yacht surveyors course

The Gold Standard in Marine Surveyor Training. We serve the Boating Business...Training and Certifying Marine Surveyors Worldwide. Standards Based Education for the Marine Industry.

MEMBERS: IT'S NOW TIME TO RENEW FOR 2024 . THANK YOU FOR RENEWING EARLY! Please click on this link to renew your membership and stay active. Fishing Vessel Inspectors MUST renew. Reliability Has a Name. Leading With Integrity for Over 30 Years. Order Our Marine Surveyors' Library Package Now PROFESSIONAL SURVEYORS--JUST FOR YOU! OUR NEW CONTINUING EDUCATION COURSE: THE REFRESHER COURSE FOR THE PRACTICING MARINE SURVEYOR  (CPU Credits Offered) Looking for a career change? Take our free Beginners Exam at the top of this page. Build on Your Boating Experience 1-800-245-4425 Global Link for the Maritime Business: www.un.org/depts/los/Links/Gov-Agency.htm

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NAVTECH US SURVEYORS ASSOCIATION US CAPTAIN 13430 McGregor Blvd. Ft. Myers, Florida 33919

Looking for a surveyor... navtech us surveyors member surveys have been accepted by all major banks, insurance companies, and agents including but not limited to cit group, essex, boatu.s., major national and international banks, west marine and usaa, reliance, travelers, and more... contact headquarters for further references. the hallmark of a good surveyor is avoiding "conflict of interest."  us surveyors pride themselves on high ethical standards. your insurance company or bank cannot force you to use any particular surveyor.  our suggestion to the public is to select three surveyors and comparison shop. beware of companies that want to force you to use certain surveyors. these surveyors may have had to pay to be on this list either through discounts, kickbacks or providing boilerplate surveys and false information to speed your deal. a list name or organization does not guarantee competence and in most states forcing you to use recommended or "only" surveyors is illegal. us surveyors stand ready to serve and follow a required code of ethics.  click on our roster to find one in your area. * any certificate, award or recognition by a group, organization or association used to describe his or her qualifications, as a marine surveyor, including abbreviations such as a.m.s., c.m.s. or similar letters,  is not a requirement to practice marine surveying in the us.  thank you for your interest *approved by florida dept. of education:  vocrehab..

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ACQUIRE THE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS OF A MARINE SURVEYOR

The Marine Surveying Program at the ATLANTIC SCHOOL of MARINE SURVEY is taught by current working accredited surveyors. This course covers Business Development, Destructive and Non-Destructive Testing, Surveying Techniques, and Professional Report Writing.

PLEASE JOIN US FOR THIS EXCITING NEW PROGRAM.

Our JANUARY 6, 2025 session is SOLD OUT.  We are now booking for our FEBRUARY 10, 2025 session.

FAST PACED CURRICULUM

The program is taught over twenty-one consecutive days. Intensive 10-hour days, consisting of classroom hours, out of class work, labs, and in field training makes for a fast paced and unique learning environment.

ABYC STANDARDS

We are ABYC Affiliated school. The ABYC Standards course is part of the curriculum and is included in the tuition.

REPORTING SOFTWARE INCLUDED

3D Marine Surveying software provides a full copy of their reporting software for use during the class. This copy can then be purchased, or other marine reporting software can be explored.

DESIGNED TO ACCOMMODATE THE BUSY WORKING PROFESSIONAL

Our accredited marine surveyors and industry leading speakers will bring you up to date with the latest products and techniques.

The successful applicant will have a deep marine background, some computer skills, and the desire to succeed in his or her own business.

This program is designed to attract the hard-working individual that wishes to do more with his or her knowledge of the marine industry.

Please join us for this exciting new program!

PROGRAM DETAILS

SESSION I DATES:  January 6-27, 2025 SOLD OUT SESSION II DATES:  February 10, 2025 – March 3, 2025

CLASS LOCATION:   24 Eastern Ridge Drive, Eliot, Maine

COST:   The cost of the Marine Surveying Course is $4,500.00. This includes text and lab materials.

APPLICATION FEE:   There is a $150.00 non-refundable application fee.

CLASS SIZE:  Maximum enrollment of eight (8) students per session.

ROOM AND BOARD:  Room and board are not included and is arranged by the students.

Already a Marine Surveyor? Join us on selected dates for CE credits.

For more information and to see if you qualify call Pat Goodrow at 781-290-6782.

The Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors

Welcome to The Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors®

Find a marine surveyor.

Locate By: U.S. States | Canadian Provinces | Other Countries

Types of Surveys

Tug & barge, commercial workboat, yachts & small craft, fishing vessel, hull & machinery, what type of survey do i need.

How To Choose a Surveyor?

The Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors® (SAMS®) has three (3) primary classes of memberships

Accredited Marine Surveyor

Surveyor Associate

Affiliate Member

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Academy for Surveyors, by Surveyors

Now offering continuing education credits for the national association of marine surveyors., draft survey training.

The best place to become a Marine Surveyor on your time.

Why Enroll in Our Programs?

Self - paced program.

Training is available via Video Modules that can be watched and rewatched at your own pace. This ensures you never get left behind and are able to pause at any time to take more thorough notes.

Professional Mentors

Our video module training course has been reviewed and approved by the National Association of Marine Surveyor's education committee to offer continuing education credits to their 300+ members.

Private Classes Available

Four 3-hour training sessions, totaling 12-hours of one-on-one classes via Skype, Zoom, or teams. ​

Draft Survey Video Modules

Video Module 1

Video Module 2

Video Module 3

Video Module 4

Video Module 5

Video Module 6

Video Modules

About Maxwell Maritime

We aim to train the next generation of Marine Surveyors.

T he maritime industry is a rapidly growing and evolving field. Marine Surveyors and Vessel Crew Members must be adapting and growing to stay ahead. Maxwell Maritime is the first stop in mastering a new skill and expanding your surveying knowledge.

NOW AVAILABLE ON DEMAND! On-Demand: Start Now!

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Become a Marine Surveyor: Understanding the role

Gain a thorough understanding of the marine surveying industry - from who's who in the business to practical management best practices and the human element..

This marine surveyor course is suitable for anyone who needs an understanding of marine surveying, including owners, onboard staff, builders, repairers, insurance companies, and legal firms.

GET MORE INFORMATION

If you have questions about the course, get in touch with our Education Consultants via email or call +44 (0) 20 8052 2710.

Certificate in Marine Surveying Fundamentals Online Course

Core modules.

• Module 1 – Introduction to the Industry
• Module 2 – Why Surveys are Required
• Module 3 – Conducting Surveys
• Module 4 – Safety of Surveyors
• Module 5 – Styles and Formats of Survey Reports
• Module 6 – Business Matters for Surveyors

What You'll Learn

• Who's who of the maritime world
• Survey requirements, types of surveys and surveyors
• How to prepare and conduct a survey from the initial survey request
• Dealing with the human element and attempted external influence on the survey
• How to select and use correct protective equipment (PPE)
• How to produce, issue, and defend different survey reports
• Report writing and other important skills involved in proper survey report wording
• How to manage risks and build a good reputation

How You'll Learn

This marine surveying course is broken down into manageable modules, designed to accelerate your learning process through diverse learning activities:

• Work through your instructional material online
• Interact with your peers and learning facilitators through the online forum to discuss subject-related issues and form a network with your fellow learners
• Investigate relevant, real-world case studies
• Apply what you learn each week to ongoing project submissions

Your Digital Badge!

You can now have a digital version of your Lloyd’s Maritime Academy Certification!

Powered by Credly, your Lloyd’s Maritime Academy Digital Badge is an online version of your credentials that contains a description of your award, demonstrated skills and what it took to obtain your certificate qualification.

Your digital badge also gives you access to labour market insights data including job openings, salary ranges and selected top employers. You can display the badge in your email signature, electronic copies of your resume and on social media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook and X!

100% Online

• Accessible – 24/7 availability from wherever you have an internet connection
• Flexible – take control of where, when, how and the rate at which you study
• Professional – industry leading course directors and tutors
• Quality – study the same course used by corporations for internal training
• Network – with tutors and like-minded professionals from around the world. Use our online tutorial forum to ask questions and share knowledge
• Save money – no additional travel or accommodation costs

Get the Latest Course Updates

You may also be interested in, certificate in marine surveying, an introduction to regulatory and survey practices.

Courses at Maritime Training Academy

Enhance your career with a globally recognised Diploma or short course, view our courses below to find one that’s right for you!

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ABYC Certification: A Benchmark in Marine Technical Education

When customers search for top-notch marine technicians, ABYC Certification stands out. Our nationally accredited program hones the skills of technicians and enhances safety by developing comprehensive knowledge of ABYC Standards.

ABYC Certification Highlights

• Nationally accredited program
• Certifications in Marine Systems, Marine Electrical, Marine Corrosion, Marine Engines and Fuel Systems, ABYC Standards, and A/C refrigeration.
• Master Technician credential for those with 3+ certifications

Join over 4,500 marine technicians who have stamped their commitment to safety with ABYC’s Certification.

For Businesses: Commit to Excellence

In the marine industry, the strength of your business is often measured by the skills of your technicians. Solidify your position as a trusted leader in boat service and repair.

• Demonstrated Commitment to Industry Standards
• Enhanced Credibility
• Increase Customer Loyalty

For Individuals: Do Your Work to the Standards

Stand Out with ABYC Certification. Deliver peace of mind to every boater by maintaining the highest levels of safety, reliability, and performance on the water

• Continuous Learning
• Gain Industry Credibility
• Boost Your Career

Professional Certifications Include:

Marine standards, marine systems, marine corrosion, marine electrical, marine composites, a/c refrigeration, advanced marine electrical, marine engines and fuel systems, service management, how to become abyc certified.

Classes are taught by industry professionals/ABYC Certified Technicians and held around the world and online. ABYC Certifications are verified by the third party NOCTI Business Solutions, ensuring relevance and value. Exams are all multiple-choice questions measuring your knowledge in different areas. Upon passing, certifications are active for 5 years.

How to Earn a Professional Certification

• Take a Certification course – View calendar
• Self-study and test with a proctor – Learn more here

Recertification

To maintain your ABYC Professional Certification you must take the shorter recertification exam and fulfill a CEU requirement. Recertification is a simple process that re-establishes your educational standing in the industry.

On-site Courses

ABYC Business members can choose to host its own in-person or virtual class. Businesses can host the location and fill the course with their own attendees for a set price to ABYC, which includes the study guides, exams and a dedicated instructor.

Certification Designations

ABYC recognizes that many different types of marine industry professionals desire ABYC professional certifications, however not all of those individuals are physically working on boats. Many are in an advisory or consulting position and have a need for the same type of knowledge, but lack the practical skills that are necessary by service and installation technicians. ABYC has created certification designations to better associate the type of work being done by the individual.

Advisor Certification

Designed for people who work within the marine service sector that desire an ABYC certification but do not physically work on boats performing repairs.

Examples: Marine surveyors, customer service representatives and engineering standards compliance specialists. 

• Requirements for initial certification: Passing score on certification exam
• Requirements for re-certification: Passing score on re-certification exam + 10 CEUs
• Certifications are valid for 5 years

Technician Certification

Technician certification is the means by which the ABYC and the general public identify those that are actually certified to perform trouble-shooting, repairs and equipment installations on boats.

Examples: Technicians, installers. 

• Requirements for initial certification: Passing score on certification exam + 2 years of work experience.

NOCTI Collaboration: Third-Party Validation

Our collaboration with NOCTI underscores the authenticity and rigor of the ABYC Professional Certification Program. Renowned for its commitment to high-quality assessment and validation services, NOCTI’s third-party validation provides an added layer of credibility to our certifications, emphasizing the program’s alignment with the highest industry benchmarks.

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Education / ME186 - Yacht Appraising for the Marine Survey RECORDING

ME186 - Yacht Appraising for the Marine Survey RECORDING

• Non-Member - $99
• Member - $79
• Class Details
• Contents (2)

Webinar Description

This webinar details the appraisal process for marine surveyors. It discusses when a surveyor might be asked to perform an appraisal. Surveyors will learn the difference between pre-purchase surveys and appraisals. The webinar will introduce the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) and direct the student to additional information. Students will learn the three approaches to valuation and when each would be appropriate. Finally the webinar will discuss the required elements of an appraisal report, based on USPAP Standard 8. 

Learning Outcomes

Upon webinar completion, the participant will be able to: 

Identify the occasions when a marine surveyor might be asked to perform an appraisal. List the three approaches to value. Analyze which would be applicable to the subject assignment. Locate sources of comparable yachts sold and for sale. Identify and analyze the differences between comparable yachts and the subject yacht. Perform the necessary Calculations to develop the Cost Approach. Organize and Summarize findings for a suitable report.  

Webinar Audience

Marine Surveyors

Instructor Information

Stephen Knox has been a full-time marine surveyor and appraiser since 1987. He has been an Accredited Senior Appraiser (Yachts) since 1999 and is one of only four surveyors/appraisers in the United States to hold this designation. He recently published a series of three technical articles on yacht appraisal in the MTS Journal. Steve has taught approximately one hundred classes on various marine topics over the last thirty years, ranging from one-hour seminars to five-day classes. He qualified as an ASA instructor in 2003. He has qualified as an expert in various marine subjects, including appraisal. Steve has testified in both state and federal courts on appraisal. Prior to starting a marine survey business Steve was a naval officer on a nuclear submarine, a design engineer/project manager in a naval architecture firm, and the production superintendent in a small shipyard.    

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IIMS Education Centre

Welcome to the IIMS Distance Learning Education Centre

Distance learn with the International Institute of Marine Surveying, the leading professional body for surveyors.

Study with the only worldwide professional body to award professional qualifications in marine surveying.

Scroll down and search for the qualification that is right for you.

Click play to learn more about IIMS education and professional qualifications.

Marine Surveying Course

Professional qualification in cargo & commercial ship marine surveying.

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Professional qualification in yacht & small craft marine surveying.

Professional Qualification in Marine Corrosion

If you would like any more information about IIMS distance learning courses please contact us:

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Yacht with 1,000 rounds of ammunition and fireworks burns in Marina del Rey

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Marina del Rey’s harbor produced an unexpected light show Wednesday evening as a luxury yacht loaded with ammunition and fireworks burned for more than two hours before flames were extinguished, authorities said.

Flames leaped 20 to 30 feet from the 100-foot vessel, dubbed the Admiral, while live ammunition rounds could be heard firing from the boat, according to videos from the scene .

Thursday morning, the charred yacht was lying on its side, and the water around it was tinted red from the diesel fuel dumped from the vessel. A Coast Guard spokesperson said an estimated 4,000 gallons of diesel was dumped into the water. The total is not official as monitoring continues.

Los Angeles County Fire Department officials said two passengers aboard the boat exited safely. No information was available about the cause of the blaze.

An L.A. County Fire spokesperson said one individual suffered minor injuries, was treated at the scene and was released.

A deadly crash on a Long Beach sunset cruise. Then, the fight to save survivors

The boat, traveling at a high speed, crashed into the jetty near its slip, killing a man. It would have been much worse, if not for the quick thinking of a passenger.

Aug. 8, 2024

Firefighters responded to a call around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday and eventually knocked out the flames at 10:33 p.m. The boat was declared fully submerged at 11:33 p.m.

The yacht’s owner, who was not identified, told fire officials that the vessel was carrying 1,000 rounds of ammunition and fireworks.

U.S. Coast Guard personnel confirmed they were on the scene evaluating cleanup options.

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1,000 rounds of ammunition and fireworks were onboard yacht that burned in Marina del Rey: Owner

MARINA DEL REY, Calif. (KABC) -- The owner of a luxury yacht that erupted in flames and sank in Marina del Rey said 1,000 rounds of "unspent ammunition and fireworks" were onboard the vessel, according to fire officials.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department provided an update on the incident in a social media post Thursday morning.

The fire was reported shortly after 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at 211 Basin A, where flames engulfed the multi-level, 100-foot boat, the agency said.

Residents in the area said they heard multiple explosions resonating throughout the harbor as yacht was consumed by flames. Fire officials said two people were able to get off the boat uninjured.

Fire crews poured water onto the burning vessel, which later sank into the harbor.

An environmental hazard team was expected to arrive in Marina del Rey Thursday to assist with the cleanup of the burned vessel.

A United States Coast Guard Incident Management Team from Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach is monitoring the cleanup efforts, according to the Coast Guard, which said that the yacht "caught fire and discharged red-dye diesel."

"The fire did not appear to damage any other vessels in the harbor," the USCG said in a statement Thursday. "The Coast Guard is working with Patriot Environmental Services and Clean Harbors organizations to contain and recover the discharge from the yacht."

The yacht's fuel capacity was reported to be 6,000 gallons, according to the Coast Guard. Crews from California Department of Fish and Wildlife's Office of Spill Prevention and Response and the L.A. County Sheriff's Department are also assisting in the efforts.

The Oiled Wildlife Care Network was also notified and was on standby for wildlife response. "No observations of oiled wildlife have been reported at this time," the Coast Guard said Thursday morning. "For your safety and the safety of the animals, do not attempt to capture oiled animals." Witnesses were urged to report oiled wildlife to (877) 823-6926.

City News Service contributed to this report.

Related Topics

• MARINA DEL REY
• BOATING SAFETY
• FIREFIGHTERS

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Crime and Public Safety | 100-foot luxury yacht sinks in Marina del Rey…

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Crime and Public Safety

Crime and public safety | 100-foot luxury yacht sinks in marina del rey after fireworks explosion and fire.

The fire was reported shortly after 8:33 p.m. and firefighters responded to 211 Basin A to douse the flames on the approximately 100-foot boat, the Los Angeles County Fire Department reported.

Multiple explosions resonated throughout the harbor as The Admiral was consumed by flames.

Footage at the scene from CBS 2 showed the boat listing to one side before sinking in the harbor.

Two people on board escaped the flames unharmed, the fire department reported. ABC 7 reported one person suffered a cut on the arm.

KTLA reported that the fire stemmed from fireworks exploding on the vessel, threatening other boats nearby and several structures.

An investigation into the fire was underway.

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YEKATERINBURG: FACTORIES, URAL SIGHTS, YELTSIN AND THE WHERE NICHOLAS II WAS KILLED

Sverdlovsk oblast.

Sverdlovsk Oblast is the largest region in the Urals; it lies in the foothills of mountains and contains a monument indicating the border between Europe and Asia. The region covers 194,800 square kilometers (75,200 square miles), is home to about 4.3 million people and has a population density of 22 people per square kilometer. About 83 percent of the population live in urban areas. Yekaterinburg is the capital and largest city, with 1.5 million people. For Russians, the Ural Mountains are closely associated with Pavel Bazhov's tales and known for folk crafts such as Kasli iron sculpture, Tagil painting, and copper embossing. Yekaterinburg is the birthplace of Russia’s iron and steel industry, taking advantage of the large iron deposits in the Ural mountains. The popular Silver Ring of the Urals tourist route starts here.

In the summer you can follow in the tracks of Yermak, climb relatively low Ural mountain peaks and look for boulders seemingly with human faces on them. You can head to the Gemstone Belt of the Ural mountains, which used to house emerald, amethyst and topaz mines. In the winter you can go ice fishing, ski and cross-country ski.

Sverdlovsk Oblast and Yekaterinburg are located near the center of Russia, at the crossroads between Europe and Asia and also the southern and northern parts of Russia. Winters are longer and colder than in western section of European Russia. Snowfalls can be heavy. Winter temperatures occasionally drop as low as - 40 degrees C (-40 degrees F) and the first snow usually falls in October. A heavy winter coat, long underwear and good boots are essential. Snow and ice make the sidewalks very slippery, so footwear with a good grip is important. Since the climate is very dry during the winter months, skin moisturizer plus lip balm are recommended. Be alert for mud on street surfaces when snow cover is melting (April-May). Patches of mud create slippery road conditions.

Yekaterinburg

Yekaterinburg (kilometer 1818 on the Trans-Siberian Railway) is the fourth largest city in Russia, with of 1.5 million and growth rate of about 12 percent, high for Russia. Located in the southern Ural mountains, it was founded by Peter the Great and named after his wife Catherine, it was used by the tsars as a summer retreat and is where tsar Nicholas II and his family were executed and President Boris Yeltsin lived most of his life and began his political career. The city is near the border between Europe and Asia.

Yekaterinburg (also spelled Ekaterinburg) is located on the eastern slope of the Ural Mountains in the headwaters of the Iset and Pyshma Rivers. The Iset runs through the city center. Three ponds — Verkh-Isetsky, Gorodskoy and Nizhne-Isetsky — were created on it. Yekaterinburg has traditionally been a city of mining and was once the center of the mining industry of the Urals and Siberia. Yekaterinburg remains a major center of the Russian armaments industry and is sometimes called the "Pittsburgh of Russia.". A few ornate, pastel mansions and wide boulevards are reminders of the tsarist era. The city is large enough that it has its own Metro system but is characterized mostly by blocky Soviet-era apartment buildings. The city has advanced under President Vladimir Putin and is now one of the fastest growing places in Russia, a country otherwise characterized by population declines

Yekaterinburg is technically an Asian city as it lies 32 kilometers east of the continental divide between Europe and Asia. The unofficial capital of the Urals, a key region in the Russian heartland, it is second only to Moscow in terms of industrial production and capital of Sverdlovsk oblast. Among the important industries are ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, machine building and metalworking, chemical and petrochemicals, construction materials and medical, light and food industries. On top of being home of numerous heavy industries and mining concerns, Yekaterinburg is also a major center for industrial research and development and power engineering as well as home to numerous institutes of higher education, technical training, and scientific research. In addition, Yekaterinburg is the largest railway junction in Russia: the Trans-Siberian Railway passes through it, the southern, northern, western and eastern routes merge in the city.

Accommodation: There are two good and affordable hotels — the 3-star Emerald and Parus hotels — located close to the city's most popular landmarks and main transport interchanges in the center of Yekaterinburg. Room prices start at RUB 1,800 per night.

History of Yekaterinburg

Yekaterinburg was founded in 1723 by Peter the Great and named after his wife Catherine I. It was used by the tsars as a summer retreat but was mainly developed as metalworking and manufacturing center to take advantage of the large deposits of iron and other minerals in the Ural mountains. It is best known to Americans as the place where the last Tsar and his family were murdered by the Bolsheviks in 1918 and near where American U-2 spy plane, piloted by Gary Powers, was shot down in 1960.

Peter the Great recognized the importance of the iron and copper-rich Urals region for Imperial Russia's industrial and military development. In November 1723, he ordered the construction of a fortress factory and an ironworks in the Iset River Valley, which required a dam for its operation. In its early years Yekaterinburg grew rich from gold and other minerals and later coal. The Yekaterinburg gold rush of 1745 created such a huge amount of wealth that one rich baron of that time hosted a wedding party that lasted a year. By the mid-18th century, metallurgical plants had sprung up across the Urals to cast cannons, swords, guns and other weapons to arm Russia’s expansionist ambitions. The Yekaterinburg mint produced most of Russia's coins. Explorations of the Trans-Baikal and Altai regions began here in the 18th century.

Iron, cast iron and copper were the main products. Even though Iron from the region went into the Eiffel Tower, the main plant in Yekaterinburg itself was shut down in 1808. The city still kept going through a mountain factory control system of the Urals. The first railway in the Urals was built here: in 1878, the Yekaterinburg-Perm railway branch connected the province's capital with the factories of the Middle Urals.

In the Soviet era the city was called Sverdlovsk (named after Yakov Sverdlov, the man who organized Nicholas II's execution). During the first five-year plans the city became industrial — old plants were reconstructed, new ones were built. The center of Yekaterinburg was formed to conform to the historical general plan of 1829 but was the layout was adjusted around plants and factories. In the Stalin era the city was a major gulag transhipment center. In World War II, many defense-related industries were moved here. It and the surrounding area were a center of the Soviet Union's military industrial complex. Soviet tanks, missiles and aircraft engines were made in the Urals. During the Cold War era, Yekaterinburg was a center of weapons-grade uranium enrichment and processing, warhead assembly and dismantlement. In 1979, 64 people died when anthrax leaked from a biological weapons facility. Yekaterinburg was a “Closed City” for 40 years during the Cold Soviet era and was not open to foreigners until 1991

In the early post-Soviet era, much like Pittsburgh in the 1970s, Yekaterinburg had a hard struggle d to cope with dramatic economic changes that have made its heavy industries uncompetitive on the world market. Huge defense plants struggled to survive and the city was notorious as an organized crime center in the 1990s, when its hometown boy Boris Yeltsin was President of Russia. By the 2000s, Yekaterinburg’s retail and service was taking off, the defense industry was reviving and it was attracting tech industries and investments related to the Urals’ natural resources. By the 2010s it was vying to host a world exhibition in 2020 (it lost, Dubai won) and it had McDonald’s, Subway, sushi restaurants, and Gucci, Chanel and Armani. There were Bentley and Ferrari dealerships but they closed down

Transportation in Yekaterinburg

Getting There: By Plane: Yekaterinburg is a three-hour flight from Moscow with prices starting at RUB 8,000, or a 3-hour flight from Saint Petersburg starting from RUB 9,422 (direct round-trip flight tickets for one adult passenger). There are also flights from Frankfurt, Istanbul, China and major cities in the former Soviet Union.

By Train: Yekaterinburg is a major stop on the Trans-Siberian Railway. Daily train service is available to Moscow and many other Russian cities.Yekaterinburg is a 32-hour train ride from Moscow (tickets RUB 8,380 and above) or a 36-hour train ride from Saint Petersburg (RUB 10,300 and above). The ticket prices are round trip for a berth in a sleeper compartment for one adult passenger). By Car: a car trip from Moscow to Yekateringburg is 1,787 kilometers long and takes about 18 hours. The road from Saint Petersburg is 2,294 kilometers and takes about 28 hours.

Regional Transport: The region's public transport includes buses and suburban electric trains. Regional trains provide transport to larger cities in the Ural region. Buses depart from Yekaterinburg’s two bus stations: the Southern Bus Station and the Northern Bus Station.

Regional Transport: According the to Association for Safe International Road Travel (ASIRT): “Public transportation is well developed. Overcrowding is common. Fares are low. Service is efficient. Buses are the main form of public transport. Tram network is extensive. Fares are reasonable; service is regular. Trams are heavily used by residents, overcrowding is common. Purchase ticket after boarding. Metro runs from city center to Uralmash, an industrial area south of the city. Metro ends near the main railway station. Fares are inexpensive.

“Traffic is congested in city center. Getting around by car can be difficult. Route taxis (minivans) provide the fastest transport. They generally run on specific routes, but do not have specific stops. Drivers stop where passengers request. Route taxis can be hailed. Travel by bus or trolleybuses may be slow in rush hour. Trams are less affected by traffic jams. Trolley buses (electric buses) cannot run when temperatures drop below freezing.”

Entertainment, Sports and Recreation in Yekaterinburg

The performing arts in Yekaterinburg are first rate. The city has an excellent symphony orchestra, opera and ballet theater, and many other performing arts venues. Tickets are inexpensive. The Yekaterinburg Opera and Ballet Theater is lavishly designed and richly decorated building in the city center of Yekaterinburg. The theater was established in 1912 and building was designed by architect Vladimir Semyonov and inspired by the Vienna Opera House and the Theater of Opera and Ballet in Odessa.

Vaynera Street is a pedestrian only shopping street in city center with restaurants, cafes and some bars. But otherwise Yekaterinburg's nightlife options are limited. There are a handful of expensive Western-style restaurants and bars, none of them that great. Nightclubs serve the city's nouveau riche clientele. Its casinos have closed down. Some of them had links with organized crime. New dance clubs have sprung up that are popular with Yekaterinburg's more affluent youth.

Yekaterinburg's most popular spectator sports are hockey, basketball, and soccer. There are stadiums and arenas that host all three that have fairly cheap tickets. There is an indoor water park and lots of parks and green spaces. The Urals have many lakes, forests and mountains are great for hiking, boating, berry and mushroom hunting, swimming and fishing. Winter sports include cross-country skiing and ice skating. Winter lasts about six months and there’s usually plenty of snow. The nearby Ural Mountains however are not very high and the downhill skiing opportunities are limited..

Sights in Yekaterinburg

Sights in Yekaterinburg include the Museum of City Architecture and Ural Industry, with an old water tower and mineral collection with emeralds. malachite, tourmaline, jasper and other precious stone; Geological Alley, a small park with labeled samples of minerals found in the Urals region; the Ural Geology Museum, which houses an extensive collection of stones, gold and gems from the Urals; a monument marking the border between Europe and Asia; a memorial for gulag victims; and a graveyard with outlandish memorials for slain mafia members.

The Military History Museum houses the remains of the U-2 spy plane shot down in 1960 and locally made tanks and rocket launchers. The fine arts museum contains paintings by some of Russia's 19th-century masters. Also worth a look are the History an Local Studies Museum; the Political History and Youth Museum; and the University and Arboretum. Old wooden houses can be seen around Zatoutstovsya ulitsa and ulitsa Belinskogo. Around the city are wooded parks, lakes and quarries used to harvest a variety of minerals. Weiner Street is the main street of Yekaterinburg. Along it are lovely sculptures and 19th century architecture. Take a walk around the unique Literary Quarter

Plotinka is a local meeting spot, where you will often find street musicians performing. Plotinka can be described as the center of the city's center. This is where Yekaterinburg holds its biggest events: festivals, seasonal fairs, regional holiday celebrations, carnivals and musical fountain shows. There are many museums and open-air exhibitions on Plotinka. Plotinka is named after an actual dam of the city pond located nearby (“plotinka” means “a small dam” in Russian).In November 1723, Peter the Great ordered the construction of an ironworks in the Iset River Valley, which required a dam for its operation. “Iset” can be translated from Finnish as “abundant with fish”. This name was given to the river by the Mansi — the Finno-Ugric people dwelling on the eastern slope of the Northern Urals.

Vysotsky and Iset are skyscrapers that are 188.3 meters and 209 meters high, respectively. Fifty-story-high Iset has been described by locals as the world’s northernmost skyscraper. Before the construction of Iset, Vysotsky was the tallest building of Yekaterinburg and Russia (excluding Moscow). A popular vote has decided to name the skyscraper after the famous Soviet songwriter, singer and actor Vladimir Vysotsky. and the building was opened on November 25, 2011. There is a lookout at the top of the building, and the Vysotsky museum on its second floor. The annual “Vysotsky climb” (1137 steps) is held there, with a prize of RUB 100,000. While Vysotsky serves as an office building, Iset, owned by the Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company, houses 225 premium residential apartments ranging from 80 to 490 square meters in size.

Boris Yeltsin Presidential Center

The Boris Yeltsin Presidential Center (in the city center: ul. Yeltsina, 3) is a non-governmental organization named after the first president of the Russian Federation. The Museum of the First President of Russia as well as his archives are located in the Center. There is also a library, educational and children's centers, and exposition halls. Yeltsin lived most of his life and began his political career in Yekaterinburg. He was born in Butka about 200 kilometers east of Yekaterinburg.

The core of the Center is the Museum. Modern multimedia technologies help animate the documents, photos from the archives, and artifacts. The Yeltsin Museum holds collections of: propaganda posters, leaflets, and photos of the first years of the Soviet regime; portraits and portrait sculptures of members of Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of various years; U.S.S.R. government bonds and other items of the Soviet era; a copy of “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich” by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, published in the “Novy Mir” magazine (#11, 1962); perestroika-era editions of books by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Vasily Grossman, and other authors; theater, concert, and cinema posters, programs, and tickets — in short, all of the artifacts of the perestroika era.

The Yeltsin Center opened in 2012. Inside you will also find an art gallery, a bookstore, a gift shop, a food court, concert stages and a theater. There are regular screenings of unique films that you will not find anywhere else. Also operating inside the center, is a scientific exploritorium for children. The center was designed by Boris Bernaskoni. Almost from the its very opening, the Yeltsin Center has been accused by members of different political entities of various ideological crimes. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:00am to 9:00pm.

Where Nicholas II was Executed

On July, 17, 1918, during this reign of terror of the Russian Civil War, former-tsar Nicholas II, his wife, five children (the 13-year-old Alexis, 22-year-old Olga, 19-year-old Maria and 17-year-old Anastasia)the family physician, the cook, maid, and valet were shot to death by a Red Army firing squad in the cellar of the house they were staying at in Yekaterinburg.

Ipatiev House (near Church on the Blood, Ulitsa Libknekhta) was a merchant's house where Nicholas II and his family were executed. The house was demolished in 1977, on the orders of an up and coming communist politician named Boris Yeltsin. Yeltsin later said that the destruction of the house was an "act of barbarism" and he had no choice because he had been ordered to do it by the Politburo,

The site is marked with s cross with the photos of the family members and cross bearing their names. A small wooden church was built at the site. It contains paintings of the family. For a while there were seven traditional wooden churches. Mass is given ay noon everyday in an open-air museum. The Church on the Blood — constructed to honor Nicholas II and his family — was built on the part of the site in 1991 and is now a major place of pilgrimage.

Nicholas and his family where killed during the Russian civil war. It is thought the Bolsheviks figured that Nicholas and his family gave the Whites figureheads to rally around and they were better of dead. Even though the death orders were signed Yakov Sverdlov, the assassination was personally ordered by Lenin, who wanted to get them out of sight and out of mind. Trotsky suggested a trial. Lenin nixed the idea, deciding something had to be done about the Romanovs before White troops approached Yekaterinburg. Trotsky later wrote: "The decision was not only expedient but necessary. The severity of he punishment showed everyone that we would continue to fight on mercilessly, stopping at nothing."

Ian Frazier wrote in The New Yorker: “Having read a lot about the end of Tsar Nicholas II and his family and servants, I wanted to see the place in Yekaterinburg where that event occurred. The gloomy quality of this quest depressed Sergei’s spirits, but he drove all over Yekaterinburg searching for the site nonetheless. Whenever he stopped and asked a pedestrian how to get to the house where Nicholas II was murdered, the reaction was a wince. Several people simply walked away. But eventually, after a lot of asking, Sergei found the location. It was on a low ridge near the edge of town, above railroad tracks and the Iset River. The house, known as the Ipatiev House, was no longer standing, and the basement where the actual killings happened had been filled in. I found the blankness of the place sinister and dizzying. It reminded me of an erasure done so determinedly that it had worn a hole through the page. [Source: Ian Frazier, The New Yorker, August 3, 2009, Frazier is author of “Travels in Siberia” (2010)]

“The street next to the site is called Karl Liebknecht Street. A building near where the house used to be had a large green advertisement that said, in English, “LG—Digitally Yours.” On an adjoining lot, a small chapel kept the memory of the Tsar and his family; beneath a pedestal holding an Orthodox cross, peonies and pansies grew. The inscription on the pedestal read, “We go down on our knees, Russia, at the foot of the tsarist cross.”

Books: The Romanovs: The Final Chapter by Robert K. Massie (Random House, 1995); The Fall of the Romanovs by Mark D. Steinberg and Vladimir Khrustalëv (Yale, 1995);

See Separate Article END OF NICHOLAS II factsanddetails.com

Execution of Nicholas II

According to Robert Massie K. Massie, author of Nicholas and Alexandra, Nicholas II and his family were awakened from their bedrooms around midnight and taken to the basement. They were told they were to going to take some photographs of them and were told to stand behind a row of chairs.

Suddenly, a group of 11 Russians and Latvians, each with a revolver, burst into the room with orders to kill a specific person. Yakob Yurovsky, a member of the Soviet executive committee, reportedly shouted "your relatives are continuing to attack the Soviet Union.” After firing, bullets bouncing off gemstones hidden in the corsets of Alexandra and her daughters ricocheted around the room like "a shower of hail," the soldiers said. Those that were still breathing were killed with point black shots to the head.

The three sisters and the maid survived the first round thanks to their gems. They were pressed up against a wall and killed with a second round of bullets. The maid was the only one that survived. She was pursued by the executioners who stabbed her more than 30 times with their bayonets. The still writhing body of Alexis was made still by a kick to the head and two bullets in the ear delivered by Yurovsky himself.

Yurovsky wrote: "When the party entered I told the Romanovs that in view of the fact their relatives continued their offensive against Soviet Russia, the Executive Committee of the Urals Soviet had decided to shoot them. Nicholas turned his back to the detachment and faced his family. Then, as if collecting himself, he turned around, asking, 'What? What?'"

"[I] ordered the detachment to prepare. Its members had been previously instructed whom to shoot and to am directly at the heart to avoid much blood and to end more quickly. Nicholas said no more. he turned again to his family. The others shouted some incoherent exclamations. All this lasted a few seconds. Then commenced the shooting, which went on for two or three minutes. [I] killed Nicholas on the spot."

Nicholas II’s Initial Burial Site in Yekaterinburg

Ganina Yama Monastery (near the village of Koptyaki, 15 kilometers northwest of Yekaterinburg) stands near the three-meter-deep pit where some the remains of Nicholas II and his family were initially buried. The second burial site — where most of the remains were — is in a field known as Porosyonkov (56.9113628°N 60.4954326°E), seven kilometers from Ganina Yama.

On visiting Ganina Yama Monastery, one person posted in Trip Advisor: “We visited this set of churches in a pretty park with Konstantin from Ekaterinburg Guide Centre. He really brought it to life with his extensive knowledge of the history of the events surrounding their terrible end. The story is so moving so unless you speak Russian, it is best to come here with a guide or else you will have no idea of what is what.”

In 1991, the acid-burned remains of Nicholas II and his family were exhumed from a shallow roadside mass grave in a swampy area 12 miles northwest of Yekaterinburg. The remains had been found in 1979 by geologist and amateur archeologist Alexander Avdonin, who kept the location secret out of fear that they would be destroyed by Soviet authorities. The location was disclosed to a magazine by one his fellow discovers.

The original plan was to throw the Romanovs down a mine shaft and disposes of their remains with acid. They were thrown in a mine with some grenades but the mine didn't collapse. They were then carried by horse cart. The vats of acid fell off and broke. When the carriage carrying the bodies broke down it was decided the bury the bodies then and there. The remaining acid was poured on the bones, but most of it was soaked up the ground and the bones largely survived.

After this their pulses were then checked, their faces were crushed to make them unrecognizable and the bodies were wrapped in bed sheets loaded onto a truck. The "whole procedure," Yurovsky said took 20 minutes. One soldiers later bragged than he could "die in peace because he had squeezed the Empress's -------."

The bodies were taken to a forest and stripped, burned with acid and gasoline, and thrown into abandoned mine shafts and buried under railroad ties near a country road near the village of Koptyaki. "The bodies were put in the hole," Yurovsky wrote, "and the faces and all the bodies, generally doused with sulfuric acid, both so they couldn't be recognized and prevent a stink from them rotting...We scattered it with branches and lime, put boards on top and drove over it several times—no traces of the hole remained.

Shortly afterwards, the government in Moscow announced that Nicholas II had been shot because of "a counterrevolutionary conspiracy." There was no immediate word on the other members of the family which gave rise to rumors that other members of the family had escaped. Yekaterinburg was renamed Sverdlov in honor of the man who signed the death orders.

For seven years the remains of Nicholas II, Alexandra, three of their daughters and four servants were stored in polyethylene bags on shelves in the old criminal morgue in Yekaterunburg. On July 17, 1998, Nicholas II and his family and servants who were murdered with him were buried Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg along with the other Romanov tsars, who have been buried there starting with Peter the Great. Nicholas II had a side chapel built for himself at the fortress in 1913 but was buried in a new crypt.

Near Yekaterinburg

Factory-Museum of Iron and Steel Metallurgy (in Niznhy Tagil 80 kilometers north of Yekaterinburg) a museum with old mining equipment made at the site of huge abandoned iron and steel factory. Officially known as the Factory-Museum of the History of the Development of Iron and Steel Metallurgy, it covers an area of 30 hectares and contains a factory founded by the Demidov family in 1725 that specialized mainly in the production of high-quality cast iron and steel. Later, the foundry was renamed after Valerian Kuybyshev, a prominent figure of the Communist Party.

The first Russian factory museum, the unusual museum demonstrates all stages of metallurgy and metal working. There is even a blast furnace and an open-hearth furnace. The display of factory equipment includes bridge crane from 1892) and rolling stock equipment from the 19th-20th centuries. In Niznhy Tagil contains some huge blocks of malachite and

Nizhnyaya Sinyachikha (180 kilometers east-northeast of Yekaterinburg) has an open air architecture museum with log buildings, a stone church and other pre-revolutionary architecture. The village is the creation of Ivan Samoilov, a local activist who loved his village so much he dedicated 40 years of his life to recreating it as the open-air museum of wooden architecture.

The stone Savior Church, a good example of Siberian baroque architecture. The interior and exterior of the church are exhibition spaces of design. The houses are very colorful. In tsarist times, rich villagers hired serfs to paint the walls of their wooden izbas (houses) bright colors. Old neglected buildings from the 17th to 19th centuries have been brought to Nizhnyaya Sinyachikha from all over the Urals. You will see the interior design of the houses and hear stories about traditions and customs of the Ural farmers.

Verkhoturye (330 kilometers road from Yekaterinburg) is the home a 400-year-old monastery that served as 16th century capital of the Urals. Verkhoturye is a small town on the Tura River knows as the Jerusalem of the Urals for its many holy places, churches and monasteries. The town's main landmark is its Kremlin — the smallest in Russia. Pilgrims visit the St. Nicholas Monastery to see the remains of St. Simeon of Verkhoturye, the patron saint of fishermen.

Ural Mountains

Ural Mountains are the traditional dividing line between Europe and Asia and have been a crossroads of Russian history. Stretching from Kazakhstan to the fringes of the Arctic Kara Sea, the Urals lie almost exactly along the 60 degree meridian of longitude and extend for about 2,000 kilometers (1,300 miles) from north to south and varies in width from about 50 kilometers (30 miles) in the north and 160 kilometers (100 miles) the south. At kilometers 1777 on the Trans-Siberian Railway there is white obelisk with "Europe" carved in Russian on one side and "Asia" carved on the other.

The eastern side of the Urals contains a lot of granite and igneous rock. The western side is primarily sandstone and limestones. A number of precious stones can be found in the southern part of the Urals, including emeralds. malachite, tourmaline, jasper and aquamarines. The highest peaks are in the north. Mount Narodnaya is the highest of all but is only 1884 meters (6,184 feet) high. The northern Urals are covered in thick forests and home to relatively few people.

Like the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern United States, the Urals are very old mountains — with rocks and sediments that are hundreds of millions years old — that were one much taller than they are now and have been steadily eroded down over millions of years by weather and other natural processes to their current size. According to Encyclopedia Britannica: “The rock composition helps shape the topography: the high ranges and low, broad-topped ridges consist of quartzites, schists, and gabbro, all weather-resistant. Buttes are frequent, and there are north–south troughs of limestone, nearly all containing river valleys. Karst topography is highly developed on the western slopes of the Urals, with many caves, basins, and underground streams. The eastern slopes, on the other hand, have fewer karst formations; instead, rocky outliers rise above the flattened surfaces. Broad foothills, reduced to peneplain, adjoin the Central and Southern Urals on the east.

“The Urals date from the structural upheavals of the Hercynian orogeny (about 250 million years ago). About 280 million years ago there arose a high mountainous region, which was eroded to a peneplain. Alpine folding resulted in new mountains, the most marked upheaval being that of the Nether-Polar Urals...The western slope of the Urals is composed of middle Paleozoic sedimentary rocks (sandstones and limestones) that are about 350 million years old. In many places it descends in terraces to the Cis-Ural depression (west of the Urals), to which much of the eroded matter was carried during the late Paleozoic (about 300 million years ago). Found there are widespread karst (a starkly eroded limestone region) and gypsum, with large caverns and subterranean streams. On the eastern slope, volcanic layers alternate with sedimentary strata, all dating from middle Paleozoic times.”

Southern Urals

The southern Urals are characterized by grassy slopes and fertile valleys. The middle Urals are a rolling platform that barely rises above 300 meters (1,000 feet). This region is rich in minerals and has been heavily industrialized. This is where you can find Yekaterinburg (formally Sverdlovsk), the largest city in the Urals.

Most of the Southern Urals are is covered with forests, with 50 percent of that pine-woods, 44 percent birch woods, and the rest are deciduous aspen and alder forests. In the north, typical taiga forests are the norm. There are patches of herbal-poaceous steppes, northem sphagnous marshes and bushy steppes, light birch forests and shady riparian forests, tall-grass mountainous meadows, lowland ling marshes and stony placers with lichen stains. In some places there are no large areas of homogeneous forests, rather they are forests with numerous glades and meadows of different size.

In the Ilmensky Mountains Reserve in the Southern Urals, scientists counted 927 vascular plants (50 relicts, 23 endemic species), about 140 moss species, 483 algae species and 566 mushroom species. Among the species included into the Red Book of Russia are feather grass, downy-leaved feather grass, Zalessky feather grass, moccasin flower, ladies'-slipper, neottianthe cucullata, Baltic orchis, fen orchis, helmeted orchis, dark-winged orchis, Gelma sandwart, Krasheninnikov sandwart, Clare astragalus.

The fauna of the vertebrate animals in the Reserve includes 19 fish, 5 amphibian and 5 reptile. Among the 48 mammal species are elks, roe deer, boars, foxes, wolves, lynxes, badgers, common weasels, least weasels, forest ferrets, Siberian striped weasel, common marten, American mink. Squirrels, beavers, muskrats, hares, dibblers, moles, hedgehogs, voles are quite common, as well as chiropterans: pond bat, water bat, Brandt's bat, whiskered bat, northern bat, long-eared bat, parti-coloured bat, Nathusius' pipistrelle. The 174 bird bird species include white-tailed eagles, honey hawks, boreal owls, gnome owls, hawk owls, tawny owls, common scoters, cuckoos, wookcocks, common grouses, wood grouses, hazel grouses, common partridges, shrikes, goldenmountain thrushes, black- throated loons and others.

Activities and Places in the Ural Mountains

The Urals possess beautiful natural scenery that can be accessed from Yekaterinburg with a rent-a-car, hired taxi and tour. Travel agencies arrange rafting, kayaking and hiking trips. Hikes are available in the taiga forest and the Urals. Trips often include walks through the taiga to small lakes and hikes into the mountains and excursions to collect mushrooms and berries and climb in underground caves. Mellow rafting is offered in a relatively calm six kilometer section of the River Serga. In the winter visitor can enjoy cross-mountains skiing, downhill skiing, ice fishing, dog sledding, snow-shoeing and winter hiking through the forest to a cave covered with ice crystals.

Lake Shartash (10 kilometers from Yekaterinburg) is where the first Ural gold was found, setting in motion the Yekaterinburg gold rush of 1745, which created so much wealth one rich baron of that time hosted a wedding party that lasted a year. The area around Shartash Lake is a favorite picnic and barbecue spot of the locals. Getting There: by bus route No. 50, 054 or 54, with a transfer to suburban commuter bus route No. 112, 120 or 121 (the whole trip takes about an hour), or by car (10 kilometers drive from the city center, 40 minutes).

Revun Rapids (90 kilometers road from Yekaterinburg near Beklenishcheva village) is a popular white water rafting places On the nearby cliffs you can see the remains of a mysterious petroglyph from the Paleolithic period. Along the steep banks, you may notice the dark entrance of Smolinskaya Cave. There are legends of a sorceress who lived in there. The rocks at the riverside are suited for competitive rock climbers and beginners. Climbing hooks and rings are hammered into rocks. The most fun rafting is generally in May and June.

Olenii Ruchii National Park (100 kilometers west of Yekaterinburg) is the most popular nature park in Sverdlovsk Oblast and popular weekend getaway for Yekaterinburg residents. Visitors are attracted by the beautiful forests, the crystal clear Serga River and picturesque rocks caves. There are some easy hiking routes: the six-kilometer Lesser Ring and the 15-kilometer Greater Ring. Another route extends for 18 km and passes by the Mitkinsky Mine, which operated in the 18th-19th centuries. It's a kind of an open-air museum — you can still view mining an enrichment equipment here. There is also a genuine beaver dam nearby.

Among the other attractions at Olenii Ruchii are Druzhba (Friendship) Cave, with passages that extend for about 500 meters; Dyrovaty Kamen (Holed Stone), created over time by water of Serga River eroding rock; and Utoplennik (Drowned Man), where you can see “The Angel of Sole Hope”., created by the Swedish artist Lehna Edwall, who has placed seven angels figures in different parts of the world to “embrace the planet, protecting it from fear, despair, and disasters.”

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

Text Sources: Federal Agency for Tourism of the Russian Federation (official Russia tourism website russiatourism.ru ), Russian government websites, UNESCO, Wikipedia, Lonely Planet guides, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, National Geographic, The New Yorker, Bloomberg, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Yomiuri Shimbun and various books and other publications.

Updated in September 2020

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