YACHTS INTERNATIONAL - Dockwise Yacht Transport

YACHTS INTERNATIONAL

shipyard # 209ONE CREWMEMBER PERYACHT IS ALLOWED ON BOARDDURING THE CROSSINGThe Port Everglades-Toulon loading plan showsthat the available deck surface is used in the mostrational way. Super Servant IV will take aboard forthis crossing seven yachts larger than 130’, includingthe 160’ Aurora and her helicopter. Additionally,seven 65’ to 100’ yachts will be stowed on thedeck with six smaller boats or large tenders.Super Servant IV arrived at Port Everglades at thebeginning of June, when workers settled in andwelded custom blocks to the deck. Adjustable cradles then were pre-positioned according to each hulls’ beam andshape. The semi-submersion phase begins next, bringing the ship’s draft to around 50’ after ballasts are filled withwater. In the outer port, boats were waiting for the green light to enter in a very strict order between the walls.These maneuvers require discipline from captains and a very quiet sea; SSIV crewmembers in charge of mooringneed several hours to secure each boat in the right place. The water is progressively unloaded, keels are positioned onblocks and cradles are adjusted under the hulls. Large adjustable straps keep the hulls in place while securing operationsare carried out.To adapt to the different hull shapes, scaffolding is placed and welded on SSIV’s bridge. The ship is now in line andcan sail to Gibraltar before reaching Toulon, its destination port. On each boat one crewmember can stay onboardduring the crossing, ensuring daily maintenance and ensuring that the boat is ready for cruising immediately uponarrival in port.Two weeks later DYT crewmembers reached Toulon harbor. They seemingly had used those two weeks to take someholiday, as everyone looked satisfied with regard to the safety of their cargo. Everyone seems excited as surfboards,deckchairs and wine cases from the best French vintages are waiting on the docks.At Toulon, ballasts are then filled with water once again as the SSIV slowly sinks with a slight stern-down attitude,as the water progressively covers the entire deck. As soon as the first boats float free of supports, the orange-suitedworkers remove mooring lines and cast off straps. Water keeps flooding in while the ship slowly settles and soon thefirst boat engines come to life; time for divers to go under the hulls and remove cradles and scaffoldings that coulddisturb maneuvers and propeller rotation. This operation is well executed and yachts are now free, as foghorns can beheard, a truly nautical flair at the end of the crossing.DYT next year will add a new. larger and better performing unit to its four-ship fleet. North Atlantic and America-Europe links have been the busiest routes for DYT since it began operating. Orange ships are also present in the Pacificand on the U.S. West Coast, serving favored destinations like Australia, New Zealand and Polynesia.DOCKWISE’S EXPERIENCEOFFERS COMPLETELYSECURED LOADING PLANSYACHTS INTERNATIONAL