Chef Thierry Goulard

Chef dies over Valentine’s Day in St. Barts

By Capt. Graham Barnes

Thierry Goulard was a larger-thanlife character with a heart so kind and full of love. He appreciated every second of every day, always smiling and cracking jokes. Telling stories of his childhood and growing up were some of the best stories one could hear.

Thierry – aka Pappi or El Magnifico – was born and raised in Lorient, France, a beautiful region of Brittany. He was also schooled in culinary in Paris. He later lived in the UK. From there, he worked and traveled around Europe. He then decided to travel across the pond to New York.

Before landing any full time jobs in New York City, Thierry made some cash to pay the bills by boxing. He became a Golden Gloves boxer after a few years, and was able to put his gloves down when he got his chef opportunity at one of New York’s finest restaurants.

A few good years later, Thierry migrated south to Charleston, South Carolina, and enjoyed success creating his own restaurant. After many years in South Carolina, Thierry found his way to South Florida and worked as executive chef for a number of restaurants. It was during this time that Thierry found his passion for the water again and mixed his culinary skills with his adventure for cruising.

Thierry worked as freelance chef onboard a number of yachts, including most recently M/Y Totally Nuts, M/Y Enterprise, and M/Y Mambo. He then went full time toward the end of last year on M/Y Silver Lining.

When Thierry was not onboard creating wonderful food for guests and his fellow crew members, he would be in Mexico with his loving wife, Izitzel, and their two beautiful daughters, Celic and Erandi.

When he was in Fort Lauderdale between charters, he would ride around on his motorbike, which he called Rambler. He would often go on his excursions into the Everglades and cruise up to Lake Okeechobee, and then decide last minute to head to St. Augustine for a few days. Spur-of-themoment decisions were what Thierry loved. He often said that life was a wonderful adventure and that he was the luckiest man in the world.

We were all deeply saddened and

heartbroken to hear of Thierry’s sudden passing onboard Silver Lining on Valentine’s Day on the French island of St. Barthélemy.

It’s so hard to have to say goodbye to you, Thierry. Our lives have been enriched knowing you. You remain in our hearts forever. Godspeed brother.

Capt. Graham Barnes was a friend of Chef Goulard. Comments are welcome at editor@the-triton.com.

Friends, colleagues remember captain

By Lucy Chabot Reed

Capt. Alan Bradley Shepherd died Aug. 15 of lung cancer. He was 50.

In yachting more than 25 years, Capt. Shepherd spent the past decade working freelance jobs, deliveries, and rotational and relief positions as captain, mate, engineer and project manager on yachts up to 140 feet in Florida, Bahamas, and along the U.S. Atlantic Coast.

He also spent much of his time teaching those around him.

“Without him, I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing,” said Capt. Jason Jones, who got his first job working with Capt. Shepherd 15 years ago. “He helped me build my network, especially in the shipyard. He knew everything about everything boating.”

Capt. Shepherd was one of the first captains Noah Netherton worked for when he joined the industry about six years ago.

“From that point on, he became my mentor,” Netherton said. “He was always pushing me to do my licenses and move up.”

Netherton was working on a yacht in Charleston when Capt. Shepherd’s sister Amy Albury called to tell him Capt. Shepherd’s health was deteriorating. When Netherton asked for time off and the owner said no, there was no question he would resign to spend time with his mentor at the end of his life.

“The guy taught me almost everything I know in the industry.”

Soon after Capt. Shepherd died, Netherton went to Fort Lauderdale and enrolled in courses. He recently finished his 100-ton tests – “with all As,” he said – and has begun two engineering courses this week as well as several courses for endorsements such as diving and first aid.

“Alan is the reason for that,” he said. “He was on me every week: ‘Have you enrolled in classes yet? Did you take that test? You’ve got to go get your license.’ He’s right. So I took my savings and put it toward my license.”

A few months before he died, Capt. Shepherd shared his old study materials with Netherton.

“He was in my corner from day 1, and it paid off.”

Taking his exams, he said he could feel Capt. Shepherd sitting next to him.

“It’s a feeling I’ll never forget.”

It’s likely there are scores of current and former crew who could say the same.

“The way he kept up with people used to surprise me,” Capt. Jones said. “He’d say ‘So-and-so just got her nursing degree.’ And I was like ‘She was a stew on your boat 12 years ago for like three months. You still keep up with her?’

“He helped a lot of people in their career,” he said. “And if he recognized that yachting wasn’t for you, he found ways to support you in other things you might want to do. That was the way he was.”

More than book smart – he also held degrees in photography and business management – Capt. Shepherd was also operationally smart.

“He was a hell of an engineer,” Netherton said. “He had the most intricate knowledge of so many boats. And he’d teach me everything. It was like he was doing it in his sleep. His knowledge was unreal.”

His knowledge spread beyond yachting.

“I called him Human Google,” Capt. Jones said. “You could ask him anything and he’d have an answer or could find out. Just about anything I had a question about, I could call Alan and get an answer. I’m really going to miss that. … He was always going into a shop or a store, and there might be something hanging on the wall, and he’d say ‘What a nice 1960 whatever’ and spark up an intelligent conversation about that model or era of rocket ship or whatever. He was amazing.”

Prior to his freelance career, Capt. Shepherd was captain of the 118-foot Broward M/Y Indiscretion, which cruised New England in the summer and Florida and Bahamas in winter with “very busy” owners, according to his resume. He served that owner as mate aboard two yachts at the same time – the 96-foot Broward M/Y Temptation and Indiscretion – for the father-and-son yachts.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone who was always so happy,” Netherton said. “Even after an 18-hour day, he ended the day with a smile on his face. It was more than a pleasure to have the opportunity to work for him.”

Capt. Shepherd earned his USCG 1,600-ton license just before being diagnosed with cancer two years ago, Albury said.

He also rode and raced motorcycles as a hobby. A member of the Dixie Dual Motorsports Group, he was qualified to race at the Daytona International Speedway.

“He considered motorcycles to be appropriate living room art pieces, and he loved riding fast on the track or on the Tail of the Dragon,” Albury said. “He even completed the Trans America Trail,” a seven-week, 5,000mile route through the center of the United States.

Never a smoker, Capt. Shepherd’s lung cancer wasn’t diagnosed until it had metastasized into his bones, Albury said.

“We will never know the cause of the cancer but Alan encourages everyone to utilize appropriate PPE such as gloves and breathing protection when handling chemicals,” she said.

Netherton agreed.

“The industry has tried to change and come up with chemicals that are not so hazardous to us crew, but a lot of older boats that people refit are comprised of certain things that can be detrimental to crew,” he said.

“Whenever you are sanding or grinding anything, wear a respirator, because you don’t know what you are breathing in. When you use chemicals, wear gloves.”

Lucy Chabot Reed is publisher/editor of The Triton. Comments are welcome at lucy@the-triton.com.

Industry loses pioneers, legends, icons

Bob Roscioli, owner of Roscioli Yachting Center

Bob Roscioli, a yacht painter who built one of the most well-known shipyards in South Florida, died July 27. He had tested positive for COVID-19. He was 78.

Known as Mr. R by workers and friends alike, Mr. Roscioli, above, built his reputation painting boats and yachts with a paint brush, and was among the first to spray two-part paint in the marine industry.

He walked his shipyard every day, greeting employees, correcting bad habits, and encouraging potential. He took seriously his role as a mentor and often gave troubled or problem employees a second chance in his shipyard.

He had been battling health issues in recent years, but managed to return to the yard each time.

A private memorial was held in early August. A more public remembrance of his life is still being planned. Read a full profile of his career online.

– Lucy Chabot Reed

Joe Rubano, owner of RPM Diesel

Joe Rubano, owner of Fort Lauderdale-based RPM Diesel Engine Co. and Diesel Services of America, died June 30 of natural causes. He was 90. He had been in deteriorating health the previous few weeks and his family had gathered to be with him when he passed.

Mr. Rubano, below, was chairman and owner of the company, which his brother-in-law started in 1956.

He joined in 1961 and took over the business side of the company, growing it carefully based on treating customers and employees like family. That approach came to be known as The Rubano Way.

“I have been ignored in a business,” he explained in a Triton profile of him in 2017, “so we train our people to be this way: When customers walk into a strange place, let’s greet them, make them feel relaxed. Say, ‘Have a coffee, I’ll be right with you.' ”

Mr. Rubano had structured his companies to continue without him, including establishing a board of directors and naming long-time employees Bryon MacDonald and Todd Barnes as president/CEO and vice president/ general manager, respectively, several years ago.

“It’s business as usual for RPM,” Barnes said, “just the way he would have wanted it.” A memorial service is still being planned. Read a full profile of his career online.

– Lucy Chabot Reed Fred Kirtland, Merrill-Stevens GM

Fred Kirtland, an icon of the South Florida shipyard and brokerage industry, died April 5. He was 91.

Mr. Kirtland was previously president and general manager of MerrillStevens shipyard in Miami, where he was born and raised. He spent nearly 50 years at the shipyard on the Miami River.

“Fred was an icon in the industry,” said Kevin Merrigan, CEO of Fort Lauderdale-based brokerage firm Northrop & Johnson. “He was the nicest, more honorable man you could ever know. At the time he was building up Merrill-Stevens, it was the yard where the wealthiest of the wealthy took their yachts. And Fred treated the owners just as he treated the varnisher, with a smile and respect.”

In 1961, Merrill-Stevens owner Alex Balfe hired him as a broker and his yachting career took root.

“Dad had a real sense of fair play,” said Whit Kirtland, a long-time yacht broker with Merrill-Stevens and now with Northrop & Johnson. “He was always concerned that the industry not see him giving me a free ride. All our family friends were well-off, and my friends all went to work in air conditioned offices at the bank or the offices of their dads. I went to work on the docks, scrubbing fuel tanks. … Dad was a big believer in earning your way. And he appreciated hard work.”

Although he was technically in charge of the main shipyard, Mr. Kirtland was officially given the title of president and general manager in 1965 or 1966, his son said. He would remain with the company until 2009 when Merrill-Stevens went into bankruptcy.

But those nearly five decades under his command would be the modern glory days of yachting. He sold Malcolm Forbes, the millionaire entrepreneur and magazine editor, his last five boats, including the iconic Highlander yachts.

Other regulars at the Miami shipyard included oceanographer Jacques Cousteau’s research ship Calypso, the Amway family’s Enterprise vessels, and M/Y Blackhawk, the 130-foot (37.5m) Feadship owned by the Wirtz family, which owns the Chicago Blackhawks hockey team.

“As far as shipyard managers go, he was top shelf, no doubt,” said Capt. Sandy Broome, who ran the Blackhawk for 26 years. For most of that time, the yacht called Merrill-Stevens home.

“Merrill Stevens was convenient for us,” Capt. Broome said. “You come out of the ocean and you’re in the shipyard in 30 minutes. But more than that, we were treated well. All of the big yacht programs were there, Forbes, Amway. Not for a short time, but for years. That was because of Fred.”

Mr. Kirtland collapsed as he was retrieving his Sunday newspaper, likely

Mr. Kirtland, right, spent 50 years at the Merrill-Stevens shipyard on the Miami River. He is pictured here at the Yacht & Broerage Show in Miami in 2015 with his son, Whit. TRITON FILE PHOTO

from a heart attack, Whit Kirtland said.

“It was a bit of a surprise,” he said. “Dad had some health issues, but the doctors told us we’d have him for two or three more years.”

Mr. Kirtland is survived by his son, daughter Kindy, four grandchildren and a legion of yacht brokers and shipyard workers whose careers he helped forge.

A ceremony of his life will be planned when restrictions over gatherings because of the COVID-19 pandemic are lifted.

– Lucy Chabot Reed

Don Ehrlich, owner of Yachtronics

Don Ehrlich, owner and president of Yachtronics in Fort Lauderdale, died on Aug. 11. He was 58. According to an obituary in the local South Florida Sun-Sentinel, he died “doing one of the things he loved - hiking in Lake Tahoe, California.” Mr. Ehrlich built his marine electronics company with his business partners Eric Feenstra and Dave Deacle.

Joseph R. Zeno, owner of Zeno Mattress

Joseph R. Zeno, the second-generation owner of Zeno Furniture and Mattress MFG. Co., died July 25 of COVID-19. He was 78.

In the 1970s, Mr. Zeno and his brother took over the company from his parents. Their foray into the boating business came about when a client of Chris-Craft boats, which had a dealership down the street from Mr. Zeno’s factory and showroom, requested an innerspring mattress instead of foam on his boat. They soon began making custom mattresses and would eventually work with Sea Ray, Broward Marine, Roscioli, and Trinity Yachts, according to Judi Ebbole, Mr. Zeno’s daughter and third-generation owner of the company.

Ebbole took over day-to-day operations of the company in the late 1990s and worked with her dad until recently. The company will continue under her direction and includes the fourth-generation Zeno in her son, Ryan.

A memorial service is being planned and will be announced at a later date, Ebbole said.

“Especially under these circumstances,” she said, referring to COVID. “He was doing great, and he went out to see some of his buddies. We’re not sure where he got it or when exactly. It’s such a sad time, to die from this stupid disease.”

Condolences can be sent to Zeno Mattress at info@zenomattress.com.

– Lucy Chabot Reed Gary Mills, surveyor

Gary Mills, a longtime marine surveyor based in Fort Lauderdale, died April 8 with family in St. Petersburg, Florida, after a short illness. He was 69.

Born Feb. 26, 1951 in Ohio, Mr. Mills grew up in the St. Petersburg area. He was in the Merchant Marines during the Vietnam years. He was also a black belt in karate and used to judge students in karate tournaments.