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John Dane III

• Updated: July 31, 2008

Class: Star Position: Skipper US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics: 2007-2008 Member of: Pass Christian YC/Southern YC/Gulfport YC/New York YC/New Orleans YC Education: De La Salle High School (New Orleans), Tulane University (graduated 1972, PhD 1975) Birthdate: July 15, 1950 Birthplace: New Orleans Hometown: Gulfport, Miss. Occupation: Yacht builder

Significant sailing achievements: No. 1-ranked U.S. team, ISAF Star Class rankings (2007), Three-time InterCollegiate Sailing Association All-American

Biography: For Star sailor Dane, tenacity counts. When Hurricane Katrina swept over the U.S. Gulf Coast, one of the businesses in the storm’s path was Trinity Yachts, the New Orleans megayacht builder for which Dane serves as president. With company buildings ravaged, manufacturing equipment destroyed, and many employees left homeless, the business appeared to be in ruins. But Dane and his team made Trinity Yachts one of Katrina’s biggest comeback stories: a post-hurricane expansion with a new facility in Gulfport, Miss., a workforce grown stronger due to adversity, and an order book that makes this company, according to ShowBoats magazine, the biggest superyacht builder in the United States.

Dane is just as resolute when it comes to his quest for Olympic gold. For nearly 40 years, he tried for an Olympic berth. In 1968, at age 18, he arrived at the U.S. Trials in a borrowed Dragon class boat and finished a close second. He sailed more Olympic Trials-in the Soling class (1972 Games), the Finn class (1974) and the Star class (1984)-coming close to victory at each event. His campaign for the 2008 Games, racing with son-in-law Austin Sperry as crew, proved to be his charm.

“Austin’s youth, athleticism, and enthusiasm coupled with my experience and never-say-die attitude make us a great team,” says Dane.

In an adrenaline-fueled final race of the Star Trials, they nosed out the second-place boat at the finish line for a win in what journalists would come to call the biggest race of Dane’s life. “It was definitely emotional,” Dane told the Times-Picayune after their victory. “I didn’t cry; I just shouted for joy.”

Recent results: 2008 14th US SAILING’s Rolex Miami OCR/Miami 2007 8th Star Western Hemisphere Championship/Tampa, Fla., 10th US SAILING’s Rolex Miami OCR

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Home » John Dane III

John Dane III

John Dane III, Ph.D. is Chairman of the Board of Southampton Development Company and a Director of TECHNE Properties, LLC. He advises TECHNE on corporate strategy, finance, and construction, and operational logistics.

Dr. Dane is Chairman of United States Marine, Inc. and U.S. Shipbuilding International based in Gulfport, Mississippi with two shipyards in operation, building offshore supply vessels, patrol craft, tug boats, oil skimmers, and inland oil tank barges. Additionally, Dr. Dane is past President and CEO of Trinity Yachts, LLC, which was one of the world’s leading builders of mega-yachts.  Dr. Dane and his company had extensive experience in designing, constructing, and marketing large ocean-going ships to clients in the Middle East.  Dr. Dane is past president and CEO of Halter Marine where he managed multiple shipyards and over 11,000 employees.

Dr. Dane is a member of the Navy League, the Society of Naval Architects, the World President‘s Organization, and the Advisory Counsel of the American Bureau of Shipping.  He recently retired from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, the Tulane University‘s Presidents’ Counsel, the advisory board to the Tulane School of Engineering and as a member of the Ocean Research Advisory Panel for the National Oceanographic Partnership Program.  Dr. Dane was selected as the Propeller Club-Port of New Orleans “Maritime Man of the Year” for 1998 and Tulane University Engineering School’s “Outstanding Alumni of the Year” for 2004.

Dr. Dane holds a B.S. and Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Tulane University in New Orleans, where he was a three-time All-American Sailor, Intercollegiate Sailor of the Year in 1968 and was inducted into the Tulane Athletic Hall of Fame.  Dr. Dane has also won numerous National and International sailing championships and recently represented the United States in the 2008 China Olympic Games in the Star class sailboat.

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A Long Shot in a Long-Awaited Olympic Chance

By Charles McGrath

• Aug. 18, 2008

QINGDAO, China — The oldest United States athlete at these Games is John Dane III, a 58-year-old sailor from Gulfport, Miss. He is a tall, big-chested man who claims to be in better shape now than he was 30 years ago. But his hair is gray, his biceps do not ripple, and at the end of a race his shoulders sometimes slump a little. He is frequently mistaken for a coach at the sailing center on the Yellow Sea.

At a pre-Olympics dinner in Beijing, former President George H.W. Bush introduced Dane to the American ambassador, who asked him about his position on the United States team. When Dane said he was one of the competitors, the ambassador laughed and said, “But what do you really do?”

Dane had been trying for an Olympic slot since 1968, and sailed unsuccessfully in the trials six times — in the Dragon, Soling and Finn classes. His current ride is a Star, and while preparing for the Olympic trials in the Star class for these Games last fall off Southern California, he left nothing to chance. He rented a house in Los Angeles, shipped in four boats and hired weather forecasters. He also put together a team consisting of a strength coach, a trainer, a massage therapist and three sailing coaches, including Marc Pickel, a German boat builder who finished fifth in the Star world championship in April. Dane, the skipper, and his crewman, Austin Sperry, his 30-year-old son-in-law, won the trials by a whisker.

In the Olympics, he is competing against Pickel, using a boat that Pickel designed.

Dane will not reveal how much he has spent, but it clearly does not hurt that he has a decent day job. He is the president and chief executive of Trinity Yachts, one of the world’s largest builders of megayachts, the types with saunas, flat-screen TVs and helipads. The firm had been based in New Orleans, but was submerged by Hurricane Katrina.

Refusing to shut down, Dane moved the yard and its employees, for whom he bought prefabricated houses, to Gulfport. The operation is now split between Gulfport and his former yard in New Orleans.

Star boats are not megayachts. They are 22 feet long, have two-person crews and are among the oldest — some would say slowest — and most classic of the Olympic designs. They have been part of the Games since 1932, and some of the most celebrated names in sailing have done time in Stars. It is a traditional keelboat with running backstays, and it requires less athleticism than some of the other classes.

But the Star is not an old man’s boat. To keep one down in a wind of any strength is work. The crewman needs to be a bit of a gorilla; he hikes out on a trapeze with his seat on the side of the hull, his back over the water, and only his feet inside the boat. One of the crew at Qingdao is so big and so heavily tattooed that he looks like Queequeg.

“There are so many sailors at a high level in the Star, and the way we sail these boats now is for the athletes, for the young,” said Robert Scheidt, 35, the skipper of the Star team from Brazil. He was the 2007 Star world champion.

Dane’s gorilla is Sperry, who is 6 feet 1 inch, 225 pounds and began crewing on Star boats when he was 14. In 2004, he was a training partner for Paul Cayard, who finished fifth at the Athens Olympics. Dane and Sperry met in 1999 at a regatta in Pass Christian, Miss., and did not hit it off. Dane demanded to know if Sperry was dating his daughter. Sperry lied and said, “No, sir.”

“Well, that’s good,” Dane said. “Because I’ve got a shovel and a shotgun.”

Sperry and Sally Dane became engaged in 2005, and as a lark, and a way to get to know each other better, John Dane and Sperry sailed together at the Star Western Hemisphere Championships in the Bahamas in 2005. They did surprisingly well, finishing second to Sperry’s old mentor Cayard. Then, deciding to test the partnership further, they entered the 2006 Bacardi Cup and won.

Theirs is a complicated relationship, and Dane and Sperry have been known to stay in separate hotels at a regatta. Dane is used to being the boss, and on the boat he calls the shots. Sperry, who has Olympic aspirations of his own, is not only Dane’s son-in-law but also, in effect, his employee; he works for United States Marine, of which Dane is the majority owner. And yet Dane could never have made the Olympics without him.

In his younger days, Dane was volatile and quick tempered, and often compared to Ted Turner on the sailing circuit. Now he is courtly and self-possessed — in his offshore moments anyway — the model of a well-to-do Southern gent. He has an old-school Mississippi accent and calls the right side of the boat “stuhbuhd.”

“People look at the skipper and crew as a marriage,” Dane told The Mississippi Sun Herald in 2007. “You are in close quarters and things get tense. I would say in two years we’ve had only two or three interesting moments. It’s just the heat of the competition.”

Sperry, on the other hand, makes no secret that he sometimes finds the relationship trying. “It’s been a long three years for both of us,” he said of their Olympic quest as he hosed down the boat after their first race in Qingdao. “We’re just hoping to go out on a high note.”

He added: “For sure, it’s tough. If it doesn’t go well, I still have to go home and be a son-in-law and a husband.”

Asked why his father-in-law had changed his mind about him, he said quickly, “Maybe I can sail,” then, “You know, I’m pretty successful in my own right.”

Six of the 16 Star boat teams in the Games are former world champions. Star-boat sailing at the elite level is a small and very select society, and the top sailors all know each other. Dane and Sperry are only fringe members of this group. They did terribly at the world championship in April, finishing 22nd among 104 boats, behind four other American teams. They needed more than a little luck to squeak by in the Olympic trials, and no one has given them much of a chance here.

But Dane and Sperry were gambling that the conditions in Qingdao, where there is a strong current and notoriously light and fickle winds, would play to their advantage. If nothing else, light air would be less physically demanding and put more of a premium on strategy.

On the first day of racing, on Friday, they got their wish and then some. The wind gasped and sputtered all afternoon, veering back and forth. In the day’s only race (there were supposed to be two) Dane and Sperry, in a very good position, right at the pin, misread the current and crossed the line in eighth place instead of first. They closed to fourth on the second mark, but later dropped back to eighth, where they finished.

“The boat speed was good — I was happy about that,” Dane said. “But it was very shifty out there, and we just couldn’t pass any of the boats in the first group.”

He added, “Everybody’s really good out there — they’re the best sailors in the world.”

In each of the two races Saturday afternoon, Dane and Sperry started poorly again in light, puffy air. They were too cautious, Dane said later, but guessed right on all the wind shifts and sailed brilliantly downwind. They were second in the day’s first race, just barely edged by the team from France, and fourth in the second — a record good enough to put them in first place after three races.

“It’s still early,” Dane cautioned and went on to say the conditions were so tricky that a boat could lose or pick up 100 yards in just minutes. Someone asked him how it felt to be leading the Olympic fleet at his age. “I’m just making memories,” he said. “I feel great. The heat and the humidity — I grew up in this.”

Sperry said: “It was really marginal: the kind of day where you can look really great or really bad, but we were lucky and had two keepers. There’s a lot of pressure out there.”

He smiled and added, “The great thing about this regatta is no one expected us to win a medal, but we’re not here to be tourists.”

A mini-monsoon blew in on Sunday, carrying with it 20 knot winds, steep seas and pelting sideways rain. In the 49er class, every boat capsized, and the RS-X sailors — the windsurfers, many of whom had lost weight in preparation for Qingdao’s soft breezes — found themselves airborne. The Star races were delayed for hours, in hopes of lighter wind, and before it was over two of the boats had broken their masts.

The Dane-Sperry boat, which was designed for light air, was never able to get going upwind and finished 12th, leaving the team fifth over all, right behind Pickel, who opted for a heavier boat.

“All that sloshing around — it was hard on equipment and crews,” Dane said before quickly departing, leaving Sperry to put away the boat. “Our boat wasn’t built for this kind of wind.”

Sperry said, referring to Dane: “It was tough; maybe it was a little harder on him. But it was hard on everybody. We just have to hope for better wind the rest of the week.”

Only 10 boats make the single medal race Thursday and after three poor races Monday, placing 15th, 15th and 16th, father and son-in-law sit 12th.

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TRINITY YACHTS – Operating Since 1988

Trinity Yacht was founded in 1988 and was a leading luxury yacht building company based on the US Gulf Coast.

With operating shipyards in New Orleans, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Gulfport, the shipbuilder produced American luxury motor yachts from aluminum and steel.

The company was bought out by  Harvey Gulf International Marine , a New Orleans-based marine transport firm, in 2015. The company specializes in the offshore supply and support vessels. 

TRINITY YACHTS – A HISTORY

The roots of Trinity Yachts lie in the commercial and military shipyard Harvey Marine in New Orleans. In the 1970s, John Dane III, an Olympic sailor, went to work for Harvey Marine.

He later founded Trinity Yachts in 1988 to expand the shipyard’s operations into the luxury superyacht industry. 

Trinity was acquired by Dane in 2000, along with his partners Billy Sith and Felix Sabates, who was the owner of Victory Lane Enterprises.

After the merger with Victory Lane, the company began developing and designing superyachts with a futuristic and forward-thinking outlook, laying down the success for Trinity.

The shipyard was wildly successful and attracted many owners from around the world, largely thanks to Sabate’s influence. 

The yard debuted its first model named the 150’ Trideck M/Y Magic in 2001 at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, which was applauded by the industry.

The success inspired the launch of another model a year later, the M/Y Marsha Key. After the success of the models, Trinity focussed on private orders from clients, offering a fully custom yacht tailored to their owner’s tastes.

The company became well known for always offering a professional approach and top quality contractions.

Hurricane Katrine wreaked havoc on the New Orleans-based shipyard, which led to the opening of the Gulfport facility in 2005. Despite the devastation from the hurricane, and the economic downturn of 2008, Trinity Yachts continued and thrived. 

In 2015, Harvey Gulf International Marine acquired Trinity Yachts. The company also acquired Trinity Yachts’ sister company, TY Offshore. TY Offshore develops and builds vessels for the offshore energy sector.

TRINITY YACHTS – NOTABLE LAUNCHES

Trinity produced several notable yachts throughout its lifetime such as the 58-meter UNBRIDLED yacht launched in 2009.

In 2007, MINE GAMES was delivered from the shipyard. The 50m superyacht was built with both an aluminum hull and superstructure.

Trinity’s in-house naval architecture team developed the yacht’s naval architecture, featuring elegant interior designs from Patrick Knowles. The yacht also featured a personal submersible mounted to her water sports platform.

NEW HORIZON, a 73m superyacht, was launched from Trinity. At the time, it was one of the largest luxury yachts built in the US and was delivered in 2012. She featured naval architecture from the in-house team, and Evan Marshall designed her interior styling.

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Trinity Yachts History

The New Orleans shipyard where Trinity got its start has a long history as a commercial and defense shipyard. Halter Marine was continuing that tradition when John Dane began working for them in the 1970s. When Trinity Industries, comprised of Halter Marine, Equitable (the Higgins shipyard) and Moss Point Marina, started looking for new markets in 1988, John Dane and marketing genius Billy Smith stepped up to the challenge. They formed the Trinity Yachts division, setting their sights on the yachting industry, and bringing to bear a rigorous attention to detail and ability to customize that had been honed by years of meeting exacting military standards.

The division joined forces in 1995 with Victory Lane Enterprises, owned by Felix Sabates, Jr. Two years later, the company introduced ‘Noble House,’ an entirely new design for a tri-deck megayacht, to acclaim at the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show. In 2000, Dane, Smith, and Sabates acquired Trinity Yachts and the company began to take off, finding their niche by focusing on producing custom designed yachts. The company was gaining a reputation as a world-class custom megayacht designer when disaster struck in 2005 in the form of Hurricane Katrina.

The 100 mile an hour winds and 20-foot storm surge of Katrina cut a swath of destruction that destroyed the company’s manufacturing equipment and demolished power and phone lines. Two almost-completed ships and the hulls under construction made it through unscathed, but the company’s workforce was devastated and many were left homeless. Dane and Smith threw themselves into creating a solution, securing a new worksite within the week in Gulfport, Mississippi. They obtained over a hundred large mobile homes, set them up on the new site and gathered their scattered employees, eventually housing about 500 people on-site.

Even the overwhelming power of a hurricane was unable to kill the momentum of Trinity Yachts, who finished their two vessels in time to unveil them at the 2005 Fort Lauderdale Boat Show. One of the yachts, the 161-foot ‘Zoom Zoom Zoom,’ even won a “Best in Show” award. The following July, the New Orleans site reopened, leaving Trinity Yachts with two fully equipped yards. Trinity Yachts now employs more than 1000 employees at their two sites, performing around 80 per cent of its construction in-house while enlisting artisans and master interior design firms from around the globe to contribute their expertise. Customers have the freedom to present an outside design, modify existing designs to meet their needs, or work with Trinity’s talented in-house architects and designers to custom-create a yacht. Trinity has firmly established itself as one of the elite builders of custom super yachts in the world, emphasizing European quality with steel and aluminum constructions.

Atlantic Yacht and Ship has been an integral leader in the yacht and ship brokerage industry since 1959, serving the yachting community for 55 years. Whether you are seeking beautiful  yachts for sale or are looking to sell your vessel, Atlantic Yacht & Ship ‘s experienced brokers will represent your interests in every step of the deal. Contact Atlantic Yacht & Ship today at 954.921.1500 for more information.

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64 Parishes

John dane iii, louisianan john dane iii is a competitive sailor who has won championships at the helm of numerous sailing vessels..

by S. Derby Gisclair

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Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

John Dane III. Unknown

J ohn Dane III is a competitive sailor who has won championships at the helm of numerous vessels. A New Orleans native who learned to sail on Lake Pontchartrain, Dane is the founder of the country’s largest yacht builder, Trinity Yachts; its New Orleans shipyard once housed Higgins Industries, which built the famed shallow-draft landing craft for Allied soldiers in World War II . An All-American sailor at Tulane University in the late 1960s, Dane was the oldest athlete to compete in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

Dane was introduced to sailing at an early age by his father. He went on to local, regional, national, and world championships in a variety of boats—Soling, Dragon, Laser, Windmill, and Star class, among others. He attended Tulane University, where he was a three-time All-American sailor and a fierce competitor in collegiate circles. In 1968 he was named Intercollegiate Sailor of the Year; he was elected to the Tulane Hall of Fame in 1985.

With a PhD in civil engineering, Dane worked for a time as a top official at Halter Marine before starting his first shipyard, Moss Point Marine, in 1980. He launched Trinity Yachts in 1988 as a division of Halter Marine; Dane and two partners bought it outright in 2000. Despite the demands of running a global business, Dane continued to sail competitively, winning numerous national and international championships. In 2008, after forty years of pursuing his dream of sailing in the Olympics, he became the oldest US Olympian to compete in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, finishing twelfth overall in Star class with his son-in-law, Austin Sperry, as his crewman in the two-person, twenty-foot keelboat.

He nearly became an Olympian in 1968, when he sailed a borrowed Dragon class boat to a second-place finish at the Olympic trial. Dane’s determination drove him compete in more Olympic trials in 1972 (Soling class), 1974 (Finn class), and 1984 (Star class). His 2008 competition at the trials was all the more satisfying as his crewman was Sperry.

He has served as the commodore of the Pass Christian Yacht Club and has been active in such business and community concerns as the Navy League, the US Coast Guard Foundation, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, the Tulane University Presidents’ Council, and the Society of Naval Architects. In 1998 he was named Maritime Man of the Year by the Propeller Club (Port of New Orleans), and he was honored as the Tulane University School of Engineering’s Outstanding Alumnus of the Year in 2004.

Dane and his family currently make their home on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

S. Derby Gisclair

Suggested Reading

Chisnell, Mark. Sailing Gold: Great Moments in Olympic Sailing History . New York: Bloomsbury Academic, 2012.

Simpson, Richard. The Quest for the America’s Cup: Sailing to Victory . Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2012.

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Whirlwind of change: Where’s Trinity Yachts' crew today?

Yachting Journal

Geoffrey van Aller launched his own marine design firm, van Aller Yacht & Naval Design, in Ocean Springs, MS. Photo courtesy Geoff van Aller.

Billy Smith is now director of key accounts for Metal Shark Alabama. He is also a yacht broker for Merle Wood & Associates. Photo courtesy Billy Smith.

Phil Nuss is president of Trinity Yacht Repair in Gulfport, MS. Photo by Lisa Overing.

Jim Berulis leads Savannah Yacht Center as Vice President and GM. Photo courtesy Jim Berulis.

Four key players of the disbanded Trinity Yachts, once the world’s sixth largest custom yacht builder, are working in new roles in yachting since the company’s break-up about four years ago. Billy Smith, Geoffrey van Aller, Jim Berulis and Phil Nuss rolled with the punches, just as they did when this author interviewed them at Trinity’s Cinco de Mayo crayfish boil celebrating their new Gulfport facility in Mississippi in May, 2006.   In a region suffering after Hurricane Katrina toppled the Gulf Coast and sank New Orleans on August 29, 2005, Trinity Yachts emerged from ground zero as a bonafide case study in successful crisis management, bouncing back from a catastrophic event that crippled and closed thousands of businesses to become an unstoppable, boat-building boomtown with 24 yachts on order in 2008. The devastating hurricane spearheaded Trinity’s revolutionary growth. Becoming America’s largest yacht manufacturer, the shipyard had capacity to deliver eight to 10 megayachts annually, under 19 acres of covered workspace at two facilities. Trinity built steel and aluminum yachts in the new Gulfport headquarters, with the reopened New Orleans yard building aluminum hulls and decks supporting Gulfport. Just two months after Hurricane Katrina, Trinity’s presentation at the 2005 Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS) made the yachting world stand up and take notice. Extraordinary measures during the hurricane kept yachts safe for delivery and their FLIBS debut. The invincible Zoom, Zoom, Zoom, Mustang Sally, Big Easy  and  Mia Elise , the largest steel hull motoryacht built in the United States in 50 years, were an impressive lineup for any builder at FLIBS, and remarkable for one which endured the worst natural disaster in history. Prior to the recession of 2008, the strong Euro made American-built megayachts more affordable to European-built boats and Trinity Yachts triumphed in a whirlwind of change. The company was among New Orleans’ largest manufacturing employers, with over 500 employees at Trinity’s 38-acre waterfront property on the Industrial Canal in the heart of New Orleans. That kind of grit built the New Orleans property, which began operation as shipyard in 1941 as Higgins Industries. The American icon employed 20,000 workers producing the amphibious landing craft that won D-Day in World War II. Shallow, stump jumpers designed to work in the swamp with a protected propeller inspired the landing craft which gave New Orleans a war effort industry during the world’s darkest days. Gulf boats with shallow drafts are called hard chine hulls for simplicity, an easy build and a generally lower cost. “Building 150-foot yachts that draw seven feet running 20 knots is a direct result of making crew boats to run in the Gulf of Mexico’s shallow waters, making Trinity’s yachts ideal for the Bahamas,” said Billy Smith, then Trinity’s vice president.   John Dane III became president of Trinity Marine Group in 1987 and approached Smith in 1988, encouraging the company’s diversification. Trinity Yachts was spun out of Trinity Industries and Halter Marine as the market for work vessels changed. Smith had been around yachts all his life and was ready to build them. “We kept getting calls from guys in Lauderdale, the big yachts of the era, 86-foot Burgers and Browards.” Smith wasn’t impressed with the construction of early aluminum yachts, which were not classed, initially. “In the late 80s, the majority of 100-foot boats in Fort Lauderdale had no watertight bulkheads,” said Smith. “Some would go out to sea and blow out portholes. We just weren’t used to building boats like that.” Trinity had an excellent run for about 20 years and delivered 62 hulls, but the new yacht construction ceased in 2016 after being purchased by Harvey Gulf. Yachting Journal recently caught up with four key players in new roles in the marine industry. Billy Smith Director of Key Accounts, Metal Shark and Yacht Broker, Merle Wood & Associates. Billy Smith, Trinity’s executive vice president, grew up on the Mississippi River with his family’s business of derricks, barges, and tugs, and enjoyed sailing on Lake Pontchartrain and sportfishing in Louisiana’s sportsman’s paradise. Smith looked relaxed on a cold January day in Metairie, La. He’s “having fun working.” “I like it,” said Smith. “The whole vibe is exciting. Metal Shark is an up and coming shipyard. This is a millennial company with some virtual offices. I am based in Mississippi and am focused on Metal Shark’s Alabama facility in the old Horizon yard.” Smith also has a nice office at Merle Wood in Fort Lauderdale, showing the biggest brokerage vessels in the superyacht world to his impressive network, a lifetime of connections. He reflected, “to build a $30 or $40 million superyacht, your client should have at least $200 - $300 million net worth.” However, an upbeat, charismatic Smith still has his feet firmly on the ground. He remembers what it was like to live in a prehistoric age after Katrina, with no electricity or cell phones, each day was a struggle.

“After the storm, it was like living 100 years ago,” he said. “We had to communicate face-to-face and leave notes. It made me aware that we all came into this world with nothing. And we’ll leave with nothing. What counts is what we do every day in-between. We appreciate what we have today.” Smith is proud of what Trinity accomplished on its tremendous run. He said that under the right circumstances, he believes nearly all employees would all return to build more Trinity yachts, all these years later. Not that he actually sees it happening, though. “I’m shocked we couldn’t find a buyer for Trinity,” he said, adding, “we could have been reopened. It would be turnkey with the right operators, not a startup - but a restart. The labor has not left the area.” Geoffrey van Aller -  President, van Aller Yacht & Naval Design Mary P, Lady Linda  and  Mustang Sally aren’t designated names for Hurricane Season 2019. They’re three of many superyachts conceived by Trinity Yachts' chief yacht designer and naval architect, Geoffrey van Aller. A graduate from the University of New Orleans school of marine engineering and naval architecture, van Aller, now 54, pumped out about 60 now iconic megayachts in 20 years that built Trinity’s successful brand as the world’s sixth largest custom yacht builder. Looking at his designs all these years later, van Aller’s exterior styling is still sleek and timeless. It’s difficult to tell which decade - or millennium - his nautical creations were actually launched. van Aller’s designs are traditional, elegant and robust, producing Trinity’s beautiful superyacht fleet with flowing lines that look good from every angle. “Geoff has a good eye and only draws what can actually be built, from a structural standpoint,” said Billy Smith. “I like to design the whole boat as one whole, piecing details together,” said van Aller. “I don’t like the cluttered look of a mish-mash of too much detail. I’d rather see the flowing shapes and curves speak for themselves than straight lines with slab sides - and a myriad of costume jewelry thrown in.” As a child, van Aller was intrigued with the short voyage to Horn Island in the Mississippi Sound. The experience of camping and fishing there, and marveling at 50-foot sportfishers docked at Biloxi’s Broadwater Beach Marina in the 1960s, set van Aller on a journey of nautical discovery that never ended. “Those were the biggest boats I’d ever seen,” van Aller says of the humdingers at Broadwater in Biloxi, Miss. “It whet my appetite for yachts for sure.” Now based in Ocean Springs, Miss. with his own design firm, van Aller Yacht and Naval Design, Geoff van Aller is busy with new superyacht designs and refits and refit and conversion work for commercial builders. Even after losing all three of his family homes in Katrina, van Aller once lived in one of the Trinity trailers for five months, he still can’t imagine himself anywhere but Mississippi, where he is remodeling a classic home in his spare time, another creative outlet. “I grew up here,” he said. “All you ever hear about is Florida and the Northwest...people used to not think of the South as a place to design or build megayachts, but they know us now. You travel the world wondering where you’re going to land to design and build megayachts and wind up doing it in your own backyard. That’s pretty neat.” Jim Berulis - Vice President and General Manager, Savannah Yacht Center It seems as though Jim Berulis, 72, is always building something from scratch with his own hands. A no-nonsense, straight-shooter, Trinity’s vice president learned patience and strategy the hard way, building boats by day and repairing homes by night and weekends after Katrina. The hurricane had taken its toll on his employees, stress initiated divorces. “Everyone suffered,” said Berulis. “Everyone knows someone who lost everything.” His leadership skills during Trinity’s crisis now benefit Savannah Yacht Center’s expansion. As general manager, Berulis reflected upon his first day in Savannah about three years ago, where he was all alone in the yard, by himself. “It was eerie, the silence,” said Berulis. “But I envisioned the possibilities.” Six superyachts chose Savannah Yacht Center and its 17,000T drydock for their refit and service work since Berulis assumed command. As one section of the yard services and maintains vessels, Berulis and his team simultaneously refit the shipyard’s infrastructure for strategic growth and capital improvements catering to superyachts 60-meters and over. Completion of all heavy construction is expected during 2019. With a 140-meter graving dock for yachts up to 450-feet in length and 1,200-feet of wet slips, Savannah Yacht Center’s new 3,240T synchrolift and rail transfer system will simultaneously accommodate over six, 260-foot superyachts, on the hard for refits and service. Strategically located in the United States near the Atlantic Ocean in Georgia, Savannah’s pleasant climate allows refit work 12 months a year. The renovated yard will feature every amenity, including a ship’s store and market, offices, gymnasium, crew lounge, cafe and bar, with the new facilities appearing nearly complete during this author’s tour of the yard in September. Berulis is enjoying the culinary delights in Savannah, which compare to New Orleans, but in smaller supply. “After about 90 days, you have to start over with a new restaurant in Savannah, because you’ve hit all the best ones,” he joked. “They are excellent and I have my favorites, but my wife and I know what it is like to miss New Orleans.” Phil Nuss - President, Trinity Yacht Repair The former chief of engineering for Trinity Yachts, Phil Nuss, 54, is still on Seaway Road at Trinity Yacht Repair, now part of Gulf Coast Shipyard Group. “We made our debut at FLIBS 2018 after deciding to get back in business in June or July,” said Nuss. “We spend most of our time maintaining Harvey Gulf fleet," he said. "We are doing some small repair projects and trying to target bigger jobs. We can handle up to 100-meter boats and pick up 3000T boats all the time.” Trinity Yacht Repair is available for repairs and maintenance on any superyacht, although Nuss has innate knowledge of every Trinity yacht ever built. He still uses the Trinity logo for Trinity Yacht Repair.   Nuss claims a yacht captain can save 10-percent on a refit or repair job with Trinity Yacht Repair, even after the fuel burn from Fort Lauderdale to Gulfport. “We are also doing class inspections. We will save you money and are an hour from New Orleans. I commute from Mandeville to Gulfport every day. It isn’t far."

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Trinity Yachts delivers 36.7m superyacht Finish Line to American owner

US superyacht builder Trinity Yachts has delivered the custom-designed 36.7m raised pilothouse motor yacht Finish Line .

The all-aluminium superyacht has been built for an American owner who is hopeful the design and performance of Finish Line will inspire other American yachtsmen to build in the US. ' Finish Line has been a deeply gratifying build for us,' says John Dane, Trinity Yachts president. 'Her owner, truly an American patriot, built the yacht here in the US both to realise the benefits of American craftsmen – whose skills are unsurpassed – and to create jobs. Over the life of the yacht, additional skilled labourer jobs will be created and will perpetuate the economic value that all yachts bring local communities.'

Finish Line is designed for high performance – powered by twin MTU 16V 2000 at 2,600hp each, she tops out at 23 knots. And she has an enviable range of more than 3,600 nautical miles. Her brief also called for a shallow draft of 1.7m at half load, specified to enable easy navigation in her owner's preferred cruising grounds of the US East Coast and The Bahamas. The shallow draft also allows her owner, who is a race car enthusiast, to enter the port of Daytona Beach, Florida.

Her interior is by Joanne Lockhart of Yacht Next, and accommodations are found on the lower deck with a full-beam owner's stateroom – featuring a king-size berth, his-and-hers en suite and large walk-in wardrobe – and three en suite guest staterooms. There are accommodations for five crew members in five cabins. The main deck hosts an air-conditioned exterior aft deck with al fresco dining for eight and a sumptuous main saloon open to the formal dining area forward. The flybridge is well-equipped for entertaining with a full wet bar and settees for lounging and dining, and this space also houses the two Jet Skis.

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Trinity Yachts for Sale

Operating shipyards in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Gulfport in Mississippi, Trinity Yachts is an American luxury motor yacht builder constructing superyachts in aluminum and steel up to 403-feet (123m) in length.

Trinity Yachts was founded in 1988 by John Dane III, an Olympic sailor who went to work for Halter Marine with a vision to expand the shipyard’s operations into the luxury motor yacht sector. Halter Marine, which is a commercial and military shipyard in New Orleans, remains one of Trinity’s two facilities. In 2000, Trinity Yachts was acquired by Dane along with partners Billy Smith and Felix Sabates, owner of Victory Lane Enterprises.

Trinity’s specializations overall are: state-of-the-art construction, superior engineering, technology, refits, and the expertise of their staff. In addition to these core capabilities, Trinity can also offer customers examples of designs from their Victory Lane Series and the new Global Explorer Series of motor yachts, all produced by their in-house naval architects and engineers, and offered in various sizes, with customization to the owner’s specific requirements.

History of Trinity Yachts

Trinity Yachts’ roots lie in Halter Marine, the commercial and military shipyard in New Orleans, which is still one of the builder’s two facilities. In the 1970s, Olympic sailor John Dane III went to work for Halter Marine and founded Trinity Yachts in 1988, in order to expand the shipyard’s operations to encompass luxury motor yachts. Twelve years later, Dane joined forces with two business partners: Billy Smith and Felix Sabates.

The shipyard was highly successful, attracting owners from all over the world, including – thanks to Sabates’ influence – many involved in high-profile motorsports. In the early 2000’s, Trinity’s order book of superyacht projects was in the double digits. Despite the devastation wreaked on the New Orleans shipyard by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which led to the opening of the Gulfport facility and the global economic downturn of 2008, Trinity Yachts continues to be one of the leading superyacht builders in the U.S. today.

In 2011, Trinity turned to its original roots to ride-out the global economic downturn – the company diversified and was able to secure contracts from the military, commercial offshore sector and commercial inland. These contracts enabled Trinity to retain most of their highly-skilled workforce and kept the operation going until contracts for new yachts picked up. They built six 90-foot, 45-knot fast patrol vessels for the State of Kuwait and a new generation of offshore supply vessels deployed in the Gulf of Mexico that included four, 302-foot by 64-foot diesel-electric, dual-fuel vessels.

Trinity has been recognized as one of the most elite builders of custom superyachts in the United States.

The Trinity collection

The average superyacht delivered by the yard is 160 feet (49m) in length and 545 GT. One of their most notable launches was the 164-foot (50m) motor yacht MINE GAMES in 2007; built with both with an aluminum hull and superstructure. Trinity’s in-house team developed the naval architecture for the yacht, which featured an elegant interior design by Patrick Knowles and, at least for a time, a personal submersible mounted to her watersports platform.

The quad-deck, 239.5- foot (73m) motor yacht NEW HORIZON, one of the largest luxury yachts to be built in the USA at the time, was delivered by Trinity in 2012. Similarly to MINE GAMES, her naval architecture was handled in house, while Evan Marshall created her interior styling. Built to ABS class in steel and aluminum, she was a significant milestone for the yard. She is MCA compliant, accommodates 12 guests in six staterooms and her twin 2,626hp Caterpillar engines give her a range of 6,000 nautical miles at 13 knots.

Currently, Trinity provides customers the ability to build a custom yacht to any design in any size, up to 400-feet, that fulfills their unique yachting desires. Extremely luxurious, each Trinity is a personal cruise ship and with every yacht they deliver.

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Trinity Tri-Deck Superyacht Auction Happening In Hot Market

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The article was written by Jack Mahoney, Director of Boathouse Auctions.

The past two years have seen unprecedented demand for superyachts, with shipyards and brokerage firms securing record sales. Builders have signed so many contracts that the majority have full order books through 2026. Brokerage firms, meanwhile, sold 77 percent more yachts in 2021 than in 2020, according to VesselsValue, which tracks commercial-shipping and yachting data. Demand hasn’t cooled off this year, either, for builders or brokers. 

This is all great news, of course. It reflects the soaring number of ultra-high-net-worth individuals and the increasing awareness of how superyachts allow escaping crowds for quality time with family and friends. However, it also presents problems. Buyers don’t necessarily want to wait five years for a yacht to start construction—or waiting seven to eight years to take delivery. Additionally, since brokerage inventory is lower, fewer buyers find what ticks all the boxes.

There is a solution, however. A partially constructed, six-stateroom project from a renowned American superyacht builder is in Mississippi, seeking a buyer. She’s a 168-foot Trinity Tri-Deck superyacht , about 40 percent complete and hitting the auction block in November. Boathouse Auctions , a turnkey, online yacht-auction platform connecting prequalified buyers with motivated sellers, is selling her. Several factors, ranging from her pedigree to her cost to complete, make this a very attractive opportunity.

TRINITY’S HISTORY AND LINEAGE

Trinity Yachts began in 1988 as the luxury-yacht division of a commercial and military shipyard. John Dane III and William S. “Billy” Smith, employees of that yard, recognized the opportunity to establish a high-quality U.S. yacht builder. Operations originated in the commercial and military company’s New Orleans facility, attracting American clientele. Dane, Smith, and Felix Sabates, a businessman and yacht enthusiast, acquired the yachting division in 2000, growing its international reputation. 

It continued growing, even with Hurricane Katrina severely damaging Trinity’s only location at the time, the New Orleans shipyard, in 2005. To maintain operations, the owners purchased a site in Gulfport, Mississippi that Dane previously oversaw. The New Orleans facility reopened a year later, with the Gulfport shipyard continuing to handle orders.

The owner-management approach to superyachts kept sales steady. Employee head count blossomed, from 200 in 2000 to 1,000 eight years later. Trinity Yachts was so successful, in fact, that upwards of 20 yachts were on its order books in early 2008. By 2009, it had become the largest U.S. superyacht builder, delivering up to eight yachts annually that averaged 164 feet. It won numerous awards for them, too.

Unfortunately, when the global-financial crisis hit, superyacht buyers retreated rapidly from the market and cancelled construction contracts. In 2015 Trinity Yachts’ owners sold the company to a large offshore operator. The new ownership soon decided that yachting wasn’t core to its operations, though. It shut down yacht building in 2017. In its 27 years of existence, Trinity had delivered more than 50 yachts in aluminum and steel to 254 feet. Its pedigree remained intact, even after the business closure. Trinity deliveries retain strong value today on the brokerage market, since they’re associated with seaworthiness, speed, superior engineering, and exquisite interiors. 

TRINITY TRI-DECK AMENITY ADVANTAGES

Despite the 2015 sale, Dane retained ownership of two projects that ceased construction during the recession. The most complete, hull T-056, is being auctioned by Boathouse Auctions with Michael Joyce, the central listing agent from Hargrave Yacht Brokerage. Kept in secure storage over the years, she’s undergone regular checks, with a thorough survey this past August. The stage of construction represents an ideal combination of saving significant time and still being able to fully personalize the yacht. 

For instance, the Trinity Tri-Deck, complying with ABS classification, has a 95-percent complete aluminum hull and superstructure. Some modifications won’t detrimentally impact time to complete. The Trinity Design Team also engineered her for a top speed of 23 knots with a Bahamas-friendly draft of less than eight feet. 

Since the hull and superstructure account for just 40 percent of the yacht, enormous interior and alfresco customization is possible. Traditionally, a project like the Trinity Tri-Deck is a six-stateroom superyacht, so she affords excellent spaces accordingly. The master suite can spread out across the full beam forward on the main deck, benefitting from some of the best views onboard. Four guest cabins can go below decks, with a combination of king berths and twins with Pullmans. The final stateroom, a VIP, can treat guests like royalty on the bridge deck. 

Regardless of where staterooms sit or how many the buyer ultimately chooses, an elevator connects all levels. This way, too, the owners and guests can access the main salon, bridge-deck salon (perfect for a bar and games table), and the sun deck comfortably. 

Crew areas are generous, too. Placing the galley on the main deck allows good workspace, plus direct service to the formal dining area and outdoor seating aft. The captain can have direct access as well, from the wheelhouse to a bridge-deck cabin. Two single crew cabins sharing a head and two bunk cabins with private heads easily flank the crew mess below decks. Finally, the engineer will appreciate having a private en suite cabin aft of the engine room. 

COMPETITIVE COSTS

The Trinity Tri-Deck auction includes not just the partially completed structure, but also extensive parts and machinery. For example, the 16-cylinder MTU diesel engines are under warranty that begins when the yacht is completed. ZF transmissions, Northern Lights generators, Quantum stabilizers, and other top-name equipment are also included. Note that the opening bid of $1.5 million is less than that of the cost of just the engines and transmissions. 

Note, too, that the surveyor’s well-organized, detailed report is part of the auction, as are project costs to date and the estimated cost to complete the yacht.  The completion estimate of $25 million is based on bids from qualified international shipyards in the United States, Greece, and Turkey. Consider that the current price for new superyachts in this size range with similar fit and finish, engines, and equipment from respected builders is significantly higher. 

Understandably, buyers commonly express concern about how to ensure a yacht like this gets finished. The original Trinity Yachts designers and engineers will help complete the remaining drawings, since they want to see the project—and buyer—succeed. They’ll do this regardless of which shipyard the winning bidder selects, too. Additionally, they and John Dane can provide advice and suggestions for completion.

The online auction begins on November 11. Bidding remains open through November 14. The Trinity Tri-Deck can remain in Gulfport through November 30, 2023 to make sufficient arrangements for completion. 

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Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk city, Russia

The capital city of Sakhalin oblast .

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk - Overview

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is a city located in the southern part of Sakhalin Island in the Far East of Russia, the administrative center of Sakhalin Oblast.

The population of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is about 201,700 (2022), the area - 164 sq. km.

The phone code - +7 4242, the postal codes - 693000-693904.

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk city flag

Yuzhno-sakhalinsk city coat of arms.

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk city map, Russia

Yuzhno-sakhalinsk city latest news and posts from our blog:.

29 October, 2019 / Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk - the view from above .

History of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

Foundation of yuzhno-sakhalinsk.

The Russians first visited Sakhalin Island in 1742. In 1805, the Russian-American Company sent Adam Johann von Krusenstern, a Russian admiral and explorer, to Sakhalin to hoist the Russian flag on the island. Officially, neither Russia nor Japan claimed Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. In 1855, a treatise on friendship and the border was signed in Shimoda, which marked the beginning of diplomatic relations between Russia and Japan. According to it, Sakhalin remained jointly owned by the two countries.

The settlement of Sakhalin by Russians was mainly due to exiled convicts. In 1869, Sakhalin was officially declared a place of exile and hard labor. In 1875, the St. Petersburg Treaty was signed between the Russian Empire and Japan, according to which Sakhalin completely went to Russia and the Kuril Islands - to Japan.

In 1881, according to the order of the military governor of the Primorsky region, Major Vladimir Yantsevich was appointed head of exiles in South Sakhalin. He received the following instructions: “For the settlement of those who are finishing their terms of hard labor, a place that is quite convenient for arable farming should be chosen. The selected site, if possible along the main road from south to north, should be planned, divided into sections and, as a new settlement, named by some permanent name.”

In 1883, Yantsevich applied for the approval of the names of four new villages founded in the south of Sakhalin: Solovyovskoe, Mitsulskoe, Vladimirovka (future Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk), and Vlasovskoe. In 1885, 57 people lived in Vladimirovka, in 1895 - 130 people. In 1897, there were 150 residential and commercial buildings here: a church, a school, a post office, a hospital, a mill, trade shops, a number of government buildings, and a lot of residential log houses.

More historical facts…

Japanese period in the history of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

In 1905, after the defeat of the Russian Empire in the Russo-Japanese War, according to the Treaty of Portsmouth, part of Sakhalin south of the 50th parallel was ceded to the Japanese Empire and became the Karafuto Prefecture. The northern part of Sakhalin remained under the control of the Russian Empire.

In 1908, Vladimirovka was renamed Toyohara (“bountiful plain”). In 1915, the settlement received the status of a town. The Japanese made their own plan for the development of the town with a clear rectangular planning system with the direction of streets along the railway and perpendicular to it.

The building density was high, as a result, a significant number of residential buildings were without outbuildings, sheds and other ancillary buildings, as well as yards. On the outskirts of the town there was a well-maintained park with an artificial reservoir. In 1920, the population of Toyohara was 14,176 people, in 1935 - 28,459.

On February 11, 1945, Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill signed an agreement in Yalta on the conditions for the USSR’s entry into the war against Japan. Among the conditions were the return of South Sakhalin to the USSR and the annexation of the Kuril Islands. In August 1945, Soviet troops entered Toyohara.

This is what Toyohara looked like from the words of Dmitry Kryukov, head of the civil administration of South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands, who arrived in the town in September 1945: “The town mainly consists of wooden buildings. The houses are adjacent to each other, timber-frame, plastered. Many of them look good, but they are cold.” The majority of the population were Japanese and Koreans.

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk - the capital of Sakhalin Oblast

On February 2, 1946, Yuzhno-Sakhalin Oblast was formed on the territory of South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. On June 4, 1946, Toyohara became its administrative center. It was renamed Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (“South Sakhalin City”).

On January 2, 1947, Yuzhno-Sakhalin Oblast was liquidated and its territory was included in Sakhalin Oblast, a separate region of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. On April 18, 1947, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk became its administrative center.

In the spring of 1947, the mass repatriation of the Japanese began. By August 1, 1947, 124,308 people left Sakhalin, almost half of the local Japanese. During 1947-1949, about 400 thousand people were brought to Sakhalin from the central regions of Russia, Primorye and the Far East. By 1949, only 2,682 Japanese remained on Sakhalin - those who managed to obtain a Soviet passport. The Koreans from Sakhalin were not forcibly evicted, so most of them stayed. In 1959, the population of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk was 85,510 people.

In subsequent years, the appearance of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk changed again - the frame houses built by the Japanese were demolished. Today, except for the railway and some buildings of that time turned into museums, almost nothing reminds of the Japanese period in the history of this city.

General views of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk from above

Author: Vladislav Yarowind

General view of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk cityscape

Author: Shinya Ichinohe

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk - Features

Sakhalin Oblast is the only region in Russia located entirely on the islands. Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk stands at some distance from the sea coast, about 25 km from the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk. Chekhov Peak (1,045 m), one of the highest peaks of Sakhalin, rises to the north-east of the city. Locals call the city simply Yuzhnyy.

Sakhalin Island is part of the temperate monsoon zone. Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is located on a plain surrounded by hills, due to which its climate has certain peculiarities. In summer, it can be very hot in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, and in winter, due to the lack of wind, severe frosts. The coldest month is January with an average daily temperature of minus 12.2 degrees Celsius, the warmest month is August with an average daily temperature of plus 17.3 degrees Celsius. Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is equated to the regions of the Far North.

The city is located in an earthquake-prone area. The probability of strong earthquakes is relatively high. The distance from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk to Moscow is 9,140 km by road and 6,640 km in a straight line.

The majority of the population is Russian, but the proportion of Koreans is also high (about 20%). Out of 43 thousand Sakhalin Koreans, most of them live in the capital of the region. In the city you can also find representatives of the indigenous peoples: Nivkhs, Ainu and Oroks, but their number is very small.

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is the largest transport hub on Sakhalin. Anton Chekhov Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Airport offers regular flights to such cities as Vladivostok, Krasnoyarsk, Novosibirsk, Khabarovsk, Moscow, Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Seoul (South Korea), Sapporo (Japan), Tokyo (Japan).

In Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, there is a high level of air pollution due to the high motorization of the population and the location of the city in the valley, which slows down the dispersion of harmful substances.

Today, it is one of the dynamically developing cities of the Far East, the production and intellectual center of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. Oil and natural gas production, as well as their processing, are the most important components of the local economy.

This is one of the most visited cities in the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia. Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is often visited by cruise ship passengers (mostly Japanese citizens). Restaurants of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk offer dishes of Russian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Uzbek, Georgian, Italian cuisines.

The architecture of the period of the Karafuto Prefecture gives a special flavor to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Today, in the city there are about 40 objects of cultural heritage of this period. In the future, tourism should become the basis for the economic development of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

Special thanks to Vladislav Yarowind for the photos of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

Main Attractions of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

Sakhalin Regional Museum of Local Lore - the central museum of Sakhalin Oblast founded in 1896. It is housed in a very picturesque Japanese building constructed in the Imperial Crown Style in 1937. This is the only such building on the territory of Sakhalin and all of Russia, the most significant architectural monument of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Its diverse expositions are devoted to nature, history of the indigenous peoples of the islands, culture and development of Sakhalin. Kommunisticheskiy Avenue, 29.

Sports and Tourist Complex “Gornyy Vozdukh” (“Mountain Air”) - a ski resort and sports complex, existing, according to one version, since the days of the Japanese Karafuto Prefecture (1905-1945). Today, it is one of the most dynamically developing ski resorts in the Far East of Russia.

The unique location of the complex - in the center of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk - allows guests to find themselves in the world of winter sports in just a few minutes. The ski resort offers 10 slopes of various difficulty levels for both beginners and professionals. Their total length is over 23 km. The ski season lasts from December to the end of April.

It is one of the main organizers of excursion tours in Sakhalin Oblast: sports, excursion, business tourism, as well as ecological tourism. The complex has a network of hiking and cycling routes. There are also restaurants and cafes here.

Museum and Memorial Complex “Pobeda” (“Victory”) - a square with a cultural and educational center, where you can find historical expositions dedicated to the Russian-Japanese and World War II. A T-34-85 tank is installed on a pedestal in front of the building. Pobedy Avenue, 1.

Museum of the History of the Sakhalin Railway . This museum is dedicated to the history of railway construction on Sakhalin. The exposition has a lot of interesting and rare exhibits. In the open area of the museum, Sakhalin railway equipment is exhibited: steam locomotives, carriages of various types, etc. Vokzalnaya Street, 55.

Sakhalin Regional State Art Museum - the only art museum in Sakhalin Oblast with over 11 thousand works of art. On the ground floor, temporary art exhibitions are held, the art of artists from Russia, Korea and China is presented. The second floor houses permanent exhibitions: “Contemporary Korean Art”, “Christian Art”, “Russian Art of the 19th - early 20th centuries.” Lenina Street, 137.

Museum of the Book of Anton Chekhov “Sakhalin Island” . This museum is dedicated to Anton Chekhov’s trip to Sakhalin in 1890, as a result of which he wrote the book “Sakhalin Island”. Here you can find the following collections: “Painting”, “Graphics”, “Written Sources”, “Photo Materials”, “Numismatics/Phaleristics”, “Household Items, Arts and Crafts”, “Sculpture”. The personal belongings of Chekhov’s family members and various items belonging to exiles are exhibited here. Mira Avenue, 104.

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Park of Culture and Rest named after Yuri Gagarin - the most beautiful recreational area of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk founded in the Japanese period of the city’s history in 1906. In 1968, when the famous cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin died in a jet crash, the park was renamed in his honor. Today, this place attracts visitors with its amazing landscapes and an abundance of entertainment. Sakura blooms here in spring. Detskaya Street, 1.

Resurrection Cathedral - the first church in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk built in the 1990s. This one-domed cathedral in the pseudo-Russian style looks surprisingly graceful and is located in the immediate vicinity of Gagarin Park. Svyatitelya Innokentiya Boulevard, 3k1.

Cathedral of the Nativity . The height of this church, consecrated in 2016, is 77 m, which is why it effectively dominates the surrounding landscape. Accommodating up to 1,000 people, it is built in the Novgorod style with a gilded dome surrounded by four bright blue ones. Inside, you can admire the five-tiered iconostasis in the Russian style, decorated with 98 icons. The outer walls are decorated with mosaics created in Jerusalem. Ilarion Troitsky Street, 1.

Chekhov Peak . Several picturesque mountain peaks are located in the vicinity of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. The highest one (1,045 m) is named after the famous Russian writer Anton Chekhov. The trip to the top takes several hours. From the height of Chekhov Peak you can admire the city itself, the waters of Aniva Bay and the Sea of Okhotsk. On a cloudless day, you can even see the northern tip of the Japanese island of Hokkaido. There is a small Japanese temple at the top of the peak.

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk city of Russia photos

Architecture of yuzhno-sakhalinsk.

Winter in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk architecture

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk modern architecture

Author: Alexander Mikhalev

Churches of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

Wooden Church of St. Nicholas in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

The Roman Catholic Church Parish of Saint James in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

Resurrection Cathedral in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

Author: Snejanna Baggerovski

Sakhalin Regional Museum of Local Lore

The main building of the Sakhalin Regional Museum of Local Lore

Old Russian 11-inch gun (1867) in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

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John Dane III Leaves His Mark

TY Offshore Racks Up Orders As It Rebrands By Susan Buchanan August 30, 2012

“The 2008 financial crash slowed  the luxury business, and the new class warfare coming out of Washington has made owning a large yacht out of favor. Hopefully, this class warfare will change this November and maybe put hundreds of laidoff workers back to work.” In the more than two years since its founding, Mississippi-based TY Offshore, the former Trinity Offshore, has invested in a new yard in Gulfport and repaired its storm-damaged New Orleans holdings. The company has doubled its capacity and racked up new orders, president and CEO John Dane III said. TY Offshore designs and builds offshore barges, tugs, oilfield-support vessels and spill-response and patrol vessels. The company's new name, adopted in late June, should make business simpler. “We decided to rebrand for two reasons,” Dane said. “One was to eliminate any confusion in the marketplace with Trinity Industries’ marine products division.” Trinity Industries, Inc. in Dallas is the nation's largest, inland barge builder. Dane said “the other reason is that having TY in the name shows a connection with a company that's been producing sophisticated vessels for over 24 years.” TY Offshore is operated separately from Trinity Yachts, LLC, which was founded in 1988, though the two share management and facilities. Trinity Offshore was launched in New Orleans just before the BP spill in April 2010. Another benefit of the name change, though Dane didn't mention it, is that a firm in Singapore is also called Trinity Offshore. Dane's Trinity, now TY Offshore, hasn't sat still since its founding. “We've spent over $70 million on capital expenditures since Hurricane Katrina devastated our New Orleans shipyard on the Industrial Canal,” Dane said. “Right after the storm, we acquired a dormant facility in Gulfport from VT Halter that we've expanded by adding another two production buildings, a 3,325-ton synchrolift, a 550-ton travel lift, a panel line and multitude of other equipment. This is on top of totally refurbishing the New Orleans facility.” The company's two, large production facilities contain more than 1.1 million square feet of under-cover fabrication area. “This gives us an advantage in working conditions since typical problems with rain days are eliminated and employees can work in the shade,” Dane said. “These factors help us attract really top-level employees, and our Gulf Coast location gives us access to probably the largest pool of experienced ship builders in the world.” Another company strength is combined experience. “My partners and our top-level management have been in the business for over 25 years and some of us over 35 years,” Dane said. In house-engineering capabilities are another major strength. “We're able to help our customers create new designs that will meet new demands from their clients,” he said. Workmanship and delivery times benefit from having engineering on the premises. On July 25, TY Offshore and FMT Industries, LLC christened and launched FMT 3242, which was built in Gulfport and is the first of ten 297’6” 30,000-barrel tank barges that TY is producing. The barges will be launched in thirty-day intervals. So far, construction has been on time and on budget. Business Is Brisk & TY Is Hiring As for the next few years, Dane said “our backlog with Harvey Gulf is two and a half years for Platform Supply Vessels and our inland tank barge business with Florida Marine Transportation is two years, so we see steady work for awhile.” And he said inquiries for offshore and military projects will likely to add to its backlog. Changes in the regulatory environment since the spill have affected TY and firms across the Gulf Coast. “The slow permitting process in the Gulf set us back 18 months ago--when we had a PSV order pending,” Dane said. “But the permit backlog is being attended to now. The good news-bad news is that so many shipyards are full with work that the pool of experienced workers that were readily available and looking for work is getting smaller.” The company has responded with in-house training and by coordinating with local authorities to train workers. But Dane said “that drives up our costs.” He also said “we wish that the unemployed workers we read about in the news would consider blue-collar trades, which can be high-paying careers.” In late July, TY Offshore was looking for another 50 welders and shopfitters. Dane gave an example of tough, new regulations. “In a recent application for a bulkhead to allow for construction of larger, offshore power barges, the Mississippi Dept. of Environmental Quality told us we couldn't get a bulkhead permit--unless we could show we had an air permit for the start-up of gas turbines that will be mounted on the barges. We've never been asked before to permit for emissions on the vessels we're building.” When asked about safety in the Gulf since the BP spill, Dane said “I believe that all offshore company executives are stressing safety over schedules now. In conversations, it's obvious that none of our customers want to have their names or their company appear in a news report concerning accidents or death.” He continued “at TY Offshore, we emphasize worker safety in all that we do. Increased awareness will lead to increased safety. In that regard, you could say the industry is safer following extended publicity in the wake of the BP spill.” Nibbling Away At The Jones Act In other industry developments, Dane said he's worried about continual attacks on the Jones Act. “A recent letter ruling by Justice Department allowed for foreign flag ships to deliver certain oil field products to the Outer Continental Shelf from a U.S. port. This was never allowed in the past. It's simply an interpretation by a bureaucrat that slowly nibbles away at the Jones Act.” He added “then we have senators like Arizona's John McCain, who thinks we should do away with the Jones Act altogether.” Dane said the nation's marine industry needs to be diligent to protect the Jones Act.” U.S. cabotage laws, known as the Jones Act, require commercial vessels transporting merchandise between ports in the United States to be built, owned, operated and manned by U.S. citizens and be registered under the U.S. flag. Oil Industry Is Promising But Yachts Have Been A Tough Sell Dane is optimistic about the global oil business over the next few years. “Turmoil in the Middle East and the crazy administration in Iran makes executives want to find replacement oil supplies,” he said. And the current price of oil and natural gas make alternative sources, such as solar and wind, noncompetitive on a large-scale basis. “The opening of new areas in Alaska means more U.S. activity, and can help get the United States become more energy independent,” he said. “All of this in turn could help end the recession.” Dane said “while the oil patch is doing well, our sister company Trinity Yachts is hurting. The 2008 financial crash slowed  the luxury business, and the new class warfare coming out of Washington has made owning a large yacht out of favor. Hopefully, this class warfare will change this November and maybe put hundreds of laidoff workers back to work.” Dane, who holds a B.S. and Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Tulane University, began his career with Halter Marine in 1974 as a program manager and in 1980 formed his own shipyard, Moss Point Marine. Halter Marine's predecessor, Trinity Industries later purchased the Moss Point Marine yard in 1987, and Dane was named president of Trinity Marine Group. Dane then spun the Halter Marine Group off from Trinity Industries as a new public company in September 1996. He founded Trinity Yachts in 1988 as a division of Halter Marine Group. When asked how the marine industry had changed in the last 30 years, Dane said “everything has gotten bigger and more complex. When I left Halter Marine as a junior executive and started Moss Point Marine, we had just designed and delivered the first diesel electric 200-foot supply vessel. Now almost all boats are diesel electric, dynamic positioned with cargo capacities many multiples above what the 'large for their time' 200 footers in the early 1980’s could carry.” He added “now, with the ingenuity of the offshore industry, rigs are drilling in water depths on a regular basis that were considered unattainable back then.” Sailing Took Dane To The 2008 Olympics Dane, a New Orleans native, is a lifelong sailor who has spent many hours on Lake Pontchartrain and won a number of U.S. and international championships. At the age of 58, he competed on the U.S. sailing team in the 2008 Olympics. “I've retired from the large, international sailing scene after checking the Olympics off my bucket list,” he said last month. “This July I competed in a regatta in Florida in a 17-foot single-handed boat. It was the first time this year and the rust was showing. I ended up in second place, having been beaten by my oldest son, John F. Dane. All in all in was a good regatta for the family.” Dane's son-in-law Austin Sperry was his 2008 Olympic sailing teammate. When asked if he plans to retire anytime soon, the 62-year-old Dane said “probably never. I like the business and the people. And with seven kids, who can ever retire?” Dane is married to Leslie Weatherly, and they also have two grandchildren. Dane said “I've heard so many stories about someone who retires becoming lethargic and dying soon afterwards. Hopefully, you won't see me hanging it up for a long while!” In addition to Dane, principals of TY Offshore are Felix Sabates, Billy Smith, Wayne Bourgeois and Jim Berulis--an ownership group similar to TY's sister company, Trinity Yachts.

(As published in the August 2012 edition of Maritime Reporter & Engineering News - www.marinelink.com )  

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• Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Airport

Description

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Airport is an airport used by private jets in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk , Russia. It has a maximum runway length of 3,400 meters. There is only one runway in total at the airport.

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Airport, also called Khomutovo, is an airport in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, on the Russian island of Sakhalin. The airport was established in 1945 as a military airfield. With currently one 3,400 m concrete runway, one passenger terminal, two cargo terminals and 16 aircraft stands, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Airport is the largest airport in Sakhalin Oblast.

Sometimes referred to as UHSS - its ICAO code - on private jet quotes, for example, it can also be called UUS - its IATA code name. Both these shorthands are used by aircrafts to refer to the airport.

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• Latitude: 46.886944
• Longitude: 142.721944
• Altitude: 18 meters
• Runway length: 3,400 meters
• Number of runways: 1
• City: Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
• Region: Sakhalin Oblast
• Country: Russia