Category: Dealers

NORTHERN LIGHTS SCOTT DYBALL VISITS THE VIRGIN ISLANDS

Posted on by Ashley Uyeta

Scott Dyball, who is half of Northern Lights’ International Service Support Team visited the Virgin Islands from February 3-6.  He met with Fleet Operators who use Northern Lights generators exclusively: the Moorings and Voyage Yachts. He addressed concerns from both Fleet Operators and heard firsthand the challenges they face with operating generators on their fleets of Bareboat and Crewed Yachts. He was able to get suggestions on ways to improve the product and took them back to Seattle to incorporate these in the design and build of Northern Lights Generators.

Scott Dyball addressing concerns from Fleet Operators

 

Northern Lights has been supporting the Charter Industry in the Caribbean for over 30 years.  Charter operators here comprise a significant amount of Northern Lights’ business, as is evident that they sent him down to hear the Voice of the Customer. It is unique in that Northern Lights is one of the only Generator Manufacturers who have sent a Service Representative as opposed to the regular Sales Representatives who usually visit.

Scott also held a 2-day Service School for Virgin Islands Fleet Operators. Service Techs from the Moorings, Voyage, TMM, BVI Yacht Charters, Conch Charters and Waypoints Yacht Charters attended. The reviews from the attendees were unanimously positive, the only complaint being that the training was too short. Topics of the training focused on AC and DC electrics, as well as Engine and electrical end troubleshooting and maintenance.

Graduating class from Scott Dyball’s training

PARTS & POWER VISITS INBOARD DIESEL SERVICE IN MARTINIQUE

Posted on by Ashley Uyeta

In March, Meckel Weste and Tom Gerker visited Inboard Diesel Service in Martinique. IDS, founded and owned by Frank Agren, has been a Northern Lights Dealer for over 25 years.  He started the business in the village of Case Pilote where most of his customers are Commercial Vessels.  Recently he opened a new location in Le Marin where there are hundreds of pleasure craft, primarily medium sized sailing yachts.  The most striking aspect of IDS is its Service Departments.  Both have workshops that are meticulously clean and well organized.  This is such a point of pride for Frank and his staff that the entrance to their Parts, Sales and Administration areas in both locations is through the workshop.

Adrien, Tom, Meckel, and Marce in Le Marin Parts Department

IDS has consistently been one of the best performing Northern Lights dealers in the Caribbean, both in terms of Sales and Service.  Their customer service is excellent.  This is due to the standard set by Frank and personified by long term employees Béatrice RINTO, Ludovic ROSE-ÉLOÏSE (who manages the Le Marin operation) and Marcé NUBUL.   They have 3 technicians in the Case Pilote location and 4 techs in Le Marin. They have recently added Adrien Mesureur to their Admin and Sales staff who is in training to assist Beatrice and Frank.

Adrien, Tom, Meckel and Marce in Le Marin store

Northern Lights Supports Marine Charter Season Kickoffs

Posted on by Ashley Uyeta

Northern Lights Generators and Lugger Marine Diesel Engines recently sponsored 3 events in the Virgin Islands to kick off the 2023-2024 Marine Season.  Parts & Power, distributor for Northern Lights in the Eastern and Southern Caribbean, attended all 3 Crewed Charter Yacht events.  They sponsored the food and drink for the BVI Charter Yacht Society Crew Party and AGM on November 6.  They pitched their Northern Lights tent and met with Yacht Crews at the BVI Vendor night on November 7.  Then they sailed to St. Thomas on Nov 10 and attended the VIPCA Marine Expo.  Gavin Dooley and Shawina Jacobs were joined by St. Thomas Northern Lights dealer Mark van den Driessche for the event.

Both Virgin Islands Shows were filled to capacity with Yachts.  It is a positive sign for the Marine Industry going into 2024.  Northern Lights has supported the Charter Yacht Industry for over 25 years and is committed to continue their support. The Northern Lights, Technicold and Lugger Products are uniquely qualified for Charter Yachts where simplicity, durability and long life are critical to the vessels’ success.  Both the VIPCA and the BVICYS organizations are continuing to grow and support their members.  The BVICYS has a record number of member Yachts in 2023.

BVI Charter Yacht Society Crew Party

 

BVI Charter Yacht Society Vendor Night

 

VIPCA St. Thomas Charter Yacht Show Marine Expo

Northern Lights Visits St. Thomas Super Yacht Show December 2021

Posted on by Adriene Riordan

 

IGY Marinas and the International Yacht Brokers Association held its first Super Yacht Charter Show at the Yacht Haven Grand Marina on St. Thomas from 9-13 December. Northern Lights Inc was on hand as a sponsor and presenter at the event.  Due to the huge surge of charters booked in late 2021, none of the Caribbean Charter Yacht Shows had many boats attend this year. Only 10 Super Yachts were in attendance at the event, but 6 of the 10 present had Northern Lights generators on them.  There were a great number of brokers present, which gave the yachts great exposure and kept the crews busy.  The Organizers arranged air travel for the brokers from the Antigua ACYM Show to St. Thomas.

Nils Nelson, from Northern Lights, and Tom Gerker from Caribbean Distributor Parts & Power, visited each of the yachts during the Show.  They met the engineers from each yacht and asked about the performance of their generators and if they had any service issues. As is often the case, most engineers said that their Northern Lights generators were running great, and they wished all their equipment was a reliable as a Northern Lights.  One yacht had a pair of 45kW generators with over 35,000 hours on them and neither had been overhauled or had any significant service issues.

The Show itself was extremely well organized with presentations for Yacht Crews and Brokers, and lots of social events. 3 meals per day were provided for Brokers and Sponsors, and a party with a different theme was offered each evening. Strict Covid protocols were in place that kept the event safe but did not interfere with everyone having a good time.

The Organizers originally had 25 Super Yachts registered, but many had to drop out due to charters being booked during the Show.  Despite the low number of yachts, they were happy with the event and were looking forward to holding it annually.

 

 

 

21 hours delivery!

Posted on by Guy Phoenix

Tom Gerker of Parts & Power Ltd,  received a call from Erwan Le Normand at Caraibes Diesel in Sint  Maarten at 5:45 pm on the 19th of April 2021.  Erwan desperately needed a  Northern Lights M673L3G marine generator for S/Y Encore, whose owner was due to arrive on the 21st of April for the first visit in over a year.

With the vast inventory of Northern Lights generators and parts held in stock by Parts & Power in the British Virgin Islands, Tom was able to expedite delivery.  He contacted Captain Neville Brathwaite Jr of North Eastern Caribbean Airline, located at Beef Island, Tortola.  Neville said he would make it happen.  The Britten Norman Islander aircraft was the perfect plane for this mission!

21 hours delivery  

The Northern Lights generator arrived at Princess Juliana International Airport at 2:30 pm the next day and was delivered to the boat by 3 pm.

Parts & Power had a generator delivered to the customer in Sint Maarten 21 hours after the initial call, which was also after regular business hours.

Even more impressive, Erwan and the Team at Caraibes Diesel Services had the generator installed by 10 AM the following morning. This is Caribbean Nothern Lights at its very best.

In this pandemic era, no one would have thought this possible!

 

The Parts & Power Team worked hard to make this happen.  Those not directly involved, picked up the slack so others could.  It was truly a team effort.

Captain S/Y Encore

I can’t thank everyone enough for the extra effort in making this happen. We received the generator at Port de Plaisance around 3:00 pm this afternoon and had it in the boat shortly thereafter.

 Great job all around, very impressive, we truly appreciate it!!

 

Palm Tree Marine Services Mega Yacht Northern Lights Generator

Posted on by Adriene Riordan

PALM TREE MARINE SERVICES MEGA YACHT NORTHERN LIGHTS GENERATOR

In December of 2020, Mike Bingley and Sim Hoggarth of Palm Tree Marine in Grenada were asked by a customer if they could change the generator end on his yacht’s Northern Lights Generator.  “No problem,” they said.  Then they found out that the generator was on the 144 ft mega yacht “King Baby” moored at Port Louis marina in St. George’s harbour.  Not only was the generator end over 900lbs, but it would also require negotiating the huge alternator through a circuitous route in the immaculate interior of the yacht.  It took some clever engineering to make ramps and lifting gear to move the old alternator out of the vessel, then move the new one in.  The captain was at first concerned about having the work done in the Caribbean.  But Palm Tree Marine is an authorized Northern Lights Dealer and they soon put his mind at ease with their professionalism.  With good engineering and careful hands-on work, they removed the old alternator in 2 days.  Having set up everything already, Palm Tree was ready when the new alternator arrived and got it installed within budget and on time.

Palm Tree Marine has been in business since ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­2007 and were appointed as Northern Lights Dealers in Grenada soon thereafter.  They regularly assist Northern Lights customers with competent and cost effective repairs and repowers.  For more information, contact Sim Hoggarth in Clarkes’ Court Boatyard, St Georges, Grenada on +1-473-407-2782 or email sim@palmtreemarine.com.

Mike and Jason wrestle the alternator into position on the aft deck.

King Baby’s chief engineer looks on as Mike and Jason lift the 900lb alternator off the generator.

Mike Bingley carefully pushes the new alternator on its custom made trolley.

Northern Lights 6kW Generator Supply and Installation by Palm Tree Marine

Posted on by Guy Phoenix

After 14 years of nursing and repairing our 8kW Mastervolt generator, it was time for a proper replacement on our much-beloved Hylas 49!

Having the boat in Grenada and after consulting with many of our fellow cruisers, we decided to go with a 6kW Northern Lights Generator. Palm Tree Marine, being a Northern Lights Dealer, was highly recommended for the supply and installation!

Mike came to the boat and did an inspection and measurements to verify that the new generator would fit nicely!

At Clarkes Court Marine service dock, the old generator came out quickly and efficiently!

The new generator went in as easily as the old one came out! Not a ding or a scratch anywhere on the boat, with a very professional crew all working together!

Although Mike the owner and Sim the manager are very knowledgeable in boat engineering, their Northern Lights factory-trained technician, Rakime, was an integral part of the whole installation on the boat and he was a pleasure to have on the boat for the few days that it took to install the generator!

Mike’s idea for extra motor mounts turned out to be fantastic for a super smooth operation!

A perfect fit!!!

My wife and I are thrilled as to how quiet and smooth the operation of this 6kW Northern Lights Generator is and what a pleasant experience it was working with Palm Tree Marine!!

Palm Tree Marine

We would highly recommend both Palm Tree Marine and this marvellous generator to anyone who wants to upgrade their boat!

Thank you!
Chris & Fran Marcos

Northern Lights Caribbean Dealers hold virtual meeting amid the Coronavirus lockdowns

Posted on by Adriene Riordan

NORTHERN LIGHTS CARIBBEAN DEALERS HOLD VIRTUAL MEETING AMID THE CORONAVIRUS LOCKDOWNS

9 April 20, Road Town, Tortola

Most Caribbean Countries are on lockdown due to the Coronavirus Pandemic.  With few exceptions, all Caribbean Countries are restricting anyone, other than Essential Workers, from leaving their own yard.  Although most Caribbean Northern Lights Dealers are Essential Workers in their own counties, there is very little work to require anyone from going out.  With this in mind, Robin Hales and Gavin Dooley, from Parts & Power, organized an online training meeting with all the Caribbean Dealers.  It was a good opportunity for everyone to get together and discuss the Northern Lights Product, and the Northern Lights and CaribbeanNorthernLights.com websites.  Rob hosted the event, and Gavin was our trainer.

There were 26 people in attendance on the Zoom meeting with one or more participants from

Marine Power Services, Antigua; Dominica Marine Centre, Dominica; Palm Tree Marine, Grenada; Inboard Diesel Services, Martinique; Electec, St. Maarten; Caraibes Diesel, St. Martin; Marintek, St. Lucia; LP Marine, Trinidad; Marine Maintenance, Tortola; CRC, Virgin Gorda; Import Supply, St. Thomas and Parts & Power.

“It is important, in this time of isolation, for everyone to remain engaged,” Robin Hales said.  “I thought it was also an excellent time for us all to get together to talk about the Northern Lights Product.”  It is not very often when we can get the attention of our very busy Dealers.  So, I wanted to take advantage of the fact that most people were in isolation.  Besides, I have not had an opportunity to meet with some of our Dealers, especially with planned travel being postponed at this time” he said.  “Although face to face meetings are not possible, this was the next best thing.  This was so successful that we will hold a follow up meeting next week.”

US Virgin Islands Professional Charter Yacht Show – 11th November 2019

Posted on by Guy Phoenix

Parts and Power Ltd, together with their Northern Lights Dealer Import Supply, based in Charlotte Amalie, represented Northern Lights at the USVI Professional Yacht Charter Show on Monday 11th November 2019, the Vendor Show.
This premier event in the US Virgin Islands for charter brokers and crewed yachts is a unique opportunity to display the very best of sail and power catamarans, monohulls and luxury motor yachts in one location. It also allows the crews, managers and local vendors to kick off their Caribbean season and present themselves and their services.

Tony Tuckett and Robin Hales from Parts and Power Ltd, together with Mark van den Driessche, owner of Import Supply, St Thomas, were on hand to present and discuss Northern Lights generators, parts and service with the attendees. With over 75 boats on the docks this was a very busy and productive event. Topics of discussion ranged from new generators to technical support and preventative maintenance.

This was the first opportunity for many Owners and Captains to discuss their requirements for the coming season. It was also a great introduction to the new dealer Import Supply. It was obvious that having support in the US Virgin Islands is very much appreciated.

Parts and Power Ltd wish Import Supply the very best for the coming season and look forward to working closely in the future.

Import Supply can be found at 8220 Sub Base #86, St Thomas, Virgin Islands, 00802. Telephone +1 340-774-1679.

US Virgin Islands Professional Charter Show 2019
Parts & Power Ltd representing Northern Lights at the USVI VIPCA 2019.

NEW NORTHERN LIGHTS DEALER IN VIRGIN GORDA, BVI

Posted on by Guy Phoenix

NEW NORTHERN LIGHTS DEALER IN VIRGIN GORDA, BVI


On Feb 6th 2019, Parts & Power salesman, Tony Tuckett, met with the Caribbean’s most recent Northern Lights Dealer, CRC Engines and Fabrication of the Valley, Virgin Gorda.  Pictured are Tony and Geoff Cooke.  Behind the sign is company founder, Chris Cooke.  CRC was founded in 1993 on Virgin Gorda.  The company provides Marine and Industrial Engine & Generator service, as well as fabrication.  They are a major sub-contractor for the Boat Yard at Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour.

CRC are dealers for Yanmar, Yamaha, Algae X Fuel Conditioner.  With their expansion to Northern Lights, they now represent the preferred choice of most charter crews, and many bareboat fleets in the Caribbean.

For more information, please contact Chris Cooke at 284-495-5262, 284-547-8333 or Chris Cooke (chris@crcenginesbvi.com).