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Yacht Deliveries: What to Know

Getting your yacht from one port to another isn’t always as easy as it sounds. A short coastal hop is no problem when your full-time crew is around, but even moving your boat a short distance to a haul-out or refit without skilled help can be an ordeal.

Yacht deliveries run the gamut of a few miles down the coast for service or storage, to offshore international deliveries crossing thousands of miles in a journey of several weeks. No matter what your yacht moving needs, a few elements of the delivery are always the same.

What is a Yacht Delivery?

The simplest definition of a yacht delivery is moving a boat from port to port without the owner on board. With a permanent crew, that happens all the time, and owners will fly to the new location to enjoy the change of scenario without giving it much thought.

But what we’re talking about is a little different – moving a boat without the regular captain and crew, or some combination of the regular staff who run the boat. For smaller yachts without permanent crews, a delivery is often done when an owner doesn’t feel they have the time, experience, or help needed to move the boat on their own.

The key point is that the boat is transported without the direct involvement of the ownership or even the owner’s permanent representatives being in charge of the vessel.

Why is a yacht delivery needed?

There are many reasons a yacht may need delivery. Ocean passages and long offshore trips can be arduous and unpleasant, and the owner of a large yacht may not have the interest, inclination, or time for those trips. Most large yachts are bought for pleasure, and taking a yacht on a long voyage is far from a relaxing experience for some owners and passengers.

Reasons for doing a delivery include:

• Seasonal changes of location or storage. Many yachts winter in the tropics but return to North America, Europe, or other cooler climes in the summer months. This annual relocation may not involve the regular crew, especially if they are local, seasonal employees.
• New yachts. Getting a new yacht from the builder to the owner’s home waters can be a major task. Unless the owner has already arranged a permanent crew, it will need to be sailed on its own bottom if it is too big to ship, or shipping is prohibitive.
• Permanent or seasonal changes cruising grounds. Taking a yacht from cruising the Caribbean to the South Pacific or a similar shift in cruising venue may need a delivery team.
• Refitting. Most shipyards aren’t in glamourous places that yacht owners like to go for vacations, so getting a boat there is often a delivery task.
• Moving the yacht when there is no captain. Captains resign and move on, an owner takes some time to find a new captain for a new boat, or a replacement for a departure. In the meantime, the yacht needs to move.
• Moving a yacht owned by an inexperienced owner. This is a very common application for smaller yachts with owner/operators. Insurers are fine with inexperienced owners in protected waterways, but moving a boat from the Chesapeake to the Caribbean? A captain and crew with offshore experience may be the only way.

Yacht Delivery or Shipment?

Everything from smaller yachts to some super yachts can be shipped. But are they better traveling on their own bottoms? The answer depends on the destinations, distances, and timing of the delivery. And the owner’s budget.

Yacht Shipping

Yacht shipping services run from major ports around the world on an annual schedule. The good news is that you can put your yacht on a ship in Auckland, NZ and pick it up in Miami, FL. Or from many locations around the world throughout the year. They will cradle up your yacht and secure it for sea, and get it to her new port on schedule.

But shipping schedules are fixed in advance, and space is limited. Larger yachts require considerable bespoke cradling and preparation, so the costs can be quite high.

The other downside to shipment is that it is still from shipping port to shipping port. If you want your yacht in Maine or Majorca but you can only get it shipped to Ft. Lauderdale, FL or Genoa, Italy, you’re still going to have a delivery on the end. It’s a shorter one, and skips the big ocean passage. But someone is going to have to take delivery of the yacht when it’s unloaded and get it where it’s needed.

There are advantages. Fuel capacity doesn’t limit your delivery range, for example. It can be faster, much faster with sailing yachts. And there’s less risk to the yacht when it’s on a bigger ship.

Shipping vs. Delivering

Yacht deliveries have the enormous advantage of being from where the yacht is currently to exactly where you want it to go, when you want it to go, and subject only to the limitations of weather and safety. The yacht won’t have to be stripped and packed on a ship, and delivery is often less expensive.

But it’s not without costs. You must hire and feed crew, fuel the vessel, and insurance for the delivery may be extra. Sea time also puts wear and tear on the yacht, and equipment and systems may break and need repair. It may also take more time to get your boat delivered on her own bottom, since commercial shipping is comparatively fast in most cases, especially compared to sailing yachts.

A yacht delivery service gives you control

The chief advantage of a delivery is the control over destinations. You’re not tied to a larger ship’s itinerary, and you can get the boat where you need it, when you need it.

A professional yacht delivery service will tailor the delivery to your needs for schedule and destination, which is something you can not do on a larger ship. They will know captains and crew, and bring much logistical expertise to the planning, preparation, and execution of your delivery.

How do yachts get delivered?

No matter the crew or service you use, the delivery process is similar. The goal is a safe, timely delivery of the boat without excessive costs or risk to the yacht or the crew.

First, you determine your itinerary and schedule – where you want the boat and by what date. When you do this, it’s important to consider the practical realities of ocean sailing, how your boat sails, and that you may know a lot less about getting your boat between ports than your delivery captain. So your initial ideas will need adjustment once the planning begins.

The next step is to find your delivery captain or service, and plan with them how best to do the delivery. The captain should know if they need help, what the best time of the year is, and what routes are best or your yacht’s capabilities.

Your yacht will need to be prepared for an offshore passage, and many delivery teams do with this. They will also inspect the yacht and make recommendations for safety and reliability. Some crews will manage getting the recommendations done, and there will be a last check before departure.

The captain and crew will do the delivery on the best weather window during the planned departure time, and bring the boat in safely and tidied up at the destination.

As part of the delivery, you will need to get your captain and crew to your boat, and fly them home once the delivery is done, cover their expenses, and pay for all your boat’s expenses along the way.

Freelance captain and crew

There are many freelance captains and crew out there who may offer to deliver your boat. And there are many competent captains doing this. But not everyone is as they present themselves.

It’s important that you properly vet any independent captain and crew you hire. You are entrusting a very expensive asset to a comparative stranger, and you won’t likely be on board to see that your yacht is being cared for to your standards.

Before you hire a captain, do:

• Review their resume and experience. They should have experience with vessels similar to yours, and making similar deliveries. You don’t want a coastal delivery skipper making his first blue water delivery on your yacht.
• Check credentials. Not all licenses and credentials are created equal, and you should be sure that any licenses or credentials are current and proper.
• Check references. Don’t skip this sometimes uncomfortable step, because it’s your best source of information that the captain you’re considering can really do the job.

Some captains will want to bring their own crew along, and this can be an excellent idea since a competent captain will also know a good crew. Make sure you do the same checking into any crew the captain recommends.

Read also: CAN OWNING A YACHT TO CHARTER (REALLY) BE PROFITABLE?

Yacht delivery services – specialists with professional delivery teams

A yacht delivery service is a business that focuses full-time on delivering yachts. They will have a roster of experienced captains and crew and will organize the delivery for you. While they are also often dealing with freelance independent captains and crew, the difference is they properly vet anyone for you, and they work with captains they know.

A full service delivery specialist will know all the details to attend to that you, as an owner, may not. This is an enormous advantage to you, as it takes much of the organizational headache away.

What is the crew usually needed to perform a yacht delivery?

The crew needed will vary with the size of the vessel, of course. But it also is affected by the length of the journey in miles, how much time it will take, and how it will be sailed. For example, a coast-wise journey with stops in port every night takes longer, but requires fewer crew members because you won’t need a twenty-four hour watch for most of the trip.

The Captain – the key to success

The delivery captain manages the delivery from start to finish, setting the course and departure window, watch schedules and rotations, and making decisions in the face of bad weather and other problems.

If the delivery is across an ocean, a captain with offshore experience is a must. Coastal deliveries don’t have quite the same issues, but you still need experience and skill.

For smaller yachts, look for a USCG Master’s License or RYA Yachtmaster Ocean rating, and experience with a boat at least as large as yours. Larger yachts and super yachts should find a qualified captain with appropriate licensing for the size of your vessel.

You will relinquish complete control of your yacht to the captain, so you need to be assured he or she is up to the task.

Skilled mates can stand watch on their own and have the experience to know when it’s time to bring the captain in on decisions. For longer or nonstop passages, you may need or the captain may insist upon one or more additional crew members. More experienced, senior delivery crew may cost you more.

If a yacht requires an engineer during regular operations, you should have one on board for deliveries. Smaller yachts will not need one, but it can be very important for the more complex engines on larger vessels, unless the delivery crew already has significant engineering experience.

The deck team

Deck crew will help stand watch on larger vessels, and clean the yacht up when it arrives. For larger vessels and longer passages, deck crew can be an extra help to get the yacht there safely.

The galley team

If you need a big delivery team, a galley specialist makes the delivery more comfortable and safer. Hot, timely meals keep a crew performing at peak safety and efficiency.

Read also: Yacht crew positions : Hierarchy, Missions & Salaries explained

How much does it cost to deliver a yacht?

The delivery costs for a yacht vary with the size of the vessel, the length of the delivery, and the type of delivery. Delivering a yacht from Maine to Florida down the U.S. East coast is similar in length to taking a boat from Hampton, Virginia, to the Caribbean. But one is a series of mostly day trips with overnight stops, and the other is a single, long offshore passage. The costs will be very different.

You hire most crew on a day rate , and that coupled with delivery time is the largest determinant of delivery cost. Typical day rates for captain and crew vary with skill and the type of trip. In the example above, the daily rate charged for a coastal captain running 10-12 hours per day and pulling into a marina may be lower than the charge for a nonstop, twenty-four-hour day trip by a skilled blue water captain.

A captain can cost from $250 to $600 per day, while mates, engineers, galley, and crew can run from $200-$400 depending on skill and experience.

Besides sea time, all captain and crew are paid the day rate for travel time, preparation time, days spent working on the boat, waiting for weather windows, or otherwise involved with the delivery. Depending on the readiness of the yacht, the captain and a few crew may have many days of work preparing the boat for delivery.

Besides crew pay, the owner will cover:

• Flights to the boat and back home for the captain and crew
• A per diem for food and lodging, unless food and lodging is provided on board the vessel.

Other delivery related expenses the owner will cover include:

• Dockage before and after the delivery, and any marinas stopped in along the way. This is common for coastal deliveries.
• Transit, clearance, and port charges.
• Any supplies, parts, repairs, or equipment needed to make the yacht ready for delivery.

Every delivery is unique, and the final price can be affected by everything from weather to mechanical breakdowns. All those details should be in the Delivery Contract, with specifics like the rights of the captain to halt or pause the trip for safety, and how costs are handled.

Yacht delivery companies will give you an estimate or quote based on your tailored circumstances, but a fixed price arrangement is unusual, but not impossible.

Read also: IS BUYING A BOAT A BAD IDEA?

Yes, they can. In fact, with many smaller yachts, the owner may accompany the paid captain to get the sea time and learn more about their boat and offshore sailing. Larger yachts can take pleasure passengers, but they should be aware of the requirements and limitations during a delivery. Galley crew and stewards should also be on board.

Absolutely, those are some of the most common deliveries. Many owners don’t have the time or the skill to move their yachts such long distances, so they will have them delivered. Long distance deliveries are significantly more complex and expensive than local trips. Depending on the yacht’s capabilities, only certain types of trips and routes may be possible, or only certain times of year. They may also need special equipment and additional crew to stand watches. For example, crossing the 3,000 mile stretch of ocean from the Galapagos to French Polynesia may be a problem for power vessels with limited range, so you may need supplemental fuel tanks. Or sailing yachts may have to sail different, longer routes to avoid adverse wind directions at the wrong time of year, like sailing upwind from New Zealand to Tahiti in the trades.

To be a delivery captain takes years of experience handling a variety of boats over many miles of water. Amateur sailors can transition to professional delivery crew or even a captain over time, but it will take some work. Being a delivery captain is a genuine job, with real required skills and certifications. At a minimum, you would need several offshore passages, and sufficient sea time to qualify for and pass the USCG Masters License or a RYA Yachtmaster Ocean certification. These credentials require verified sea time and experience. There are ways for enthusiastic but inexperienced sailors to get the required experience, as volunteer crew on yacht deliveries, and crew for cruising yachts on ocean passages. Some delivery skippers may take unpaid crew who are looking for sea time, though you’d probably be on your own getting to the boat and back. You would get an excellent experience. Many full-time cruising couples also pick up volunteer crew for large passages, and that’s another way to get your sea time.

Starting your professional journey

Deliveries are a good way to build up offshore experience, fast. If you’ve got training and experience, you can start crewing and learning to build your skills. And those skills will serve you well, building a full-time career in the yachting industry as a permanent crew or full-time delivery captain.

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What differentiates a yacht from a superyacht or a mega yacht?

PROFESSIONAL

Yacht delivery service.

Our mission at Pacific Yacht Delivery is to provide select owners, agents and brokers with the best value and highest quality professional yacht delivery service available.

Under the direction of United States Coast Guard Licensed Master J. Eric Bergel, our experienced team of marine professionals specializes in the ocean going delivery of recreational motor and sailing vessels to all points on the Pacific Ocean and beyond.

To date we have logged over 120,000 miles both offshore and along what amount to some of the harshest coastlines in the world while consistently maintaining a perfect safety record and the highest level of customer satisfaction.

We take pride and pleasure in efficiently delivering each vessel to the selected destination in Bristol fashion. We have never failed to complete a delivery and will do everything possible to continue our impeccable reputation.

For more information about our service please visit the rest of our site and then call our office or email us at the link below.

It will be our pleasure to assist in the planning of your next yacht delivery.

Delivery Rates

Vessels and itineraries vary considerably and therefore it is not practical to set one rate for yacht delivery.

We generally contract deliveries for an all inclusive delivery service fee based upon a number of factors including: route and season proposed – vessel speed, equipment, condition and the number of crew required.

The delivery service fee covers crew wages, transportation, and provisions for the duration of the delivery. Fuel, moorage, outfitting and repairs are billed at the completion of delivery at our direct cost.

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"Captain Bergel has a strong background in many aspects of boating, engines, navigation and seamanship, as well as much offshore experience. He deliver…"  Read more

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Hire an Experienced Mariner You Can Trust

Beacon Luxury Yacht Delivery’s mission is to provide owners, agents, and brokers with professional yacht deliveries of exceptional value and quality.  We offer many services that can help with your delivery from start to finish, without stress.  Learn more about us and the services we provide.

ATLANTIC – PACIFIC – CARIBBEAN – GREAT LAKES – ARCTIC

USCG-Licensed Captain

U.S licensed master, less than 200 GRT upon oceans, Ref. #4283281

Licensed Master, Yachts up to 500 Gross Tons Upon Oceans – With vast at-sea experience in the Atlantic, Pacific, Caribbean, Great Lakes, and Arctic, Captain Jannusch (LCDR, USCG, Ret.) is a highly skilled ship driver and operator.  A proven and tested leader for more than 20 years, with tens of thousands of nautical miles traveled, and a mindset perpetually attuned to preparation and readiness, have confidence that your yacht will be in capable hands.

Our Promise

We take pride in delivering your yacht to the destination of your choice in the safest, most precise, and most efficient manner possible – the care and protection of your vessel as well as the safety of everyone onboard is our primary focus.

Our experienced marine professionals can handle local or long-distance deliveries of yachts throughout the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, as well as the Caribbean, Great Lakes, and the Arctic.  You can count on us to uphold a rigorous standard of care, attentiveness, and leadership to every yacht, no matter the vessel size or destination.

Full-Service Yacht Delivery

Port-to-port, captain services.

Beacon Luxury Yacht Delivery offers interim Captaining services for yachts up to 500 GT.  This service may help to meet insurance company requirements, or perhaps simply just provide a level of professional yacht management that allows you to enjoy the journey to the fullest.

Boat Delivery Services

Yacht Delivery Services – We provide worry-free yacht delivery solutions for all relocation scenarios including seasonal repositions, new purchases, vacations, boat shows, or boatyard deliveries for maintenance.

Request A Delivery, Today!

Request A Delivery, Today! – Contact our experienced team to discuss the requirements for your yacht delivery and how Beacon Luxury Yacht Delivery can best meet your needs.  Every journey is unique and requires a different set of skills, crew, and plans.  We’re happy to provide you with an estimate consistent with our current rates and terms.

A Licensed & Insured Vendor

Under the leadership of USCG Licensed Master, Captain Doug Jannusch, Beacon Luxury Yacht Delivery’s mission is to provide owners, agents, and brokers with professional yacht deliveries of exceptional value and quality. A reputable and honest service provider, our primary focus is the SAFE and SUCCESSFUL delivery of the vessel and crew while doing our utmost to meet all your needs. Learn more about pre-delivery and post-departure procedures.

Schedule A Yacht Delivery, Today!

We take pride in efficiently delivering your yacht to the destination of your choice in the safest, most precise, and most efficient manner possible – the care and protection of your vessel as well as the safety of everyone onboard is our primary focus. Captain Jannusch is also available for service as interim Captain.  Get started today and schedule your next delivery with Beacon Luxury Yacht Delivery.

• Yachting Monthly
• Digital edition

Yacht deliveries: How to get your yacht from A to B

• August 15, 2023

If you need help getting your boat from A to B after a purchase or for a cruise, a delivery crew might be the solution, says Ben Lowings

Perhaps your treasured yacht is in the wrong place at the wrong time? Does it need to be somewhere else, soon? Don’t have the time, crew, or experience to remedy this yourself? Well, it might be time to look into yacht deliveries.

While it sounds simple, handing over your pride and joy to another skipper you’ve never met before can be a daunting prospect, so I’ve collated some advice on what the process would look like. We’re talking about sailing your vessel from one port to another here, as opposed to loading it on a larger vessel, for which a range of choices are available.

This article concentrates on hiring a crew to sail your yacht to its destination. While it is possible to hire private individuals (more on that later) we’ve spoken in depth to three popular UK companies you’d be likely to come across in your search.

The largest is Wirral-based Professional Yacht Deliveries Ltd. PYD – set up in 1995 – which completes 180 deliveries a year. ‘We deliver most yachts around the UK, Northern Europe and the Mediterranean,’ PYD’s snazzy website declares. Another option – also with slick homepage, social media presence and international reach but with European focus: Halcyon Yacht Delivery Ltd, established in 2010, based in Falmouth. A smaller outfit is Merseyside-based Wright Marine Ltd. They’re doing good business in the wake of the pandemic.

Other operators are out there. Amsterdam-based Sevenstar Yacht Transport’s a popular choice for transporting your yacht by ship.

Some boats and passages will need particular experience from a crew

Choosing a yacht delivery company and skipper

In general, it’ll be the company that selects a skipper, so you need to pick the company you most feel happy with. They’ll forward you, the owner, the candidate skipper’s sailing CV. Naturally, you’ll be given the right of refusal. Peter Kloezeman, PYD’s operations director, says they have 40 skippers on the books who are ‘some of the most qualified in the industry. All are RYA Yachtmaster Offshore as a minimum. Our most experienced skippers have over 400,000 miles logged.’

With PYD, your delivery crew will be allocated based on whether they have experience of your proposed trip and experience sailing your make, model and size of yacht. ‘For a transatlantic [crossing] we’d allocate a skipper with extensive ocean experience,’ says Kloezeman. ‘The skipper will usually have completed the crossing several times.’ For her owners, a yacht is often a member of the family. Handing her over can be disconcerting. It’s something the industry is keenly cognisant of.

Peter Green, managing director of Halcyon Yacht Delivery acknowledges this. ‘Having your yacht delivered and entrusting it to another skipper is clearly a big decision. It’s crucial you find a delivery company or skipper that’ll care for her as you would.’ As an owner you’ll not be alone if, when departing the marina, you waggle your loved one’s anchor and whisper a few words of endearment. But it’s best to leave the delivery crew to do their work. ‘Owners must trust the company to look after the yacht as if it were their own,’ says Kloezeman.

It’s no different with Wright Marine. Simon Pendlebury, managing director, explains: ‘We look at the vessel’s particulars. Is it a classic? Pre-1900s? Does it have any quirks?’ The job’s offered out to skippers felt best suited to the role.’

As an owner you could expect a call from Wright with the particulars of the skipper and their past work. You would then be contacted by the Wright Marine skipper, who will introduce themselves.

Ben Ainslie’s yacht Rita, being delivered by PYD

Solo skipper setups

But what about selecting a skipper and contacting them directly oneself? ‘It can be the cheapest option,’ says Halcyon’s Peter Green, but ‘it’s not without risk.’ A solo skipper-for-hire, he argues, won’t have backup. A shore support team is preferable, he says. ‘If the [freelancer] has to cancel the job you could be left in the lurch.’ Green recalls one yacht left in Spain.

A panicked owner had engaged a solo skipper to bring the boat from Greece to the UK. ‘For personal reasons we assume, he decided to end the journey early and tied the yacht up in a random marina in Spain. The owner was sent an email with the address of the marina and little else. We stepped in quickly and sent a team out to finish the delivery.’

You need to check crew references. ‘Always check testimonials,’ Green says. The firms’ dedicated staff have a CV bank. The list is curated. New applicants are reviewed. Resumes of sailing experience will have been updated before they are sent on to you for information. Qualifications will have to have been recorded accurately and kept valid, and RYA course certificates do expire.

The gig economy we’ve become used to is relevant here. Hiring a freelancer is akin to paying a courier or a driver for a ‘ride-sharing’ service. One unnamed ‘lone wolf’ worked UK deliveries around Caribbean seasons. He took a boat from Plymouth to the Solent, where he picked up another yacht and brought her back. ‘Two deliveries in 24 hours.’ An adventurous seadog’s boast. Fun to sail with maybe, but there’s a risk they’re a bounty hunter with less of a plan about safety.

You’ll need to make sure paperwork, navigation and safety equipment is all in order, or ask the skipper to provide them

How to prepare your boat

You’ll be sent an extensive pre-delivery checklist. Should you plump for Halcyon, you’re likely to get a verified checklist which will also be received by the skipper who then checks this upon arriving at the boat. As an owner, you’ll need to be clear about where you’ll be if you’re not planning to be on or next to your yacht at the agreed handover time.

You’ll be expected to have settled bills at the departure berth. The same goes for bookings and customs arrangements made at the destination – although Halcyon, as with the other companies, will be able to provide as much assistance towards this as appropriate. ‘The process at PYD is the same,’ Peter Kloezeman affirms. Should you be engaging PYD, your checklist will be the starting point for PYD to ‘build an overall picture of how prepared the yacht is, depending on the intended passage.’

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Prep for an ocean crossing differs from a Channel hop. ‘PYD can supply certain equipment if it is missing from the yacht such as EPIRBs, satellite phones and communications, and jackstays,’ explains Kloezeman. ‘Ideally you – as the owner – will arrange for the yacht to be fully equipped for the intended delivery passage.’

You’ll need to have checked – or organised someone to do so in lieu of the owner, particularly if you’re getting a new purchase delivered – the engine, generators, electrical and charging systems, and batteries. Kloezeman says they ought to have been well maintained and checked before the crew arrives. You will need to have cleaned the sails, hull and propellers. ‘If there’s an issue with the yacht when the crew arrive – such as the batteries are dead or the hull is covered with growth – this will incur delays whilst these issues are dealt with, which increases the overall costs to the client.’ If you’ve engaged Halcyon, their rules echo PYD’s. ‘Check systems work and are serviced,’ says Peter Green. ‘If it’s a new yacht to you then have a survey. It’s also best to have an engine serviced.’

If you’re buying a second hand boat, get a full survey done before the delivery

Yacht deliveries insurance cover

In the UK you are legally bound to insure the vessel for the duration of the delivery for the waters to be traversed, in the appropriate coding. The skipper provides for themselves and the crew. Skipper Liability Insurance covers damage to third parties while the delivery captain is in charge. Check your skipper has it.

Prices for this product have shot up since Brexit. For UK work, it’s obtainable from Pantaenius (through its German arm). Delivery companies will check these documents and take the owner through the policy wording. Peter Kloezeman explains: ‘Liability insurance will cover the yacht for skipper/crew negligence only. The yacht needs to have its own hull policy.’

Experienced crews can help with complexities and paperwork, such as when navigating the Panama Canal

Hull insurance is standard practice. It’s rare indeed for a yacht to put to sea without some sort of insurance policy. Peter Green explains: ‘Owners should be able to lodge an appropriate claim with a reputable insurance company if something doesn’t go to plan. If something does go wrong, then you should be able to make a claim with your insurers. All reputable skippers will have liability insurance. Make sure that your insurance coverage is suitable for the trip. Inform them that a delivery company or skipper will be taking charge.’

Simon Pendlebury puts it most succinctly. ‘Unfortunately, there is no insurance product on the market which would effectively allow the same asset to be insured twice (once for owner, once for the delivery skipper).’ Mr Pendlebury confirms all Wright Marine skippers have their own Skipper Liability insurance. ‘We ask all owners to ensure the skipper is also noted on their policy.’

A good skipper will go over the boat thoroughly

Taking responsibility

The skipper must know if the vessel’s seaworthy, how much fuel, water and battery there is, and any technical issues, or temporary fixes. There’ll be phone conversations, notes taken, and usually the company, the skipper and the owner create a WhatsApp group to exchange photos. These could be anything from the thousand bits-and-bobs on a yacht. But they often feature the log impeller, notes on the chart table, and the whereabouts of the keys.

‘The collection of keys’ is top of Simon Pendlebury’s catalogue of items for your pre-delivery checklist. Alongside the delivery company documents is your vessel paperwork – registration papers, liferaft certificates, etc.

If your vessel’s been sold to you, for instance, through a brokerage, then the broker’s name and contact details must be supplied. A contract is drawn up, specifying when payments are required plus any extra advance payments such as for fuel. This, notes Pendlebury, is common when delivering diesel-thirsty motor vessels.

You’ll need to ensure passports and papers are in order. C1331 UK immigration forms and forms for departure clearing ports are vital for EU trips. Brexit has complicated things too. A skipper with good local language skills (and EU citizenship) is, if not worth their weight in gold, at least a great saving of your time.

Skippers will have their own comprehensive lists to work through

If you have contacts made through reciprocal membership of foreign yacht clubs, for instance, they’re helpful to delivery skippers trying to source items or surmount red tape. Individual skippers’ resourcefulness comes into its own here, which Kloezeman recognises. ‘[PYD’s] skippers have a good understanding of the processes involved and are well versed in presenting and obtaining the correct paperwork when required, particularly where VAT is concerned. At PYD we also have links with several other yacht management companies who can advise further on VAT and vessel, import and export from the EU.’

Of course, the circumstances vary with vessel and voyage. For his part, Pendlebury promises Wright Marine will work with you to assist in ‘ensuring all Customs arrangements are completed on time and according to countries’ rules. A lot of owners find this as valuable as the delivery itself.’

Paperwork is irksome but necessary, for as Kloezeman notes, it sometimes isn’t practical for you to be physically present for the handover. ‘We’re happy for clients to speak to the skippers on the phone whilst they’re on board if they need to discuss anything.’ PYD’s office takes over liaison between you and the skipper once the delivery has started. ‘We will keep them updated on the delivery progress. We have a GPS tracker that we send on our deliveries.’ You can expect to receive a link that updates daily.

Proper navigation kit on board will help the skipper do their job properly

Safety kit and spares

Your safety gear must be compliant with SOLAS V, insists Halcyon’s Peter Green. This includes an in-date liferaft, in-date flares, fire extinguishers, a first aid kit, man overboard recovery equipment, radar reflector and jackstays. ‘We always do engine checks before we leave anywhere,’ affirms Halcyon regular Mark Treacher (a prominent social media skipper with excellent YouTube videos).

If you’ve bought a second-hand yacht, everything should have been taken off the vessel after the point of sale. This underlines the necessity for delivery crews to keep tools. You will probably have tools of your own, but it might not be practicable to get them to the boat. The crew might have, for example, their own spare impeller (complete with service kit), not to mention suitable pliers for prising out defunct blades.

You can expect help if required from PYD, Wright Marine and Halcyon. Peter Green says, ‘We encourage our clients to send a full inventory list.’ Green also advises you to ‘make sure there is sufficient domestic equipment’ such as cooking pans, plates and cups.

This applies to vessels with these items in the existing inventory. In the situation where a yacht has been acquired recently from a broker, these items may be missing, in which case the skipper would normally purchase them and invoice you. The skipper could equally bring their own reserve stock and take it off the boat afterwards. Most delivery crews will only need a bare minimum of galley equipment to minimise on washing up. It follows that the skipper would not be buying a walnut chopping board and pricey Damascus steel cooking knife and then invoicing you for them!

Navigation will be carried out by highly experienced crew

You needn’t worry about your pristine upholstery either. Crews for these three delivery firms supply their own sleeping bags. Halcyon advises using double sheets to protect soft furnishings. Peter Green’s crews are warned to be watchful for harness clips scratching saloon fittings.

Kloezeman specifies that PYD crews ‘spend at least 24 hours checking all the systems and preparing the boat for passage, even for short deliveries.’ A good chunk of this time might well be given over to a job shown on PYD’s website: enthusiastically bubble-wrapping everything in the saloon. ‘All vulnerable areas of woodwork and upholstery below decks are encased in protective cladding,’

PYD’s ops director explains, ‘to avoid any inadvertent damage while at sea in rough conditions. It’s a long and time-consuming process but very worthwhile to ensure that the joinery stays well protected during the delivery passage. Similarly, mast spreaders are normally wrapped and taped to avoid making alloy rub marks on the main sail that can frequently occur when sailing downwind for extended periods.’

Working as delivery crew is a great way to build experience and sea miles

Become a delivery crew

On the flip side of the coin, it’s relatively easy to become a member of a yacht delivery crew, and this is a great way to build sea miles, gain experience, and sail with some highly qualified skippers.

Most yacht delivery companies will insist on delivery skippers being commercially endorsed RYA Yachtmaster Ocean or above. Unsurprisingly, many will also be RYA Yachtmaster Instructors. If you want to be a skipper, you’ll need to be highly qualified. If you want to crew, however, it’s a great way to learn, as well as sail on passages and to destinations you may otherwise never get to visit.

First mates will be qualified skippers, though requirements for qualifications vary. Crew need to be able to competently stand a solo watch at night. This means you’ll generally have an RYA Day Skipper certificate.

Yacht delivery agencies will ask for a fee to join their list and will want to see a sailing CV. You will then be notified of opportunities as and when they come up. You may also receive discounts on further training as well as equipment.

A delivery boat will be actively sailed, but shouldn’t be pushed too hard

Will my boat be safe?

You’ll find that communication before, during and after the trip is paramount. WhatsApp, a text, a request to the destination marina over VHF radio to relay all is well to you via phone, even a check call relayed by the Coastguard – all of these may be used.

PYD claims its quotations are ‘calculated conservatively’ to give an estimated passage time. The Wirral-based market leader says allowance for weather delays and boat prep is built in. ‘Skippers will sail as much as possible but will not push the yacht unnecessarily. A delivery passage is not a race.’

PYD’s rivals in Falmouth and St. Helens would absolutely agree. ‘On arrival at the destination,’ Kloezeman says, ‘the crew will usually spend around 24 hours completing the final wash and clean down before departing.’

If bad weather is encountered, crews will sail conservatively and not push too hard

Problems and damage

As an owner, you’d be advised not to worry unduly. Things do go wrong, but severe damage is extremely rare, and loss almost unheard of. Peter Green admits the element of risk can ‘never be fully eliminated’. A delivery company worth its salt will be striving to keep that quantity as close to zero as possible. ‘With any sailing journey,’ says Green, ‘there is of course some risk.’

Halcyon, PYD and Wright Marine skippers must report to you at the delivery’s conclusion on the condition of general maintenance items, any general wear and tear, any recommendations or improvements or any damage caused during the passage by the crew.

You can expect to be told straight away of incidents resulting in damage. Green points to Halcyon’s engineer support service, whereby crew can phone for help diagnosing and making repairs. ‘One of the most common problems we see is dirty fuel,’ he says. ‘If you’ve bought a yacht that hasn’t been used for a while, the risk of diesel bug increases. It’s often something that won’t come to light until the fuel tank’s been shaken around a bit at sea.’

A lot of Wright’s deliveries involve vessels which have recently changed hands. ‘As such,’ Pendlebury says, delicately, ‘defects may not be known.’ On one trip from Southampton to Newcastle upon Tyne, diesel bug clogged the injectors and the engine gave in just past Chichester. The boat was brought alongside under sail to Haslar marina. ‘The vessel required a complete polishing of its fuel and an overhaul of injector assembly but was able to resume the delivery a week later.’

Deliveries continue overnight. You will get tracking updates about the boat’s whereabouts

Avoiding problems

Making your expectations clear and having your consents in writing beforehand is key when resolving issues arising from company procedures and insurance. ‘Any pre-existing damage is photographed,’ assures Pendlebury. ‘This is then chatted through with the owner, or photos are sent to them prior to departure. This helps to prevent any misunderstandings later down the line.’

Similarly – and Kloezeman and Green would undoubtedly agree – ‘If skippers feel conditions don’t permit safe passage, they’ll seek shelter. The easiest way to avoid misunderstandings is to carefully read the contract and ask questions.’ Delivery firms emphasise that the crew’s only task is moving a vessel from A to B in seamanlike fashion. ‘Owners are welcome to join a delivery,’ says Kloezeman, ‘although the delivery crew will routinely sail 24 hours a day with only brief stops as necessary for fuel, provisions or to avoid severe weather.’

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Delivery Captain rates and yacht delivery costs

• Post author: ANDREA CIOTOLI
• Post published: June 18, 2016
• Post category: Uncategorized

#yachtdeliveryrates

Yacht Delivery Rates & Costs

Here at  Delivery Captain , we understand that to perform a professional job, you need professional qualified people. So, same applies to yacht deliveries, you want qualified and professional crew to make it right! Yacht delivery skipper and crew must be a focus point. Never take any risk by giving out the job to anyone who does not have the necessary experience and qualification.

As a boat owner, you will find it very difficult to find the right person for the job going through the net. Too many unqualified and unprofessional people on the web, unfortunately.

References are always a good mean of understanding if the skipper/crew are qualified and reliable, but even that will not be 100% safe.

Try not to make your selection based only on employing a skipper going for a cheap rate. This may eventually result in losing your money, and probably even worse  your boat .

Therefore, you are better off dealing with a good and recognised yacht delivery  company that will take full responsibility. A good company will follow you in every step and will ensure all is done professionally. Taking care of your yacht from start to finish giving you that peace of mind you deserve.

Delivery Captain can provide such service, with over 17 years of experience in the field. Our yacht delivery team will join the vessel on a specific date agreed between Delivery Captain and the owner agent. The following few days will be dedicated to boat preparation, boat check and test, sea trial, route strategy, weather check, provisioning, fuelling, paperwork check, initial delivery plan. We estimate departure within three days, weather permitting.

During delivery, we will provide a satellite tracking position via mail, so that you can be kept up to date with boat position at all times. 

Yacht Delivery  rates  and yacht delivery  costs  are not the same thing, and they differ from each other by definition. The rates are the fixed basic fee that yacht delivery company will charge. The costs instead are many variables, depending on how much is spent along the way. When we consider costs we should look at diesel cost and quantity, onboard food, crew travel cost and so forth. It’ very difficult to provide a list of costs, however, we made a shortlist to take under account different factors:

• How old is the boat
• Fuel consumption
• The distance to travel
• The departure point
• The destination
• The time of the year for any route chosen
• Off Season deliveries
• Marinas and stops
• Forced stops due to bad weather or repairs
• Canal Passages

This is only a small list and very generic, a much more accurate list can be generated for each boat and any route. Yacht delivery rates and costs will always be kept to its lowest possible level. We deliver  sailing yachts , sailing catamarans and motor yachts.

Our standard rates range is between £1.99 – £2.50 GBP Sterling Pounds per NM (nautical mile).

ANDREA CIOTOLI

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Health and Social Care Delivery Research Programme - Success rates

• Published: 25 November 2019
• Version: V Updated March 2024

Here are the application success rates for our  Health and Social Care Delivery Research (HSDR) Programme .

2022/23 applications

2021/22 applications

2020/21 applications

2019/20 applications

2018/19 applications

2017/18 applications

2016/17 applications

2015/16 applications

Please note:

• Fast track applications are submitted as a full proposal and undergo a one stage application process.
• The data presented are for all calls that were completed during the financial year – a call is only considered to have completed when each application submitted has received a final outcome. Data within a financial year may therefore not reflect calls opened in that year which can result in the overall numbers of applications being inconsistent between years.
• These data include both primary research and evidence synthesis applications.