Sailboat Delivery to Race Location and Back Home: Let's Discuss!

[Wind Expedition]

Fellow sailors and racing enthusiasts,

I've been thinking about an interesting aspect of the competitive sailing world that doesn't get much attention: the logistics of getting boats to and from regattas. Many prestigious races are held in fantastic locations around the globe, but not every owner or crew has the time to sail their boat to the starting line and back home afterward.

This got me wondering:

1. How do you handle getting your boat to distant regattas? Do you sail it yourself, hire a delivery crew, or use some other method?

2. What challenges have you faced in transporting your racing boat to events?

3. For those who've used professional delivery services, what was your experience like? Any tips or warnings to share?

4. How do you balance the cost of delivery against the benefits of participating in far-flung regattas?

5. Are there any innovative solutions you've come across for this problem?
How do insurance and liability issues factor into your decision-making process?

I'm really curious to hear about your experiences and thoughts on this topic. Whether you're an occasional weekend racer or a seasoned pro, your insights could be valuable to the community.

[Reeve21]

My brother in law crews on a large offshore racing boat based in the Chesapeake. They do a lot of the big east coast races.

There are actually 2 teams of crew members, and they alternate racing. So one team will transit the boat to the race, and the team other flies or drives in to do the race. That is probably an oversimplification of how it works, but I know he spends a good amount of time on the boat not actually racing. When they transit the boat they are underway 24/7 unless weather puts them in port or they need fuel.

They have a set of cruising sails that they use for the transits.

[Tupaia]

Many of the international classes for multihulls at least are designed to fit into a standard shipping container. Example Formula 40 trimarans.

[leecea]

...that doesn't get much attention

I would imagine it get's a lot of attention from sailing teams and they have a process that fits their budget.