Gary's Deliveries

A Change of Plans and Preparing for the Gold Coast Stopover on the Granocean W60 By A Delivery Skipper at Yacht Delivery Solutions The dynamic nature of weather forecasting has once again prompted a change in our immediate plans for the Granocean W60 delivery. It now appears the anticipated southerly winds will extend further up the coast than initially forecast, necessitating a diversion from our original course to Sydney . This presents a common challenge for a yacht delivery skipper : finding a suitable port with the capacity to accommodate a vessel of this size at short notice. Unfortunately, the only marina conveniently located along our original route that could accommodate a catamaran of the Granocean W60's dimensions is simply too far south for this particular weather window. Therefore, after careful consideration and consultation, our new plan is to divert to the Gold Coast . This isn't entirely a bad thing, as the owners have decided to take advantage of this oppo...

Today has been a very pleasant one, not a lot in the way of wind or waves.   It is now 23:30 and we passed over the top of Fraser Island, which is the largest sand island in the world, and started to go down the east of coast of it.  Running from here to just north of Sydney, which is a distance of about 500nm or 1,000km is what is known as the Eat Australia current and if you get into the best part of it you can get a boost of up to 2.5kts!  So my planned route is taking this current into account.  We have been cruising along at 10kts since leaving Mackay and now when are cruising along at an average speed of 11.8kts without increasing the rpm's.  Not bad, eh!? We are hoping to get into Sydney before a forecasted nasty southerly roars through early on Thursday.  at this stage I am not holding out too much hope ew will make it in time and don't want to have a sprint race with a 40kt southerly (on the nose) 'cause I know who will win that.  So my b...

Resuming the Granocean W60 Delivery With the owners By Delivery Skipper at Yacht Delivery Solutions I returned to the Granocean W60 late last Friday night, eager to get underway with the final leg of this catamaran delivery to Sydney . The following day, Saturday late morning, brought a welcome addition to the crew: Christine and Gavin, the owners themselves. Having them onboard for this last stretch is truly perfect, allowing them invaluable hands-on experience and the opportunity to familiarize themselves with all the systems of their new vessel. After a pleasant lunch on Saturday, we made a quick run to the supermarket to stock up. The evening concluded with a very enjoyable dinner at a local steakhouse, marking a relaxing pre-departure interlude. While I was away, I had arranged for the Cummins service team in Mackay to give the engines and generator some much-needed attention. It was time for them to have a comprehensive service, ensuring the Granocean W60 is in peak mechani...

Expert Seamanship and a Strategic Stop on the Granocean W60! By Gary, Delivery Skipper at Yacht Delivery Solutions Yesterday and into this morning, we faced some truly challenging conditions on the final approach to our temporary stop. While the goal is always a smooth passage, the reality of yacht delivery often includes navigating dynamic and sometimes unforgiving seas. Catamarans, like our Granocean W60 , are renowned for their stability and comfort, but when heading directly into short, sharp waves – a phenomenon known as "hobby horsing," which I've described in previous posts – the motion can be particularly pronounced. The conditions we encountered, with those relentless short, sharp waves reaching up to 2 meters directly on the nose and very little gap between them, were exactly what we prefer to avoid. At times, we deliberately reduced our speed to under 4 knots to mitigate the impact of the slamming. The final hour before we reached the marina this morning was a...