After a few days of beautiful weather, yet another year of WRI's attendance at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show has concluded. We highly value this type of interaction as it provides a new perspective for where the industry is trending, as well as having the opportunity to meet new clients

We were invited on a few vessels including the Moonraker, the Mia Elise II, and the Black Gold. It was a pleasure as always to meet the captains and discuss our services and their upcoming plans.

Furthermore, this year WRI provided an appreciation award to Captain Keith Moore onboard the Lady Sheridan. The award was provided based on the continual partnership and loyalty he has had with WRI.

The above image is of Captain Keith Moore accepting the award, along with three of our meteorologists from left to right in blue: Jeremy Davis (Senior Meteorologist/Operations Manager), myself (Meteorologist), and Mark Neiswender (Director of Yacht Operations).

Captain Moore has been a client of ours for over 15 years and has been onboard the Lady Sheridan since then. Moore was introduced into the boating scene at a young age while working with his uncle on lobster boats and then he transitioned into the yachting industry; while working on many different vessels including the: Excellence I, Kakapo, and the Lady Valerie.

Some of the highlights from our conversation with Captain Moore include:

Areas within the Mediterranean to shelter during severe weather events.
Where he sees himself within the current industry, and his enthusiasm for the future.
How constant evolution in technology is influencing the industry and the demands of the younger generation of Captains.

We discussed with Captain Keith and other captains at the show, that here at WRI, we are keeping up with the demands of an evolving industry, and promoted our new version of SeaWeather called SeaWeather Onboard. This new software allows our clients to access similar features to SeaWeather without the necessity of a constant internet connection in the form of small data files. These data files can be received via email, and uploaded into the SeaWeather Onboard software directly up to four times a day. We are currently offering beta trials of this new software so if you’re interested in testing please contact us.

The Fort Lauderdale Boat Show continues to be an excellent opportunity for WRI meteorologists to absorb the latest trends, and we look forward to applying this feedback while developing new products in 2017. Like this past show, we will be nominating another captain for the award, and aim to meeting our nominee and showing our appreciation.

A New Career and A New Direction

By: Amanda Delaney, Assistant Operations Manager

A long-time client, Captain Walter Rowan, paid a visit to the WRI booth at the Newport International Boat Show back in September. We had a nice conversation that included his favorite locations of the 82 countries he visited over the past 30 years on various megayachts.

Walter then explained that he came to a crossroads recently where he wanted to stay in yachting, yet not have the round the clock responsibilities of a captain. While pondering different options, he decided to work with his friend, Captain Marc Greichen on the M/Y Podium. Then the answer came to Walter when M/Y Podium's annual flag state inspection approached, and Marc had difficulty finding a compass adjuster to calibrate the compass onboard.

Walter explained that is essential to have the compass correctly calibrated. Not only is it required for inspection but it can be a life-saving tool if your electronics fail onboard. GPS signals can be disrupted by:

The U.S. Department of Defense
Solar flares
Some signals may not be available in higher latitudes. There could be signal errors or, bad data could be entered into the navigation system that could throw the direction off

However, finding a professional compass adjuster is becoming more difficult as most people feel it is a dying trade in this age of technology. Marc finally hired Ray Andrews, who Walter met and observed Ray’s craft. He then asked if he could become his apprentice and learn the trade. Under Ray Andrew’s guidance, Walter has now started his own company called Marine Compass Adjusters to help fulfill this void in the marine industry. His vast knowledge of megayachts has come in handy. Sometimes the first challenge of adjusting a compass is obtaining the actual device; as some luxury yachts have compasses that can only be reached either by taking apart the console or through a window. However, Walter loves the work and hopes to train more people under his company.

For more information on compass adjusting, visit Walter Rowan’s website: www.mcaadjust.com. If you wish to contact Walter for an appointment, he can be reached at 1-954-552-8176 or by e-mail: schedule@mcaadjust.com.