Another successful delivery made by the Reliance Yacht Management team! Captain Dylan Le Roux sailed the Bali 5.4 from Canet en Roussillon in southern France to Fort Lauderdale in Florida, USA. Then Captains Karl Reed and Nikki Wedrychowski joined Dylan in St. Martin for a crew change, before delivering the yacht safey to Fort Lauderdale.
At the end of July, Reliance completed the delivery of a Lagoon 52F from Cape Town to Virginia, USA.
The delivery was conducted for a private client who actually accompanied the delivery as a crew member. Owner assisted passages are one of our most popular services. Clients benefit from working with highly experienced skippers, gaining skills, knowledge and confidence, all tailored to their own yacht.
Owner assisted passages are not just popular amongst clients but captain too, who often feel immense job satisfaction passing on knowledge and skills.
Sailing with the Owner onboard also allows the Skipper to gain insight and understanding of the plans and dreams for the boat and its future crew and so makes the job of a Delivery Captain more meaningful. Seeing the joy on the Owner’s face when you set the spinnaker for the first time or when you catch your first big Dorado is truly great fun!
Captain Kenneth Hoiem of the Lagoon 52F delivery told us about his experience sailing with the client on this big transatlantic trip:
“I love Cape Town. This time of year, it is a special challenge sailing across the Atlantic as you have to navigate the weather coming up from the South. Gradually changing from foul weather gear to board shorts and reefed main to spinnaker on your way up towards the Equator, it’s such a fun and satisfying progression. Then to carry on all the way up to the mouth of the Chesapeake and Norfolk makes for an epic journey. A quick stop in Brazil was a bonus.
Of course, it helps to be sailing a boat like the Lagoon 52F which, with its powerful rig and well-equipped sail plan, is an absolute delight to sail. Also, sharing both the pre-departure preparation and the crossing with the boat’s Owner onboard makes for a special experience as you immediately have a crew member on the boat who shares your absolute interest in making sure that the boat is prepared for the journey and that both boat and crew get to the destination as safely as possible and with minimal wear and tear. With the addition of a young, strong and hard-working First Mate, it made for the perfect setup for a Transatlantic crossing.
Sailing with the Owner onboard also allows the Skipper to gain insight and understanding of the plans and dreams for the boat and its future crew and so makes the job of a Delivery Captain more meaningful; seeing the joy on the Owner’s face when you set the spinnaker for the first time or when you catch your first big Dorado is truly great fun!
A lovely winter holidays message from one of our clients:
All packed up for winter in Lagos and we are heading home to Aus via a 2 week tour of the UK. Thanks so much for all of your support and guidance. I don’t think we would be here if it wasn’t for you.
Have a great Christmas!
Ian & Jan
Ian and Jan worked with Reliance skipper Andy Mallion on their newly purchased Lagoon 450 earlier this year in Les Sables d’Olonne. Captain Andy provided expert training and knowledge of Lagoons and catamaran sailing. Owner orientation and assisted passages are some of our most popular services, helping sailors feel more confident on their boats and the ocean.
At Reliance, we value our loyal customers and repeat business. This autumn we have delivered three catamarans all for one client. The Neel 43, delivered by Captain Andy Mallion, and two Elba 40’s, delivered by Captain Ismail Tezdiker, sailed from La Rochelle to Zeebrugge. From there, the catamarans were lifted to the quay and prepared for shipment to Australia. We will be delivering two more catamarans for the same client before Christmas.
Check out the galleries below to see the process of preparing a yacht for shipment.
We have noticed a significant rise in the number of Bali catamarans we have been delivering this year – and it’s easy to understand why! Reliance Managing Director, Nick Irving, calls the yachts ‘good looking and a pleasure to sail and deliver.’ He notes that there has been hardly any technical difficulties on these deliveries with only positive feedback from captains, ‘we love delivering these yachts and cannot wait for more people to know about them so we can deliver more!’
Currently, Captain Dylan Le Roux is delivering a Bali 4.8, transatlantic, from the Catana shipyard in Canet en Roussillon, France to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. While Captain Pavol Cizmar has just embarked upon delivery from Catana’s other factory in Tunisia, heading for Split, Croatia.
It is not just the catamarans themselves that have impressed our captains and staff, but the people at Catana too. When Captain Pavol arrived in Al Huwariyah to pick up the yacht, he discovered that the shipyard staff had filled the boat with fuel and fully stocked provisions!
Captain Pavol is just off the Croatian coast now and Captain Dylan is passing by Cuba, turning up to Florida now. We’re looking forward to sharing our praises with each yachts’ respective clients and can’t wait to deliver more soon.
Contact us if you have a Bali catamaran or any yacht in need of delivery and we will provide logistical solutions that work for you!
Philippe Gigon Le Grain is our captain of the month for May! He has been sailing professionally for nearly 30 years with extensive experience and knowledge of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic.
Despite his extensive experience, Philippe has never been fazed at the prospect of yacht delivery. He is one of our most enthusiastic captains, always seeking out the next job, and has been contracted to deliver 4 yachts this year already. He has sailed over 90,000 nm as a captain and has worked in super yacht management, running a Shipman 72 from 2009 to 2014 around the Mediterranean.
In order to showcase Philippe as the talented and accomplished skipper that he is, we asked him a couple of questions, covering his sailing origins, career highlights and future plans.
How did you get into sailing and what has led you to continue with it as a career?
I started sailing when I was 6, then went to Corsica with my family with a small sailing boat when 8. I kept close to the sea and explored most sports around it until 22, when I graduated from university. I then started to live for my passion for adventure, nature and freedom.
What has been your career/sailing highlight so far?
Managing a Shipman 72 for 5 years for a Russian owner. Boat and clients were exciting. I stopped for a new adventure in Croatia.
What is the job’s greatest challenge?
Being able to ensure the best service no matter the conditions. When storms happen we must remember that it will be gone one day or the other.
Where do you see yourself in the future?
In between a boat and my house in south of France.
Do you have any advice for those looking to become a delivery captain?
Start with missions you can handle without stress and build on from that.
What is your favourite knot?
Dead turn and 2 half key.
Want to work with Philippe? Contact Us.
Former Reliance client, Andy Scott, has recently arrived in the Mediterranean with his yacht, Elton. Designed by renowned naval architect Bill Tripp, Yacht Elton is a 104’/31.7m custom gulet monohull built in 1992 and last refitted in 2021. The yacht accommodates up to 8 guests with 4 ensuite cabins and is available for charter!
Andy Scott is a UK businessman whose trading investment portfolio, REL Capital, specializes in buying ‘turnaround’, high growth businesses. In 2019 he was named one of the Sunday Times Maserati Top UK 100 Entrepreneurs. He also owns the heritage yacht Telstar, check out his website for more information about the yachts and charter availability.
UPDATE: Andy Scott’s classic yacht, Telstar, is now ready for charter too! The yacht was originally built in 1963 before refitting in 2019, offering accommodation for up to 8 charter guests in 4 cabins, with a crew of 2 on board. If you would like to charter Telstar in time for Classic Regatta Season, contact us.
Reliance Yacht Management has successfully loaded the yacht, Carisma, in Antigua for shipped delivery to Mallorca.
The yacht was delivered by crew from Grenada to Antigua; from there a Reliance team prepared the boat for shipping and oversaw loading onto the cargo ship. Reliance crew based in Europe will be waiting in Mallorca to offload the yacht and take it to the nearest marina. With Reliance managing the loading process at both ends of the shipment, a careful and consistent delivery is guaranteed. We provide thorough predeparture preparation, independent safety checks, and highly qualified captains to oversee the entire process.
The ship, alongside Carisma, will be delivering super yachts and luxury cruisers such as Sunreefs and Oysters – all of which dwarf the custom built, 43 foot Carisma. At Reliance, we treat every delivery with the same level of care and attention. From straight out of the factory, luxury catamarans to well loved family yachts, every vessel is unique and every vessel deserves a bespoke service that puts safety, care and client peace of mind at the forefront.
Peters and May is the company shipping the yacht across the Atlantic; Reliance Yacht Management is their approved service provider for crewed delivery and loading services. If you would like to know more about Reliance Yacht Management and the services we provide, from management to delivery, please contact us.
Lionel Le Brenn is our captain of the month for March! He has been sailing professionally for over 10 years, although his love and passion for sailing goes back much further, and has worked across the industry as both a delivery and charter skipper. He has extensive knowledge and experience of sailing in the Mediterranean, but has also sailed across the Atlantic and Indian Oceans – most notably helping to create and develop a charter project in Sri Lanka in 2017, charting new sailing routes. Lionel’s love of freedom and adventure drove him to a life at sea; his respect for the ocean comes across in how he approaches every yacht delivery with care and attention.
Lionel is popular with clients and has worked on owner assisted passages, providing expert guidance and knowledge to new owners as they sail their new yacht home. Check out one of his most recent owner assisted passages with a client transporting their new catamaran from France to Portugal. The owner made a great video expressing how much he enjoyed the experience.
In order to showcase Lionel as the dedicated, conscientious and reliable skipper that he is, we asked him a couple of questions, covering his sailing origins, career highlights and future plans.
My paternal family is from Brittany and has lived by the sea for a long time. I started racing every winter when I was 16 at the time in La Trinité sur Mer, which was the meeting place for sailing in France, then I never stopped racing and cruising a little everywhere on the sea. After a successful professional career in the world of distribution, I created my own consulting and training company. But 10 years ago, I decided to live around my passion which is the sea. I have a validates captain’s diploma and since then I have been delivering sailboats, a job in which I find both this feeling of freedom, autonomy and being close to nature.
What has been your career/sailing highlight so far?Beyond the victories in regattas which were moments of great joy, the most enriching experience that I had was the chance to live was to make the first crossing of the Adam’Bridge in 2017 with Sapphire, a catamaran made in Sri Lanka. This passage between India and Sri Lanka not mapped was both a return to the sources of navigation, to find a passage between the different sandy islands, and a strong sharing with my Sri Lankan crew and the populations on site in very significant conditions of autonomy (no port, little reliable weather).
To manage between speed and safety, because we have to deliver a new boat to our client after 4 or 6 weeks of crossing. I always tell myself if I buy this boat I want it to be “Perfect” on arrival ..
In the same place, I am writing these lines in the south of Sardinia and I will have to be in Palermo in 2 days to refuel, for delivery to Croatia…I love it.
Beyond getting the right qualifications, the ideal is to participate in winter offshore deliveries with confirmed captains to learn. This job is a job of knowing how and knowing how to be where we learn every day. Moreover it is necessary to always keep in mind that it is not our boat but that of a customer who is impatiently waiting for her.
The double sheet bend, I like it because it allows to hoist the courtesy flag when we arrive in new territorial waters and that means that we have arrived.
Captain Lionel Le Brenn’s Profile and CV.
Want to work with Lionel? Contact Us.
One of our oldest and most trustest clients, The Catamaran Company, have created this incredible reference for Reliance – on video!
Hugh Murray, the president of the charter and sales company, praises Reliance before going on to explain the transatlantic process through which we collaborate. A Reliance team picks up catamarans for The Catamaran Company from the manufacturers in France, undergoing all necessary safety checks and handovers. The yacht is then sailed over the Atlantic where the same team will do the handover again to The Catamaran Company’s teams in Florida and the Caribbean.
