July/August 2009

‘Trinity’ has several meanings in New Orleans: it invokes the divine trinity, central to this Catholic city’s culture; it refers to celery, bell peppers and onions, the ‘trinity’ of ingredients that local use to make a great gumbo and, finally, it stands for New Orleans’ hometown shipyard, Trinity Yachts.

When Alexander Dreyfoos decided to test his next boat he went to one of the world’s windiest, nastiest, most dangerous navigation areas—the North Sea. Three and a half years later he invited us to see his new yacht, Silver Cloud, on much calmer waters in Palm Beach, Florida.

We first saw Nero in St. Maarten, where news of the 295’ yacht’s stern-to arrival through the precariously narrow bridge into Simpson Bay Lagoon had drawn hundreds to the water’s edge. The maneuver, a first in Simpson Bay, was executed to perfection. We would have expected no less from a yacht meticulously planned for years and built with utmost care as a modern classic.

The Emirate, and everything that pertains to it, fuels an active rumor mill that gets most facts wrong. This applies to the 532’ Dubai, the world largest yacht. Ever since it took position as the leader of the Top 100 list in 2006, the yacht has been the subject of all kinds of rumors. Yachts Emirates magazine was invited onboard and given the opportunity to write an article, no strings attached.