We take a break this month to welcome back Donna Bradbury, gracious sponsor of one of our networking events last fall when her company was known as Blue Water Alliance.

This year, the name of the Switzerland-based, worldwide agency has changed, there’s a new logo, and a new marketing efforts afoot.

We’re happy to help re-introduce BWA Yachting to the yachting industry at our November networking event on Nov. 5 from 6-8 p.m. at Briny’s Irish Pub on the New River at Andrews Avenue in Ft. Lauderdale (site of our fabulous spring party).

Q: Tell us about the switch to BWA Yachting.

Our company has evolved tremendously in the past few years. Our name Blue Water Alliance was changed to BWA Yachting this year to simplify our image and distinguish our company to the yachting community. Our offices have recently made the move and changed their names from A1JLT to BWA Yachting.

Q: And you? Any change in your role?

Nope. I continue to manage our U.S., Caribbean, and Bahamas operations from my Ft. Lauderdale office in Lauderdale Marine Center. This summer, I was on assignment in our office in Lugano, Switzerland, working with yachts in the Med. This was a great opportunity for me to gain more knowledge about the Med and get first-hand exposure to some of our locations, and I got to do support for the crossings as well. My summer experience is going to be valuable in itinerary planning for the 2009 season. I did miss The Triton’s networking events, but I read The Triton online every month to keep up to date.

Q: What kind of services does BWA Yachting provide?

BWA Yachting offers full agency services to yachts. We take care of everything from start to finish, from planning to implementation of every aspect of the trip. The services include berthing reservations, itinerary planning, clearance and formalities, bunkering technical services and support, customs and immigration services, travel and transportation, excursions, hotel and restaurant reservations, helicopter and jet rental, fresh provisions, supplies, courier service, freight handling, banking transactions, VIP concierge service and on-board entertainment.

Q: Captains don’t usually use ships agents in the United States. Should they?

I have provided a variety of services to yachts in the United States, including customs clearance, transportation, flights, yard arrangements and quotations, and visa arrangements (prior to arrival). One captain told me he wanted his crew to have time off, get their training and take additional training if they want. He also wanted them to have time off to refresh for the next season.

Having a yacht agent handle this perhaps "small" stuff allows captains to better use crew’s time. We know details of registering tenders, for example, and can get right to the source that many captains might not be aware of. It is really being efficient with both a captain’s time and that of his/her crew.

Q: Tell us a funny story about your past year helping Captains and crew accomplish all they have to do.

One of our clients in Europe was desperate for a part. (Sound familiar?) The part could be sourced easily from the United States but not in two days, which is all the time we had as the owner and family were arriving.

As I got down to the last two possibilities in Europe, we found the part. But even with the fastest courier, it would take four days. The only way to make it in two days was to collect and deliver the part ourselves.

We calculated the cost, arranged to take one of our staff out of the office for nearly a day and a half, and got the captain’s OK. For our office to be short staffed for even a day and a half during peak season is like a captain being without an engineer.

But off our staff member went to meet the courier on the expressway where they proceeded to run across the expressway on foot to pass the part to the courier, which then was off toward the coast, onto the ferry and to the vessel’s engineer who worked his magic and got the repair done.

Year after year I think I have heard it all, but with each season these "do what?" situations continue. I am never surprised at how resourceful and creative captains are with these "how in the world can we pull this off" scenarios, but in the end there are many great team-work success stories.

As yachting agents, we feel that same sigh of relief when it is all said and done. We all seem to laugh and shake our heads in the end. It is great to meet with a captain or crew member I haven’t seen in a while and have our conversations go right into, "Do you remember that part escapade?"

Our job is "service" and believe me, there are a lot of personal rewards in this side of the business.