We recently connected with Drew Smercina and have shared our conversation below.

Drew, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you recount a story of an unexpected problem you’ve faced along the way?

When moving a boat several thousand miles everything is both unexpected and constantly changing. I am constantly adapting to changing weather, schedules, and mechanical breakdowns. The goal is always to keep the boat moving as efficiently as possible towards its destination. On deliveries my day-to-day is full of contingency plans and quick decision making to keep the boat and my crew safe.

Mechanical breakdowns can be some of the most challenging setbacks to this forward progress as they are unpredictable. We often find ourselves in areas with a limited service network for the size boats we are transporting. These yachts have multiple complex systems onboard that require a lot of expertise and specialized equipment should they need worked on. I go from a captain to a project manager pretty quickly when a breakdown occurs, organizing things like parts, dockage, technicians, and haul out facilities, always trying to get the work done in a time efficient manner. Some of the repairs can take months due to availability of parts causing us to have to rework our schedule for the entire season.

All of us at JTA do a great job adapting to ever changing scenarios. It’s one of the qualities that has made us so successful and keeps our clients coming back. I find this level of fast paced problem solving to be challenging and yet one of the most personally rewarding parts of the job, especially when I get to utilize some ingenuity to get the job done.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

JTA Yacht Delivery provides on-water delivery and consulting services to one of the largest yacht dealers in the US, Yacht Brokers, private clients, and boat builders. We safely and efficiently transport the yachts from port to port, specializing in traveling the Great Lakes, Welland Canal / Erie Canal route, the East Coast, and to the Bahamas and Gulf of Mexico. JTA also provides on-water training and captain-for-hire services for existing yacht owners. Common reasons vessels need to be transported include: new boat sales, used boats sales/change of ownership, and seasonal relocation.

Drew joined the JTA team in August of 2020. He has since grown into the role of General Manager while continuing to operate as a captain. He is a native of Northern Ohio and a graduate of Bowling Green State University. Drew began his career as a deckhand and then captain of the Jet Express Ferry to Put-in-Bay, Kelleys Island & Cedar Point. This boat line operates 4 high speed catamarans propelled by water jets, carrying upwards of 400 passengers. Drew maintains a love of water jet propulsion and still operates for the Jet Express on a part-time basis. He has also worked as a captain for Towboat US who provides towing and assistance to broken down recreational boaters. It’s this time spent working in the commercial side of the industry that has given Drew the skills and experience to not only be a great boat operator, but also the ability to remain calm and adapt quickly to any situation.

Using his experience operating vessels at high speeds, Drew and the JTA team have found a niche market catering to high speed sport Yacht owners. Operating these yachts can require some extensive hands-on training which JTA is able to provide for both owner/operators and other captains. Never one to shy away from running, Drew typically logs over 200 days / 12,000NM each year traveling throughout the Great Lakes / Erie Canal and up and down the East Coast from Maine to the Dry Tortugas. Drew currently holds a US Coast Guard issued 200T Masters License with Near Coastal endorsement.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Like many small businesses, there are typically multiple factors that can help build your reputation. First of all, I think everyone on the JTA team are very good at what we do. That stems not only from our diverse backgrounds and experience but also from a passion for doing things the right way. This mentality doesn’t just happen naturally, it starts with hiring people who are capable of both sharing and promoting that passion and professionalism on which JTA was founded. Simply having a team has been huge for our success within the industry. Many captains set out individually to do yacht deliveries but there are very few companies with multiple full time captains available at a moment’s notice. Our availability gives us the opportunity to get onboard a lot of vessels, but we recognize that once onboard we have to perform above and beyond expectations to earn repeat business. A majority of our clientele are referred to us by others working in the industry or by previous clients. We see these referrals as high praise earned not only based on the quality of our work, but also in how we treat people.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

I meet Jordan Tilton, JTA’s owner and founder, on a boat of course. We were both hired to take clients out on their boat for an afternoon of swimming and socializing. Both of our clients were friends and wanted to raft their boats together for the afternoon. This gave Jordan and I the time to get better aquatinted and realize we had similar goals for expanding our existing Captain for Hire services. We had known each other prior to this interaction but had yet to have an opportunity to work together. Within 2 weeks we were able to orchestrate the simultaneous transport of two yachts from the Great Lakes to the East Coast. From that job on, we have worked to develop JTA into the known and respected brand it represents today. For those wondering, yes, we do still have a majority of our meetings onboard a boat.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/jtayachts?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JTAYacht