Professionalism standards are rising all across yachting. It’s no wonder, then, that formal certification is on the rise, too. This concept is now coming to yacht refitting, interesting enough. If a refit is in your future, your inner circle will benefit from a thorough certification program at the third-annual Refit Show in January.
The program is a two-day, nine-session series titled “Introduction to Yacht Refitting for Yacht Managers, Captains and Crew.” Completing six of the nine sessions entitles members of your team to receive the certification. Bluewater’s crew-training division is awarding it, and developing it with The Triton crew newspaper. The series spans the two days of the show, January 10 and 11, in Fort Lauderdale.
The reasoning behind formal certification is simple. “Captains and crew are integral to the refit process in any shipyard,” asserts Jim Miller, the Refit Show director. He believes Bluewater’s experience in teaching management skills and teamwork, plus communication skills, will increase proficiency. (Bluewater teaches MCA Master, U.S. Coast Guard, and RYA Yachtmaster courses around the world.) Ultimately, this makes your captains and crew more valuable to you. Kevin Petrovsky, Bluewater’s chief academic officer, agrees. “The refit process involves a wide variety of expertise and experience that must be well organized and coordinated.” Therefore, he adds, the series will provide an overview of the process, as well as “practical and tangible guidance at each stage.”
Some of the yacht refitting sessions cover general background information on refit yards, and the basics of preparing for a refit. Others focus on legal and liability issues, as well as conflict resolution. Still others outline how to create a yacht refitting plan, along with departmental responsibilities pre-refit and during a refit.
The Refit Show takes place at the Broward Convention Center. Registration should open early next month. In the next several weeks, show organizers will reveal additional seminar details, too.
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