From Gran Canaria to Menorca...

Halcyon Yachts

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www.halcyonyachts.com
I recently delivered a Trader 54 from Gran Canaria to Menorca. It wasn't an easy trip. Lots of fog off the Morrocan Coast, terrible winds and large swell along the South Coast of Spain. 1300 miles ended up taking nearly 3 weeks. Still though, this gave me a good chance to make a little film along the way:


It's a different style to my usual films - I hope you like it!

Pete
 
Another excellent video. One thing has always intrigued me about delivery trips and delivery skippers. Before you set out on these long offshore passages how on earth do you know what condition the boat is in and whether it is mechanically capable of making the trip, given that you've probably never seen it before? Obviously you carry out the normal checks but is that usually enough? Have you ever got to a boat and refused to leave the marina in it? Have you ever been stranded mid ocean?
 
+1 to what Deleted User said.
Regardless, a well cut, nicely commented and inspiring video!
Well, maybe aside from the onboard menu, if the dish at 3:08 is anything to go by... :p :D
 
We were in Cadiz and a delivery crew were abandoning (by arrangement) a sailing boat that they were supposed to be delivering from Greece to N Europe.

They said that after repeated failure of gear, continual soaking of bedding from leaks, and an unreliable motor, they had advised the owner that the boat needed work in a boatyard before it could make the rest of the journey. I guess that they didn't fancy Biscay in that boat which looked somewhat neglected.

They had lasted it out about half way and a few weeks though before they gave up.

Garold
 
Another excellent video. One thing has always intrigued me about delivery trips and delivery skippers. Before you set out on these long offshore passages how on earth do you know what condition the boat is in and whether it is mechanically capable of making the trip, given that you've probably never seen it before? Obviously you carry out the normal checks but is that usually enough? Have you ever got to a boat and refused to leave the marina in it? Have you ever been stranded mid ocean?

Thank you (and everyone else) for your kind comments about the film!

The answer is that we often don't know what condition the boat is in. Surveys etc (if present) are always useful. We always send a predelivery check sheet in advance to the owner as well, and then when we get onboard we run through all the systems and check as much as we can. For a boat that hasn't been anywhere for a while it is always possible that issues will come to light once you are underway. I've never been stranded and I have never refused to take a vessel. I have turned up for deliveries and realised that work needs doing before we can set off, in which case we do the work!

Here is one of my favourite videos about a very challenging delivery. An old wooden trawler that hadn't been out to sea for over 5 years. Lots of issues along the way. All sorted though and the boat eventually arrived back in the UK...


Pete
 
These are great films but the second one needs more information. What happened to the engine? Also do you think that bringing that fishing boat back was economically viable?
 
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