Choosing a Yacht Delivery Captain

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Jan. 23, 2015 - PRLog -- Choosing a yacht delivery captain can be a confusing process.  There are so many captains offering yacht delivery service on the internet these days the choices can be endless.  Using the right professional captain will result in the most trouble free, cost effective delivery.  You should carefully screen any prospective candidates for experience, qualifications, and current references.  A good referral from a previous customer or business is an excellent way to pre-screen a candidate.

Three of the most important things to look for are:

1 - The number of issues on a captain’s license.  Licenses are issued in five year increments, so the first issue captain could have anywhere between zero and five years’ experience working under the authority of their license; whereas a sixth issue master has minimum twenty-five years or more verifiable licensed experience.

2 - The gross registered domestic tonnage that license.  Entry level tonnage licenses are between twenty-five and one hundred tons.  These entry level licenses are issued to captains with three hundred and sixty days of the sea service on small vessels.  Often this sea time is self-certified, meaning that the individual may count the time served on their pleasure craft.  Would you want to trust your 80 foot million dollar vessel to someone that claimed all of their sea service on a T-top bay boat?  These licenses are typically obtained through a captain’s study course such as Houston Marine, Sea School or one of the other entry level schools.

The hundred ton license is considered an entry level boat operator’s permit by those who earn their living with their license.  As one gains experience on larger vessels and advances in the marine industry, the tonnage, grade and issue of the license is usually increased.  A captain holding a 1600 ton ocean master’s license has experience of over 1400 days on vessels over one hundred gross tons on ocean and near coastal routes.  That’s the kind of experience that you can’t self-certify because you would have to have a pretty big boat. In fact, you need discharges and the sea service letters from employers that are checked and vetted by the Coast Guard.

The training requirements to obtain and maintain a license at this tonnage are quite significant and costly, therefore only the most serious professional mariner would hold such a license.  This however is not always an accurate indicator of a captain’s small boat handling skill.

3 – Reciency along the route intended.  Has the prospective captain made a number of day and night transits on your vessel at different times of the year in different weather conditions? When was the last trip on this route? An experienced captain knows where all the piles of rocks are and knows from experience what to do and where to go when the weather kicks up, or mechanical failures happen. You would not want someone without prior transits to take your 6 foot draft vessel into Turtle Cove in the Turks the first time.

The ideal delivery captain is a seasoned level headed salt with a wealth of experience operating all types of craft large or small.  This ideal captain would understand navigation, “rules of the road”, voyage planning and preparation, delivery costs, fuel consumption, vessel expense, understand electrical, mechanical, and rigging and be competent in repairing and maintaining diesel engines and generators.  Jury rigging skills are also a must, as well as the ability to improvise and play the hand dealt by the sea. He can’t just be flexible; he must be as fluid as the sea he works upon.

You want to choose an experienced captain who has crossed a few oceans multiple times. Who doesn’t get scared looking at white-horses, who knows how to read weather reports and adjust course to avoid weather and seas, who knows how to do his duties, and who can encourage the crew to enjoy the trip while executing their duties. The ideal captain can plan and perform maintenance with the main engines running at all times and can plan the load on the engines for different sea states to economize on the fuel consumption.

Good captains will ask detailed questions designed to ensure the delivery will be as successful and trouble-free as possible.  They will ask about the condition of the vessel, will likely want a copy of a recent survey, want to know the last time the vessel was underway, what are the ages and hours on the engines and generators, as well as the age and types of autopilot, radar, GPS, sounder, ground tackle, sails and rigging.  They will also need to know what spare parts, tools and filters are on board.  Is all the USCG required safety gear up to date and on board?  Is there a freshly serviced life raft and EPIRB on board?  If the captain is too eager and doesn’t ask a lot of questions, question his experience.

It is important that you be honest about the condition of the vessel and the equipment on board with your captain.  You will be paying several hundred dollars a day for him and his crew and will not want them to be delayed or unable to begin the delivery because of deficiencies in the vessel, equipment, tools, or spares that could have been avoided and addressed in advance by good communication and planning.

Prior to beginning the delivery, obtain a written contract detailing the expectations and responsibilities of both parties as well as what the estimated cost will be. Expect to provide a cash advance to cover travel and that is sufficient, reasonable and necessary for the successful completion of the voyage.  On deliveries, the captain and crew expect to be paid in full prior to releasing the vessel at the destination port.

If you have the time and inclination, being aboard your own vessel as a watchstander is a great opportunity to learn firsthand from an expert who has done this many times before. Some captains have a strict “no passengers” policy; others enjoy having you along and passing on their knowledge. Should you decide to choose that option, make sure you talk to owners that have sailed with the captain recently.

An often overlooked trait needed in a delivery captain is their people skills. After all they will be dealing you and crew as well as a wide variety of vendors, customs, immigration and the port authorities on foreign voyages. Often their demeanor, smoothness, charm and other intangibles, such as professional and personal connections are what make for a successful voyage and keep billable, underway days within budget.

Captain Noel Shaw is a fourth issue ocean master that has been delivering power and sailing yachts and captaining commercial vessels for over 15 years. He hails from Ft. Lauderdale, FL his company is http.//DeliverySkipper.com