Can anyone give me ideas on how to get my cat to Europe?

My company is transferring me to Sevastopol, Ukraine in a few months. This is on the Black Sea, it's a small vacation community with plenty of good sailing weather. I am not sure I can live without the boat for a year, and they have agreed to ship the boat if the price is resonable.

I have a few ideas, but I know there are people that have done this before. Any suggestions?

container ship would do it, evergreen, cosco, are some shipping conpanies i see here in charleston harbor. but you probably could by a used one of some kind over there for less money and less hasle

When you are shipping something overseas on a ship, it all comes down to surface space. Everything is in containers. You can fit a boat in a container, but not the mast.

Be sure to ask about storage for your mast, I think that will be the most expensive part.

those containers are 40'

I know this happens all the time. Tornado sailors pack thier boats up and ship them quite frequently. I know the boat and mast will fit inside a 40' container, I guess I am mostly asking what the ball park price is to ship. I am also asking about specific shipping companies or brokers that cat sailors have had luck with in the past. Thanks for any and all help...

Hello Shannon-

Last eyar I was contacted by a sailor in Norway who wanted to buy one of my boats. The nine transports I contacted all emailed back bids. The lowest was $5800 to a sea port [not clear if the Black Sea has an open sea port] for an open stack with the boat/mast level on the trailer with mast carrier removed and strapped to the trailer. All other items had to be shipped seperately. This killed the deal.

I would check into what European boats are available and whether your employer will pay for the transportation of whatever you buy over there back here.

Fair winds,

thom

Wouter did a bunch of research re: shipping a container of A-cats over a year or two ago; he may still have numbers at hand. If I remember correctly, it was arould a couple thousand to ship a container from/to major seaports in EU/US.

If you are going to work as an expatriate, chances are that your company will pay for a container with your stuff. In this case, you can disassemble the boat and put it inside. There is plenty of room in a container.

Another possibility is to sell your boat and buy another one there. This also applies to the mast only, if it does not fit the container and you don't like the alternatives. (but check local import taxes before - they may turn your boat in a valuable asset after you arrive there)

Ukraine/Sevastopol can be reached by road from the rest of Europe, so you probably import a boat or parts from there. Take a look at the map and you will see what countries are closer.

Cheers