Furloughed workers return to Hatteras

Source: Soundings TradeOnly

About 200 Hatteras Yachts employees returned to work last week, their first full week since a July 1 furlough.

“We have called back all of the hourly people who were on temporary furlough and are in the early stages of looking like we’re a real business again,” Bill Naumann, Hatteras Yachts chairman, told the New Bern (N.C.) Sun Journal.

The company, which once employed about 1,400 people at the New Bern plant, has been trimming for several years, with major organizational changes in 2008 that included layoffs, followed by another layoff in January 2009 that cut 330 jobs.

The June 2 announcement of a summer shutdown with furloughs for all except key management and maintenance staff was said to affect about 300 employees and placed about 90 on “indefinite furlough.”

All of the layoffs that were initially planned did not materialize, and the plant was in a slowdown but not completely closed, the newspaper reports

Hatteras was established in 1959, and acquired by Brunswick Corp. in 2001.

Norwalk boat show has new name

Source: Soundings TradeOnly
The Norwalk International In-Water Boat Show is now the Norwalk Boat Show & Waterfront Festival and will include free live music with local and national bands, in addition to boats, marine gear and accessories.

The show runs from Sept. 24-27 at Norwalk Cove Marine in East Norwalk, Conn.

“Adding a water festival component pretty much presents us an opportunity to expand our reach in a market that we already draw a large crowd,” show manager Jon Pritko told Soundings Trade Only.

Norwalk is “fun and festive” and we want to enhance that, he said, adding people might come for the music and stay to see the boats.

“We’ve been talking about it for some time now,” Pritko added. With some exhibitors downsizing booths, the show had the space for the additional activities this year. “It’s still a substantial show,” he said.

Between 350 and 400 exhibitors are expected at the show.

Other show attractions include a “meet and greet” with stars of the Discovery Channel’s “Deadliest Catch” TV show and free Discover Boating rides. Show goers can also enjoy microbrews and an array of fresh seafood on the waterfront and be entertained by live music.

The show also features an Affordability Pavilion where visitors can browse a special showcase of boats that can be financed for $250 a month or less.

The Norwalk Boat Show & Waterfront Festival is produced by the National Marine Manufacturers Association.

Building the Annapolis Boat Show
By Membership – Published August 14, 2009

BUILDING THE ANNAPOLIS BOAT SHOWS

Each October, for 40 years, the United States Sailboat Show (October 8-12, 2009) and the United States Powerboat Show (October 15-18, 2009) take over the docks and harbor of the colonial seaport of Annapolis.  These two events, the oldest and largest in-water shows in the industry, are the only major boat shows not produced in an existing marina.  Playing host to more than 250 sailboats, over 450 powerboats and hundreds of land exhibitors requires the construction of a temporary facility of stupendous proportions.

To accommodate this veritable navy of recreational vessels, show producers will drive 62 temporary pilings in the waters of Annapolis harbor.  Those pilings anchor a mile and one quarter of floating docks, assembled in twenty-foot sections, requiring 600 bolts just to hold them together.  All docks are pre-assembled at the Navy Yard in Carrs Creek and towed across the Severn River in strings up to 480 feet in length, which make up one of the largest portable marinas in the world.   The docks have gas operated fire pumps, and exhibitors are supplied with fresh water for wash downs by a temporary water system incorporating 1500 feet of three-inch fire hose and 5 custom built “Christmas tree” style hose bib manifolds.

More than 250 tents, erected on over 600 wooden floor sections covering more than three quarters of an acre, accommodate land exhibitors.  Both land and water exhibitors receive an electrical service via a system of submarine cables and wiring that incorporates over 60 miles of wire.

This enormous construction effort takes place with almost military precision and timing in the space of three days, with the Sailboat Show opening at 10:00 am Thursday morning.  At 5:00 pm Monday the transition or “change-over” from Sailboat to Powerboat Show begins.  Change-over has become a bit of an event in its own right; with crowds of onlookers cheering from bars and restaurants surrounding the show site as boat operators and the show staff transform one show into another.  The load out of sail, load in of powerboats and the reconfiguring of docks, land and tent displays is completed by Wednesday evening and the Powerboat Show opens Thursday morning at 10:00 am.

Sunday evening at 6:00 pm the air at City Dock is filled with the sounds and exhaust fumes of hundreds of engines as the “breakdown” of the Powerboat Show begins.  Within about an hour and a half, the harbor basin empties of boats, accompanied by the cheers and jeers of the hundreds of onlookers who critique the close quarters boat handling skill of the departing exhibitors.

By Tuesday morning, like the legendary Scottish village of Brigadoon, the show has vanished, seemingly into thin air, to return again next year.  In fact, the floating city has been broken down into its component parts and transported to its permanent storage site in Owings, 26 miles south of Annapolis.

2009 is the 40th annual United States Sailboat Show.  To commemorate this 40-year tradition, there will be an Anniversary Reception, door prizes, special events, and more.
Show dates are October 8-12, 2009 for the United States Sailboat Show and October 15-18, 2009 for the United States Powerboat Show.  Advance ticket purchase is available online at www.usboat.com.

Don’t forget to stop by the BoatU.S. barge to say hi to the crew, renew your Membership, upgrade your towing or get an insurance quote.

Jobs in Boating Program Paying Off

Source: Boating Industry Magazine

BROCKTON, Mass. – The three-year grant awarded to Massasoit Community College, Massachusetts Marine Trades Association (MMTA) and Bristol Community College in collaboration with MY TURN, Inc. through the Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor & Workforce Development is proving its worth, organizers reported in a recent statement.

To date, 177 participants have completed one or more of the marine trades courses offered at Massasoit Community College or Bristol Community College; of these, 15 aspiring technicians have completed the internship program that was launched in fall 2008, the groups stated.
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Despite the current economic struggle in this sector, grant organizers believe that the resurgence in recreational boating will come and with it a flow of jobs for trained, experienced technicians.

Marine certificate classes are held at Massasoit Community College’s Canton campus, which is also the location of its marine lab.

“It’s very satisfying to have a South Coast marina call you with an immediate marine technician opening, e-mail a group of graduates, and then hear back that two were hired, with both the employer and students very satisfied,” said Elaine Stewart, Dean of Workforce Development and Community Education at Massasoit Community College.

Another round of the 45-hour marine trades introductory classes will start at Massasoit Community College and Bristol Community College in the fall and are free to residents of southeastern Massachusetts.

“The fees for the additional marine trades courses offered in this program are extremely reasonable when compared to other professional development courses”, said Audrey Boucher, JIB grant coordinator at Massasoit Community College. “All the classes are taught by experienced marine technicians. Current workers can come to the program knowing that here they can learn new, valuable skills”.

Scholarship assistance is available through the MMTA. All classes are offered at night and upon completion of any course the student receives an industry recognized certificate signed by both the college and the trade association.