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August 2012www.marinelink.com 53gether.? Dane said the nation's marine in- dustry needs to be diligent to protect theJones Act.? U.S. cabotage laws, known as the Jones Act, require commercial vessels transporting merchandise between portsin the United States to be built, owned, operated and manned by U.S. citizensand be registered under the U.S. flag. Oil Industry Is Promising But Yachts Have Been A Tough Sell Dane is optimistic about the global oilbusiness over the next few years. ?Tur- moil in the Middle East and the crazy ad-ministration in Iran makes executives want to find replacement oil supplies,? he said. And the current price of oil and nat- ural 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. activ- ity, and can help get the United States be- come more energy independent,? he said. ?All of this in turn could help end the re- cession.? Dane said ?while the oil patch is doingwell, 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 laid-off workers back to work.? Dane, who holds a B.S. and Ph.D. inCivil Engineering from Tulane Univer- sity, began his career with Halter Marine in 1974 as a program manager and in1980 formed his own shipyard, Moss Point Marine. Halter Marine's predeces-sor, Trinity Industries later purchased the Moss Point Marine yard in 1987, andDane was named president of Trinity Ma- rine Group. Dane then spun the HalterMarine 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, Danesaid ?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 anddelivered the first diesel electric 200-foot supply vessel. Now almost all boats are diesel electric, dynamic positioned withcargo 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 life- long 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 sail- ing 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 show- ing. 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 ?proba- bly never. I like the business and the peo- ple. And with seven kids, who can ever retire?? Dane is married to Leslie Weath- erly, and they also have two grandchil- dren. Dane said ?I've heard so many stories about someone who retires be-coming lethargic and dying soon after- wards. 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. ?The ?08 financial crash slowed the luxury business,andthe 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 laid-off workers back to work.?John Dane III, TY Offshore TY Offshore's Heada Smith, JohnnyPasentine, Dennis JPasentine, with CindyPasentine Hull as sheChristens FMT 3242.MR#8 (50-57):MR Template 8/9/2012 3:33 PM Page 53