We are on another delivery to Palm Beach. Easy trip you might say but then she must be prepared as deck freight, shipping to the new owner in Australia!
Curtis Stokes, a Global Yacht Broker has asked us to deliver a Trojan Sportfisherman from Fort Pierce, FL to Palm Beach, FL. He arranges for the former owner to be aboard allowing for a thorough review of the boat before we cast off. It helps to learn the “secrets” about a boat before we run it but we don’t always have this luxury. Now we can write a narrative as a reference for the new owner in Australia. We hope this step by step operation plan will help ease his anxiety when he receives his boat from the ship in a few weeks.
Our plan is to review systems, cast off and head for Lake Worth Inlet. But first we need a bit more diesel for the ocean run south. We want to get more comfortable and trust the systems aboard so we make the initial run 18 miles down the ICW to Stuart, FL before heading out the St. Lucie Inlet. We take a peek at the ocean conditions and decide on an unobstructed cruise to Palm Beach. If the ocean was rough or we had any hesitation about the boat’s systems we would travel the inside route for safety sake. That requires idling through many slow zones and opening 5 bridges before we would arrive at the Riveria Beach City Marina in the Palm Beach area.
Our cruise is uneventful (just the way we like it) all the way into Lake Worth Inlet and the Palm Beaches. The boat runs fine, the seas are great and Curtis is waiting to help us into our temporary slip. Now the wait begins…When will the ship arrive to take the boat on the rest of the journey?
Finally moving day is here. We get notice that the ship is in port so we drive to the boat, check systems and start the engines. Everything is on time. We get the call to motor over to the ship and maneuver between the ship and a sugar barge bound for Baltimore. The fairway is narrow and we are fortunate there is no wind or current. The loadmaster directs us as his diver positions the lifting slings. Very different type of on-load but we are flexible. A local water launch service is waiting in the wings and off we go. Our part is done. Now it’s up to the ship’s crew to keep this Trojan safe on its long journey across the Pacific.