Transport the boat home

After taking possession of your new yacht, the next step is to convey it to your preferred cruising grounds of the British Islands. You can organise this yourself or ask the seller for assistance. Sometimes delivery is included in the purchase price as a final step that the seller has to complete in advance of the handover. Several options are available.

How about first exploring the lovely Dutch sailing areas?

OK, we’re Dutch so we would say this, but you really should consider spending time on your new yacht in Holland before transporting it elsewhere. Not only will you enjoy some wonderful sailing areas… It’s also smart to get to know your new yacht with the shipyard or yacht broker and all technical services close at hand. The varied waterways and excellent watersport facilities in the Netherlands make cruising a real pleasure.

Once the time comes to send your yacht abroad or move it to the UK yourself, various options for transportation are available. It pays to always consult with the shipyard/broker as they often do business internationally and scores of yachts built or purchased in the Netherlands are taken to other cruising grounds each year.

Yacht transport on its own keel

If your yacht is sea worthy, the best possibility is that you sail the yacht from one of the many seaports in the Netherlands across the North Sea to the English shores, with or without a specialised crew. If you do require the latter there are hundreds of freelance captains and crew members available with the required licenses and thousands of miles of yacht delivery experience. The distance from IJmuiden to Lowesoft is just over 100 nautical miles, less than a day sailing. Alternatively, sail south along the Dutch coast or through the inland waterways known as ‘staande mast route’ (standing mast route), the Islands in the south western part of The Netherlands. Than along the Belgian coast to northern France and just a 30-mile hop to Dover.

Transport by road

For boats up to about 15 metres long and four meters wide, an excellent, fast and cost-effective way to get your yacht to a cruising area in England, Scotland, Wales or Ireland is by road. In The Netherlands several carriers own fleets of specially prepared deep loading trucks plus accompanying support cars for additional guidance. Scores of these vehicles head off each day with boat transports to European countries or even further. For boats up to 2.5 meters width and reasonable weight, we recommend to bring your own trailer behind your car from England.

Yacht transport as deck load on a special yacht carrier vessel

Several Dutch overseas transportation firms offer shipping services on their cargo carriers. Some of these are highly specialised and have yacht transportation vessels specially built for this purpose. They will carefully load your yacht in one of the Dutch main ports and deliver the boat to any destination worldwide.

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