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You are welcome to apply any part of this article to your own personal use. Please do NOT publish any part of the article or apply any part of it to any non-personal use without the express written concent of the author.
"What are we doing with a boat in Florida?" We asked that question ten years ago when we had just purchased Volant, our 38' custom Ted Brewer designed sailboat. We're from the San Francisco Bay area. Like most Bay sailors, for years we had dreamed about "sailing out the Golden Gate and turning left."
Our "Plan A" was to start in the Pacific Northwest. We'd find our boat there and learn about her while cruising the region, perhaps as far north as Glacier Bay in the Alaskan Panhandle. Then we'd sail her down the coast to our home waters for a season or three, until we felt we were REALLY ready to go. Then we'd sail out the Gate and turn left.
Our yacht broker in the Pacific Northwest found the "perfect" boat for us, but she was in Florida. Oops… "Plan A" said nothing about Florida.
So "Plan B" came into being. We'd cruise the Bahamas, Caribbean Sea and the Eastern Seaboard until it was time for "Plan C," whatever that would turn out to be. After ten years and thousands of miles of cruising that area, we were still on "Plan B." It was getting time for a "Plan C."
Exercising my rights as the erstwhile captain, I announced "Plan C." We were going to sail cross The Pond to Europe.
Kit, my lovely wife and co-captain, began exercising her rights and her wiles in response. She approached me after one of her wonderful meals. "Honey," she began in that special tone of voice that told me something was cooking, and it was probably my goose. "Would you be willing to consider shipping the boat to the Pacific Northwest instead of sailing to Europe? If we went to Europe first, it might be too late to share the boat with the grandchildren in their own backyard. Right now they are the perfect age…"
She had called Dockwise (WWW.DOCKWISE.COM), a shipping company that specializes in transporting yachts between the world's major cruising areas. One of their routes goes from Port Everglades (Ft. Lauderdale, Florida) to Vancouver, British Columbia, and back. Kit had been wanting to bring Volant to the Pacific Northwest for some time now. That's home to all the kids and grandtykes along with assorted siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles, and other more distant relations. The grandtykes were old enough to enjoy being on the boat and young enough to enjoy being around us "old guys." And the older relations weren't getting any younger.
The timing for the next available voyage was perfect. We could load the boat on their transport in mid July. In about three weeks Volant would be in Vancouver, the best time of the year for cruising those waters. As the Dockwise ships are semi-submersible (essentially they are sea-going floating dry docks), we'd not have to pull the stick or do any of the other extensive and expensive preparations required to truck her overland or ship her as deck cargo. Consequently Volant would be cruise-ready on the day of her arrival. And, quite important to Kit as our ship's purser, the actual cost of shipment would be probably less than the cost of sailing Volant to the Pacific Northwest ourselves if we include the projected wear and tear of the voyage and the Panama Canal fees.
Outwardly I played along, listening to her various arguments. Inwardly I sighed. Unless there was some very strong reason to not do it, we were going to ship the boat to Vancouver instead of crossing The Pond, and I might as well get used to the idea.
That only took me a few days. Stopping in at the Dockwise offices in Ft. Lauderdale and talking to one of the agents, I saw the opportunity. "Okay," I acquiesced, making it official. "We're going to the Pacific Northwest."
The next few months were quite busy. There was much to do. We had to prepare Volant for sea, a Dockwise requirement. The annual haulout and bottom job was scheduled. The storage locker had to be emptied and storage places found aboard for each item. The boat's portable air conditioner, required in Florida but not in the Pacific Northwest, had to be disposed of. The car had to be sold. And we had to sell or give away other items we wouldn't be needing in our new environment. We debated selling our charts for crossing The Pond, electing to keep them. The most fun time was a month-long "farewell" cruise in the lovely waters of the Bahamas. The most trying time was saying goodbye to our Florida friends.
The time flew by and our loading date came. We were instructed by Dockwise to present Volant at the ship's dock in Port Everglades at 1300 on the loading date. The loading master would give detailed loading instructions by VHF. We arrived early and found the Dockwise vessel, the Super Servant IV, already in her semi-submerged attitude. She was ready to take on her cargo. At 1300 there were nearly 40 boats milling around the port near the SS4, all waiting for the loading master to begin the process.
Finally it started. The loading master called each and every boat being loaded, informing them where they were to be loaded into which of the ship's two loading bays, and in what sequence. Fenders were needed on both sides of all boats. Bow and stern lines were needed on both sides of all boats.
Then, one by one, the boats were called as their turn for loading came up. As each entered their assigned bay, the ship's crew took port and starboard lines from the boat and guided her into her assigned niche. Boats were packed in tight, in some cases needing bow and stern fenders as they bobbed in the water. As each boat was positioned, divers placed jack stands underneath.
Our name was fourth to be called for the port loading bay. We came in at idle speed, tossed our lines and cut the engine. In less than 15 minutes we were secure. We locked the boat and left Volant in the obviously very capable hands of the crew of the SS4.
Now we had nothing to do but get ourselves to Vancouver on the appointed date to retrieve our boat.
The final preparations for the voyage took place the following day. The ship's ballast tanks were slowly pumped out, an hours-long operation. As the boats settled in position divers made final adjustments to the jack stands. Once the loading bays were high and dry, the jack stands were welded in place and padeyes were welded to the deck to strap each boat firmly down for the voyage. And finally, the SS4 departed.
The day before our unloading we were in Vancouver. The local Dockwise agent told us that the SS4 would be coming through First Narrows under the Lion's Gate Bridge around 1830. Vancouver's Stanley Park is right along the south side of First Narrows. We went into the park about 1730 to look for the perfect place to watch her come through, and found Prospect Point. So did about a dozen other excited owners. The SS4 passed by close enough that we could clearly see Volant in her loading bay. What a thrill!
The next morning we arrived at the appointed dock to find our boat bobbing in the loading bay. The ballast tanks of the SS4 had already been flooded. Being among the first to be loaded in Port Everglades, we were among the last to be unloaded in Vancouver. Climbing aboard her we waited excitedly for our turn to leave the loading bay.
Shortly before noon it was our turn. We fired up the engine, cast off the lines and backed out of the loading bay.
It's been a month since Vancouver and less than two since Ft. Lauderdale. We are in Princess Louisa Inlet at the dock by Chatterbox Falls. The light rain is creating an almost mystical air. This is one of the jewels of the Pacific Northwest. We are back to "Plan A."
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