Survey
Inspect rig, sails, engine, electrics, safety gear and paperwork before a route is fixed.
Crew
Match skipper and crew to the route, season and the specific yacht.
Route
Plan the passage with bail-out ports, weather windows and conservative margins.
Sail
Fixed watches, logs, position reports and disciplined decision making at sea.
Handover
Clean, fuel or lay up as agreed, with a written report and honest status.
Survey the boat, not the brochure
Every delivery starts with an honest condition check: rig and standing rigging, sails or drivetrain, steering and autopilot, seacocks, batteries and charging, bilge pumps, ground tackle, liferaft and flares in date, and the state of the fuel. Fuel polishing before an ocean leg has saved more passages than any piece of electronics.
- Rig and standing rigging
- Sails or drivetrain inspection
- Steering and autopilot
- Seacocks and bilge pumps
- Batteries and charging
- Ground tackle and windlass
- Liferaft and flares in date
- Fuel state and polishing
Crew for the passage, not the distance
Crew size follows watch structure and the demands of the route, not just the mileage. A short-handed coastal hop and a North Atlantic crossing in shoulder season are different jobs. We staff with professional skippers and delivery crew who have sailed the specific waters before, and we brief the whole team on the same plan before departure.
Weather routing and the departure window
The strongest tool in a delivery is patience. We plan a route with bail-out ports, watch multiple forecast models for agreement, and wait for a window that fits the boat and the crew. Sailing to a calendar instead of to the weather is how deliveries turn into insurance claims.
Offshore routine
Once at sea the routine carries everything: fixed watches, hourly logs, daily engine and bilge checks, position reports to shore, and conservative sail or throttle decisions at night. We report to the owner or yard on an agreed rhythm, with photos and honest status rather than reassurance.
Paperwork, customs and insurance
Registration documents, crew lists, clearance in and out, VAT status, cruising permits and delivery-specific insurance cover need to be settled before departure. A yacht held at a customs dock costs more than any preparation ever will.
Arrival and handover
On arrival the boat is cleaned, fuelled or laid up as agreed, and handed over with a written report: what was done, what failed, what needs attention before the next season. Owners should meet their yacht in better shape than the one it left in.
Sail, power and multihull each ask for something different
A monohull passage is decided by the rig and the sail plan. Reefing early, watching the standing rigging and protecting the autopilot are what get the boat there. A performance catamaran such as a Fountaine Pajot is faster and drier but far less forgiving downwind in a building sea, so the discipline shifts to load management and honest speed limits at night.
A motor yacht delivery is a fuel and engineering problem before it is a seamanship problem: range calculations with reserve, clean fuel, filter changes underway, and bunkering stops booked before departure. On every hull type the rule is the same. Plan for the boat you actually have, not the one in the specification sheet.
Contract and survey
Scope, insurance cover, inventory and a physical condition survey with photographs of everything that matters.
Crew and paperwork
Skipper and crew confirmed for the route and season, clearances, crew lists and permits filed.
Preparation
Fuel polishing, spares kit, provisioning, safety gear checked in date and a full systems test alongside.
Window
Multiple forecast models compared. We leave when the weather agrees with the plan, not when the calendar does.
Passage routine
Fixed watches, hourly logs, daily engine and bilge checks, and position reports to shore on an agreed rhythm.
Handover
Cleaned, fuelled or laid up as agreed, with a written report and an honest list of what needs attention.
The sea rewards preparation and punishes optimism. Every delivery we take is won or lost on the dock.
- 01Survey the boat before the route is fixed. The condition of the yacht decides the passage, not the other way around.
- 02Fuel polishing and filter spares have saved more crossings than any piece of electronics.
- 03Crew for the watch structure and the season, not for the mileage.
- 04Patience is a tool. Waiting three days for a clean window is cheaper than any insurance claim.
- 05Handover is part of the delivery: a written report, honest status and a yacht that arrives better than it left.
How much does a delivery cost?
It is driven by crew days, distance, season and the yacht's condition, plus fuel, marina fees, clearances and crew travel. We quote a fixed crew rate with transparent pass-through costs so there are no surprises on arrival.
Is the yacht insured during the passage?
Delivery cover must be confirmed in writing before departure. Most policies require a professional skipper and sometimes a minimum crew number, which we arrange and document as part of the preparation.
Can the owner or a guest join the passage?
Often yes, and it is a good way to learn the boat. It changes the watch structure and the provisioning, so we agree it during planning rather than the week before departure.
What happens if something breaks offshore?
We carry a spares kit tailored to the yacht, keep bail-out ports in every route plan, and maintain 24/7 shore contact. The decision to divert is always made early rather than heroically late.
Compass Yacht Deliveries
Professional yacht deliveries worldwide, planned and executed by people who understand that the boat, the weather and the crew all have to arrive in one piece.