How to pick a Delivery Captain???

[StuM]

Originally Posted by mindsofman

I've been moving boats, worldwide, for over
40 years now,Power and Sail.
..
Most of my deliveries are done Solo, even off shore trips.

First criterion for selecting a Delivery Captain;

Choose one that complies with Rule 5:
Every vessel shall at all times maintain a proper look-out by sight and hearing ...

[Davie J.]

Originally Posted by mindsofman

I've been moving boats, worldwide, for over
40 years now,Power and Sail.
In this time I've yet to damage a clients vessel
or log an Insurance claim.
Most of my deliveries are done Solo, even off
shore trips. I have good coveridge with a top
Insurance company and their recommendation
satisfies the demands of other Brokers.
most of what i find is required by owners and
their concerns is (1) multiple referances
(2) Ins. Coverage, (3) Experiance (4) knowledge
of Boats and their systems, (5) Area knowledge
etc..
Pricing is important but the safety of their
vessel is a priority...
I get calls from "Captains" that spend their
days sitting in Bar's, wanting to know if i
will give them a delivery, sorry, it aint going
to happen. Once years ago, i did, it cost me
about $12k,,never again.
So, priority for a Delivery Captain.
Safety Oriented.
Experianced.
Insured.
Mechanical/Electrical knowledge
And yes, a good sense of humour,, you need
it to deal with some of those owners.

I'm surprised you have insurance for someone else's boat. I have known for years that insurance companies will not write policies for delivery captains. The insurance MUST be provided by the boat owner. Under the Jones Act, 46 U.S.C. § 30104, the owner of the vessel is considered the employer of the delivery crew and, as such, is the responsible party. A number of years ago, I tried to purchase additional insurance that would cover me as the delivery captain to work as an "umbrella" to cover any disputable circumstances. I could not find a company that would write the insurance even though I have considerable experience as a 100 ton licensed captain.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Davie J.

I'm surprised you have insurance for someone else's boat. I have known for years that insurance companies will not write policies for delivery captains. The insurance MUST be provided by the boat owner.

He's probably talking about personal liability insurance. As you say, you can't insure a boat you don't own.

Here's a couple of companies that provide personal liability for delivery skippers:

https://www.offshorerisk.com/en/char...y-insurance-2/

https://www.pantaenius.com/de-en/ins...per-liability/


(It's not protection for the owner, it's protection for the skipper.)

[Captain Anthony]

Following

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by mvweebles

This makes no sense to me - a delivery captain insuring a customers boat (as if he has an insurable interest) and providing sea tow; and I seem to recall first post said offshore deliveries are mostly single handed.

No and yes. I at least get listed as a named insured on the owner's policy. Usually the company wants a resume (the big companies all know me already). Usually there is no additional cost.

Towing insurance is a different matter. The owner's policy doesn't apply unless s/he is aboard. The skipper is well served to have their own. Regular consumer towing isn't valid. You need commercial cover. TowboatUS has recently suspended their program.

Originally Posted by StuM

First criterion for selecting a Delivery Captain;

Choose one that complies with Rule 5:
Every vessel shall at all times maintain a proper look-out by sight and hearing ...

Darn tootin'. I'll single hand for local runs but nothing of substance. Annapolis to Norfolk is as far as I'll go alone. Two people okay for two days. Four from there. 4-on/8-off with me out of rotation cooking, navigating, and doing weather. I've run seven days offshore single handed on my own boat. I would NEVER go offshore alone in someone elses' boat.

[mvweebles]

Auspicious - you come across as a nice guy. And you've probably worked with a ton of newly minted boat owners. Outside of close-connected recommendation, which not everyone has, any sage words for someone trying to vet a delivery captain? Get past the reference who's really a buddy with a cell phone?

There's a saying out west about BS-ers who are 'all hat and no cattle.' The normal questions - how many deliveries have you done, how long have been doing it, etc. will likely elicit a rehearsed answer "Been at it for 40-years. Carry my own insurance!" But how do you get past that? Best I could think of is some documentation that they either have or they don't, such as the info packet you likely have at the ready for an insurance company (I had one too).

Thoughts?

Peter

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by mvweebles

Auspicious - you come across as a nice guy. And you've probably worked with a ton of newly minted boat owners. Outside of close-connected recommendation, which not everyone has, any sage words for someone trying to vet a delivery captain?

Hi Peter,

Good question. From the skipper side, I try to present answers to questions before the owner/customer asks, or even knows the question exists. I have a resume with a representative sampling of past deliveries (50? Something like that.). I present a fairly detailed proposal that talks about travel, prep, provisioning, what happens if something goes wrong, deposits, fuel payment, routing, pilot chart weather, final payment, probably other things - I built a template that I update for each opportunity. In the proposal I talk about daily email on a subject of the day that goes to all crew and owners in the two weeks before departure, even if owners will not be aboard. Those are templates also but are customized for each trip. That means crew and owners have each others' email addresses and I ask them to direct questions through me. This act of faith is returned.

I have lots of stories from past experience, each with a moral. When a customer or prospective customer has a question I haven't already addressed I usually have an illustrative story to go with the answer which seems to lend credibility.

My upfront custom documentation is sometimes reviewed by the owners' insurance company and I've never been turned down. For some of the bigger companies I don't think they even read it anymore. My name pops up and they tick the box.

From the customer's perspective I'm pretty confident my level of upfront documentation is unusual and perhaps unique. I would approach selecting a skipper the same way most of us select crew. You sort all the expressions of interest and schedule phone calls. The interview on that call goes in both directions - you are vetting the skipper and the skipper is vetting you. Owners should realize that there are a lot of logistics in a delivery that extend well beyond sailing the boat. Is the skipper organized? Does s/he seem open and transparent? Does s/he have a plan? Is there a solid estimate for costs? An estimate is still an estimate and things change but there should be more than arm waving. How long is the trip? What gets charged and what does not? What is the plan for weather forecasting? Are ocean currents relevant? If it's inshore (like the AICW) how far do they plan to go each day? Is it achievable and based on experience? Marinas or anchor out? The best wrap up question I can think of is "what did I not ask you that I should have?"

Is the skipper professional? A real email address or billybob3853@hotmail.com? Does s/he take credit cards?

I'm really an offshore guy but I do take ICW work. I've been underbid on that and gotten called back by the owner because the "cheaper" guy was making 40 sm/day and stopping in marinas every night. I can do double that most of the year and anchor out. Suddenly I look cheap.

Oh - owners should ask about fuel management plans. Not just paying for it, but avoiding extra stops (time is money) or running out of fuel. I have a calibrating spreadsheet for mine. Again, I'm an odd duck.

In the end, the owners are entrusting the skipper with a substantial asset and needs to be comfortable with their choice. Don't be steamrollered by bluster or gaslighting.

On a recent delivery my customer (his third time with me) was preparing to send me a credit card for the trip. His fiance expressed some concern. He pointed out I was being trusted with half a million dollars worth of boat so an $8,000 credit card wasn't really relevant. *grin*

I really enjoy owner-aboard deliveries. I like teaching and I'm pretty good at it. I have a lot of material already prepared from webinars and magazine articles and boat show talks. We always have a talk about who is in charge. They're the owners - if they decide to go to Block Island instead of Bermuda then weather permitting that's fine. I decide how to get there. That discussion always goes pretty well for me. The credit card guy above has sailed with me twice. Other owner-aboard owners have sent me a good bit of work. Those folks really get a chance to see me work and make wonderful references.

In the end, the owner has to decide which skipper candidate s/he is most comfortable with. There is a leap of faith. You can only hope it is justified.

best, dave

[boatman61]

Create a Web site and list a history of deliveries, qualifications and some personal info, a few references and other things an owner may desire like the facility of vessel tracking.
Gives an owner something to browse and the same for his insurance company.

[mvweebles]

Originally Posted by Auspicious

Hi Peter,

Good question. From the skipper side, I try to present answers to questions before the owner/customer asks, or even knows the question exists. I have a resume with a representative sampling of past deliveries (50? Something like that.).
<SNIPPED>
In the end, the owner has to decide which skipper candidate s/he is most comfortable with. There is a leap of faith. You can only hope it is justified.

best, dave

Really good post Dave. For anyone who is looking for a delivery captain, this post gives a lot of information about how someone develops and maintains their delivery business and shows a certain level of commitment to the industry as a professional.

[Godshalk]

I am about to hire a delivery captain who otherwise checks out very well but his Yachtmaster expired a year ago - should I care?

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by Godshalk

I am about to hire a delivery captain who otherwise checks out very well but his Yachtmaster expired a year ago - should I care?

I would say no, you should not care. The paper is less important by a big stretch than experience and skill, and as I wrote above, the organizational skills for a successful trip.

Ask him why he let it expire and evaluate the answer, not the expiration.

[Godshalk]

That was my reaction, just wondering about insurance. And, as another commenter said, how/why did he let it expire (and not mention it before I noticed)?

You have been very helpful, a great guide and example. Thank you.

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by Godshalk

You have been very helpful, a great guide and example. Thank you.

I'm happy to help. I'm really slow with PMs, so if you have questions offline write me dave@auspiciousworks.com

[Snore]

How would I pick one?

Having a license is the minimum. Having a lic for 12 years just means you renewed it.

Proof of the passages (s)he has done. It is the reason I keep my track logs. It proves what I have done.

References- what do you customers say about the person?

Safety- IMHO good captains are keen on safety.

Communications- you are about to give this person control of $100-$1.5mil asset. If things go badly, they should have a means of contacting you. I am 2/3 through a delivery where the no-drip failed (long story). Using my iridium go I contacted my wife, marina, tow company and eventually the USCG. All through emails using the GO. Our arrival at Key West went like clockwork. We were hanging in the slings within 10 minutes of arriving at the marina. All because everyone knew what was happening ahead of time. We now have a great story to tell versus doing an insurance claim.

[LittleWing77]

Originally Posted by Godshalk

That was my reaction, just wondering about insurance. And, as another commenter said, how/why did he let it expire (and not mention it before I noticed)?

You have been very helpful, a great guide and example. Thank you.

Not to split hairs too much, but a small correction: once a Yachtmaster, always a Yachtmaster.

What your skipper let lapse us his commercial endorsement. I did the same. It's a lot of hoops to jump through just to keep a piece of paper "current". At the time, I thought I'd had enough of all the paperwork and proving myself by little bits of paper!

In retrospect, I should have kept my paperwork up-to-date, but it doesn't subtract my years of sailing and amount of sea miles.

Sorry to go on about myself - but I thought it might be illustrative of your (potential) delivery skipper's reasoning.

Warmly,
LittleWing77