Transporting 30m racing yachts to the Caribbean

Complex choreography

Transporting racing yachts requires precise coordination and expert handling. When dealing with high-performance vessels like the 28.3m Bullitt, 30.5m V, and 34.5m Galateia, the complexity increases significantly. These yachts must arrive at their destinations on time, ready to race, which is why their owners entrusted Sevenstar Yacht Transport with the challenge.

Racing yacht specialist Sander Speet coordinated the transport. ‘Before working at Sevenstar, I was a full-time professional sailor. Now, I combine my work at Sevenstar with racing. The advantage is that the clients I sail with are also the clients I can assist at Sevenstar.’

Tight scheduling and custom solutions

Transporting these three yachts as one package was a unique challenge. ‘They all had a tight racing schedule,’ said Speet. Claudio Novi, project manager of Bullitt, explained: ‘The schedule started with the Nelson’s Cup Series in Antigua, followed by the Caribbean 600. After that, two boats headed to St. Barth for the Bucket, and all three finished with the North Sound Regatta in the BVI at the end of March.’

Getting the timing right was crucial, said Jack Bouttell, captain of V: ‘Our first North Sound Regatta was set to become a permanent fixture in the Caribbean racing calendar. Right after the regatta, the yachts were loaded onto the ship to return to Europe for a race in Italy. The schedule was tight, so delays were not an option.’

‘Sevenstar gave us a loading window from December 27 to January 10, and we loaded on January 6. That was a huge advantage of working with a shipping company that owns its vessels,’ Novi said. ‘We knew the schedule would be reliable.’

A challenging tandem lift

The yachts were shipped with their masts up, adding to the complexity of the operation. ‘Laying down a 48-meter mast is a massive task,’ Bouttell said. ‘Transporting them upright saved us valuable time.’ This required modifications or replacements for the cradles. ‘The taller the package, the greater the forces during transport,’ Speet explained. ‘Two boats received new cradles to absorb these forces.’

The loading process itself required precise coordination. ‘Because of the significant mast rake, we had to execute a tandem lift, using two cranes simultaneously, one at the bow and one at the stern,’ Speet said. ‘Due to the deep keel, we also had to lift them extremely high to safely position them in the cradles.’

Collaboration and expertise

*‘It was nerve-wracking to see a €15-20 million yacht hanging in the air with two cranes,’ *Bouttell recalled. ‘Sevenstar was very transparent about the lift plan and open to our feedback. In the end, everything went perfectly.’

Speet emphasized the importance of collaboration: ‘We listen to our clients and work together to create the best possible plan. Our loadmasters have years of experience and are always engaged in dialogue with the teams to ensure that every yacht is transported safely and efficiently.’

Novi looked back on the process with satisfaction: ‘Sevenstar knew exactly what they were doing. The ship arrived in the evening, we started loading the next morning, and within 36 hours, it was on its way. They were flexible, listened to our needs, and provided solutions. That gave us a lot of confidence.’

For Speet, that was the most rewarding part of his job: ‘When everything goes according to plan and clients are happy, you know you’ve done a great job.’