Organizing the return of boats from the Caribbean to Europe
The health crisis linked to the coronavirus and the confinement imposed on a large part of the world's population directly impacts the yachting industry. The months of April to June are the traditional period of migration of pleasure boats from the Caribbean to Europe and the Mediterranean, and are a pivotal time for charter, rental and superyacht operations. Between risks for sailors and logistical difficulties due to the closure of ports of call and sailing bans, the transport of boats must be reorganized. "Some boats will not cross this year, but we also have requests on our vessels from owners who were supposed to cross with their boats and have to cancel. They do not want to take the risk of a coronavirus patient in the middle of the Atlantic. Faced with the difficulty of convoying boats from one island to another with border closures and navigation bans for individuals, we add stopovers as close as possible to the embarkation and disembarkation points. A specific trip leaving from Le Marin in Martinique, with a stopover in Guadeloupe and an arrival in Brest is being organized for France," explains Matthieu Le Bihan, the French representative of Sevenstar Yacht Transport, which specializes in transporting pleasure boats on cargo ships.
As boaters cannot sail, it is not enough to unload the boat at the right port. Logisticians must organize the waiting period at the end of the containment. "We are working with professional partners who are authorized to recover the boat and transport it over very short distances to the marina to store it while waiting for decontamination," explains Matthieu Le Bihan. He reminds us that in view of the sanitary situation, the vessels cannot unfortunately take any passengers.
Delivering new boats to rental bases
The shipping business is not limited to transatlantic vessels. The Atlantic-Mediterranean/Adriatic routes are experiencing renewed interest from charterers and shipyards. The tourism industry is counting on a resurgence of intra-European travel, and yacht charter is counting on Italy, Greece and Croatia to benefit. "With intra-European ro-ro traffic disrupted and the management of skippered convoys becoming more complex, we are seeing an increase in demand for transport between the Atlantic and the Adriatic, which we hope will be one of the first areas to emerge from the crisis. A departure is being organized from La Rochelle in mid-April for local and Vendée shipyards with boats undergoing finishing work," said Matthieu Le Bihan.
