Shipping Escapade by Ship
We have sailed Escapade, an Oyster 55, for eight years and have circumnavigated the world and know Escapade is capable of delivering us safely to anywhere by sea. So why would we put Escapade on a ship and have her moved that way? Because it is fast. So that is what we did.
Moving a boat by ship has several advantages over sailing. Primarily the speed in which it can be accomplished, the time of year is not as weather dependent, and it results in reduced wear and tear compared to long ocean voyages. For motorboats it can also save a lot of fuel.
After spending four years in the Mediterranean, we wanted new sailing challenges. We decided on the Pacific Northwest of America and Canada. To get there by sea from the Med would take two years as we would have to time our crossing of the Atlantic for the next November and then we would have to go north along the west coast of America, not a desirable cruise because of the prevailing northerly winds and currents. Instead, we shipped Escapade from the Med to Vancouver, BC, Canada, in time for the summer sailing season in 2004.
We chose Dockwise Yacht Transport for the job. They have ships that regularly go to various ports around the world and they have scheduled ones that connect the Med to Vancouver. The ships are constructed like floating dry-docks so they partly submerge to allow the boats to motor into the open hold of the ship. A diver places tripods under the boat that act as a cradle. The ship is then refloated and the boats settle on to the supports. Sailboats are also snuggled up against the side of the ship so that they cannot fall in that direction. Straps are placed around the mast and straps are tied to the deck cleats to prevent falling the other way. In addition, after the ship's deck is dry large supports are welded to the deck of the ship to support the sailboats. It seems quite sturdy as long as the ship is not in very large seas. In preparation for loading Dockwise asks for detailed drawings of all boats in advance so they can plan the arrangement of boats on the ship and the necessary supports.
Dockwise requires full payment prior to the ship departure. That is the only way to guarantee a position on the ship. It is also necessary to arrange for special insurance of the boat while it is cargo on the ship, as most yacht insurance policies will not cover the actual shipment.
Although we first contracted for a ship leaving Toulon, France, that ship was canceled so we ended up shipping from Savona, Italy. As Escapade was on the hard in Croatia for the 2003-2004 winter we had to sail her around Italy in April, which was not nice due to bad weather. But that is another story.
By choosing the ship from Savona we had to go to Fort Lauderdale, Florida to take Escapade off one Dockwise ship and put her on another Dockwise ship bound for Vancouver. We utilized the 10 days between the ships to equip Escapade for Canada and the US as contrasted to Europe. Had we chosen the ship departing from Majorca, it would have been the same ship that went to Vancouver so unloading and loading would not have been necessary. Interestingly, there were only two boats (Escapade and a large power boat) on the ship from Savona as that is "against the flow" as most boats want to leave Florida just before the hurricane season. But the ship to Vancouver was totally full of small and large motorboats and sailboats. They were packed in just inches apart.
How did it work? Overall, the shipping achieved what we wanted. Escapade was delivered halfway around the world in two months (May 9 to July 5) suffering only minor damage. The starboard navigation light was knocked off and the mast had some scratches on it from the strap used by Dockwise to hold the boat upright. On the first voyage we avoided it by placing a soft towel around the mast. On the second voyage, the towel fell out probably because the Dockwise ship unloaded some boats in Mexico and the strap became loose during the process.
When loading in Savona there was a surge that worked its way into the ship. This caused Escapade to slam against the side of the ship but Escapade was not damaged because of her rub rail. Dockwise stated that Savona is one of their worst ports for swell. There were no problems in Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale) or Vancouver.
The ship's exhaust emits a lot of dirt so Dockwise washes the boats prior to their arrival. However, small particles of iron were still on the fiberglass and teak surfaces. Escapade had just been waxed and polished but she needed a complete rewax and polish to get the particles off. Some of the other boats had areas shrink-wrapped or had canvas covers, which is probably a good idea.
To minimize problems caused by the exhaust, of which we were aware, we removed all sails, the dodger, bimini and running rigging so they would not become dirty. We would take the same extra effort if we did it again. This action also reduces the weight aloft thus minimizing the forces on the boat if the ship encountered seas. In addition there were minimum levels of fuel and water in the tanks to reduce any sloshing action.
The issue that caused us the greatest concern and the most problems were the timing estimates versus the actual timing. It is absolutely essential that someone representing the boat be at the departure and arrival ports at the time the Dockwise ship is loading and unloading. Dockwise provides estimated "windows" for arrivals or departures that narrow as the actual day approaches. The problem was that the actual dates fell outside the original windows. However, we had made airline flight reservations well in advance. In Italy we ended up changing the flight three times. Plus, we needed hotel and car availability during the periods we had to wait. In Vancouver, I had scheduled my son and his family, including three grandsons, to join us for a weeks sail on Escapade. This was scheduled four days after the end of the window. In the event, Escapade did not arrive until three days into the planned sailing holiday. So we missed some sailing, and we all had to stay at a hotel while waiting for Dockwise.
In our experience Dockwise was never early. If we did it again, we would allow plenty of time even beyond the windows they predict. Flexible flight arrangements are far better than unchangeable flights. Make the reservations as late possible and have hotel arrangements organized for possible delays.
In summary, it did work and it is a way to move a boat long distances quickly. We would do it again if the circumstances were right. But it was a strange feeling to know that the shower we were taking in Florida was with Italian water!
