When a Dockwise Yacht Transport ship comes to port, people’s heads turn, especially when what looks like a floating marina “sinks” to unload its cargo of yachts. Over the next week, not one but three Dockwise ships, at full capacity, will arrive at Port Everglades in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., after crossing the Atlantic ocean with collectively over $407,000,000 worth of private, charter and dealer-owned vessels aboard.
3 Dockwise ships transporting Superyachts to Florida
When the 143’ Bennetti motor yacht Idyllwild floats off the ship, it will head for Rybovich in Palm Beach for a full paint job; then it will sail to the Bahamas, where it will replicate a trip it made last year. “It is one thing to stay in a five-star hotel when you go somewhere, but to stay on a superb superyacht is another,” said Idyllwild’s Captain Andre Buhagiar. “Every day you do a little bit by boat and you make your way through the islands. Last year, our guests took jet skis and started from south of the Exumas and made their way up to Nassau while we followed.”
Bennetti Superyacht ILDYLLWILD
Buhagiar added that going on Dockwise allowed the superyacht Idyllwild to cross the ocean in October, when normally a yacht crossing on its own bottom would wait until later in the season to lessen the chance of encountering dangerous weather. “Many things went into our decision to use Dockwise,” said Buhagiar, emphasizing that allowing the crew “a holiday” was also a benefit.
For the charter yacht Paramour, a 140’ CMN design built in Cherbourg, France and managed by Fraser Yacht Services, a two-week break for the crew figured in greatly after 12 weeks of non-stop chartering in the Mediterranean. “The trip across would have been tedious—14 to 16 days with constant four-hour watches,” said Shaun Preacher, who is responsible for Paramour’s management and bookings. “The way the Dockwise ship loads is unique and a lot more practical and safer than going as deck cargo. It saves wear and tear and operating hours on machinery, engines, generators and crew.”
Charter Yacht Paramour
Preacher, like every good manager, has done his homework on Dockwise Yacht Transport, which he said Fraser Yachts uses consistently. “Dockwise is an international company; they have a record for the heaviest lift and carry operations. Dockwise Yacht Transport is just a small sampling of what the company does. They are extremely professional and take care of all aspects of safe operation.”
Dockwise 2010 FLIB
Several of the boats aboard Dockwise Yacht Transport’s Super Servant 3, Super Servant 4 and the Explorer are bound for the Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show, which takes place October 28th through November 1st. Among them are the Ferretti Group’s Pershing 80, 92’ Riva Duchessa, and Ferretti 570 models, which have not yet been seen in the United States but will be showcased at the boat show in the exclusive Ferretti Group display at the Bahia Mar. According to Rob McDougal, Chief Sales Officer of Ferretti Group North America, “The Ferretti Group represents eight of the finest luxury yacht brands and consistently selects Dockwise Yacht Transport as a means to transport them to the United States. The shipping service shares our sense of commitment to quality, paying close attention to our special delivery needs. The fact that DYT owns their own vessels clearly shows they invest in maintaining the integrity of the service they provide. We have utilized DYT’s services for quite some time and plan to continue this valued partnership.”
Dockwise has a total of four yacht carriers including the 686-foot (209 meter) super ship Yacht Express. The ships use the float on/float off loading method that allows yachts of any size to be safely floated on and off as cargo. The carriers submerge themselves by pumping nine million gallons of water into their ballast tanks; the vessels are floated into place one-by-one, then sea-fastened before the ship pumps dry to prepare for boat transport. The process is reversed to allow the yachts to safely disembark once they reach their final destinations.
DYT’s global yacht transport routes for its semi-submersibles include the U.S. East Coast (Newport, Rhode Island and Port Everglades, Florida), the Mediterranean (Toulon, France; Genoa and Taranto, Italy; Marmaris, Turkey; Palma de Mallorca, Spain), the Bahamas (Freeport), the Caribbean (St. Thomas and Martinique), the Pacific West Coast (Golfito, Costa Rica; La Paz and Ensenada, Mexico; and Vancouver, B.C., Canada) and the South Pacific (Papeete, Tahiti; Auckland, New Zealand; and Brisbane, Australia).
With additional lift-on, lift-off offerings, DYT has serviced the following ports thus far this year: Dubai (UAE), Genoa (Italy), Jacksonville (Florida), Palma de Mallorca (Spain), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Rotterdam (The Netherlands), Singapore, and Southampton (UK). Scheduled for mid-November is a first-ever trip from Genoa to Phuket (Thailand) and Hong Kong, with a return trip from Phuket to Genoa in May of 2011.
