Having never shipped her yacht before, Lynne Purchase did not know what to expect out of the whole process. From first enquiring about costs, to watching a yacht being discharged off the vessel; yacht transport can be a daunting prospect for many a customer. If you are anything like Lynne, your yacht is your pride and joy, your life, your passion and most of all your ticket to adventure! We caught up with first time customer Lynne to see how she got on shipping her Rival 41 sailing yacht BOAVENTURA from Antigua to Southampton with Peters & May.
What was the purpose of the shipment?
‘Before shipping BOAVENTURA back to the UK, we had enjoyed cruising the Caribbean visiting islands like Grenada, St Lucia and Martinique. After 17 years of sailing the Caribbean waters, I felt it was time to bring our boat back to the UK. There were a few reasons for this… first, she was in need of a refit and secondly my husband at 81, was at times finding life onboard a little difficult.’
What expectations did you have before the shipment?
‘Having never shipped before, I didn’t really know what to expect. I had visited the Peters & May stand at Southampton Boat Show with a view to just getting some info and shipping BOAVENTURA back in 2020. Plans changed and you had already been recommended by two friends so that was reassuring!’.
What were you most nervous about?
‘I really didn’t feel nervous at any point. The loading and discharge off of MV Arubaborg all went smoothly! Both in Antigua and Portsmouth the Loadmasters were very competent and they were also great characters – so friendly, helpful and at times amusing adding to the great experience I had shipping my yacht with Peters & May’.
How did you find the P&M team?
‘From my first contact with you all the communication was excellent. I dealt mostly with Elle Harper who replied instantly to my questions – she was really on the ball’.
If you could choose 1 word to describe the experience shipping BOAVENTURA what would it be?
‘That’s really difficult but I guess for BOAVENTURA it was a ‘great’ experience – she was treated well and to be honest I actually enjoyed the whole process. It was so exciting meeting her the other side in Portsmouth!’
Did the team overcome any issues or was it plain sailing?
‘Plain sailing really if I am being honest, there weren’t really any issues. All my paperwork for the boat was in the UK so it was interesting trying to find the necessary documents. Especially since we had been burgled and some of the paperwork lost in the process. Peters & May took this all in their stride, never at any point did I worry we wouldn’t be able to ship home. Elle and the team were helpful, patient and reassuring that this would not be a problem’.
Did you use any of Peters & May’s extra services?
‘Yes, I used Customs & VAT in the UK – they were great, especially with the issues I was having with my customs documents. In Antigua I used Lighthouse in Jolly Harbour who were excellent, I believe they work quite closely with Peters & May. Throughout the whole process, I found all the teams friendly and helpful, offering a really personal service’.
Would you recommend Peters & May to your friends?
‘Yes! Most definitely, our friends with their yacht LUCY ELLEN actually shipped back from the Caribbean with Peters & May, loading the day after BOAVENTURA. I have some plans around the UK for a while but who knows in a few years I may even return to the Caribbean – and yes, I would definitely ship back with you.’
Now that BOAVENTURA is back in the UK, Lynne is planning to sail some of the UK south coast with family before her yacht’s refit over the winter. She then plans to explore some of Europe, cruising down to northwest Spain, Portugal… possibly going into the Mediterranean and heading to the Canary Islands for winter 2020.