The Meddietteranian is now far behind us. Landing in Port Everglades, we make it to the US East Coast and ruck up at our Yacht Management Services Boatyard and Marina for a few months in storage and exploring the locality before heading to the Caribbean in early Spring.
Her journey to the USA took her first to MV Nordic Kylie, which Peters and May transported. Costs were comparable to shipping on her own keel when fuel, crew, and wear were taken into account plus, I had a stern instruction to return home with an ever-growing list of what is locally termed as "Honey Doos." Marriage is a give and take, after all.
Export and Import to the USA
The process is new to us, so "forced learning" was the phrase of the day. We completed our exit documentation in Spain before loading a "Levante de Reexpedicion." We also informed our insurance company, which temporarily suspended the hull insurance as a separate cargo policy covers her. We have been using Garrison Rudisall, a marine insurance agent in Charleston, SC, and have found his service first-rate thus far. Next was to complete the import documentation; as the cargo was break bulk, we had some leeway to do this in transit rather than before departure. US Customs process is the Bill of Lading (Peters and May needed a non-US address for the shipper) and Yacht Tourist Entry, which is good through 31/3/2025 and (obtained through Compass Logistics and Marine). The next job is a foreign flag vessel Cruising Visa so that we can avoid customs clearance at each port we visit. It should be good for 6 months to a year, and we will go directly to Customs to issue this.
"Fixing Stuff"
The discharge process took me back to my days at sea nearly 40 years ago. Nordic Kylie is a small break bulk carrier with a UK and Phillipino crew. Vanguard was secured to the main deck and the first lift-off. I have a TWIC card as part of the US Coast Guard license, so my son and I could access the vessel early, some 3 hours before offloading was completed. Being out of the water was a great chance to complete maintenance to seawater suction filters and the bow thruster.
Suction filters are four times oversized for the application, so we could afford to ignore them when sitting at the marina in Mallorca. When removed, they were well fouled, not with debris but with marine organisms, especially small muscles. Now that they were all dried out, they were easy to clean up.
The bow thruster never performed correctly after a diver replaced a damaged impeller in Greece. It was not seated properly on the drive spigot and became loose as the impeller slipped. Rather, I was glad nothing fell off; again, it was a simple fix. We also had the chance to remove fouling from the Intersleek in the thruster tunnel.
We also inspected all anodes, revealing they should be good for another year to 18 months. The propeller anodes were the most corroded. Hull antifouling was covered in a thin, dry layer of biofouling, though this easily came off with a finger brush. So far, Intersleek Antifoul is in good condition underneath, with no signs of breakdown or thinning.
We were careful to vacuum up the debris from our cleaning exercise and dispose of it ashore. US authorities can be upset about invasive species, so it is best to play nice.
Our son Rhys took ownership of the fenders P&S, flaked mooring lines, and a wandering balloon fender in preparation for "issues" in the narrower turns.
Entering the Everglades
Given the uncertainty around the bow thruster, we booked a tug for assistance. SeaTow stood by during discharge and led us through quite the labyrinth of canals on a 90-minute journey to our berth. For anyone entering the Everglades, I'd recommend their assistance for an initial introduction. Many bridges (7 for us), innumerable shallow switchbacks, and every type of yacht and skill set will greet you, plus alcohol in the afternoons. They were professional throughout; even when retrieving the ICOM VHF, we inconveniently dumped it in the water when docking (they float; we tested it!).
A final comment
One last poignant passing comment from the Tow Captain," We towed another yacht like this a few years back, a "bit" bigger - ICEBERG," Ha!
Chris Leigh-Jones