b'Ben Franklin Yacht underway in Philadelphia.W PVA HELPS MEOCUS FOGHORN F HOHOW PVA HELPS ME:Learning from the Best: My Dad and PVABY EDDIE VERZELLA // BEN FRANKLIN YACHTW hile I grew up on passenger vessels, I really wasnt fullyDad had always been a frugal guy, but he told me, more times than aware of all the intricacies of what it takes to run theI can count, that our PVA membership was an investment that paid business. My dad, Ed Verzella, opened his first passengerback far more than he paid in dues. He said that PVA was well vessel operation, Holiday Boat Tours in Philadelphia, in 1994. Heworth the money spent. I guess I didnt quite understand what he started with the Captain Lucky, a 139-passenger vessel, and was themeant until I was the one in charge. mastermind of the operation. I remember that I was first aware of how valuable PVA was when When he sold the Captain Lucky, he bought the Ben Franklin yacht.Dad and I needed a security plan for the Ben Franklin.Dad soon This is a 250-passenger, steel vessel that was completely differentdiscovered that PVA had the knowledge and resources that we could than the smaller, wood boat that the Captain Lucky was. benefit from to be in compliance. The business model was entirely different, too.To be honest, theWhilehavingsecurityplansareveryimportant,Ivecometo Captain Lucky was essentially a booze cruise for partiers. The Benappreciate its much more than that one document that makes PVA Franklin is an upscale experience that appeals to a wider range ofso vital. Having PVA on our side is like having someone with all the customers.answers and resources on your team. I feel that with PVA on our Our vessel is docked in Penns Landing, right in the heart of Philly. In fact, this spot has been the heart of the City of Brotherly Love since its beginning. It was the river, the Delaware, that made the city important even before the American Revolutionary War, and its the river that now draws tourists and locals here. There are restaurants, shops, entertainment, and the Ben Franklin. Everything was going great for us until two completely unexpected and unrelated things happened that changed my life. Last year, in June, Dad died. It was sudden and completely unanticipated. I had worked in a number of areas in and around the boat, but Dad had always handled the business end of everything. Now I was the boss and I wasnt sure I was prepared for that responsibility. Adding to the gut-punch of losing my father, Ilike every other passenger vessel operatorwas also reeling from COVID-19. We were completely shutdown, like most vessel operations, so there was no income coming in. I needed help, so I reached out to the place that my father had relied on for years: PVA. Ed Verzella and his son EddieHOW PVA HELPS ME 24 FOGHORN'