Northrop & Johnson Sales Broker Hans Doodkorte grew up on the water in Perth, Australia. A keen diver, he moved to the Whitsundays in 1987. While there, Hans got a job on the exclusive Hayman Island working on two Bannenberg-designed Oceanfast yachts as a deckhand; this gave him a taste for yachting and travel. Eventually, Hans’s new-found yachting career took him to Asia and later the Mediterranean. After a season in the “Med,” having worked his way up through the ranks to engineer, Hans found himself at Royal Huisman Shipyard working on a major two-year refit of a large sailing yacht. This yacht later became his first command as captain after receiving his 3000-ton Masters’ License in 1999.
Following a circumnavigation, the yacht returned to the Mediterranean in 2007. Looking for a new challenge, Hans decided to apply his extensive engineering experience and captains’ expertise to managing new build projects; to date this includes five successful projects of 50 to 70 meters at some of the finest shipyards in the world, including Feadship and Heesen in Holland.
Having spent many years visiting Asia and seeing the new infrastructure and growth in the local industry, Hans decided to make Phuket his second home. He is now part of the Northrop & Johnson Thailand office where his yachting industry experience and know-how will greatly aid him in his role as a sales broker.