In a previous post I wrote that Cambria will be shipped to Ensenada, Mexico on a freighter. Here are a few details regarding the process for those who may be interested.
Cambria will be carried on DYT Yacht Transport’s Yacht Express 2501. It is a float-on float-off ship carrier. This means that it fills the deck area with water so boats can drive themselves on. While the yachts float in place, divers secure them in place. Once secured, the water is pumped out and the ship is soon ready to leave. You can see more of the process at DYT’s website. I recommend you check out the Gallery on the site.
This is not the first time that Cambria has made this trip. The previous owners bought Cambria in New Zealand and after several years cruising in New Zealand and the tropics, they shipped Cambria on a similar ship to Ensenada, Mexico.
We chose to use DYT because it’s the only game in town. Well, not exactly but effectively, it is. We were not able to confirm another yacht transport company that would guarantee a delivery this season. DYT only has one confirmed trip from Australia this year. It felt like it was now or wait a year–something we did not want to do.
Cambria will be loaded the last week of January. It takes approximately three weeks to make the passage. If, like us, you want to follow Cambria’s track back along the Pacific, you can track the cargo ship on Marine Traffic. Put “Yacht Express” in the search field, choose the ship registered in the Netherlands (NL) and it should show where the vessel is and its path.1
We have some work ahead of us before Cambria leaves. DYT says to prepare the boat as if it is going on an ocean passage. This means we will secure everything on and below decks. Also, we will take the sails down and secure them below. Finally, we’ve been told to give the boat a good coat of wax to protect it from soot from the freighter’s exhaust.
We’ll let you know how it all goes.
- Marine Traffic charges a fee to track ships via satellite. This happens when ships are far offshore so it will happen when Cambria is crossing the South Pacific. Perhaps when Yacht Express passes close to islands, its position will update. We shall see. ↩︎
Cormacks On Cambria 