TRANSPORTS OF DELIGHT : Part 2

Don and Jean Salter

(Being the concluding stages of Lycæna's unusual ocean passage from British Columbia to Southampton, and its aftermath, begun in Flying Fish 2002/1.)

We did stay ahead of that low and the weather steadily improved. With the Baha Peninsula abeam it became warm with low humidity, ideal for boat maintenance. Most days the main deck was a hive of activity, with riders polishing away the last traces of soot from new boats, and others antifouling. Being, in effect, hauled-out, we checked Lycæna's copper-sheathed bottom, re-greased the through-hull fittings and changed the shaft anode.

During the next ten days to Panama we found out more about the ship, its crew, and its cargo of yachts and riders. There was one other owner-couple apart from ourselves, Americans taking their power boat to Florida as a change from their West Coast cruising ground. Other riders were American or Canadian professional yacht crew, or builders' representatives travelling with the larger yachts aboard, some destined for the Florida Boat Show. By the following Saturday we were off the Mexican coast with about 2500 miles to go to Panama City. A barbecue for all the ship's company was set up on the foredeck, providing further opportunity to get to know the crew. Most of the officers were Dutch, while the hands were of Asiatic origins. The Third Engineer was a young Dutchwoman, and it was gratifying to see that the other officers obviously cared for her - should anyone try to take advantage he would probably be lynched!

The weather remained mostly good with flying fish, turtles and the odd marlin to be seen. There was a brief gale passing the Gulf of Tehuanatepek - always a windy spot, according to the captain. The spray recoated the yachts with salt, triggering a fresh frenzy of washing by riders with new boats in their care and resulting in freshwater availability restricted to every other day. From the Superservant's bridge we enjoyed observing the green flash at sunset, a phenomenon we had never been lucky enough to see from the deck of our own boats. Nearing Panama it became very hot. The ship's sides, which had sheltered us from storms in the northern climes, now blocked the breeze. We envied the riders in bigger yachts with their air-conditioning.

On Jean's 65th birthday, we reached latitude 7°N and the ship turned into the Gulf of Panama, anchoring in the evening amidst a throng of other ships. After a quiet night (no engine noise) we watched the entry into the Canal at dawn. Riders were not permitted on the bridge during the transit, but were allowed onto the open deck above the bridge, which gave a superb view. The shoe-horning of Superservant into the Miraflores locks was entertaining - there seemed about a foot of clearance abeam on either side. We were astonished to see heaving lines taken ashore at the entrance to the lock by two men in a rowing boat, right under the bow of the ship. That seemed an archaic and dangerous process in comparison to the efficient line handling after wires were made fast to the electric mules that control the ship's movement in the lock.

It was illuminating to watch the experience of a yacht about the size of Lycæna (33ft), which entered the lock behind the Superservant. Its two crew were crowded by the mandatory four line handlers plus the canal pilot and, as the lock filled, the line handlers didn't appear to be doing a very handy job. We were glad we had chosen an alternative way for Lycæna to make the transit. With just a short wait in Gatun Lake because of traffic, the Canal transit was uneventful and enjoyable. By dusk the ship was anchored in the Caribbean for refuelling and sludge pumpout. The barge came alongside during the night and by breakfast we were underway again, rolling well with strong easterly trades abeam.

Over the ensuing days the wind backed more northerly and the motion eased. Superservant pushed on flat out at 16 knots, with the Captain and officers betting on when we would reach Florida. At 0430 on 28 January we were awakened by the stopping of engines, alongside in Port Everglades. As instructed, we went up to the Captain's office and met the United Yacht Transport agent. We were cleared in by the US Immigration officer present, our passports were returned, and we were told to retrieve Lycæna's papers and get a cruising permit from the Custom's House ashore - which all seemed straightforward. But we were given poor information. I walked miles through the docks to the address given for the Custom's House only to find that it had been moved a year previously to a new location much closer to the dock. When I found the new office, after a long wait in line I was told that our papers couldn't be released until the Bill of Lading was signed off. Not a word had been said about this by the agent. I returned to the ship with some of the other yachts' crews who were similarly annoyed by the unnecessary paper trail. Back in the Captain's office I expressed my displeasure! At last, some action. The agent drove me to UYT headquarters where the Bill of Lading was found and signed, then back to Customs for another wait in line. Finally, by noon, we had our papers and cruising permit.

By the time I got back to the ship the main deck was awash as the Superservant submerged herself, the sea-struts having been cut away and replaced by temporary tripod supports. The unloading was an anxious time. Superservant's berth was in a basin open to the Intracoastal waterway, and wash from the many passing powerboats made conditions lumpy. She needed deep water to unload the largest yachts and this exposed berth was the only one available, the others being filled by cruiseships. As Lycæna refloated, the bumping against the temporary supports was a nightmare until eventually she lifted clear. Once afloat, yachts motored out of the stern of Superservant in the same order that they had loaded. The yellow submarine was towed out by her tender and it was our turn to move out. Free at last!

Not so for the French yacht astern of us. The owner, who came aboard in Florida, couldn't start his engine, the boat having been unattended since loading in Papeete. Nobody seemed interested in helping him so we offered to tow him to a nearby marina. Once he was pulled clear of the transporter's stern we passed a line and plucked him away from the semi-sunken Superservant, which was having problems of its own as the dock was not quite deep enough to refloat a 100ft sailing yacht from Auckland. How they eventually succeeded we don't know as we set off immediately, the Frenchman astern, to find a marina for the night.

So there we were where we wanted to be, in Florida on the Atlantic side of the continent, US $10,000 poorer but in one piece, and without having had to pay canal dues and buy the charts, food, and fuel required to traverse the 5000 or so miles had we sailed 'under our own steam'. Also without the attendant wear and tear on our boat's gear and ourselves which such a voyage would have exacted, and with the journey completed in a fraction of the usual time. At roughly $2 per mile we think it was well worth it. It was certainly a very interesting experience, the ship's crew were exemplary and the ship herself well-maintained.

The drawbacks were a lack of reliable information about procedures at both ends (particularly not knowing until the last moment whether both of us could accompany our yacht), the filthy fallout from the smokestacks, and because of our particular placement within the ship the noise and vibration of the port engine which lay beneath Lycæna's keel. Other boats further forward were not affected.

It's certainly a very secure way to move a yacht from one place to another. In 2001 the Superservant 3 carried a special cargo of vintage America's Cup yachts to the Solent to provide spectacular participation in the 150th anniversary celebrations of the first America's Cup race. The transportation of these historic vessels couldn't be a better endorsement of the process. OCC members interested in the possibility can email Dockwise Yacht Transport at headoffice@dockwise.com.

The next leg of our planned journey was the transatlantic passage to England. The day following unloading we headed up the Intracoastal Waterway and promptly missed the channel, running onto a very hard bottom and damaging the plating on Lycæna's keel - entirely due to not realising we were very tired from the stress of the previous day's unloading. It was a lesson learned, that age accentuates the insidious effects of fatigue. However, in the days following we found a do-it-yourself boatyard, had the boat hauled out and I repaired the bottom. Then we located a pleasant marina near Palm Beach Gardens and stayed put for a couple of months waiting for spring, storing up and getting ready.

When April came we crossed the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas and headed across the Little Bahamas Bank towards the Abaco Islands, experiencing unseasonable northers and choppy water over the banks. The Abacos were rather disappointing very expensive and still suffering the devastating effects of Hurricane Floyd the previous year. We did, however, enjoy meeting OCC members Suzi and Dick Guckel, and Karen and Steve Grant, whose vessels were amongst the throng of yachts in Marsh Harbour.

At the end of April we got our clearance papers and set sail for Bermuda, using a norther to make some easting. However next day the cold front overtook us with some thunderstorms, and then the wind went round to the northeast and stayed there. For a week we beat into 25 knots of wind, hoping it would veer and let us head more easily towards Bermuda. The weather was hot and dry, evaporating the spray and causing salt build-up on deck like a light snowfall. The computer-generated voice of 'Perfect Paul' giving the SSB Atlantic weather forecasts kept telling us the high pressure area causing the headwind was not moving at all. We were making very slow progress as the seas were short and steep with the Gulf Stream pushing against the wind. Eventually we decided we were not 'having fun', so turned west back to the USA to consider our options while the weather forecast still kept saying no change. After eleven days and 997 miles of bouncing about in the Atlantic we entered the St Johns River just south of the Georgia border, the only inlet for which we had a good chart. There we got some rest and thought about our next move.

One option was to wait for a weather change and set off again for Bermuda or direct to the Azores - it was not too late. A second option was to abandon taking Lycæna back to England and to sell her in the United States. We talked to a broker who was keen to put her on his books, but who also suggested a third option that we hadn't considered - continuing by ship. Calling a shipping agent at random out of the telephone book, we learned that we could have her shipped direct to Southampton at an acceptable cost from a terminal in Georgia just a few miles north of where we were. So we chickened out of continuing the crossing, booked Lycæna onto the next ship, and headed up to Brunswick.

Nearby we found the Governor's Island terminal where Atlantic Vehicle Processors, a company specialising in shipping yachts, aircraft and vehicles of all types, very efficiently craned Lycæna out onto their dock. Our masts were lifted down on bow, midships and stern trestles and we packed up the rigging. The shippers built a cradle on a roll-trailer (known as a MAFI) and placed Lycæna in it. Then she was shrink-wrapped, ready to be towed inside a Wallenius Lines ro-ro ship. Meanwhile we travelled back by British Airways, arriving in England way ahead of schedule somewhat to the surprise of family members and ourselves! A month later Lycæna arrived safely in Southampton, where she was lifted off the roll-trailer and lowered off the quay back into the water. We motored over to the Isle of Wight and now, re-rigged, she lies moored up the River Yar close to our current home.

In retrospect, we regret not finishing the transatlantic voyage. We gave it a good try, but have come to realise that we did achieve our primary objective - getting the boat and ourselves to England with all of us in good condition. It was probably a prudent decision to turn back, because we found the constant beating to windward extremely tiring. The boat is strong and performed well, better than we did, but she's a bit younger. We worried that if either of us became ill or injured it would have been very hard on the partner left to cope on his/her own. And as we felt we had nothing to prove by toughing it out, the alternative transportation was worth it. What did it cost? About the same as the Vancouver to Florida journey.

Now, the last part of our tale. Upon our return to England we had to find somewhere to live. We had sold our large waterfront house with its own slipway in British Columbia, and thought we would easily purchase a home in the UK with the proceeds. Not so the exchange rate and the absurd house prices in England meant our capital went only as far as a modest bungalow. We also found the cost of keeping a yacht many times that to which we were accustomed. So we reluctantly decided to sell Lycæna, recognising that we couldn't afford to maintain a boat of her size and that we were unlikely to use her for further ocean cruising. So we approached a local broker.

That's when we found out about the European Union Directive 94/25/EC regarding Recreational Craft. I had built and launched Lycæna in Canada - outside the EU. This meant that if we kept and used the boat in European waters we would have been liable to fines or imprisonment. Fortunately in the UK the Directive is currently not strictly enforced, but had we sailed her over to France it would have been different! Also it would be illegal to sell her without her having been put through a Post Construction Assessment process, had CE (Conformité Européen) marking applied, a Technical Construction File, a Declaration of Conformity and an Owner's manual produced according to the specifications of the Directive. What a bureaucratic nightmare that is! Before deciding to return to the UK, and during the process of getting Lycæna to England, no shipper, customs official or anybody else had given a hint of it. So if you are thinking of bringing a vessel into Europe other than on a temporary visit, be warned.

We had little option but to put Lycæna through Post Construction Assessment, and she now has the marks and papers to prove her compliance with the RCD as a Category A : Ocean yacht. We used a local company specialising in CE processing - at a cost of £3000. Processing can be done by private individuals through the Royal Yachting Association, which is currently the Notified Body overseeing certification in the UK, probably at some saving. However the process is a mite complicated as it involves checking on the compliance of construction and most items of equipment, and also requiring inspections, stability testing and measuring of openings.

As we had built Lycæna for ocean cruising with water-tight bulkheads and used many European-made fittings, she met the requirements with only minor items to be fixed before the certificate was issued. The most laughable was that, as she has a divided pulpit, a plate had to be engraved with the words 'Harnesses to be used beyond this point'. It's odd that anyone buying a yacht for ocean cruising would need to be warned, but the world is becoming a stranger place. Lycæna is for sale now, and when sold we'll choose a smaller vessel in which we can continue messing about in boats, though in the more localised environment of the Solent.

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