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Sailboat
deliveries US east coast/ Caribbean via
the I.C.W. or offshore, or to anywhere else in the world.
No charge for estimate
Reduced charge for weather delays.
Rates reduced %20.
You cover
transportation of captain and crew to and from the sailboat.
We are happy to sail with
you or your crew or bring our own, need be.
(Crew runs $100 per day; we may be able to find
unpaid crew, but can't guarantee this)
Trip planning and general consulting for the voyage are free
of course.
For boats new to you please have a recent survey to share
with us.
We are very happy to help with all aspects of the delivery;
however we have had some situations recently where potential clients
spent weeks with us "picking brains" and then went off and did it all
themselves. Please don't do this !
Deposits:
Standard operating
procedure in deliveries generally involves both a deposit
( for most firms it’s 50% of
estimated days on the boat, but I’m happy taking less) and a means of my
being able to make payments for such things as dockage or repairs from some
account as the boat moves along. Usually this is done with either a credit
card or a small but meaningful amount of cash.
You, the owner, on board:
For long
deliveries, we should talk about my role as you see it; are you looking for
someone to take full responsibility, or just some help and guidance? I'm
happy working with you in any way you'd like.
(The background chart used on the
site is of the east end of Long Island)
What we ask
of you:
Offshore delivery
sailboats must come equipped with properly rated life raft and EPIRB. While we
can carry our
own EPIRB the boat should have one registered to it as well
We may request a
copy of the sailboat's insurance paperwork, and will ask that the captain and any
crew we require be added to the coverage if it does not now cover hired
crew. (often it does) We may request to see proof of ownership and
a copy of the boat's federal or state documentation.
We live in
a sadly litigious society, and while I have never damaged a sailboat, I must say
that I sometimes, before a delivery, wake up in dread of “something
happening” and finding myself on the wrong end of a lawyer. On the other
hand it seems silly to go to the trouble of forming a corporation or LLC to
protect myself from this possibility. I’ve been thinking of asking
customers to sign something that says “in case of an accident I promise not
to sue the captain”. Believe me when I tell you I’d never run your boat in
front of a freighter...
Not to put you off , but let
me say here, we are not responsible for damage to the boat. If I break a
coffee pot, I'll replace it - but if the mast breaks it was going to anyway.
Be sure to have the
engine in good order and clean fuel in the tanks.
Having delivered more than a few sailboats with good engines that developed
problems, I’ve made a study of this; the most common cause by far is
contaminated fuel. I hope you’re familiar with the issue; bacterial growth
in the tank or sediment from any number of sources jamming the fuel
injectors. Often a bit of stirring in a high sea adds to the problem; boats
that ran well in calm seas break down when we most need the engine. Nigel
Calder is my favorite writer on this , but a number of good books exist.
Please have a few spare filters and the manual for the engine
in case we have to bleed it. Delays caused by poor engine maintenance will
be billed at the normal daily rate!
Remember most sailors
rarely use the engine; in a delivery last week (June '09) we put more miles
on the engine in a week than, I was told, in the prior 2 years. Under these
circumstances many engines will have problems. Prepare the engine as
best you can!
If
you are wondering why we worry about the engine in a sailboat, of course
it's so we don't have to bill you for the week we spent waiting for the wind
to shift. As much as we love sailing, most days doing deliveries are spent,
sadly, motoring. If however you wish your boat moved via the wind, we are
more than happy to comply.
For boats new to you please
have a recent survey from an accredited marine surveyor to share with us. If
you are thinking of saving money by forgoing the survey, please: consider
the time lost to us and you as we sit in port waiting for the problem the
surveyor would have found to be fixed. Better: think of how much money you
will save on the asking price when you can wave a survey at the seller
listing all the faults of the boat. A survey will ALWAYS save you money. And
asking a yard mechanic to "give her a look" is not the same thing. Surveyors
are aware of common points of failures in a large number of boat models as
no mechanic could be.
Please don't leave it to us to discover the problems! Time lost to
mechanical breakdowns that could have been seen on inspection will be billed
at our normal rate. See? You've saved this money already with a survey.
Tools and spare parts
(filters, engine belts, impellers and coolant) should be on board; you
have those anyway, don’t you ? And by tools we don't just mean a pliers and
a few old wrenches. You should carry a digital multi-meter and a full range
of wrenches and a ratcheting socket kit with all sizes that might be of need
on the boat. In addition you should have a tool able to tighten the stuffing
box nuts. Other items that come to mind are tape, gasket forming compound,
glues, vice grips, spare hose clamps, stainless steel wire...
We ask that you have checked the following:( All of this should be OK on any
sailboat. We will not hold you responsible or refuse to take the boat if
there are issues here, rather we would like to know the state of the craft)
Alcohol:
I strongly prefer not having any on the boat; it
1) ruins anyone's capacity to work safely and 2)
a boat is too small a social place for self indulgent drunken idiocy. I have
done deliveries with drunken alcoholics and will not run the risk of putting myself
in this spot again; it's painful to me and a danger to the boat. On boats
without the owner I can say there will be no hard liquor. On boats with he owner
aboard I would request a conversation about drugs and alcohol prior to getting
underway. Here's a bit more on why
I think it's all a bad idea.
Charts that cover the trip (we will bring our own , need be)( you get extra points for having paper
charts and a sextant for us to play with)
First Aid kit (again, we can bring
our own)
Electrical system and nav lights in
good order ? Is the alternator charging ? Are the batteries charged (topped
off with water in the case of open cell type ) ?
Do you carry a high intensity spot
light ? ( you know you should; it's very useful for finding moorings
at night, not to mention all those fish traps in the Chesapeake)
VHF and/ or SSB checked and working
Cleaning material (soap, brushes,
paper towels and oil adsorbent rags ) should be on board.
Food on board (yes, you have to
cover feeding the crew. No worries, nothing fancy - no duck liver moose
(please not ! ) or caviar)
Plumbing; does the head work ? Have
you done a pump-out recently ? (the stories we could tell of this
....)
Water; are the tanks clean ? Can we
( and you !) drink out of the main water tank or do we need bottled
water ?
Are the sails in good shape ; can we sail the boat need
be ?
Whisker Pole ? Spinnaker pole ?
(for trade wind deliveries )
Radar Reflector ?
Life
jackets; enough for the crew ? How about an emergency tiller,
hatch boards ? Have you looked at the stanchions, lifelines ? Is there
a horseshoe or other throwable device ?
Ground tackle ; is the
windless operable; are
anchor & chain sufficient for at least 20 feet of water with a 7 to 1 ratio
? Is there a boat hook ?
Do the bilge pumps work ?
Do you have extra line ? If we have
to tie a preventer on the boom will we have an easy time finding the line ?
Here's a more complete list for
off shore and international deliveries, but good to look over for in-shore
ones too:
Hull
Condition and appearance (note and photograph any existing damage)
Location of all thru-hulls
Location of water fills and vents
Location of fuel fills and vents
Location of waste system fittings
Inspect steering system cables and quadrant
Check for portlight leaks
Check bilge for standing water.
Make sure anchor is secure
Navigation Lights & Other Requirements
Check all for proper operation
Locate spare lamps
Locate switches & fuses
Locate flashlights
Locate spotlight
Locate horn for sound signals
Locate courtesy flags, quarantine flag and ship’s flag
Safety
Check condition and number of PFD’s
Location and expiration of flare kit
Location of EPIRB
Condition and expiration of liferaft
Location of abandon ship kit
Location and state of charge for handheld VHF
Location and condition of MOB gear
Locate binoculars
Vessel Paperwork
Locate federal documentation
Locate copy of insurance policy
Locate authorization letter from owner
Locate cruising permits
Locate ship’s log
Check for approved fire extinguishers in working order
Check for safety harnesses
Check for boarding ladder
Check operation of all VHF’s
Locate wooden plugs for thru-hull fittings
Locate first aid kit
Locate emergency underwater epoxy/5200
Check bilge pump operation using bilge pump float switch
Sail & Rigging
Check condition of sails
Check condition of running rigging .
Check condition of standing rigging including turnbuckles and cotter pins
Check operation of rig
Check procedure for reefing
Check for chafe in furling line
Locate spare winch handles
PRIMARY Engine & Electrical
Engine overall condition
Location of engine manual
Location of engine spares
Location and quantity of engine oil
Know how to prime and bleed system
Location of extra coolant
Location of tool kit
Check gauges for operation
Check seawater intake strainer and clean if necessary
Verify fuel tank sender is operating and accurate
Check tightness and condition of all belts
Check oil, coolant, and transmission fluid level
Check engine room hose clamps and hoses for leaks
Look for obvious chafed wires and hoses
Check stuffing box for leaking at rest and underway.
Verify operation of panel
Locate spare fuses
Check rudder stuffing boxes for leaks
Check all seacocks for leaks and verify they can be closed.
Check electrolyte level in batteries
GENERATOR Engine & Electrical
Engine overall condition
Location of engine manual
Location of engine spares
Location and quantity of engine oil
Know how to prime and bleed system
Location of extra coolant
Verify operation of panel
Check all seacocks for leaks and verify they can be closed.
Check seawater intake strainer and clean if necessary
Verify fuel tank sender is operating and accurate
Check tightness and condition of all belts
Check gauges for operation
Check oil, coolant, and transmission fluid level
Check engine room hose clamps and hoses for leaks
Look for obvious chafed wires and hoses
Check stuffing box for leaking at rest and underway.
Check rudder stuffing boxes for leaks
Electronics;
Check operation of;
Autopilot
Sounders
SSB
Computer
Charge/controllers
Reefers
Solar
Watermaker
Charts & Navigation
Locate charts for area
Locate electronic charts
Locate plotting tools
Check sounder, GPS, and radar operation
Locate Spare GPS
Locate hand held VHF
Miscellaneous
Adequate stove fuel
Check fresh water tank for potability
Check operation of heads/macerator/pumpout.
Locate keys for deck fills
SAMPLE PROVISIONING LIST
NON-FOOD
Toilette paper, Paper Towels
Zip-lock bags Sandwich and large freezer-bags
Bleach 1Gal
Dish-soap 2L
Laundry Soap
Sponges
(with thanks to Capt. Kirk Little for the compilation)
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At your request we would be happy
to provide you with a written report of the boat, her sailing qualities and
any recommendations we have.
We would be pleased to stay in
contact with you and provide daily reports of our position via sat phone at
an additional cost, depending on phone rental rates and coverage
areas.
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