A Trustworthy Yacht Delivery Service
Smooth Passage’s professional captain Richard Bard has 22 years of experience in yacht relocation safely, efficiently, and on time. This enables us to offer an unparalleled level of service to ensure a reliably safe passage, either locally or across oceans. Positive reviews from owners we have assisted back this up. Feel free to contact us at any time if you would like to ask us questions regarding our services. Providing the best possible solution along with a strong sense of security is our goal.
Smooth Passage believes in professionalism, safety, and transparency. Our team understands how valuable and important your vessel is to you. To ensure a safe journey, we conduct a thorough inspection before we begin.
Reliable Service Around the World
Since our most common passges route along the North American West Coast, our captain has a working knowledge of almost all ports and harbor entrances in California, British Columbia, Mexico, Oregon, and Coastal Alaska from Ketchikan to Adak in the Aleutian Islands. Our many other coastal and cross-ocean passages span the Pacific as far north as the Bering Sea and west to Japan; the South Pacific to Tahiti and Australia; the western Atlantic from Halifax to the Virgin Islands; and the Caribbean. Red lines on the map show our completed yacht deliveries.
Ensure Your Yacht Reaches its Promised Destination Safely
We will sail or motor your vessel conservatively to minimize wear and tear. Over more than a hundred motor yacht and sailboat deliveries, including eight multi-thousand-mile ocean crossings, we have experienced and safely handled a range of weather conditions. Crucial to this, we have throughout our twenty-two-year history avoided getting into dangerous weather situations in the first place. This is not a matter of luck. Careful analysis of weather forecasts before and during the passage has kept us free of storm or hurricane situations, throughout our long track record. Safety of the crew, and of the vessel, is our first priority.
During two decades as a delivery captain, Captain Richard Bard has operated numerous different models of both power and sailboats, and in the process has acquired a working familiarity with many engines, from Caterpillar, Cummins, and Man to Volvo, Yanmar, and Detroit---among others.
Additionally, Capt. Bard has firsthand experience with the available range of plotters, radars, and other navigational equipment and programs: Garmin and Raymarine; Furuno, B&G, Simrad, Nobeltech, Navionics, TimeZero, and MaxSea.
As a result, the team can deal with changes in weather conditions, handle basic equipment issues, and navigate accurately to make all journeys safely. Our goal is to deliver your yacht in excellent condition to the destination of your choice. Whether your vessel is private, recreational, or commercial, you can count on us. We provide our services at a straightforward price. Feel free to contact us if you need assistance in making any decision about your yacht delivery.
Offering Yacht Delivery Services at a Reasonable Price
Our unparalleled power and sailboat delivery services can be tailored to suit your route, boat specifications, vessel speed, weather condition, equipment, and other factors. We consider all aspects before setting a careful estimate for the trip, and we never ask for any hidden fees after the completion of the delivery. Crew wages, transportation costs, and provisions are included in the price. Brokers, boat owners, and agents can rest assured of a transparent service from us. Our expert customer support team and thoroughly professional captain are ready to answer any questions you may have.
We Deliver Your Yacht as If It Was Our Own
If you are looking for reliablity and trustworthiness, Smooth Passage is the right choice. No matter where you want us to sail your boat, we can do it. Every detail of the passage will be explained before we begin, to help you gain confidence. After leaving the marina, we can help you keep track of your boat and follow its progress. Passion and dedication have made us successful in the industry.
When to Use Our Fast, Reliable, and Affordable Service?
-
There are many reasons to change ports. You may have moved and want your yacht relocated to your new home; you want to use the yacht in a different region; or your moorage was temporary. You can rely on us when you need to move to a new harbor.
-
The idea of moving a boat yourself may not be something you’re comfortable about, especially in unfamiliar waters. Captain Richard Bard’s long experience as a yacht delivery skipper has given him familiarity and confidence across a wide range of coastal and open ocean routes. We’ll be happy to assist you with any boat relocation needs.
-
If you have recently bought a new Yacht and don't have a team to deliver the vessel to its new home, we are ready to help.
-
If you want to know the condition of a vessel before you purchase it, we’ll conduct a reasonably priced, thorough preliminary assessment to find any serious problems before you commit to an expensive out-of-water survey. We know boats inside and out, not only from our decades of yacht deliveries, but from owning and maintaining our own fishing and sailing boats. If there are several available options of the model you have in mind, we’ll do a careful comparison to help you choose the best one.
-
Want to spend your holidays sailing in a new location but lack the time or resources to transport your yacht? We can make it happen by helping you reach your desired destination at the most reasonable price. Make your holidays more special and enjoyable with Smooth Passage.
-
Often, a marine insurance company wants proof of a new owner’s competency to insure the vessel, and we provide this. Using the insurance company’s own form, we’ll get you up to speed on boat handling, navigation, weather assessment, pre-passage checklists, safety equipment, and more. We’ll ensure full understanding of your yacht’s systems, from engine room and electric distribution, to fueling, propane, and wastewater. By the end of our friendly help in a one- or two-day session of training, you’ll not only satisfy your insurance requirements, you’ll have reached a satisfying level of confidence aboard your boat.
-
Worldwide! Smooth Passage offers Yacht Delivery, Sailboat Delivery, and Boat Delivery services around the ground. In the Pacific, we have visited marinas in Seattle, Anacortes, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Vancouver, Victoria, Ensenada, Cabo San Lucas, Astoria, Juneau, Ketchikan, Long Beach, Alameda, Sausalito, Newport, Prince Rupert, Puerto Vallarta, and Sitka.
-
We make everything simple for our clients. You can book with us by using the Easy-to-Fill Form; calling (206) 818-9842; or emailing RABARD@COMCAST.NET. We have an active customer support team who will reach out to you. Please describe your proposed yacht relocation, and our team will respond to your inquiry within 48 hours with an estimate.
● Contact us
● Provide necessary information
● Get estimate
● Book a delivery
● Simple!!
We Welcome Owner Participation in Deliveries
Do you want to practice and grow your boat handling and navigation skills during your sail or power boat delivery? Does the adventure of exploring new harbors and coastlines in the company of a knowledgeable and experienced captain sound appealing? We welcome delivery participation by owners! Nearly one third of our trips have been conducted in this way. On this passage from Los Angeles to Anacortes, Washingon with stops in Half Moon Bay, Brookings, and Newport, repeat customers Jake and Monique had a fine time—-as did we.
Why We Sail department:
"As we settled into the regularity of our watches, we became suffused by that feeling of well-being that seduces all long distance sailors. Compared to the chaotic scene we accept as normal when we’re immersed in society---the welter of demands on our time and energy from family, friends, and strangers; the confounding daily parade of decisions that seem momentous at the time but probably make little difference in the long run; the barrage of mostly discouraging news thrust in front of us by the media ---shipboard life substitutes an orderly pattern of clear-cut responsibility and action…a feeling like this, that what we’re doing is just the right thing to do at the time, is common at sea, and is the reason why boat owners have been able to find crew for all sorts of misbegotten ventures. Did the sailor who re-enlisted after some hellish two-year whaling trip, during which he may have been sick, starved and beaten, do so because he was a loser who drank up his pay in two weeks and had no recourse but to go back? More likely he saw little on shore to make him think he could replicate the sense of community---however rough---he’d just left, where his value was unquestionable."
---Excerpt of “Out in the Middle,” from Red Flags in Blue Water.