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22 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News Passenger Vessel Report NJ (New York Harbor), Norfolk, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. In 1990, Spirit Cruises was purchased by a French company then known as Sodexho S.A., and became the American counterpart of that company's fleet of dining vessels operating in Europe, including Bateaux Parisiens and Bateaux London. In 1995, Sodexho cre- ated a unique partnership with two giant competitors in England and Scandinavia. The result was the forma- tion of Sodexho Alliance, one of the largest food service management com- panies in the world. With their guidance, Spirit Cruises has grown beyond its original harbor cruise concept into a company of many different kinds of cruise brands. Smooth Operator The process of operating a fleet of boats to an ever changing and fickle consumer is fraught with challenges, with keeping the vessels operating in a safe and efficient manner at the top of the list. A myriad of details follow in close succession - rising fuel costs, ever tightening maritime security regulations and overall vessel maintenance and repair, but Captain Hanchrow claims that the single biggest challenge in run- ning a successful operation is person- nel. "Without question, human resources matters take up (proportion- ately) a lot of time," Captain Hanchrow said. "In this business sometimes it is tough to build legitimacy, and it can be a real challenge to get and grow a crew." Aside from the fact that the din- ner boat market is sometimes looked down upon by other maritime sectors, the fact that the business is seasonal only adds to the challenge. While Spirit maintains six permanent captains in New York year round, it can need between 15 and 18 during the high sea- son. "We spend a lot of time legitimiz- ing the dinner boat business, and to attract and retain quality crews," Captain Hanchrow said. It should be noted that Captain Hanchrow speaks from experience, having served in a wide variety of posi- tions and vessels since first earning license in 1991. Though he grew up around boats and worked side jobs as a teenager on the river, he never envi- sioned it as a permanent career. But when the construction industry tanked in the late 1980s, he found himself working the waterways, first on tour boats around West Point and eventual- ly in New York City, working for industry standards McAllister and Turecamo, as well as United Pilots, where his tug career ended. He joined Spirit Cruises in 1997 after a short stint in the deep sea market with Lamont Dougherty, and has since quickly Circle 211 on Reader Service Card ( E P A D D U O T O N E X C O P Y P D F ! - Circle 268 on Reader Service Card Circle 245 on Reader Service Card Tired of running around your vessel looking for up-to- date information? This handheld device can help. Control Console Remote Monitoring System Inventor Seeks Manufacturer •Remains in constant radio contact with central monitoring system •Receives instananeous alarm messages in real time •Acknowledges alarm conditions anywhere in the workplace For more information regarding this invention, please contact: Michael J. Erland 7001 Flewellyn Road, Ottawa, Ontario, K2S 1B6, Canada Phone: (613) 836-0013 Email:michaelerland@aol.com A Hand Held Device •Requests real time data •Compares old readings with new •Provides flexibility around the workplace US Patent # 6525664 Circle 203 on Reader Service Card Favorite Boat: Commander There's something about your first. Spirit Cruises' Captain Greg Hanchrow, Director of Marine Operations, when con- sidering which, over his career was his favorite boat, took little hesitation in answering "Commander," this first commer- cial vessel he ever worked on. Commander is a wooden ferry built originally for the U.S. Navy in 1917 to tow anti-barrage balloons in the lower bay New York region. After WWI, the vessel worked as a tender in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, after the war serving as a ferry between Sheepshead Bay and Breezy Point, New York, where it served until the 1980s. Capt. Hanchrow said the 65 x 30 ft. vessel … "this little putt-putt thing," has a wheelhouse the "size of a clos- et." Captain Tom Dodrill, who hired Hanchrow, still operates the vessel as a seasonal tour boat around West Point. MR JANUARY 2005 #3 (17-24).qxd 1/6/2005 4:58 PM Page 6
