Spring is a busy time in Ft. Lauderdale . Yachts come back to town and crew follow them, looking for work – more work, different work, better work.

We thought it an appropriate time to ask captains if they have noticed a difference in the quality of crew looking for work. A decade ago, the international maritime community enacted the Standards of Training, Certification & Watchkeeping, known as STCW-95, which was fully implemented in 2002.

In that time, these captains said they have seen some plusses and some minuses to the training. 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 A26.

 "STCW gives good general training," one captain said. "I was a captain 15 years and I had never actually launched a life raft or donned a Gumby suit. And for non-deck crew, it's a good orientation."

"It taught me that if you can't get a fire out in the first two to three minutes, you need to launch the life raft."

But aren't those skills that any mariner already knows? Why make a 20-year-old who grew up on a sailboat on Lake Michigan take this class?

"Redundancy is what eases panic when something goes wrong," one captain said.

‘The course isn't helpful to everyone," another said. "I remember taking it and thinking it was a waste of time, but there was a guy in my class who couldn't swim. They helped him with the man overboard drill, but if he hadn't taken the class, he would have had no clue."

Still there were a few captains who didn't support the premise that a piece of paper – the STCW certificate – qualified anyone to work on boats.

"It was sold by all the schools that if you didn't take this course and get this certificate, you weren't going to find work," one captain said. "They did it just to sell courses."

"I can guarantee you if something happens and your crew doesn't have it, the insurance company will find a reason not to pay," another said. "It becomes a liability issue for the owner."

"But the schools are telling crew that if they have this paper, they're qualified, but they have no experience," the first captain said. "School should just be a stepping stone. Captains used to be able to put someone up when it was time to move on. In a practical environment, they had earned their wings. The caliber of crew now has gone like this," this captain said, dropping a hand to the table.

"We can train a monkey to run a boat. It's what happens when things go wrong that the training comes in."

Several captains noted that the industry has grown so much in the past decade that it has been difficult to find qualified crew. Then the conversation turned into one about crew in general and, of course, crew agencies.

"Crew agencies are overpaid," one captain said. "Someone needs to put a stop to it. I've fired three mates in the past three months because they couldn't do the job. I'd rather pick them up off the dock than use a crew agency."

"I have a contact in South Africa and I can get a young guy, 20 years old, who has potential," another said. "I tell them I'll pay for their ticket [STCW] after three months if they work out. That way, I get them fresh, not talking to all the people in Ft. Lauderdale , and I can train him my way."

But with so many boats and usually so little time to find crew, several captains said they do use the agencies, but also do their own research.

"I use crew agencies and I almost always know someone who worked with the [applicant] so I can call and get the real story."

"There's been such a change in the industry," one captain said. "There are so many boats; you have to get these people somewhere. Our industry is maturing. It's a profession now."

"STCW made getting crew easier but the caliber is lower because they didn't have to work up to it," a captain said as most everyone agreed. "The training is good, but it's not worth $800."

Contact Editor Lucy Chabot Reed at lucy@the-triton.com . If you are a yacht captain and in Genoa , Italy , on May 4, contact Lucy for an invitation to our Bridge luncheon. Space is limited.

Attendees of The Triton 's May Bridge luncheon were, from left, Kent Kohlberger of M/Y Financial Statement , Rowan Brown of M/Y My Girl , Mitch Mitchell of M/Y Sacajawea , Rusty Allen of M/Y Cracker Bay , Bob Kimball of M/Y Subconscious (and others), Kim Lofquist of M/Y Lady Monroe , Wendy Umla of M/Y Castaway , and Doc Proctor of M/Y Simaron .         PHOTO/LUCY REED

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