Running The Ship

You see them in the magazines all the time--multimillion-dollar megayachts with more watertoys on deck than some dealers have in their showrooms. You know these yachts are cruising the Caribbean, the Med, and other exotic locales, and you may envy the owners who leisurely stroll their decks and play with their toys. But guess what? More often than not, these guys aren't playing--they're working from an onboard office.

Bert Sugarman is president of The Ocean Group, a company that sells time-shares aboard its two megayachts, the 143-foot Kahalani and 163-foot Braveheart. And according to Sugarman, his clients are as interested in the yachts' office accommodations as they are in her living quarters.

"These people are always working," says Sugarman. "Most are executives who run worldwide corporations that operate in different time zones. While they're aboard, they're totally available. They're phoning and faxing constantly." So for his clientele, efficient, private office space aboard is a must. "Each boat has complete office capabilities--the captain has one, and the owner's suite has another separate office."

A complete office today consists of a laptop or fixed personal computer with e-mail and internet access, a plain-paper fax, laser printer, copier, and of course, phone lines. Still, it's one thing to bring office equipment aboard, and quite another to make it all work. Rob Rosen is captain aboard the 131-foot Delta CV-9, and he notes that any good office must have multiple phone lines aboard, and several ways to make and receive calls. "Aboard CV-9," he says, "we have a shoreline, a cellular phone line, a satcom voice line, and a satcom fax line. When you pick up the handset to make a call, you choose which line you want."

Capt. Rosen says that cellular phone with a shipboard antenna works well for voice, fax, and data transmissions out to 25 miles offshore. Beyond that, you're into satellite communication (satcom) territory, and he has some very definite opinions about what works and what doesn't.

"The key to a good shipboard office," says Rosen, "is satcom with excellent fax capabilities. As far as I'm concerned, digital Inmarsat B is the way to go." Though CV-9 has both Inmarsat-M and Inmarsat-B aboard, Rosen has had trouble faxing with M, since "a lot of faxes won't talk to it, and it costs money each time a fax doesn't go through. M is very good for voice, but every time a fax machine on the other end connects and hangs up, it's a one-minute call." So even though airtime and initial equipment costs are much higher for Inmarsat B, Rosen says, "If you have any volume of faxes, it doesn't take long to recover a few thousand dollars using B. I've used it on circumnavigations, and I bet I never missed a fax anywhere in the world."

For cruising abroad, Rosen points out that cellular networks vary in different countries. "If you're heading to Europe, you should get the GSM system. With this cellular system, one phone number covers you all throughout Europe." But for truly global travel, Rosen like satcom for two more reasons. "For one thing, you only have one phone number and four possible area codes anywhere in the world. So when there's a cellular problem or a dockline problem, you can always get through on M or B. Plus, if you are offshore and there's a problem aboard, it's another source to send out an S.O.S, and any crew member can use it easily."

In discussing the private office aboard the charter yacht Knot Tied, a Lazzarra 76, Captain Bill Hoffman reinforced Rosen's themes. "You can bring in all the office equipment you want, but if you can't get out, what good is it?" Hoffman says the way to get around fax troubles with Inmarsat M is to buy the right fax machine in the first place. "You spend several million dollars on a yacht, and then you're going to cut corners on a fax machine?" The answer, he says, is to consult with your marine electronics dealer about which fax machine to buy if you're using Inmarsat-M, and Hoffman has had no trouble with his Panasonic.

As far as the office itself is concerned, Hoffman says that owners need a separate, private space aboard where then can work uninterrupted. "On Knot Tied," he says, "a charter guest can work in the office, then leave everything on the desk and go ride the waverunner. It will all still be there when he gets back, and he's not bothered by other guests when he's in the office."

Though Knot Tied has a fixed PC, Hoffman recommends that charter guests bring their own laptops aboard. "The charterer is already familiar with the laptop's programs," he says, "and it's a simple matter to connect a laptop into the ship's phone system. Then he's got access to docklines, cell phone, and satcom." Moreover, with an Ethernet system aboard, you can plug in the laptop at any number of phone jacks aboard and still be able to dial out. Not only that, but it's nice to be able to write up a contract while lounging on the flying bridge--something you can'd do with a fixed PC.

When it comes to the equipment you should buy, Sean Farrell--owner of Maritech Marine Electronics is Stamford, Connecticut--says a lot depends on the cruising you'll do. "The core of a shipboard office is the PC," says Farrell, and he recommends one with a Pentium II processor (266-mHz speed), 64-megs of RAM, Windows 95 Release 2, and a 6.4-gigabyte hard drive. "You can get one of those with 17-inch monitor for less than $4,000," he says. And to save space, you can add a combination printer/scanner/copier/fax machine. For more exotic setups, you can have multiple computer terminals aboard, all linked through an Ethernet.

For communications, Farrell says you really have four choices--MarineSat for coastal U.S. and Caribbean cruising, Inmarsat C for data-only transmissions anywhere in the world, and Inmarsat M or B. Your cruising areas, vessel size, and budget will ultimately determine which system is right for you. So while the cost for a shipboard office can range from as little as $12,000 to $100,000 or more, one thing is clear. Thanks today's electronics, you don't have to be at headquarters anymore to run your own ship.