Jeff has just completed his first year as chairman of the CAC, the CPYB oversight committee populated with veteran yacht broker volunteers from all six of the North American yacht broker associations. Jeff represents the CYBA (California Yacht Brokers Association) along with brokers Nick Friedman, CPYB, Mik Maguire, CPYB and CYBA executive director, Ty Mellott. The other associations besides California are, Yacht Brokers Association of America (YBAA), International Yacht Brokers Association (IYBA), British Columbia Yacht Brokers Association (BCYBA), Boating Ontario (Boating Ontario) and Northwest Yacht Brokers Association (NYBA).
Craig Nann – YBAA (via Zoom), Rob Langford – BCYBA, JP Skov – YBAA, Andy Miles – IYBA, Jeff Merrill – CYBA, Scott MacCrimmon – Boating Ontario, Jonathan Chapman – YBAA, Kevin Marinelli – Boating Ontario, Staley Weidman – IYBA.
The CAC meets quarterly with three remote sessions on Zoom and an annual in-person meeting which this year was held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on November 14th and 15th. The group met at the IYBA (International Yacht Broker Association) offices.
A full agenda occupied most of two days with spirited discussions and plans for continuing the successful trajectory of the program. The 2023 calendar was reviewed and dates were set for 2024. There are additional opportunities for current CPYB‘s to earn continuing education credits, through webinars, exam study sessions, and live events. Spending time together sitting at the same table is incredibly productive and even spilled over into a wonderful dining experience as a local FLL waterfront restaurant.
The CPYB exam is now offered in a modular format (one section at a time) or as originally designed, a three hour sit down to answer 145 questions. Apprentice CPYB candidates can study the Guide to prepare for the exam.
The ultimate yacht broker credential takes a lot of effort to earn and must be renewed every three years through continuing education. Of the thousands of active yacht brokers in the US and Canada, only 400+ have earned and maintained the CPYB credential.
One of the highlights of the meeting was reviewing nominations for the Vincent Petrella Chairman’s Award.
All look forward to a productive year in 2024 and hope to welcome more CPYB to the ranks.
