9 October 2009, Fort Lauderdale, Florida: YachtInfo—the collaborative effort of ISS, MIASF and USSA to provide professional development for the industry—today announces the content and format of the Captains Briefing segment of its full day of events on Friday, 30 October 2009 during the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. Immediately following the Crew Seminars and Luncheon (from 9:00 A.M. – 4:00 P.M.), the Captains Briefing will provide captains and senior officers the opportunity to hear the of comments and interact with high level Washington officials from Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection, State Department, and American Pilots Association. 

As with last year’s Captains Briefing, John Mann will serve as the session host while Corey Ranslem will moderate the panel and pose questions pertaining to Entry Issues Coming into the US. The issues relate to both the crew entry (visa and customs questions) as well as the yacht itself, including Coast Guard regulations and pilotage requirements while transiting U.S. waters.

Panelists discussing these critical matters include the following policy professionals and a description of their talking points.

U.S. Coast Guard: Rear Admiral Kevin Cook, Director of Prevention and Policy
As the Director of Prevention Policy, Rear Admiral Kevin Cook’s responsibilities span many of Coast Guard’s Marine Safety, Security and Stewardship missions affecting waterways management, domestic and international shipping, recreational and fishing boats and port facilities. YachtInfo will be asking Admiral Cook to discuss the advanced notice of arrival regulations that currently affect foreign flagged vessels coming to the U.S. and what changes to these regulations could be made in the near future.

Customs & Boarder Protection: Cheryl Peters, Program Manager for Admissibility and Passenger Programs, Office of Field Operations

Ms. Peters coordinates admissibility policies and programs within the maritime environment and serves as the point of contact for Commercial Sea Programs. We will ask Ms. Peters about the arrival requirements of large yachts, including crew visa requirements.

American Pilots Association: Mr Michael R Watson, President
Captain Michael R. Watson was elected President of the American Pilots Association, Inc. in 2000. He was re-elected in 2004 to a second four-year term 2005-2009. Captain Watson was elected President of the International Maritime Pilots’ Association in 2006.  He will serve in that position for a four-year term and he is the first US President of IMPA in over 30 years. Mr. Watson will discuss pilotage requirements for large yachts entering the U.S., where to find that information, and how industry associations and marine trades can work in partnership with the APA to help large yachts enter the U.S.

There are currently four sponsorships available for the Captains Briefing. Benefits sponsors enjoy include receiving direct access to these distinguished DC officials, company logos on all marketing materials and advertising for the Briefing (including the website), their banner displayed during the Briefing, their company mentioned from the podium, and eight complimentary tickets to the Crew Seminars, Captains Briefing and Cocktail Reception. The Captains Briefing sponsors will also get a copy of the attendance list and one company representative will be able to participate in a VIP tour with the panelists before the Briefing.

More, all YachtInfo sponsors receive unprecedented access to the three founding organizations’ outreach in providing professional development for the industry.

The Captains Briefing last year received an overwhelming response from captains. There were close to 150 people in attendance including captains, senior officers, business sponsors, trade press, and local government officials.