Boat Pickup and Delivery

[Montanan]

Originally Posted by sainted

Make sure you have a means for receiving weather data, such as the IridiumGo coupled with Predictwind. You'll find it invaluable. Make sure you get it a week or so ahead of your departure so you can practice using it with support and broadband available.

Have a great trip.

Good point, the waters of the Caribbean Sea and the of Gulf of Mexico have been and are at a record high temperatures for this date of the season. Could be the energy driver responsible to instigate an earlier and more active storm season, up to an including hericanes and himacanes and genderneutralcanes. Never much fun to be experiencing the Name Game of storms at sea.

[Cpt Mark]

I too did deliveries of yachts for a long time. 8 "experienced" sailors on a 60 foot boat. My immediate take is way too many crew, sounds like a party which it won't be. I was Captain on a 1929 William Fife 95 sailing yacht going from Antigua to Newport RI via Bermuda. We had 8 of us on board. Our first mate, cook and Chief Stewardess were 3. I doubled as Captain/Engineer and I brought along 3 other Captains and 1 highly experienced sailor who'd sailed that boat extensively. A lot of people but as this was an original boat there was no autopilot which required 2 people to be on watch hand steering .
Who is going to be the Captain? That person is responsible for all of this. Whoever is the Captain needs to be an experienced Captain for this trip.

When offered a delivery I would always spend a full day on the boat inspecting everything, noting what was in what drawers etc. Not just the rigging, engine(s) etc all of which I also did. Fuel polishing was required. Stores I'd bring were tools to get the engine running SAE and Metric. Screwdrivers etc. Basic stuff and a multimeter, wire stripper, some crimp on connectors etc. It really helps if you know how to use all of this as well.
Fuel filters. Lots. On your proposed trip I'd bring a dozen.
What type/length of spare lines and halyards are aboard?
Anchors. How many? Sized appropriately? Chain? Rope, Chain/rope? Pull it all out on the dock and inspect it also noting that it is in fact connected to the inside of the boat. I had 1 owner's rep pull the anchor and chain out to wash it. He put it back in not knowing what he was doing. He reloaded it backwards so the part connecting the chain to the anchor was buried under all of the chain. We hit a really bad storm, had to duck into a cove for 2 days and when it was dark and stormy was when we figured out his mistake.
Is the dishware, cooking equipment on board? How much refer/freezer space do you have?
Go run the boat. Do a sea trial. See what works and what doesn't.
Duct tape. Gorilla brand. Huge roll.

Food. A well fed crew is a happy crew. I'd give my crew a shopping cart, go into the most expensive store and tell them to put what they wanted in it. $20 lb scallops? Sure. $25 lb steak, yep. Owner's paying for all of it and I always brought more than we would need just in case.
Alcohol. Dry boat or not?

Back to Captain. Is the owner going to be on board? If said owner is not a licensed Captain and they expect to be the Captain because they own the boat, I'd pass.

Not quite what you asked for but maybe this will give you some things to think about.

[mvmojo]

As another post said, you'll likely be boarded by USCG before you make landfall in the US. Make sure you give all "touch" surfaces on the boat a good wipe down with soapy water before leaving - USCG loves to do wipe tests of companionway's, overheads, fiddles etc. looking for drug residue. If found, they can tear the boat apart looking for drugs...

[Apollo366]

I just used her Provisioning list for 2 for 4 mos, modified to taste
It helped me get the basics, for that large a. Crew you should also pack for a week at. A time
Good luck and it may take twice the time you think
Please let us know how it went overall
Good luck
Capt Wayne

[Paul Howard]

It is stated that this is anew boat you are picking up, but do you mean new to the present owner?
Any boat that has sat around in the tropics with diesel fuel in the tank may have algae in the tanks and other sediment that comes onboard with dirty fuel.

You will likely have some turbulent weather getting away from Panama that will stir up the fuel in the tanks and could clog the filters. Take lots of extra fuel filters.

If the boat has been setting in the yard for a while, empty the tanks and clean the fuel and the tanks.
At the minimum I would set up an outboard engine 5gal. tank with squeeze bulb primer to use as a temporary fuel tank. Make up some hose fittings so you can connect to the intake side of the fuel filters. And some gerry cans of diesel, too.

[Montanan]

Originally Posted by mindsofman

Oooppss,,That's BOARDED..

LMAO.

Loads of hoarding has occurred but with all the lockdowns not much in the way of boarding.

Note: A number of countries have restrictions in place prohibiting any and all new boardings to a vessel. No additions of crew or of passengers, the persons on the vessels have to stay on the vessel and no one else may go aboard for any reason. Not for provisioning, or for maintenance, or staffing for a sojourn.

Until the pandemic restrictions are eased, it is not a time for making passages, especially non-essential passages such as delivery of a boat.

For cruisers that are lockdown at anchor or a marina, making a repatriation passage to their home country or the vessels flag country may become a pragmatic undertaking, but to undertake such to just move a thing from point A to a point B, frankly just doesn't pass any and all pandemic protocols. I read and hear from cruisers [I am in communication with two boats with friends on board in the windward isles] who are locked in place in the caribbean and are concerned about hurricane season slowly advancing and wondering what they should do and what they could do. Presently not much other than sit at anchor. There being no entry or disembarking in many countries, no transiting through or within allowed, no boatyards operational, no repatriating flights. Some have concern about their insurance policies covenants requiring the vessel to be "outside the box" for specific calendar dates and some are considering a sojourn based on that calendaring timeline. One of the first rules for Mariners, never schedule around a calendar event, weather winds yes, dates never.

And given the virus knows no boundaries, and establishes its own timeline, I perceive we are in for a long period of a new normality. Given there is no known effective therapeutic or a safe and effective vaccine and that there is no evidence yet of immunity derived from having had Covid-19, there is only non-pharmaceutical interventions that can be deployed. There is nothing in the foreseeable future that will change the fact that the world has only non-pharmaceutical interventions as management tools to mitigate this pandemic.

[Dr. Sea]

Currently cruisers are required to have a 14-day quarantine while on their boat when they enter Panama. I'm not sure what the requirement is for people who arrive by air, but you need to be absolutely sure of it and plan your schedule accordingly.

[expatria]

From reading all the expert advice above, it seems you might want to consider the option of having the boat delivered on a Yacht Transport vessel. I recently shipped my Xp38 from Denmark to New Zealand and used Sevenstar Yacht Transport. Sure we're talking different distances, but still, taking into account yr flights, food, safety equipment, checks of all the boat's gear, possible storms (hurricanes!), etc. etc. and the general wear and tear the boat is going to experience. You'd be better off having the boat shipped and do some comfortable cruising in known and safe waters once the boat is at it's new destination. Just a thought!
Good luck and keep safe.

[Dr. Sea]

Originally Posted by expatria

From reading all the expert advice above, it seems you might want to consider the option of having the boat delivered on a Yacht Transport vessel.

This may be the best advice offered yet. Yeah, not as exciting as sailing the boat back, but probably more practical, and definitely fewer potential problems. If the owner doesn't want the cost of the transport, and the crew wants the adventure, then consider leaving the boat in Panama for the time being. Panama is technically in the hurricane zone in terms of latitude, but there hasn't been a hurricane there in a hundred years. Humidity is an issue, but a dehumidifier or two can take care of that. Then when the weather is in a better season and the coronavirus restrictions have lessened, enjoy a good long ocean voyage.

[Scotty Kiwi]

There's plenty of websites on provisioning and plenty of checklists. Some things I have found to be often left out include:
- spare parts for fishing rod/reel
- time in port of departure to sample the local food brands - esp say the emergency canned food ... eg there's good canned stew, and bad canned stew etc etc
- sizing the storage containers to fit the stowage spaces, and to be free of rattle noise.

[Montanan]

The owner AND the master of the vessel need to address the employer liability exposure and responsibilities for the crew as to ordinary maritime hazards and additionally as to Covid-19. A vessel delivery over a long passage inherently invokes considerable risks to the employees involved in the task. And there is the added attribute of taking on the liability for repatriation of the crew back to their home country and for medical expenses.

Note: The POTUS is considering issuing an Executive Order regarding limitations as to employer liability claims, that would seemingly be IF an employer was to fulfill all CDC safety guidelines. A major uncertainty underlying all business decisions as to whether or how to reopen.

My brother is a senior executive at Smithfield Foods, whose meat processing plants employees are getting hit hard with the virus and being shutdown due to safety concerns, insufficiency of available workers and due to State and local government public health officials trying to stamp out contagion hotspots. Yes, this involves a tradeoff of endangering workers and endangering the nation's food supply. Very few places of employment have the capacity for social distancing protocols, there is a need for considerable layout redesign and changes of employee routines and behavior.

I perceive it would be wisest to just have the boat transported by ship from Panama to a port destination in the USA. A most assured path, albeit I suspect that many, if not most boat yards are closed and commercial docks are likewise constrained. Cargo ships are having a great deal of difficulty with rotating their crews because many countries do not allow the ships crew to disembark and require absolute minimum engagement with shore based personnel and even with ship pilots that routinely come aboard to navigate the vessel into a port.

FYI:

DEFINITIONS
46 US Code (USC) 2101, 46 Code of Federal
Regulations (CFR) 175.400,

Passenger: means an individual carried on a vessel,
except: (1) The owner or an individual representative
of the owner, or in the case of a vessel under charter,
an individual charterer or individual representative
of the charterer. (2) The Master; or (3) A member of
the crew engaged in the business of the vessel who
has not contributed consideration for carriage and
who is paid for on board services.

Passenger for Hire: means a passenger for whom
consideration is contributed as a condition of
carriage on the vessel, whether directly or
indirectly flowing to the owner, charterer,
operator, agent, or any other person having an interest in the vessel.

Consideration: means an economic benefit, inducement, right, or profit, including pecuniary payment
accruing to an individual, person, or entity but not
including a voluntary sharing of the actual expenses
of the voyage by monetary contribution or donation
of food, fuel, beverage, or other supplies.

Recreational Vessel: means a vessel - (A) being
manufactured or operated primarily for pleasure; or
(B) leased, rented, or chartered to another for the
latter’s pleasure.

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by jmh1218

Group of experienced sailors headed to Panama to pick up a new boat that was purchased for a friend and sail back to New York late spring / early summer. Wondering if anyone has found a good list that we can check our provisions against prior to leaving for Panama (will be shipping equipment down) to check against. Boat is 60ft monohull. 8 of us sailing it back. Worried we are going to forget something important, hence the question.

New boat as from the factory or used boat new to this owner? Do you have a credible inventory of what is on board? You have too problems: not forgetting anything and bringing too much. No one needs eleven handheld VHF radios.

Y'all may be experienced sailors but from your posts NOT experienced delivery crew. Maybe you're checking up as crew for an experienced delivery skipper which is good judgment. Under normal circumstances a delivery is an exercise in logistics. Circumstances are far from normal. I'm a very active delivery skipper and have done a number of COVID-19 deliveries, one of some distance. I'm leaving this coming weekend on a second long one.

Your statement about waiting for things to open up is all well and good, but no switch is going to be flipped. Lots of issues will remain and you won't know some of them until they hit you. Provisions, fuel, and water are big ones. Tools. Spares. Errors in the survey report.

Eight is a big crew. Why so many? Skipper, three watchstanders, three bridge watchstanders, and a cook? Planning for no-shows? What's going on there? No autopilot?

Originally Posted by jmh1218

Paperwork would be taken care of by the owner so not so worried about that aspect

You should be worried. What qualifies the owner? Vessel documentation in order? Import papers for gear? Visas? Export? Zarpe? Experience shipping food in across borders? S/he may be owner but y'all are the ones at the pointy end of the stick.

I have lists. I started with stuff in books pre-Internet and built them up over time. I have new lists for travel in COVID-19 that draw from experience when I worked for USG and did similar work shipping things in with no recourse if we got it wrong.

Originally Posted by sainted

Make sure you have a means for receiving weather data, such as the IridiumGo coupled with Predictwind. You'll find it invaluable. Make sure you get it a week or so ahead of your departure so you can practice using it with support and broadband available.

Agree on weather. Disagree on gribs. WEFAX for synoptics. Add backup nav for the boat and backup for backup.

I don't mean any disrespect. You don't sound ready for this trip, certainly under the circumstances.

[RobPatterson]

I did the run from Panama to St Augustine, Florida at the end of May in 2018. The trip took 10-days. This was before the start of hurricane season. We encountered the incipient stage of tropical storm Alberto while in the straits of Florida, surrounded by squalls. We sailed through and it chased us up the coast. We listened to weather broadcasts continuously while off the east coast and heard small craft advisories and entrance/channel closed announcements at every place we passed until we were north of cape Canaveral.

Sailing north in the gulfstream, south of cape Hatteras, a north or north east wind will beat you up but otherwise it will be delightful.

My suggestion is to watch the weather and have flexibility to alter your schedule.

[rhpike]

Just my humble opinion.
1. If you have to ask, you are not qualified for a long voyage on a boat that you will not be familiar with.
2. I know a professional delivery captain. He does a close exam of every boat before leaving the dock, and usually finds several things that require repair. So, either have a good repairman/ mechanic on your crew, or have the owner's credit card number with you.

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by rhpike

Just my humble opinion.
1. If you have to ask, you are not qualified for a long voyage on a boat that you will not be familiar with.
2. I know a professional delivery captain. He does a close exam of every boat before leaving the dock, and usually finds several things that require repair. So, either have a good repairman/ mechanic on your crew, or have the owner's credit card number with you.

I think in fairness to the OP he may well be qualified for the trip. It is the prep and logistics that worry me. What we don't know is whether he's (gender assumption) working under a skipper who knows the job and is checking on guidance and trying to help or if this is a boy's cruise. Eight person crew makes me worry.

I am a professional delivery skipper and do a close exam. There are still often surprises. Credit card info sufficient for pretty serious identity theft *grin* is the norm. Some of my repeat customers have issued me a hard card.

Really having trouble wrapping my head around eight crew. I've done big crews before. They've all been as much training as staffing. In a COVID-19 world extra bodies are moving parts that could go wrong. I'd go with four. I could be talked into five if a good, experienced underway cook was found. There would be a test. Too many people think they can cook and mac & cheese comes out of a blue box. *sigh*