ALL AT SEASOUTH FLORIDA

Secrets of the Acklins TAx Free Foreign Flagged Vessels in FLL

Sippin’ Papa’s PilAr

Inside: Sailorman Has New Digs

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SOUTH FLORIDA NEWS

Hot off tHe Press – “How-to” Guide for recreational sailboat instructionCalling all recreational boating safety education provid-ers! Large or small, national or local, all are invited and encouraged to use the recently-released 160-page com-prehensive “How-to” Guide for Recreational Sailboat instruction, the most complete set of information and tools available. The SAIL Standard Technical Support Document (SAIL TSD) was developed by the U.S. Coast Guard’s National On-Water Standards (NOWS) Program grant management team and the American Boat & Yacht Council (ABYC), to assist education providers, course de-velopers and instructors in designing and implementing

skills-based instruction and assessment in recreational boating that meet the American National Standard (ANS) for sailboat operation.

“The SAIL TSD is important to recreational boaters for three reasons,” explains Brian Dorval, NOWS facilitator. “First, it helps ensure the courses they choose to attend are designed to deliver the fundamental skills associated with safely and effectively operating a sailboat. It does this by giving educa-tion providers across the country the key information and tools they need to design their instructional programs to meet or exceed the same level of quality identified by the national standard. Secondly, it puts recreational boaters in a

September 2017 AllATseA.neT sF3

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FREEOCTOBER 2012

ALL AT SEAC A R I B B E A N

C A R I B B E A N C H A R T E R T R E N D S B E A U T I F U L A N C H O R A G E S I N T H E B V I

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Inside:Wreck Diving

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position to make better and more informed decisions about what beginner-level sailing course to attend by checking to see if the program they are considering meets the national standard for sailboat instruction. Third and finally, it also provides recreational boaters interested in teaching others to sail with fundamental information and tools they can use to help design instruction that complies with the national standard for sailing.”

The SAIL TSD is freely available for download from the NOWS Program website (www.onwaterstandards.org) and the ABYC Online Store (www.abycinc.org).

first Mercury certified tecHnician Graduates froM Marine MecHanics instituteThe South Florida marine industry just became richer in tal-ent thanks to a partnership between Fond du Lac, Wiscon-sin-headquartered recreational engine manufacturer, Mer-cury Marine and the Universal Technical Institute’s Marine Mechanics Institute in Orlando, Florida. In July, Jacob Parker of Wilson, Oklahoma, became the first certified technician to

graduate from MMI, Parker, who completed the core marine technical programs along with specific training in Mercury Marine technol-ogy and products to earn the designation of Mer-cury Certified Technician, was immediately hired by Clearwater, Florida-head-quartered MarineMax.

“This training program provides significant value to us as we invest in making sure we have high quality technicians ser-vicing Mercury products for our customers now and in the future,” says Nick Van Nocker, training team leader for Mer-cury University. “We currently have two students that have achieved the certification with an additional five to seven students expected to graduate in late August. We encour-age those interested in taking this program to contact MMI.”

Currently, MMI is the only career technical education school in the country to offer a Mercury Marine certification program. www.mercurymarine.com

sF4 AllATseA.neT September 2017

ALL AT SEASOUTH FLORIDA

Cover shot: Sailorman has a new location five blocks South!

image courtesy of sailorman

sailorMan Moves five blocks soutHSailorman, the landmark marine equipment store for-merly on State Road 84 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has moved five blocks south to a new location at 3000 South Andrews Avenue.

“When my father was ready to retire, he decided to sell the property and business separately,” explains Heather Valdez, daughter of Chuck Fitzgerald, who has owned Sailorman since 1985. “The property sold, but when the deal to purchase the business fell through, I decided to carry on the family legacy. So, we had to find a new property.”

The move is good news for customers on three fronts. First, the business will now stay in the family, with Valdez taking over the day-to-day reins of what has been dubbed ‘The World’s Largest and Most Unique New and Used Marine Emporium’. This means the friendly sell, barter or trade atmosphere will remain. Secondly, the new venue is 25 percent larger, mean-

ing more space to show the incredibly large inventory of hard-to-find parts, marine surplus, scratch-n-dent and used marine merchandise. for everything from sailboats to sport fishers, run-abouts, megayachts and even Chinese Junks. Best yet, long time customers will still find Fitzgerald himself in-store on many days. Sailorman.com

S o u t h F lo r i da N e w S

new face at Pursuit boatsA Miami native and MBA graduate of the city’s Florida International University is expanding his horizons in the marine industry. Les Ares, who has eleven years of sales and marketing expe-rience in the boating industry, most recently as vice president of sales and marketing at Lu-mishore, is now Business Development Manager for South Florida, Latin America and the Carib-bean at Pursuit Boats.

“I am proud to be representing Pursuit Boats and their tradition of quality and innovation, and am excited to be working with friends and colleagues in a territory I have strong ties to,” says Ares, is also a licensed USCG OUPV (6 pack) Captain, member of the International Yacht Brokers Asso-ciation and has completed the Certified National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) installation program. “I plan on strengthening our existing partnerships in South Florida, the Caribbean and Central America, while exploring new markets in South America.”

Pursuit Boats are manufactured in Fort Pierce, Flor-ida in lengths of 23 to 40 feet. They come in Center Console, Dual Console, Offshore, Sport and Sport Coupe configurations. pursuitboats.com

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Want to purchase up-market liquor, tobacco and perfumes duty-free in South Florida? No problem. Just head to stores which do just this at locations like the Fort Lau-

derdale-Hollywood International Airport. Want to buy a foreign-flagged yacht in this city nicknamed the Yachting Capital of the World without paying a hefty duty? No way. That is, until now.

Last December, the Marine Industries Association of South Florida (MIASF) received approval from the Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) Board and the City of Fort Lauderdale FTZ No. 241 to create a 16-site FTZ marine industry subzone. This is the first FTZ subzone in the U.S. dedicated to the recre-ational boating industry. A subzone such as this is a group

BUyINg A yAcHT IN FORT LAUDERDALE JUST gOT EASIERBY Carol M. Bareuther

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BOAT SHOWS

Tampa, FLsePteMber 8 – 10Tampa Boat Showwww.tampaboatshow.com

sePteMber 19 – 21IBEX - The International Boatbuilders Exhibition and Conferencewww.ibexshow.com/info@ibexshow.com866-963-9655

FISHINg TOURNAmENTS

Cubaoctober 25 – 28Hemingway Marina Wahoo Shootoutwww.CubaWahoo Shootout.com954-925-2020

IsLamorada, FLsePteMber 15 – 17Herman Lucerne Memorial Tournamenthermanlucernememorial. com/tournament/ event-schedulekelliet62@gmail.com

sePteMber 29 – 30Mad Dog Mandich Fishing Classic and Family Fun Weekendwww.maddogclassic.com305-667-0399

JupITer, FLsePteMber 9 Annual KDW Sports Fishing Tournament Chasen’Tailzwww.chasentailz.com(561) 201-7757

Continued on page SF9

ty through 2050. This now makes FLIBS the only boat show in the country where FTZ transactions can take place. In other words, brokers can legally show foreign flagged vessels to U.S. buyers in U.S. waters without obtaining a boat show bond.

“There are 13 approved sites in the Recreational Marine For-eign Trade Zone No. 241A. Lauderdale Marine Center and Bahia Mar Yachting Center are the first two to be activated. The other sites are in various stages of the activation pro-cess,” says MIASF’s Skidmore.

These additional sites include: Pier Sixty-Six Marina, the Hil-ton Fort Lauderdale Marina, Roscioli Yachting Center, Brad-ford Marine, Ward’s Marine Electric, Frank & Jimmie’s Propel-ler, Yacht Management, National Marine Suppliers, D.S. Hull #1, and the Lauderdale Boat Yard.

“We are in the beginning stages of offering a second phase that will allow additional sites to begin the approval and ac-tivation process. We anticipate the total number of sites to grow with this next phase,” says Skidmore.

The economic incentives provided by FTZs are on course to help marine industry businesses to expand operations, create jobs, increase revenue and attract future commerce. All of which can boost Fort Lauderdale’s marine industry, which currently contributes $8.8 billion to the city’s econo-my, even further.

of specific-use sites, which in this case, are commercial marinas, marine parts and components businesses, and yacht repair facilities. Previously reserved for ports, holding zones and airport ‘duty-free’ zones, the FTZ designation is big news especially for yacht brokers and sellers. The fed-eral law that has long prevented foreign-flagged yachts to be sold to U.S. citizens in U.S. waters without the payment of a substantial 1.5 percent import duty does not apply in a FTZ. What’s more, new builds that have been brought to the U.S. within the past three years can use the FTZ to file for a refund on previously paid duties.

“A Foreign Trade Zone is a restricted-access area that is considered to be outside the U.S. Customs territory,” explains Kelly Skidmore, public relations specialist for MISAF. “Companies that operate in foreign-trade zones can defer, reduce, or eliminate Customs Duties on for-eign products.”

In June, the Lauderdale Marine Center (LMC), was the first to open a FTZ at its 65-acre facility, which includes a boat-yard, marina and marine service center. Major refit projects benefit from the FTZ because all parts imported can defer duties when the yacht is in the Zone. Once the refit is com-plete, the yacht can leave the U.S. without having to pay duties or taxes.

“The FTZ designation gives us an opportunity to attract more of our target customer for reasons other than a shipyard peri-od, as we reconfigure our west marina to accommodate more vessels in the 100-plus foot range,” says Staci Love, the LMC’s marketing manager.

A week later, on June 16, the Bahia Mar Marina, host site of the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS), opened as For Lauderdale’s second marine FTZ zone, making it among the first marinas in the country with this designation.

“We want more boats to come to the U.S. and stay in the U.S.,” says Megan Lagasse, Bahia Mar’s general manager, who recognizes the great efforts by U.S. Customs & Bor-der Patrol in this process. “After all, economic benefits of the marine industry all start with a boat in the water. That’s the first ripple and its spreads from there. The ability to keep the boat here, work on it here and buy and sell it here helps the marine industry not only in South Florida but the entire U.S.”

The Bahia Mar Marina announcement came just days af-ter MIASF and Informa Exhibitions signed a new 30-year lease extension to keep the FLIBS on the marina’s proper-

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Time to explore the Acklins Island Group, con-sisting of three islands in the shape of a triangle surrounding a shallow bank. In the 19th cen-tury these islands were prosperous due to cot-

ton plantations developed by Loyalist fleeing the newly formed America.

crooked islandCrooked Island is the northern island and is a fairly remote sailing destination, but that does not mean there is not a lot to see once you get here. The Landrail Plantation is great example of how prosperous the island was at one point. You will even find the first post office in the Baha-mas here.

My favorite place in Acklins is Bird Rock Lighthouse. In fact, this has become my favorite of all lighthouses any-where. I have never seen this before, but the lighthouse

SEcRETS OF THE AckLINS ISLAND gROUpBY Capt Shane MCClellan

keeper’s quarters were built around the lighthouse as a circular building.

Another great place to visit on Crooked Island is the British gun emplacement. You will have to dinghy or kayak a mile across the salt pond and then hike a quarter of a mile where you will find the remains of the battery and five to seven cannons scattered around. These cannons are in remarkable shape and you can clearly see the various marking on them.

lonG islandOn the western side, you will find Long Island, which is the smallest island of the group. This was a very prosperous town once, but times have been tough. The best example of this is at the church, where two thirds is in ruins, but the size they need has been keep up and looks beautiful. I found the jail to be of particular interest. It sits in the middle of the compound and has 3-4 cells.

September 2017 AllATseA.neT sF9

Continued from page SF7

FISHINg TOURNAmENTS

JupITer, FLoctober 6 – 7Ladies KDW Bluewater Babes Fish for Cure Tournamentfishforacure.com/

Key Largo, FLsePteMber 22 – 24Annual Take Stock in Children Backcountry Challengewww.keylargorotary.org/ TakeStockinChildren.cfmmike@islandbayresort.com

october 6 – 8Baybone Celebrity Tournamentwww.redbone.org(305) 664-2002305-304-0421

Key WesT, FLsePteMber 8 – 10S.L.A.M. (Southernmost Light Tackle Anglers Masters)www.redbone.org/ tourn_sched.htmlsusan@redbone.org05-664-2002

maraThon, FLsePteMber 21 – 24Marathon International Bonefish Tournamentwww.mibt59.com/bnbfishing@comcast.netBarb 305-304-8682

sTuarT, FLorIdaoctober 13 – 14Saltwater Sisters Ladies Tournamentwww.stuartsailfishclub.com/ tournaments.php

SAILINg REgATTAS

ForT LauderdaLe, FLoctober 21 – 22LYC Optimist Team Race Championshipwww.lyc.org/web/guest/ regattas

mIamI, FLsePteMber 21 – 24BBYC Lime Cupwww.biscaynebayyacht club.com/limecup.html

october 7 – 8Columbus Day Regattacolumbusdayregatta.net

october 28 – 29Halloween Howler Youth Regattawww.cgsc.org

HoGsty reefOur destination is Hogsty Reef, a place more at home in the Pacific, not the Atlantic. It is a 3x5 mile atoll and the reef is sur-rounding a lagoon with coral heads. The only island is the size of a sand spit. There are over 600 wrecks here, but most of them have surrendered themselves to the 6000 foot depths surround-ing the atoll. There are two sitting atop the reef. The first one has been here a very long time as you can see from the remains. It was a Liberty class ship built during World War 2. The second is more recent and is an inter-island transport named the Lady Eagle. Both are very interesting to explore.

Visit www.svGuidingLight.com to read more from Captain Shane about the Bahamas, Caribbean, life aboard, world traveling, and more. You might also want to check out his travel video series.

frencH wellsIn between Crooked and Long Island is French Wells, a shal-low sand flat has a deep-water channel and is a fantastic an-chorage. Tradition has it ships filled their fresh water barrels at the well here for the trip back to Europe and you can find some of those boat names carved into some of the rocks around the well.

We are now going to sail across the bight of Acklins in 10 feet or so of water, so we can work our way down Acklin’s Island. Our destination is the small island off the southern tip, called Castle Island.

castle islandMake sure you visit the lighthouse, which provides a phenom-enal view. Just be careful because the stairs are iffy to say the least. This is a great spot to rest before sailing southeast 35 miles to one of the most remote locations in the Bahamas.

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not think there has to be a catch limit but says people should take care of the marine environment as much as possible.

Waldo Tejera Jr. wrote about where and how to find bait in South Florida here: www.islamoradasportfishing.com, which may be helpful if forage fish become harder and harder to find.

This fall the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, which includes Florida representatives, is expected to make a decision on managing menhaden (also known as pogies) possibly aiming to leave 75 percent of the menhaden unhar-vested so menhaden can continue to go about their business as essential food for numerous predators as well as continue to filter water while ingesting plankton. This commission’s an-nual meeting is set for mid-October in Norfolk, Va.

Florida Guides Association President Captain Charlie Phil-lips wrote about the importance of baitfish in a February 2017 newsletter, noting, “There is one ingredient that keeps the game fish around, and therefore the guide busy -- bait.” To keep bait around, quality habitat and clean water are require-ments, he said, “both of which have been altered quite a bit in Florida over the past 100 years.”

The Florida Forage Fish Coalition, led by the International Gamefish Association, aims to share information and ideas on how to conserve Florida’s valuable marine resources and ensure the state keeps its reputation as the Fishing Capital of the World. If you want to help, for starters, you can sign a pledge supporting forage fish and their habitats at www.floridaforagefish.org.

global demand is surging for forage fish which are used to make pet food, cosmetics, nutritional supplements, fertilizer and feed for animals and aquaculture operations. Their eggs are a delica-

cy. They are vulnerable to pollution and climate change which affect the ocean and habitats. Yet, Florida has few rules di-rectly capping their catch, and those in effect do not protect their role in ocean ecosystems.

Forage fish are small species that serve as food for marine ani-mals including birds, dolphins, groupers and snappers. Florida’s forage fish include striped mullet, scaled sardine (pilchard), round scad (cigar minnow), pinfish and Atlantic thread herring. These schooling fish feed on microscopic plants and animals and in turn serve as critical food for fish and wildlife. They make up about 20 percent of the commercial catch off Florida’s shores.

Why should surging demand for forage fish concern anglers, environmentalists and those who enjoy eating seafood? Ac-cording to a resolution passed in June 2015 by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), forage species fuel fishing and recreation that contribute more than $12.3 billion to Florida’s economy, tens of millions of pounds of fresh seafood, and more than 100,000 jobs annually in Flor-ida. FWC’s goal is to ensure a sufficient population of forage fish to maintain Florida’s fishing stocks, marine ecosystems and avian species that depend on forage fish.

FWC also seeks to require essential scientific data about for-age species to guide expansion of existing forage fishing operations and development of new industries that target these species as well as protect forage fish habitat -- such as mangroves, sea grasses, estuaries, rivers, and bays --including their water quantity and quality.

“It’s getting tougher to find bait fish,” said Capt. Dave of Capt. Dave’s Live Bait in Miami. And Jose Guillen of Don’s Bait and Tack-le in Homestead agrees. Guillen has sought bait for 20 years and said he usually looks for pilchards. “They’re a little hard to come by, but not because of people catching too many. It has to do with water temperature and the environmental effects of development on mangroves where small fish breed and develop.” Guillen does

LITTLE FISH IN BIg TROUBLE,RESEARcHERS SAyBY Jill ZiMa BorSki

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There’s no doubt the marine scene is a male domi-nated one. Just look at the majority of faces you see. Men outnumber women in recreational boat-ing pursuits such as sports fishing, sailing and me-

ga-yachting. In fact, a 2011-published report by the Recre-ational Boating and Fishing Foundation revealed that only 23 percent of all current boaters are women. Likewise, according to the May 2017-released report, Women’s Business Owner-ship: Data from the 2012 Survey of Business Owners, by the U.S. Small Business Administration, marine industry profes-sions didn’t rank among the top five industries with a woman at the helm. Yet times are changing.

Two women in South Florida represent a growing wave of women marine industry professionals. Heather Valdez is now

WOmEN TAkE THE HELm IN THE SOUTH FLORIDA mARINE INDUSTRyBY Carol M. Bareuther

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w o m e N ta k e t h e h e l m . . .

general manager at Sailorman, a 30-plus year old marine store bought by her father, Chuck Fitzger-ald, back in 1985, whose niche is second hand parts and supplies for all types of craft. Jaclyn Baumgar-ten is chief executive officer of 2-year-old Aventura, Florida-headquartered Boatsetter.com, the num-ber one boat rental community with thousands of vessels available nationwide and internationally. Interestingly, both Valdez and Baumgarten started their love of the marine world recreationally while boating with their families.

“My dad bought Sailorman when I was a freshman in high school, but he’s been working in the marine industry since I was born,” says Valdez. “I worked in the store as a teenager. Then, after college (Florida Atlantic University with a major in accounting), I got married and we raised four boys, of which the oldest is now 19. Last year, I was looking at the reality of going back to work somewhere full time when my father decided to retire and deals to buy the busi-ness fell through. I decided to keep the Sailorman legacy alive.”

Baumgarten’s passion for boating began as a child cruising summers with her family on Lake Michigan. It was a desire to use her business acumen, which spans from an MBA from Stanford to management consultant to for Fortune 400 com-pany and coo for marketing firm with team members on four continents, combined with a longtime avid interest in the ma-rine world that led her to take an entrepreneurial leap of faith and start Boatsetter.com

“In 2012, both of my brothers told me they had to sell their boats because they weren’t using them enough. At the same time, I saw the awesome success of Airbnb, which enabled people to offset the cost of an expensive asset by renting it out. When I shared the idea of renting their boats with my brothers, my oldest brother said it wasn’t possible because of insurance limitations. So, I hit the global insurance market and started CRUZIN, America’s first fully-insured peer-to-peer boat sharing marketplace,” says Baumgarten, who in 2015 merged with competitor, Boatsetter, creating a formi-dable enterprise in the boat sharing arena.

What both women enjoy about their leadership positions is an ability to create their own culture in the workplace.

“Business isn’t just a numbers game for us. Instead, it’s all about personal relationships with our customers. They love the every-day wheeling and dealing and the free hot dogs and keg of beer when we have a big sale. This extends to our employees too.

When it’s their birthday, we celebrate with their favorite foods and invite customers in the store at the time to sing Happy Birth-day. This whole picture rather than just the bottom line approach makes it harder, but much more satisfying,” says Valdez.

Similarly, Baumgarten wanted to create a business herself from the ground, or waterline as it may be, up.

“What I love is being the producer, putting all the pieces to-gether, building teams with the right people with the right talents all aligned on a common goal for today and business objectives 6 to 12 months out. This is something that is very empowering and very positive. Women have an innate and unique ability to lead, to collaborate, to produce and to effect change and influence others,” Baumgarten says.

What advice would Baumgarten and Valdez offer young wom-en who would like to wade into these women’s wake and set their own professional courses in the marine industry?

“Be tenacious, especially if you want to create a company that doesn’t exist. You have to block out the ‘no’s’ and figure out a way to get what you want accomplished. Creative problem solving is key. Most of all, you must know the business, know the metrics, better than anyone else. You have to earn your credibility,” says Baumgarten.

For Valdez, it’s means pushing the envelope and knocking down barriers. Most of all, she says, “Make sure you do what you love.”

Jaclyn Baumgarten Boatsetter

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ately hits the tip of the tongue but once the liquid engulfs the palate the spice is replaced with the raisins and cherries. The finish is warm and inviting. With additional sips, the cinnamon is less pronounced which I had hoped would expose more flavors. It doesn’t. This is a rum for a cool fall or winter night. overallPapa could have sipped Papa’s Pilar Dark while sitting in his veranda on a rainy evening in Key West, listening to the tree frogs as a gentle shower chilled the air. This rum is very inviting. 4 out of 5

pApA’S pILAR 24rum BY Clint and terry BoraM

Our favorite tour in Key West, by far, was the Hemingway Home on Whitehead Street. Er-nest Hemingway, known by many as “Papa,” had a penchant for adventure and fine rums.

The Hemingway Rum Company pays homage to this icon of American literature by offering a Blonde and a Dark rum un-der the name of Papa’s Pilar, named after Hemingway’s fishing boat. Naturally we chose the dark rum hoping for an adven-turous sipping experience. Papa’s Pilar is a blend of both pot and column distilled rums from the Caribbean, Central America and Florida. The dark rum is aged, solera style, in bourbon barrels and port wine casks, then finished in sherry casks. The number 24 on the front of the bottle indicates the oldest rum in the chain of barrels is 24 years of age. Papa’s Pilar is sanctioned by the Hemingway estate with the family donating 100 percent of their royalties to organizations that embody adventure, lit-eracy and conservation. In May 2017, Hemingway Rum Company opened its Rum Dis-tillery & Experience Center on Simonton Street in Key West. The 8,000 sq. ft. all brick ex-tobacco warehouse now supports Papa’s Pilar rum production along with providing an Experi-ence Center, a Trading Post, a Tasting Room and eventually a rentable event center. Visitors can watch the rum go through the distillation process followed, of course, by samples. He saidThe rum has a sweet nose of vanilla, molasses, honey, with a hint of oak. There’s a slight alcohol burn in the sinuses which the sweetness quickly overtakes. On the palate, the only sweetness I get is honey, but now there is a spice coming through that dissipates so quickly I can’t immediately distin-guish. Second and third sips brings out anise, vanilla, and a subtle hint of oak. It’s very smooth from start to finish with a nice warmth on the throat. After the initial nose, I expected a very sweet liquid however, the spices and oak balance the rum out nicely making Papa’s Pilar a great sipping rum. sHe saidI love the canteen design bottle highlighting the rum’s red-dish brown with golden hues. The smell reminds me of my grandfather who drank port wine. There are raisins, cherries, and some honey on the nose. A burst of cinnamon immedi-

siPPinG ruM scale

1 – An expensive mixer 2 – A quick celebratory shot 3 – Wouldn’t be embarrassed to share with friends4 – Are my friends worthy of a sip5 – Special moments rum

about clint and terry: We have sampled many a dram over our 33 years of marriage and quite often we don’t fully agree. Could be the difference is male/female taste buds. Or, somebody is just wrong.