"Thanks Nick, you are a consummate professional who turned a very stressful situation into a pleasurable experience,"
At short notice Reliance Yacht Management was tasked to take
over the Lagoon 450 Catamaran “Solicitude” at the commissioning dock in Les
Sables d’Olonne in France for a delivery to Tortola. The boat was destined to
join the Dream Yachts charter fleet in the BVI.
Leading delivery captain Hanna Golebiewska was the perfect
choice for the contract. She had the experience of the model and the brand. She
had also completed multiple Atlantic crossings on catamarans. The Operations
desk at Reliance assisted in sourcing suitable crew, communications,
professional weather routing and set up a dedicated webpage for the Owner to
follow progress. Within days all was set and on the 29th November
2016 the crew were on board. Circumstances were such that extra time was needed
to prepare and clean the yacht prior to delivery. Missing inventory had to be
replaced. A series of photographs and reports were provided giving the Owner
and Broker a comprehensive assessment of the yacht’s condition.
All that was need now was a weather window. Biscay demands
respect and especially in winter. The weather systems can be queuing up across
the Atlantic bringing strong headwinds and high seas as they come over the
continental shelf. So when they departed
on the 2nd December it was after careful analysis and confidence
that a safe passage can be made across to northern Spain and Portugal.
Knowledge and experience of the yacht’s characteristics in heavy weather is
also essential in passage planning.
On the 6th December Solicitude joined up with
other Lagoons on delivery as they entered Cascais, Portugal. As a new yacht,
the engines needed their first service to comply with warranty. This was pre booked
by the Operations desk and therefore was completed on the same day they arrived
much to the envy of the other catamarans on delivery.
The Owner was following the progress at every stage on line
with positions reports, photographs, weather updates and captains notes.
With the aid of professional weather routing, waypoints were
given to the captain to help make the best of the conditions across the
Atlantic. On the 9th January 2017 Solicitude cleared customs in
Virgin Gorda. No dramas, no problems, nothing broken and everything in good
order.
The appraisal feedback from Dream Yachts was excellent, scoring
the highest possible marks for both the boat and the crew. But the highest
praise came from the Owner who said in an email;
“After dealing with another skipper who was less than
professional, I was referred to Nick to handle the delivery of my vessel from
Les Sables d'Olonne to Tortola, BVI. From the moment I spoke to Nick, I sensed
that he was a trustworthy, competent individual with a lot of experience.
From the beginning, Nick went beyond the call of duty to
ensure that the issues caused by my previous skipper were addressed, and he
quickly provided a highly-qualified crew to handle the delivery. Throughout the
process communication was great; Nick called numerous times to apprise me of
any issues that arose, and I never had any trouble reaching him with questions,
which he was always happy to answer. Once Nick was in my camp, I never looked
back, and I was able to sleep well at night knowing that he was diligently
managing the delivery. I have already told Nick that I will definitely use him
for future deliveries, because honestly, the process couldn't have gone more
smoothly once he was involved. Thanks Nick, you are a consummate professional
who turned a very stressful situation into a pleasurable experience, and I
really appreciate your help.”
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