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January - February, 2007: Impromptu on Super Servant 3 in La Rochelle and Florida
Here, Impromptu has been loaded onto the ship in La Rochelle. We thought you would be interested in seeing how Dockwise moves sail and motor yachts around the world in order to either save fuel for the yacht owners, time, or, for some, just the aggravation.
Juergen saw the Super Servant 3 in La Rochelle but was not able to drive Impromptu onto the SS3 due to heavy ocean swell which made the operation unsafe for the divers who are employed to ensure the proper positioning of each of the yachts for transport.
The first six pictures were taken by Loic Le Clec'h or his staff
Click
on photos to enlarge!
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The pictures below show Impromptu on the SS3 in Florida as we finally "drove her off" |
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Crowded SS3 |
Inspecting Impromptu's bottom paint |
Welded Support |
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Propeller Paint "washed off" during Transport |
Crew Waiting for SS3 to be Flooded |
Gitti happy to be aboard Impromptu |
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Juergen also happy onboard Impromptu |
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Super Servant 3 from "outside"
- We are leaving for the Hall of Fame Marina in Ft Lauderdale
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It was a little nerve wrecking: at 0800 we had to show up at Port Everglades, Berth 5 - not easy with all the security. We parked the car on a lot and walked to the entrance for Berth 5, ID stuck on our T-shirts, were driven on a golf cart the 100 plus steps to the SS3, walked up a rather wiggly gangplank and - here we were, on the ship, seeing Impromptu for the first time, I since October, Juergen since he left her in La Rochelle in January.
We were given a questionnaire to fill out as to how "wonderful" Dockwise and its service were. Well, we refused to sign as we had not inspected Impromptu yet - they handed us the questionnaire to be delivered once we were off the ship. The paint had washed off in parts, particularly from the propeller. Whether it was because the paint had been old or there was so much water on deck during the transport, we will never know, and in the end, it does not matter that much. Everything else seemed alright, except one small dent in the gelcoat - easily sealed until after our return from the Caribbean next Spring, i.e., in 2008. We were happy to be onboard but could really not do much but wait till every body had inspected their boat and the Super Servant 3 was flooded, slowly but surely.
We had received our boat papers which we had left with the Dockwise Loading Master in La Rochelle and just sat on Impromptu, watching what was going on. Since we had initially planned on being transported to Martinique, we ended up being one of the very last boats to "drive off", only some that needed to be towed for trans-shipping (to Martinique) were still left. Divers came to push down the supports so the boats could drive out, the SS3 crew had helped tighten the lines as the water level rose - all a slow but steady process.
We had inspected "our" marina (Hall of Fame) the day before in order to know where we had to go and where our dock was. Everyone was very friendly and showed us our spot. They also expected us at the dock and helped us tie up. The way from Berth 5 in Port Everglades to the Hall of Fame Marina was about one mile, just underneath the SE 17th St. Bridge - which had already been opened at the request of another boat (the bridge is only 55 ft high, therefore, we would have needed to call to open it for our 65 ft plus antenna mast). We went along the channel which was well-marked by day markers, and since we knew where to go, it was all very easy.
Now, we have already slept twice on Impromptu, washed the deck and cleaned down below - a thin layer of black grime was found pretty much everywhere. The teak is nice and light again - thanks to Clorox and a lot of work on Juergen's part. The electric chord looks "like new", the fenders are presentable again. Down below, at least in the main cabin, the curtains have been washed and reattached - a nasty job due to the many little hooks that were not easy to take off, and not easy to put back on. Therefore, the aft cabin curtains will be done while in the Bahamas. My fingers and my finger nails need a rest...
We have met some nice people both on the SS3 (he Australian, she Chilean) who will also sail to the Bahamas in about ten days' time, others right here at our dock. We have had nice lunches and dinners in simple but fun restaurants, one is right here at the marina, called "Coconuts" where we sometimes have lunch to life reggae music - very nice - while watching pelicans fly by or play with each other. We have made our first visit to Costco for the initial provisioning. The REAL provisioning will come just a day before our departure. We have not set the day yet, though Juergen keeps talking about Sunday, Christa's birthday. We will see... as it all depends on the weather and how we feel.
One thing disappointed us. Our friend Gerhard from Germany wanted to spend a day with us as he was to complete his two-week trip around Florida. He had called from Germany and later from Newark airport as he had arrived in the US, and we had agreed that he would call us on February 25. We never heard from him, and today, he is scheduled to fly back home. Too bad. We would have loved to see him, catch up with him on what is going on in his life, and just have some good times together. Hopefully, all is well and he just got too busy. We hope to hear from him once he is back in Germany. - What a missed opportunity!!!
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