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Long-distance transport for a multihull: cargo ship or delivery

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For transport by cargo ship, by Mathieu Le Bihan 

Coming from the shipping world, Matthieu spent several years as an expatriate, between the Caribbean and South America. His role: to organize the merchant ships’ stopovers, on behalf of a French shipowner. In 2011, on returning to Brittany, he specialized in ocean racing logistics, and organized transport by freighter for the Transat AG2R, Mini Transat and Route du Rhum fleets. At the end of 2016, he joined the Sevenstar Yacht Transport group, the world leader in yacht transport.

Leisure sailing has entered directly into the plug-and-play era.For a good number of sailors, crossing an ocean is no longer a Grail in itself; it is even felt to be a time constraint and a not-inconsiderable risk factor (human and equipment). Maritime boat transport is logically in keeping with this search for immediate pleasure and cruising with no constraints. It allows fast, safe access to the ultramarine cruising areas that many leisure sailors only touch with their fingertips on the glossy pages of their specialized magazines. Few of them sail there. Thanks to transport by freighter, this dream becomes reality: the islands and lagoons are yours! Forget the dull winter weather, next season you will be cruising in the Adriatic, in Polynesia, or towards Phuket. The range of possibilities opens up to you; the only limit is your imagination!

 

Transport by freighter: The fast, reliable and accessible solution

Fast: Nowadays, in under 15 days, your catamaran, firmly secured to the deck of the freighter, will do the trip from La Rochelle to the West Indies or Florida, safely. After 35 days' transport, you will have the pleasure of dropping anchor at Papeete, Sydney, or Singapore. Allow 20 to 30 days extra for a crewed delivery, if there are no problems on the way…

Reliable and safe: transport by freighter frees you of the risks inherent in a crewed delivery trip: unfavorable winds, flat calm, and the ensuing delays. It also offers the undeniable advantage of protecting your multihull from the wear and tear of an ocean crossing: rig, sails, engines and structure will not be used during the voyage.

Accessible: contrary to received ideas, transport by cargo ship is not only reserved for superyacht owners. Today, the transport budget for a 40-foot catamaran to cross the Atlantic is around 15,000 euros, including all expenses – a cost comparable to that of a delivery by a professional crew, minus the sailing risks, the fuel consumed and the wear and tear on all the equipment.

In conclusion: for an equivalent budget, the scales weigh clearly in favor of transport by freighter. More and more owners want to protect their nautical assets and take full advantage of their leisure time, so they choose this solution. For those who have a taste for risk and prefer the unforeseen, the unknown…crewed delivery could be an option.

For delivery accompanied by a skipper, by Marc Peeters

Marc Peeters is a skipper with a ...

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