Which solutions to transport your boat?
Not all boaters can afford to take several months to move their boat from one sailing basin to another, especially when crossing one or more oceans. Whether it's a delivery for work, a purchase in a distant port or to discover new destinations, it is necessary to call upon third party companies to ensure the transit of the boat.
For small distances and small boats, transport on a trailer is possible, but in the vast majority of cases, two solutions are possible. In the first case, a skipper and a crew can be hired to transport the boat independently. In the other case, the boat is loaded on a transport ship which ensures the crossing.
Growing economic interest in seafaring
Whatever the solution, the budget of a convoy is not negligible. All the more reason to keep it to a minimum. In the current context, the economic argument is without question on the side of autonomous navigation with professional sailors. "Since the beginning of the crisis and the soaring cost of maritime transport in 2020, as well as oil, the price of transport by cargo has almost doubled - twice as expensive for a monohull and four times as expensive for a catamaran. While before the crisis, the total cost, taking into account the inevitable repairs after delivery, was quite close to that of a cargo ship, the price of a delivery by a skipper is now much cheaper, as it has hardly changed. We used to talk about 20,000 euros for a catamaran transatlantic crossing by cargo ship, whereas today we are more like 60,000 euros," reports Emeric Leveau-Vallier, founder of the Capt'n Boat platform, which puts professional sailors and yacht owners in touch with each other.
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Logistical ease and safety of the boat
From an operational point of view, convoying by sea also has its advantages. While cargo ships require you to bring your boat to a large port of departure in the Mediterranean or Northern Europe, and therefore sometimes to call on a sailor, the skipper who will convoy your boat will make exactly the crossing you require, from your port of departure to your new destination. "Once the crew is found, there are no more logistics to manage" underlines Emeric Leveau-Vallier.
If the sailboat or the motorboat in long and deep-sea navigation gets tired, takes longer than the cargo ship and necessarily faces slight breakages, it does not require important handling and craning with the inherent risks. It is also not exposed to theft of equipment and fittings on board and in transit areas.
An identified and competent contact for pleasure craft
Once a professional and experienced yachtsman has been recruited, the owner begins a relationship of trust with a well identified contact person. He thus assumes responsibility for the events on board and will have no interest in hiding the problems encountered. "There is always an exchange before the delivery and we can see each other on the quay before the departure. The sailor can even be an ally of choice to make a boat reliable during the delivery of a new or recently acquired second-hand unit" concludes the founder of Capt'n Boat.
Capt'n Boat offers a free quote tool to estimate the cost of a professional crew ferry.
