Delivery Crew & Yacht Delivery

A delivery is a passage, not a relocation errand

Moving a yacht between coasts, countries, or yards is a period underway with weather, fuel, formalities, and machinery to think about. We put a licensed captain in command and an engineer on the systems so the boat is run and looked after for the entire run. A mate can be added when the route, the watch, or the yacht is better served with a third person on board.

We deliver yachts already in our care, yachts coming onto the program, and one-off passages for owners who simply need the boat moved to the same standard. The plan, the watch, and the handover are written to the yacht and the route. Prices are not listed here.

If you need a standing captain or other crew on the boat, rather than a delivery team for a defined passage, that work lives on Crew Placement.

Where we go

United States, Canada, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, and Mexico

The same standard of planning applies on every leg. The notes below are how those waters typically shape the work, not a promise that every route is run the same way.

U.S. East Coast and the ICW

Intracoastal legs, coastal hops, and the run between northern yards and South Florida, planned around bridges, depths, daylight, and weather, not a fixed average speed.

The Gulf

Coastwise runs and crossings on the Gulf of Mexico, with fuel stops and weather windows chosen for the yacht and the forecast, not a timetable that cannot be moved.

The Great Lakes

Seasonal passages on the lakes, including the locks and connecting waterways a yacht has to use to get there or come home, timed to the season and to the boat’s draft and air draft.

Canada

Deliveries into and out of Canadian waters. Clearance, timing, and the ports you actually intend to use are built into the plan, not left as an afterthought at the border.

The Bahamas

The Gulf Stream crossing and the island chain, planned around weather, fuel range, and a clear place to clear in, with stops chosen for the yacht rather than habit.

The Caribbean

Island-to-island legs and longer southbound or northbound runs. Formalities, fuel, and hurricane-season timing are treated as part of the route, not as surprises on arrival.

Mexico

Deliveries to and from Mexican ports, including the paperwork, timing, and local formalities those arrivals require. We coordinate what the passage needs; we do not assume the process is the same as a domestic dock-to-dock run.

On board

Who is aboard for the delivery

The core team is a licensed captain and an engineer. A mate is added when the passage calls for it.

Licensed captain

In command of the yacht, the route, and the crew on board. The captain is responsible for the decisions underway — when to leave, when to wait, and how the boat is run on the passage.

Engineer

Watches the machinery and systems for the duration of the trip so a problem is noticed early, not at the next dock. The engineer is there to run a watch, not only to start the engines at departure.

Optional mate

Added when the length of the run, the watch bill, night work, or the yacht itself is better served with three people. We will recommend a mate when the passage warrants it; we will not pad a crew for its own sake.

Standing captains, engineers, and other crew for the program — rather than a delivery team — are arranged through Crew Placement.

Before you leave the dock

How the passage is planned

A delivery starts on paper and on the dock, not on the morning of departure. The plan is written to this yacht and this route.

Route

We set a route that suits the yacht’s draft, air draft, range, and the waters in between — including the ICW, open coastal legs, crossings, and any canals or locks the passage requires. Alternatives are identified in case weather or a mechanical issue forces a change.

Weather windows

Departure is tied to a window that is actually fit for the yacht, not to a date that cannot move. If the window closes, we wait. A delayed arrival is preferable to a passage made in the wrong conditions.

Fuel range and stops

Fuel is planned from the yacht’s real consumption and the distances involved, with stops chosen in advance. We do not assume a marina will have what you need on the day; the plan includes where you can take fuel, and a margin if a stop is missed.

Dockage

Overnight and intermediate dockage is arranged as part of the plan, including points of entry on international legs. The crew should not be looking for a wall at dusk.

Pre-departure survey and systems check

Before the yacht leaves, we walk the boat and check the systems that have to work underway: propulsion, steering, electrics, pumps, navigation, safety gear, and the tanks. The aim is to find what is not ready while the yacht is still in the slip, not after the first night at sea.

If something should be repaired or deferred before departure, we will say so. A delivery does not begin by hoping a known problem will wait until arrival.

Engineering watch during the trip

Once underway, the engineer keeps a watch on the machinery and systems for the length of the passage — temperatures, levels, alarms, and the ordinary signs that something is changing. Issues are logged and addressed, and you are told when a decision has to be made, rather than learning about it at the handover.

During the passage

Formalities, insurance, and keeping you informed

Customs, immigration, and cruising permits

On international legs we coordinate clearance, immigration, and any cruising permit the destination requires — for Canada, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, and Mexico among them. The crew arrives with the papers the passage needs, and with a plan for where and when to clear in. Requirements change, and we work from what applies to that arrival, not from a generic checklist.

Owner communication and position updates

You are not left to wonder where the yacht is. We agree in advance how you will hear from the crew — position, progress, and any change to the plan — and we keep to that. If weather, a mechanical issue, or a formality changes the arrival, you hear it when it happens.

Insurance and paperwork with your underwriter

We coordinate the delivery paperwork with your insurance underwriter so the passage is properly declared and any survey, crew, or routing conditions they set are understood before departure. We do not speak for the policy, and we do not invent coverage. The underwriter’s requirements remain yours; we help the file stay complete.

Arrival, handover, and the written record

A delivery ends when the yacht is in the slip you named, in a condition that has been walked and written down, not when the engines are shut off. The captain hands the boat over with a condition report and the logs from the passage: what was run, what was noticed, what was done, and anything that should be addressed now that the yacht is in.

If the boat is coming onto a management program, or into a yard period, that handover can be made directly to the next stage of the work. You should be able to read what happened on the trip without piecing it together from texts.

Request a Consultation

When owners write

Typical reasons for a delivery

Seasonal repositioning

Moving the yacht north or south for the season, or between a summer berth and a South Florida home dock, on a window that suits the boat rather than a calendar alone.

Boat shows

Getting the yacht to a show and home again, with time built in for presentation on arrival and a calm run back when the show is over.

Yard and refit runs

Delivering the boat to a yard for work, or bringing her home when the period is finished, including the checks that should happen before a yacht leaves a yard and goes to sea again.

New-purchase deliveries

Moving a newly purchased yacht to the waters you will actually use — often to South Florida — after sale and survey, with the same pre-departure look and the same written handover at the destination.

Questions

About yacht delivery

Do you only deliver yachts already in your management program?

No. We deliver yachts we already look after, yachts coming onto the program, and one-off passages for owners who need the boat moved. The planning, the crew, and the handover are the same standard either way.

Who is on board for a delivery?

A licensed captain and an engineer are the core team. A mate is added when the route, the watch, or the yacht is better served with three people. We will tell you what we recommend for the passage you have in mind.

Which waters do you cover?

We will staff a delivery anywhere in the United States — including the East Coast and ICW, the Gulf, and the Great Lakes — as well as Canada, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, and Mexico. The plan is written to the specific route, not to a generic corridor.

Do you handle customs, immigration, and cruising permits?

Yes, on international legs we coordinate clearance, immigration, and any cruising permit the destination requires. Requirements vary by country and can change; we work from what applies to that arrival.

How will I hear from the crew during the passage?

We agree in advance how you will receive position and progress updates, and we keep to that. If the plan changes because of weather, a mechanical issue, or a formality, you are told when it happens, not after the fact.

What about insurance?

We coordinate the delivery paperwork with your underwriter so the passage is declared and any conditions they set are understood before departure. We do not speak for the policy or invent coverage. The requirements of the underwriter remain part of your file.

What do I receive when the yacht arrives?

A handover with a condition report and the logs from the passage: what was run, what was noticed, what was done, and anything that should be addressed now that the yacht is in. The delivery is not complete until that record is in your hands.

Can you move a yacht I have just purchased?

Yes. New-purchase deliveries are a usual reason to get in touch. We still begin with a pre-departure look at the yacht and we still end with a written handover at the destination you name.

How is this different from crew placement?

Yacht delivery is a defined passage with a delivery crew, a plan, and a handover. Crew Placement is for staffing a standing or temporary position on the yacht — captains, stews, engineers, and the rest — with the same due diligence, but for the program rather than a single run.

Next step

Tell us about the yacht

Email Captain Poda, or send a short note with the vessel, her location, and what you need.

Email[email protected]

A licensed captain and engineer, for the whole passage