia, I know, I went to Dar Al Fikr Schools which is essentially the Saudi Royal family school. Every kid in my class of 12 was a “billionaire”. So I suppose its inevitable that the yachting industry venture to the desert yet again and see if it can’t reap some profits there, when the rest of the world’s rich are cutting back. Its a risky endeavor, but with a third of the worlds yachts being owned by Arabs, its a risk that will most likely pay off. I for one wish it the best of luck, and perhaps on the back deck of mega-yachts one small step might be taken for Saudi Arabia towards joining the rest of the world in equality and freedom.

Captain Blaise

One of the former richest men in the world

With the launch of the worlds largest yacht “Eclipse” going rather smoothly Roman Abramovich has bigger things to worry about.

n Oct. 2008 at the height of the credit crunch Abramovich lost 20 billion in stock value, putting his net worth at around 3-4 billion. That’s not a lot of money when you consider he just launched the 500 million dollar Eclipse which is estimated at the low end to cost him 50-80 million a year to operate. Or when you consider that he just spent 750 million on his Chelsea football club.

He has since seen his wealth rebound somewhat to around 11 billion at the start of April but he is no where near his previous net worth of around 23 billion. His main asset his 6.2 billion stake in steel company Evraz has seen its share price drop from 85 dollars to its current 12 dollars in just April alone. This has most likely brought his 11 billion dollar net worth crashing down yet again.

Although Abramovich has said that his enormous financial loses are just “on paper” one has to wonder when his spending will slow down. The Chelsea football club currently has around 750 million in debt which has been largely financed by Abramovichs personal loans from his fortune. Will Abramovich’s enormous expense on Eclipse, Chelsea, his airplanes and numerous other yachts begin to chip away at what once looked like an impenetrable fortune?

I would hate to see a man who went from truly rags to enormous riches, end up back where he started again.

What do you think?

Eclipse- The Largest Private Yacht In the World