Category Archives: Shipping Roxia
An Exciting day at Haul-Out
I think it was IBM who used to say you never have a loyal customer until you solve a problem. They also said you shouldn’t hire a salesman under 6′ tall…
In the case of the first remark I was a loyal customer of Port of Everett and now I can’t imagine going anywhere else. Recently, we hauled out Roxia for some routine work. POE has a 75 MT lift and we are right at the limit. I have been hauling out at POE for about 8 years and all the employees are great. They have hauled multiple N62’s so I know they have the experience.
As usual the slings were ready when I arrived and I slipped in with no problem. They waited while I shut things down and I stepped off. On the way to the pressure wash area (away from the water with containment) one of the tire stems broke and started to leak air. These are 300psi airplane tires that I think they run around 140-150psi. With 150,000 pounds in the slings the action started pretty darn fast. One call on the radio and 10 people came in trucks with blocks, a spare tire, a BIG jack and breaker bar. Did you know the lug nuts are torqued to 300 foot pounds. Think about that, with a two foot breaker bar I still could get enough force from my 140 pounds of cinnamon rolls to torque the lugs. Fortunately the mechanic had a 4′ torque wrench. The tire was brought in with a forklift and four guys rolled it into place. All’s well that ends well.
Anyway PORT OF EVERETT You ROCK!!!
Ensenada, Mexico
We had an amazing experience with the “sinking” (on purpose) ship DYT Yacht Express. After the great load process onto the ship in Brisbane we headed to Ensenada for the offload only one month later. Not only was the shipment quicker than we could have done driving Roxia it was a little less expensive. The big negative is you don’t have the experience of crossing the ocean or visiting the remote islands of the South Pacific. I think given the choices for us this was the right decision. We will spend time on the west coast from Mexico to Canada and be able to visit friends and family along the way.
This picture was taken in Papeete Tahiti while Yacht Express was making a stop on the way to Ensenada.
You can see Roxia on the Port side behind a 150′ vessel.
These pictures show the process to re-float the boats prior to driving off.
When we arrived in Mexico we found that two previous owners of Roxia had active Temporary Import Permits (TIP). You cannot obtain a new TIP with an existing one so the customs officials did not know how this could happen. Because we could not be in Mexico on another persons permit, the only remedy was to apply for exit papers which proves we were leaving Mexico. At that point we were able reprint the newest active TIP first then cancel the TIP. Then we started over with the second permit. Because it is “not possible” to have two active TIPs in the system we spent a great deal of time in the customs office. With exit papers in-hand, two canceled TIPs we were able to obtain a new TIP under our name. However, because we had exit papers we had to leave Mexico and clear back into the USA. Fito and Juan at Marina Coral were invaluable in helping us through the process all for $60 US!
While waiting between customs office visits we met through a mutual friend Tomas Fernandez. Tomas with his two sons Tomas and Diego own and operate two shipyards in Ensenada. Baja Naval is for vessels under 85 feet or 75 tons and Gran Peninsula is for larger vessels up to 200′. Tomas (Sr.) and Rocio own N6219 Alamir. We became fast friends and spent the better part of two days with the two of them. We had tours of both shipyards and then were treated to three hours at the location of their passion, a center for Downs, deaf or Autistic children. The downs children bake Empanadas which they sell to markets and earn money for their families. Tomas provided the warehouse and the necessary improvements for a bakery and rooms for learning. Also in the facility children from all backgrounds learn to play orchestra instruments and give concerts. We attended a practice session and spoke with the instructors on one of their breaks. About 200 children are active at the facility. The gifted teachers were a pure joy to meet and we could easily see their love for Tomas.
To top it off Tomas and Rocio joined us for dinner and visit on Roxia. We made friends forever and confirmed again how close the Nordhavn family is.
After all the formalities of customs were complete we headed to San Diego and 8 hours later we were back in USA and then able to return to Mexico on our TIP for ten years.
Roxia Heads to North American
What an Amazing process…Dockwise Yacht Transport. Devin and I arrived at out designated meeting time. The ship had been submerged to the load level. Only two boats would be departing the ship in Brisbane then Roxia would be the first boat to load in followed by twelve others. Henry the Load Master keeps everyone informed on VHF 17. When you follow his requests everything is smooth. Devin efficiently handled lines and fenders while I had the easy job of not hitting anything.
Once all the boats are in place all engines must be shut down before divers get in the water. The ballast is pumped out slowly and the divers place keel blocks and supports. Once supported with deck dry, supports are welded and all boats are strapped to the deck.
Prior to load up, I spent time in Bundaberg finishing up projects. Devin flew in a week later and we cruised 200 miles south to Brisbane.
The Decision is Made
After a lot of soul-searching we made the decision to ship Roxia to Ensenada instead of taking a year or so to cruise home. Why then did we buy a boat in Australia and not come back through the South Pacific? We were planning to do just that. As it turns out Roxia was not used much in the past number of years. It was used more as a condo than a ocean crosser. It is still totally capable of the trip but there are so many of the “comfort” type systems that I want to test and repair that it just didn’t make sense to do that from afar. I can complete so many of these tasks while it is nearby our home in Seattle. There will be time to cross an ocean in our future.
We chose DYT Yacht Transport for delivery from Brisbane to Ensenada. Here is a video of the process. 
I will miss the islands of the South Pacific but believe this is the right decision. We should arrive in Ensenada around the first week of March…give or take.