US REFIT
and Jean-Michel Beron have a great deal of experience having been in the luxury yacht industry for over 25 years. Alongside the project management skills of Norina Edelman, they are a formidable team and have initiated a new era of superyacht refit and repair in the Caribbean region. Norina Edelman says that because their Guadeloupe headquarters is located in the heart of the Caribbean cruising ground, just 40nm south of Antigua and 300nm north of St Vincent and the Grenadines the yard offers European standard refits in a winter cruising ground.
She adds, “Our secure facilities include a 200m ISPS-compliant alongside dock for larger vessels, deep-water berths and a locally based floating dock for hull work on superyachts up to 55m. This is complemented by our exclusive agreement with a 180m dry dock in neighbouring Martinique, the largest in the region available to superyachts, which is able to take vessels up to 130m in length.” Edelman believes that “Planning the logistics of any major refit is always a collaboration between the shipyard and the yacht. She says, “Set up a good clear line of communication before the yacht arrives and make sure everyone knows what to expect and is prepared for every eventuality.”
Having made their shortlist of yards with a good reputation, capable of completing a refit on time inside budget what should a Captain next expect from the yard? “We try to schedule a meeting with the Captain as early as possible in
the process to make
sure that expectations, lines of communication and schedule are clearly understood,” says James Brewer at Derecktor. He adds, “It is important to clarify anticipated sub-contractor relationships, the availability of material and equipment, and the availability of designs and approvals – once these are in place the bid process can begin.”
“We study their project and try to propose solutions and ideas to save them time and money without imposing them,” says Bernard Calot at Universal. “Remember we are slightly different to other yards in that we do not haul yachts out of the water and so whilst we can do almost everything else, we do not take on antifouling or underwater repair work.”
UNIVERSAL MARINE CENTER Universal Marine Center is a newly opened refit and repair facility. They can accommodate vessels of every size up to 55m (180 feet) in length. Captains are in complete control of the project or can use one of the UMC on-site contractors. The team strive to provide distinctive, personalised customer service and their priority is to gain the respect and trust and to develop long terms relationships. UMC welcome your inquiries regarding the competitive pricing, reserving a slip, renovations, and repairs for yachts or storage and invite you to come take a personalised tour of our marina. As a designated hurricane safe haven UMC are West of I-95 and are not susceptible to the storm surges that you would find to the East. For more details Tel: +1 954 791 0550 or visit
www.umcmarina.com
“We always reply to a request within 24 hours of being contacted,” affirms Neil Wilson at MGBW. “Addressing a quote request is always a collaborative approach where the Captain and MGBW’s refit director and estimator all work together in order to establish and price out an agreeable work list. The work list will then be translated into a statement of work, which will be incorporated into the terms and conditions of the contract. Some items can be quoted without inspecting the vessel, while others require our estimator to ship check the vessel to measure, document and take photos of the work to bring back to the production team for cost estimating. If the Owner/Owners Rep decides to proceed, the contract will be signed and then turned into a work order, which marks the start of the production period.”
So how do you know the difference between a good refit and a bad one. Sadly you do not until its over but following the advice of those who run the yards can lessen the chances of it going base over apex. “A good refit,” says Bernard Calot Marketing Manager at Universal Marine Center, “Is one when, at the end, the customer its completely happy with the job done versus the paid price and contractors are proud to use the yacht name as reference. A bad one is when a project is late and not on budget, then everybody gets frustrated.
ONBOARD | AUTUMN 2017 | 77
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