2023 Rendezvous Presenter Bios
Dave Anderer, Krogen Finder
Dave was introduced to boating at the age of 6 months by his family and has tried to be near the water ever since. For the last 20 years he and Carol have been exploring the Chesapeake under both sail and power. Now that they're both retired from IT careers they have the time to roam farther afield. Dave has taken over supporting the Krogen Finder app that Mike Malpass created and supported for many years.
Bob Arrington
Diagnosed early in life as an incurable Aquaphile, Bob Arrington finds most of his happiness on, in or under the water. A teacher and story teller at heart, Bob shares his love of the water as a writer, marine industry consultant, boat training captain.
Bob provides boat owners with lessons in seamanship, safety systems, handling and vessel operation at the TrawlerFest boat show seminar series and boat brand owner’s clubs. He also provides consulting services to multiple sectors within the marine industry, including boat builders, marine products and boat buyers. Bob has over 50 years of boating experience on the Great Lakes, U.S. & Canadian Atlantic Seaboard, Bahamas and Caribbean. He holds a U.S. Coast Guard 100 Ton Master’s Certificate.
As an award-winning published writer, Bob’s articles on seamanship and boating lifestyle can be seen in Power & Motor Yacht, Passagemaker, Southern Boating, Marinalife, and Latitudes & Attitudes Magazines. Based in St. Petersburg, Florida, he and his photographer wife Dori cruise extensively aboard their trawler Liberdade, looking for the next story to tell.
Claudio Bo, Co-founder, GEC, S.R.L., President, AquaMap
In 1989 Claudio received a degree in Computer Science from the Universitá di Torino. He designed and managed Italy’s first automobile navigation system which was first adopted by Italy’s police force. Claudio also designed and implemented integrated automobile systems (radio/ phone/audio/ navigation), used in all Alfa Romeo and Fiat vehicles. From 2000 to 2013, Claudio was Cartography Software Manager and later Chart Plotter Program Manager for Navionics. In 2013, Claudio became co-founder and developer of Terra Map and Aqua Map.
Dr. Phil Brewer
Dr. Phil Brewer is an emergency physician who retired last year after a 35 year career, most of which was as an attending physician, professor, and ED medical director at Yale New Haven Hospital. He also served as the medical director of Disney Cruise Line, and has been a frequent contract physician for Holland America Line. He was a founding member of the American College of Emergency Physicians Section on Maritime and Cruise Medicine which set the industry-wide standard for medical care on cruise and commercial ships.
He began sailing in 1977 and in June 2023 became the proud owner of a Kadey Krogen 39. He is looking forward to a long association with the Kadey-Krogen community and hopes this presentation will contribute to safety and health at sea.
Max Parker, VP Yard Operations, Zimmerman Marine
Max has worked at ZMI for more than 20 years, as a Tech, a Service Coordinator, and a Yard Manager. Max was selected as VP of Yark Operations to maintain the level of expertise and quality service that Zimmerman customers deserve and expect. Max’s primary responsibility is technical training, standards, and employee certifications, but his role will go well beyond that to include supporting yard managers to maximize productivity and serving as a point of contact for customer service. Max serves on the ZMI Board and the Executive Committee.
Luis Soltero, PhD, MCS
For over 25 years, Dr. Soltero has been a leader in the design, implementation, and distribution of hardware and software solutions to optimize the performance of digital communication systems on vessels. These include hardware appliances and software installed on ships as well as the backend land-based servers that provide vital services such as weather, accelerated web browsing, Voice-Over-IP, and optimized Email services.
Luis and his wife Kimberly are the founders of Global Marine Networks (GMN), a company dedicated to enhancing digital data services for vessels offshore worldwide.
After graduating from Rice University in Houston, TX, in 1992 with a Ph.D. and master's in computer science, Luis and his wife Kimberly set off on a 10-year cruise of the Caribbean and South America aboard their 1971 Person 39 named Crystal. To support themselves while cruising, the Soltero's set up a network consultancy installing complex internets for fortune 500 companies situated in Latin America and the Caribbean. Companies such as Amgen Corporation, Direct TV, and IBM (to name a few) contracted Luis to design and install networks for their offshore operations. To support their geographically diverse and growing customer base the Soltero's developed vessel communication skills, a technology in its infancy in the early 90s. Yachties learning about Soltero's internet access while afloat started making inquiries about the technology and contracting for the installation of similar systems. By 1996 demand for vessel communication had grown to the point where it occupied the Soltero's full time. In 1996 the Soltero's opened a business in Trinidad focused solely on the installation and training of communication systems for Yachts. Seeing the need to improve the effective throughput of these systems and lack of critical services such as optimized email and weather the Soltero's moved back to the USA and founded Global Marine Networks (GMN) in 2002 after 10 years of uninterrupted cruising.
GMN's mission to "Make Airtime Count" by improving the effective speed of digital links while reducing usage cost became the full-time focus of the Soltero's for the next 15 years. Software products such as XGate, XWeb, Iridium Mail and Web (a white-labeled version of Iridums email offering), SatFi (a white-labeled version of Globalstar's email offering), WeatherNet are an example of these efforts.
With the advent of mobile devices, the Soltero's saw the need for WiFi enable satellite communication handsets, and in 2010 introduced the Optimizer, the first Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) in the satellite market. Optimizer allowed users to WiFi connect their mobile devices providing essential email and weather services. The Optimizer has since then expanded to include a line of routers providing optimized services for yachts through commercial cruise ships.
Since the sale of GMN in 2017 Soltero has worked closely with PredictWind to create the DataHub. This smart device is the hub for all your GPS tracking, data, SMS, Email and Whats App connectivity. Packed with features you will quickly find the DataHub is an essential smart device for your boat.
Recently Soltero has worked closely with Iridium in the development of their latest satellite phone, the Iridium GO! exec. The Iridium GO! exec is the ultimate solution for communication and safety while offshore. It’s rugged, fully portable, reliable, offers 100% global coverage and is 40x faster than an Iridium GO! With low power usage and an internal battery, it can be used as a stand-alone satellite phone in the event of an emergency or life raft evacuation.
Dave Trostle, Owner/President, Sterling Acceptance Corp.
Dave’s interest in boating started when he was 12 years old, when his parents bought their wooden 27’ Chris Craft. He learned to navigate the Chesapeake Bay with nothing more than a paper chart, a set of parallel rulers and a compass. The opportunity to come to Sterling Acceptance Corporation blended his business skills, boating background and industry knowledge, Along the way, he obtained his yacht insurance license and currently represents GlobalMarine Insurance. He and his wife Karen spend as much time as possible on their Post 50. and it is rare that they do not run into someone that financed their boat with them. They have also visited many of the top RV destinations around the country. “I must say that, I am one of those people that truly do enjoy coming to work and helping people realize a dream they have of owning that boat or RV they always wanted."
Tucker West, President/CEO, Kadey Krogen Yachts
Tucker West, who spent most of his life with boats, boating, and the marine industry, is the President and CEO of Kadey Krogen Yachts. He is a member in good standing as a CPYB, IYBA member, YBAA member, and a licensed and bonded broker in Florida. Tucker had previously served as VP of Sales at KKY for seven years prior and currently lives in Portsmouth, RI, with his wife and three teenagers all of whom are, “At Home on Any Sea”!
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