‘We have one rigging setup that fits
most of the yachts,’ Le Bihan says. ‘The big challenge is to deliver a constant streamof yachts for loading, with one arriving alongside the ship every 25minutes to be lifted onto the weather deck.We have several professional crews who deliver the yachts fromthemarina. This year we’ve got a pontoon anchored near the ship where we can hold a buffer of two or three yachts to keep the operation running constantly.’ While private owners or their
skippers are responsible for delivering their yacht alongside Sevenstar’s ship for transport, with a racing fleet the service starts much earlier. When all the yachts have arrived, the sailors have a briefing with Sevenstar’s agents, then they attend the prizegiving for the race and fly straight home. ‘They literally drop off their boat keys at our agent’s office in Le Marin and collect them back in Lorient on arrival,’ Le Bihan says. ‘We tell the Transquadra racers
to prepare their boats as if they were going to winterise them. Our vessels are quite fast – average speed on this route is 15-17kts – and with a strong contrary trade wind you can get 35kts apparent on deck. That’s the sort of wind you need to prepare for in winter when your boat is laid up ashore or afloat in its berth, and that’s basically what we ask. We give each owner a checklist and when the yacht is ready we send a technician from our agency in Le Marin to go on board and make sure everything is properly prepared.’ ‘From there we take care of
everything. We store the yacht in the marina of Le Marin, we arrange a survey during that period, we get a professional skipper and crew to deliver the yacht alongside our ship, we take care of the paperwork for customs clearance. It’s really a turnkey solution.’ Yachts are nearly always carried
on deck, he explains. Occasionally they go in the hold with other cargo, but only when space is tight or the mast is already un-stepped. For example Arnaud Boissières’ Imoca was on the same ship as the Transquadra fleet but carried down below, after losing its mast in the Vendée Globe. Shipping the Transquadra yachts
mast-up is a major advantage for their owners, Le Bihan says, because many of them are keen to enter Spi Ouest – by far the biggest regatta on the west coast of France – which starts very soon after the ship arrives in Lorient. ‘The same goes for some of our private clients who have their yacht in the Caribbean for Antigua Sailing Week,’
Above and right: nearly all yachts are transported on deck with their masts up but they can also be carried in the hold with the mast down. Here Arnaud Boissières’ dismasted Imoca and a cruising cat are loaded onto the same ship as the 25 Transquadra yachts
he says. ‘We get the boat back home just in time for Spi Ouest.’ Sevenstar is part of the Spliethoff
Group, a major shipowner, most of whose 140 ships are equipped with powerful cranes and have outside deck space optimised for carrying yachts. When they lift a yacht on or off the ship, its backstay is removed temporarily and then re-attached but the rest of the rig is left intact. Unloading takes just two days in total and many of the yachts returning from the Caribbean with the Transquadra fleet sail immediately to La Trinité for the start of Spi Ouest with no re-rigging and very little rig tuning required. Sevenstar’s motto, “We make more racing possible”, reflects the speed of the service. ‘On arrival it’s plug and play,’ Le Bihan says. ‘They can do their next race in a couple of days, after just putting the sails back on.’ Weather conditions can cause a
delay, both at sea and in port – as every sailor knows – but a sensible amount of slack is built into the schedule and the loading and unloading operations can generally proceed in winds up to 25 or 30kts. ‘Beyond that it depends on the local conditions, whether it’s sheltered or not.’ Occasionally, striking dock workers can cause disruption and
the fading operation is moved to a different port. ‘The most important thing is to anticipate any potential problems and maintain constant communication with all of our suppliers and stakeholders,’ Le Bihan says. In ports where large racing fleets are unloaded and unloaded, Sevenstar’s agents are made aware of all requirements for the operation months in advance. For the Transquadra fleet and
most private owners, Sevenstar’s head office ensures that a suitable cradle for each boat is provided as part of the service. For other transports like one of Le Bihan’s next projects, shipping the Figaro 3 fleet home to France at the end of the Transat Paprec, every boat has its own specific cradle that must be collected in advance, checked and shipped to the pick-up point at the end of the race. For the Figaro 3s, this is Pointe-à-Pitre in Guadeloupe. ‘The fact that I’m a racing sailor
myself brings me a better understanding of the service I need to provide in my job,’ Le Bihan says. ‘I sail a Mini 6.50 based in Douarnenez and last year I raced in the Mini Fastnet. I’m passionate about sailing and also passionate about my work.’
www.sevenstar-yacht-transport.com❑
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