As this issue of ShowBoats goes to press, the airwaves are filled with news about Hurricane Katrina. A couple of weeks before the hurricane hit, Publisher Gary DeSanctis and I spent a few days in New Orleans. This colorful and historic city has always been known as the birthplace of American jazz, and the city of zydeco, po’boys and Mardi Gras. Gary and I toured the Trinity Yard, ate beignets and drank strong French roast tinged with chicory at the renowned Café du Monde in the French Quarter. Life was good (and the beignets were great). Well, life is pretty damned ephemeral. Now New Orleans is simply "the city where the levee broke."

I watched the news. I saw the line of traffic fleeing the city. I saw the city submerged. I saw people clinging to their rooftops as the water rose around them. I saw neighborhoods turned into piles of rubble and sticks. The devastation was unfathomable.

While we’d like to believe that such weather-related tragedies occur only in remote places, Katrina has, for Americans, brought home this message: Natural disasters such as Katrina and the tsunami in Asia cannot simply be relegated to the recesses of our minds. The repercussions of such disasters are always far reaching. By the time you read this, the water in New Orleans may have receded. Perhaps people will have returned to the city. Without question "returning to normal" is in the distant future for most victims.

Following the news of the hurricane, e-mails and phone calls flew around fast and furious. "What about Trinity? Have you heard any news?" I received phone calls from our correspondents Siri Campbell in Monaco and Justin Ratcliffe in Milan, among many others. What struck me deeply was a concerned phone call from Michele Jones of Delta Marine in Seattle, asking what I knew about the situation and imparting to me that she and the people at Delta were prepared to help any way they could.

Our marine industry is a tiny segment of the real world. Yet it is real enough, and no apologies are necessary about the rarified air in which it exists. We are an industry made up of people who conceive megayachts; builders, designers, suppliers, brokers and owners. Regardless of economic bracket, humanity and humility exists among us. I am certain there is not a builder out there who would wish a hurricane upon his competitor. After several days of uncertainty, we understand that Trinity Yachts was very lucky to have escaped major damage to its facilities. Its boats under construction and in the water have survived. However, as of the writing of this letter, Trinity’s owner Felix Sabates, from his home in North Carolina, was unable to quantify the effects of the storm on his 500-some workers and their families. By the time you read this, more will be revealed.

We in the marine industry are a powerful force. United, we can make a difference. Please check our Web site for an update on what you can do to assist the families of the Trinity Yard who were victims of Hurricane Katrina: www.showboats.com.