robust procedures in place to ensure the process works smoothly. All Sevenstar’s loadmasters, for instance, are part of the company, even if the ship is chartered. They are in charge of the process
as soon as the yacht is alongside the ship, making sure that slings and protection are in the right place, that the boat balances safely when lifted by the crane, and so on. ‘As soon as the slings are lifting the yacht it becomes our commitment,’ says Speet. ‘It then stays that way until the moment the yacht touches the water at the destination and the slings are no longer in tension.’ Loadmasters also have the authority to pause loading or unloading if the wind strength reaches pre-set limits. Before a yacht can be loaded,
a lot of action takes place behind the scenes. ‘As we work on the booking we gather asmuch technical information and data fromthe owner as possible,’ Speet says. ‘Our operations teamhere in Amsterdam then analyses it andmakes a detailed cradle, lifting and deck plan.’ Fortunately, it’s easy for raceboat
owners to supply the basic data needed to get an indicative price and make a booking, as key information is already on IRC rating certificates. The only caveat to this is that boats can be pretty lightweight when they are in measurement trim. Once you load sails, spares, tools, personal kit, fuel, water and so on, the total weight can increase a lot. ‘We also need to know whether
or not the mast will be stepped,’ says Speet. ‘If it’s down, or if a spare rig is to be shipped with the vessel,
Above left: Sevenstar’s scheduled routes include a monthly sailing from North Europe to the east coast of the US, three a year to the Caribbean via Southampton and return sailings back to the Med. Top right: Sevenstar’s Sander Speet (trimming) is a former pro sailor who still races on J Class and TP52 yachts
we need to know the overhangs and which side of the boat it will be on. The overall picture is a pretty big jigsaw puzzle that we need to solve in advance.’ Cradles are also important. To
ensure availability Sevenstar has three large warehouses around the world stocked with the company’s own Lloyd’s Register certified cradles that are inspected regularly. However, many owners prefer to use their own. These can be subjected to heavier dynamic loads than in a boatyard, so Sevenstar has a process to ensure there are all suitably strong and seaworthy. ‘We usually ask for engineering
drawings,’ says Speet, ‘or at least photos from all angles of both the cradle and the yacht on top of it. Sometimes we will then make recommendations to owners to beef up the cradle and run the NDT test of the welds.’ If a yacht is using her own cradle that can add a further layer to the logistics, especially if it needs to be delivered beforehand from a different port. The loading plan considers the
position of each yacht on the deck of the ship relative to each other and to the cranes. It also needs to look at how to put the yachts delicately onto their cradle, making sure they’re safe and seaworthy for the voyage. To prevent the movement of cradles at sea normal practice is to wedge them in place with substantial steel lugs that are welded to the deck of the ship. These are subsequently removed once the ship reaches the destination port. There’s often a lot of extra
equipment associated with shipping a racing yacht. For example, the cradle may have to be transported onwards after the yacht is discharged. It’s also quite common
for containers, spares, trailers and so on to need transport. These are usually shipped at the same time as the yacht but can go ahead to allow a raceboat’s shore team to get to work the moment the yacht is discharged and clears customs. Customs clearance is normally a
smooth formality, but it’s a process that needs to be addressed in advance. ‘We always offer customers contact details of our agents who specialise in clearing yachts, their spares,’ says Speet. ‘As a yacht owner, it’s very rare to encounter an issue if you have your documentation, including the vessel’s registration and all that kind of stuff in order.’ Obviously there's a reasonable
limit to the quantity of tools, spares, and bikes you want on board. For instance, one or two bikes for use around a marina is fine, but an entire yacht filled with new bikes would be different. ‘It’s always worth mentioning any extras on board,’ says Speet. ‘We will do the same when we hand our documentation to the customs agent. That way we all avoid running into surprises.’ What happens if there's an issue
with the weather? ‘We're pretty cautious when it comes to transporting boats in bad weather,’ says Speet. ‘Fortunately, forecasting these days is good enough to look five or six days ahead with reasonable confidence. If we see a potential problem developing we can alter the vessel’s course, or change speed, to avoid the middle of a storm, for example. It’s very similar to the way an Imoca 60 will route around bad weather and the routing programmes we use are very similar to those for sailing yachts, making more racing possible.’
sevenstar-yacht-transport.com ❑
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