When my partner Nick and I had our dream boat built in Asia, we knew that one day we’d face the dilemma of somehow transporting her to Europe. Cruising the Mediterranean had been a long-held dream of ours and somehow – despite initially basing ourselves out of the UK and being full-time liveaboard cruisers for almost 10 years – we had never realised this goal. Earlier this year we turned our attention to the logistics involved in making it happen.

We took delivery of our 45ft Seawind catamaran in Thailand in August 2023, and what followed was almost a year of intensive shakedowns, learning how to sail a catamaran after years on a monohull and, as hull No2 of a brand new design, identifying teething issues or design elements that could be improved.

Once our shakedown cruise was complete, any warranty work carried out and our confidence improved, we contemplated our next steps. We had, as far as we could tell, three excellent options: 1, remain in Asia; 2, sail to Europe or; 3, ship to Europe.

Remaining in Asia and continuing to explore one of the most underrated cruising grounds in the world was an option we seriously considered. We’d already spent much time in Thailand and knew that sailing around remote tropical archipelagos in Indonesia or exploring the crystalline waters of the Philippines would be a wonderful option.

However, we had our hearts set on bringing our boat to Greece. Before we became full-time liveaboards, we used to holiday in Greece every year and watching the many yachts coming and going truly did keep us motivated and focused on our goal of moving onto our own boat.

After almost a decade sailing far-flung locations we also wanted to be close to family in the UK. We just felt in our hearts that the Mediterranean was where we wanted to be after all this time away. So, decision made, we turned our attention on how to get our boat there.

Sailing versus Shipping

Originally we’d planned to sail. After all, Ruby Rose 2 is a large, comfortable catamaran with excellent bluewater capabilities and we were keen to experience ocean sailing on her. We’ve crossed the Atlantic twice and the prospect of crossing the Indian Ocean was an exciting one, which we felt fully prepared for. If we departed Thailand in January, we’d arrive into the Mediterranean around April, which is perfect timing to enjoy the sailing season in Europe.

With stopovers in the Maldives and the Middle East, the passages were not too lengthy, making the journey even more appealing. And although the 1,000-mile northbound passage along the Red Sea would be predominantly upwind, we were confident that with good timing, patience, and preparation, it would prove possible. We hoped to be part of a contingent of boats making the same journey and sailing in company.

Unfortunately the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East means that sailing the Red Sea has been discounted as an option. Getting insurance – always tricky – is now impossible, and even aside from that, the potential to be caught in a region of escalating conflict is a risk we have no interest in taking.

Decision time

So we examined our two remaining options: sailing around the Cape of Good Hope or shipping our boat? Sailing to Europe via the Cape of Good Hope would have taken at least 18 months due to the need to complete certain passages at very specific times of the year (it could be successfully argued that less time is required if you’re doing it true ‘delivery trip’ style, but we’re cruisers; we like to see at least a little of the cruising grounds we’re passing and we try not to set a breakneck pace if we can help it).

If we’d set off from Thailand as planned in January, we would have remained in the Indian Ocean until December of that year at the earliest, in order to sail the southern coast of Africa and the Cape of Good Hope in the southern hemisphere summer, the optimal time of year.

Moving west, after our Atlantic crossing and making our way to the Caribbean, we’d have been held up by hurricane season between June and November, after which our next deadline would be May or June for the east-bound Atlantic crossing to Europe. That’s three ocean crossings and about 20,000 miles – an exciting adventure that we seriously contemplated.

The other option, less adventurous but far more expedient, was to ship our boat to Europe.

We reached out to the main shipping companies and after considering all our options, we decided to go ahead with shipping our catamaran with Sevenstar.

Costing it out

We decided that shipping had several major advantages over sailing, not just in terms of expediency. For one, we were able to avoid the significant wear and tear that would take place if we chose the sailing option. Additionally, we would not need to fit out Ruby Rose 2 for ocean crossings with all the spares, redundancy and additional equipment required for that specific purpose, and there would be (we hoped) no need to deal with breakages.

Shipping a boat is undeniably expensive, but what often gets lost in the comparison of shipping versus sailing is that sailing a boat has cost implications too, sometimes quite significant ones, particularly when contemplating the lengthy journey I outlined above. For example, we have carbon laminate sails, which give us better performance than Dacron but are significantly less durable.

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We’ve noticed wear and tear even with the relatively light sailing we’ve done on Ruby Rose 2 so far; there’s no doubt in my mind that sailing 20,000 miles and completing three ocean crossings would wear out our main and jib to the point where we’d need replacements not long after. The cost of that alone is a significant chunk of what our shipping costs were.

Other costs involve breakages, increased insurance premiums for ocean crossings or sailing into different regions, and, as mentioned, setting the boat up for the journey with additional equipment. Once all of that is taken into account, we realised that the costs of shipping versus sailing may be closer than we’d initially assumed.

So, what are the costs? I know that’s what you’re desperately wanting to know. While I can’t disclose our quote, fellow cruisers have kindly passed on information on quotes they received (to be used anonymously). These quotes are all for catamarans roughly 45ft in length, departing Asian waters this year, from a variety of shipping companies. They range from $100,000 to Sydney; $85,000 to North America (west coast); and $93,000 to Europe, which includes a 20% increase for routing around the Cape of Good Hope – a factor of the Suez situation. [Note: we contacted Sevenstar for up to date figures but they declined to give specifics].

Preparing for shipping

We had six weeks to cover the 1,300 miles to Phuket from Pattaya (only 300 miles apart as the crow flies but you have to go via the Singapore Strait), and we arrived into Phuket with two weeks to prepare the boat for shipping.

The preparation was akin to getting ready to ride out a storm, combined with leaving the boat for a couple of months. Our main objective was to ensure everything was stowed away and secured, plus the boat had to be completely shut down. Some tasks could be done well in advance; others could only be done as the boat was tied up to the ship.

Some examples include removing the headsails (it was advised to remove the main sail also, but we didn’t do this); ensure the dinghy was secure with drain plug removed; stow all loose items inside, and remove all loose items from the outside such as cushions and floor matting.

We were advised to attach a feeder line to all halyards, run it up the mast, then put the ends of the halyard in a sailbag, thus ensuring that no part of the halyard is exposed to the elements. We didn’t do this, but I would advise it; absolutely everything exposed will get caked in seawater and dirt, and this step will save you from cleaning your halyards along with everything else.

Another good precaution against damage from saltwater and dirt is to use Vaseline or wax on exterior stainless steel, cover and shrink wrap furling foils and winches, and there are also coatings for painted surfaces to protect them from seawater spray.

The other aspect of our preparation involved readying the boat to be left unattended for about six weeks and included all the usual items such as pickling the watermaker, emptying tanks as much as possible (although we accidentally left the rain catchment valve open, and when our boat arrived in Türkiye our water tanks were full of fresh Indian Ocean rainwater!), and sanitise the heads and fresh water system.

Loading onto the ship

In the weeks leading up to departure, our agent emailed us regularly with updates on the ship’s movements. We had about a two-week delay from our original estimated date due to weather, but once the ship had arrived in Phuket we were given a schedule with our estimated load date and time. This was subject to last minute changes due to unforeseen delays in the schedule and we were instructed not to book flights until our boat was loaded onto the ship.

On the morning of our loading we left the marina and motored the four miles to where the cargo ship was anchored, ready to approach when the time was right. Our agent, Chris, was in a RIB, and when the cargo ship was ready for us, he relayed that information to us via VHF. The tie up position was indicated by large orange fenders, and on approach the ship’s crew threw us down a bow and stern line.

Once the boat was secure, the ship’s crew took over with the handling of our boat. They jumped down onto our deck and ensured they were happy with the lines and fenders. Two divers went over the side to position the lifting straps. As this work was being done we shut the boat down, turning everything off including our batteries. We did a last sweep making sure everything was properly stowed and all the hatches and doors were shut and locked, then grabbed our bag, locked the boat up, handed a spare key to the foreman and climbed into Chris’s waiting RIB.

Watching Ruby Rose 2 get craned onto the cargo ship was quite an experience. She was slowly raised and then guided into position using long lines before being lowered onto the deck and secured in cradles.

Unloading in Marmaris

Five weeks later in Marmaris, Türkiye, we watched from the deck of the cargo ship as Ruby Rose 2 was lowered back into the water, then climbed down a ladder to board our catamaran. We motored into Marmaris Bay and anchored, ready to get on with the mammoth task of cleaning every exposed inch as she was absolutely caked in salt and dirt. This took a good few days, and included washing all the clutches, lines, winches, blocks and shackles. We rigged the jib and screecher and gave the jib furler a good scrub.

We were fully aware that the process of shipping can cause damage to boats, particularly when craning vessels on and off the ship. However, we’d never heard of rust damage before, but that’s what we experienced. What we originally took for caked-on Saharan dirt turned out to be a significant amount of rust stains which needed to be chemically removed.

The rust was on almost every exposed surface, in particular the underside of the hull and the back of the boat, including the transom, dinghy and davits, and the targa arch. We contacted Sevenstar and were reassured when they sent out a surveyor immediately to assess the extent of the damage.

We are now in the process of resolving the rust damage with the shipping company; a preliminary clean has taken place and when Ruby Rose 2 is hauled out for winter that work will continue.

The verdict

We spent much of the time between signing our shipping contract and taking delivery in Marmaris second guessing our decision. The upfront cost was significant, and an additional 20% was belatedly added for taking the longer route around the Cape of Good Hope. Was it really worth it?

However, as soon as we left Marmaris and sailed for the very first time along the beautiful Turkish coastline, the waters beneath our hull a clear cobalt blue, we knew we’d made the right decision. The Greek island of Rhodes – the location of so many summer holidays – was visible in the distance and the prospect of sailing into Mandraki harbour where we’d spent years dreaming about living on a boat was incredibly exciting. We haven’t once regretted our decision and are loving cruising in the Mediterranean.

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