Merrill-Stevens Set to Grow

Megayachts aren't the only things getting bigger these days: The service yards they head to are as well. Case in point, Merrill-Stevens, the Florida-based yard that got a green light for a $55-million expansion in late July.

Located on the Miami River, Merrill-Stevens wants to take over some land adjacent to its current spot to create a yacht-repair staging dock and training/apprentice facilities. While construction won't begin until 2009, when the project is complete, the yard should be able to service yachts to 250 feet.

But refit and repair aren't the only things that will be addressed. In an interesting move, Merrill-Stevens is also emphasizing the beautification of the waterway, so it plans to add two pedestrian paths along the river and dress up the general landscaping of the facility. It also is working with the Historical Museum of Southern Florida to create a historical exhibit space that will include everything from photos to tools used in the marine trades to showcase how the industry has evolved in the state.

A Cautionary Tale

Last Wednesday, a 61-foot Weaver sunk in six feet of water in Alabama’s Perdido Pass. The Tar Baby, as she was known, was en route to the Orange Beach Billfish Classic when her operator ignored a marked channel, opting instead to enter the Pass between the jetties and beach. In doing so, she ran into submerged rocks and ultimately sank in the shallow waters.

Tar Baby’s operator was arrested for boating under the influence, though it remains unclear whether he or a dockhand was running the boat. Fortunately, no injuries were sustained, save (of course) for the boat’s.

Marine Police Public Information officer Rick Miller told the Orange Beach Community Web site, “No one who has been drinking should drive a boat because the water is very unforgiving. And if you are going to drink, you've got to have a operator who is licensed to operate the vessel." Certainly, these photos serve as a good reminder for us all.

Summer Cruise

Reality hit as soon as I stepped onto the shaky dock: I was so excited about going on this boat cruise since the beginning of summer that I’d forgotten I get motion sickness.

Luckily, group managing editor Eileen Murphy had come prepared with anti-puke pills, which made the three-hour cruise along the East and Hudson Rivers on PMY’s Cranchi Atlantique 50 named Office Ours so enjoyable. The boat is beautiful and elegant, with cream-colored leather seats in the saloon and aft deck, where I spent most of my time indulging in the breeze while the rest of the gang (or crew) enjoyed the view from every vicinity of the boat. I snapped pictures of practically everything we passed—the Statue of Liberty, the Mayor's mansion hidden behind bushes, which publisher Dennis O'Neill pointed out to me, and five bridges, these being Brooklyn, Williamsburg, Manhattan, Queensborough, and George Washington. I can totally see how being out on the water in a luxurious boat can become an addiction; it’s one of the most relaxing things I’ve experienced, and I can’t wait to do it again!

A Vision Indeed

Here's your first look at the new Vision 68 built by Horizon Yachts. She was recently delivered from the yard in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, to Seattle, as her owner plans to keep her in Canada.

Measuring just shy of 70 feet, she packs a lot into her package, thanks to designer Greg Marshall: four staterooms (each with private heads) below decks and an optional enclosed skylounge with a day head and an observation settee aft of the helm. The 20’6” beam should make all of the spaces comfortable, as should Soundown insulation for vibration and sound control. And expanses of windows in the VIP stateroom and the master stateroom plus a skylight in the saloon keep the interior bright.

If you’re in the Pacific Northwest, keep your eyes out for this lady, which is expected to cruise at 15 knots thanks to twin 1,000-hp Caterpillars. She probably won’t be hard to find, considering her owner plans to travel throughout the region with a friend who owns an 82-foot Horizon.

Foul Antifoulant

Bottoms up boaters. Starting on January 1st, 2008, the IMO’s zero-tolerance ban on Tributylin (TBT) will be in effect. Prior to 2003, the biocide TBT was a common additive to antifouling, keeping legions of hull growth at bay. Unfortunately, as TBT leached out of the antifouling, it settled on the seabed, where it continued to be effective at suppressing life. High levels of the toxin were found throughout the aquatic food web, including inside the carcasses of poisoned dolphins and otters. And although the effect on these environmental poster-children was grim, TBT's imposition on one mollusk, called the dog whelk, was...let me just say, disturbing: "TBT causes dog whelks to suffer from imposex: females develop male sexual characteristics such as a penis. This causes them to become infertile or even die. In severe cases males can develop egg sacs."

Although an IMO ban on applying TBT to vessels has been active since 2003, the upcoming 2008 ban will go further, requiring any vessel with TBT in its antifouling to have its bottom either sealed with an approved sealant or stripped and repainted. Vessels over 24 meters (~79 ft) and under 400 gross tons will be required to have both a TBT-free antifouling certificate and documentation of the work (ie: a paint receipt, etc.)

The European Union has surpassed the IMO's ban with even stricter legislation; if your vessel attempts to voyage through European waters without TBT-free antifouling, she may be subject to a fine and will not be allowed to enter any port.

Even without Europe on your itinerary, if your vessel's bottom has not been repainted in the past 5 years, it’s time to adjust the lift's slings for a haul-out. As you open your wallet to purchase the updated paint, just remember this: an androgynous whelk is a friend to no man.