Crew Wanted: Move Yacht from NZ to Australia

[force8]

Hi guys i have just purchased a 14m yacht from Wellington,New Zealand an is planning on bringing it over to Queensland Australia, Firstly i am an not an experienced sailer so i will be needing a navigator an skipper an crew..I really dont have any idea where to start ...So if anyone in here might have any useful information or help on this matter would be much appreciated ..happy sailing

[chris_gee]

You may be best advised to get it delivered. That will at least ensure that it is checked out as fully equipped for what can be a demanding passage.

[Bloodhound]

The Tasman Sea is very rough. I wouldn't do it with a new-to-me boat and even with a familiar boat I'd probably take a very northern route.

[force8]

Funny u say that about taking the most northern because i am a very unexperieced sailor an i think the exact same thing an i agree it can be very rough .I have been off the coast of the north island New Zealand an the coast off sydney Australia an while thats not right out in the middle i can deffinatly imagine what it might be like .I have expericence at sea though its been on trawlers an crab boats not a yacht ..Atm i dont have a clue as how to even start the motor or use electric sail opener (thingies ) so i wont be going far at this stage..Might Seem like a recipe for disaster atm but i feel the willingness to learn an time to familiarise with a good crew an everything preparred properly it can be done

[GMac]

Done 9 trans-tasmans and had to motor most of 3 due to no wind....grrrrr. The rest have been fine with a max of 35-40 odd with only one trip getting over 50kts. BUT yes, it can get very ugly out there and happen quickly. You don't want to be out there then or at least close to land when it happens.

I'd suggest Force8 you do in fact look at doing the trip yourself, you would learn an incredible amount on the way. Grab a mate or 2 as well, cheap labour Then get an experienced guy from here or there to be the boss and to make sure the boat is up to speed. There can be some small things easily overlooked when you are new to it all. Maybe you'll need 2 experienced guys depending on how the boss likes to run his ship.

I've done 3 trans tazzies and been the only experienced on the boat. I did check out the crews well 1st along with the boats. All 3 trips went perfect and the owners were very happy they went. All hopped off the other end with a lot more confidence in both themselves and their boats. 2 had to be talked hard into it but were pleased they were. I did make it very clear and made sure it was well understood that once we chucked the lines off I had the final say if required. It only came to that once or twice and only in the interest of everyones safety. So be prepared to lose control of your boat for the trip. But as you have been to sea before you'll be sweet as a crew.

There are numerous people both in NZ and Aussie who can be the boss. I say boss as it it all does hit the fan someone has to make any hard and final calls. Even if you own the boat be prepared to be told what to do and sometimes in a harsh way if the conditions dictate it. Rest assured I don't know or can see why anyone who would do it without the full intention of getting to the other side.

I made one Japanese owner scrub the teak decks of his own boat in 45kts odd while he was sea sick as a dog. He wanted to fish and I told him I don't allow gutting Tuna in my cockpit especially on a new boat. He made the mistake of assuming that as he was the owner I wouldn't be a bastard if required. Afterwards he did say he should have listened and appreciated the way I was only trying to look after 'his' new boat. I was only doing what he was paying me to do. The teak arrived looking like new

Cost wise, yes there will be some but shouldn't be too bad in the big scheme of things. Time will also be sucked up a bit unless you get the pro to prep everything 1st and you just rock up a day or 2 before leaving. If you have the time, be there for the prep as well, you'll learn lots about gear and the boat.

If it's short on safety gear (liferafts, etc) you can hire 'packages' for the trip which keeps the cost down. Same with Sat phones if no SSB.

Welly to Queensland should be a good run with the prevailing winds making it cracked sheets or reaching generally. So it maybe a quick one if the winds play nice. And it'll get a hint warmer each day, that's always nice

So nothing to be spooked about really. Its a common trip and usually completely event free for most.

What is the yacht?

[force8]

I deffinatly agree about there only being 1 boss,As a deck hand on tuna boats an crab boats i found that there seems to be alot of people on board wanting to have there say !!.An i deffinalty dont want to be the boss...The boat is a 14m lavranos steel hull made in south africa 1 of only 3 built ..I am still not sure if that is a good thing..I am glad to see that other people have done this trip an had sucess an enjoyed it ..That alone is giving me confidence to try it..I only have 1 picture up atm ,..I am gaining confidence everyday just learning about yachts an asking alot of questions at the local marina.How long does the trip take ,i know its hard to say because of weather an size of boat an alot of other factors but if anyone could give me an average time would be a good start .A few items on this boat are ..Mercedes diesel. 7 berths, toilet, stove, shower, fridge, freezer, portable genset, wind generator, self steering system, solar panels, liferaft, GPS, radar, autopilot, sonar ..I dont think it has sat phone which i will check out ..Can anyone see any componets or things that are missing to do such a trip ...Thanks guys for the imput , much appreciated !!!! cheers

[Talbot]

If I recall correctly, NZ has alist of minimum equipment before you sail, and I think Aus does as well. I am pretty sure than EPIRB features, and possibly HF SSB as well.

Dont get caught out by the rules of entry into aus as I am pretty sure they will apply to you as well. Such as letting them know you are on your way (this can be done from the previous port), pictures of the hull to show no weed etc.

[cat man do]

This one here eh? Nice boat

LAVRANOS 15M CRUISER 1978 For Sale in Nelson Marlborough – TradeABoat.co.nz

I have done a few Bris-NewCal, Bris-Vanuatu before and certainly have the time available for a NZ-Bris run, but not sure if I really want to deliver another mono.

Saying that every other mono delivery I have done seems to have been punching for days into 25-30knots to make a race start, one with a leaking internal diesel tank.

A downhill slide on a 50fter should be a nice ride for you.

Dave

[GMac]

So it's been offshore before, all the better, half the work has probably been done already and it may just be a case of checking dates as in replacing things expired like EPIRB batteries, flares, lift raft check maybe. Load with food, water, rum and go. Opps... after a weather check.

NZ does have a strict list which all boats are supposed to be upto. But they only really enforce it on NZ Registered vessels or loonies who try to leave on a shocker. The list isn't really anything you shouldn't have anyway so not that out of line. Aussie rules are limp and you don't need to worry about those as an inbound boat.

BUT do take strong note of what Talbot said about telling the Aussies you are coming, they are being right bastards over that lately, I got grizzled at last year about that even if I was NZ inbound, ours have there moments as well. Same with the dirty bum thing. It would be best to get her cleaned in NZ before you go. Faster sailing and arriving clean is a good idea.

The Tasman is a busy bit of water with many yachts crossing often. Lots are race yachts going between Hamilton Island Week, BOI Race week and so on. Some of these aren't that big and make it fine. It's common to see boats out in the middle there. The key trick thing apart from weather is not to hit the bloody reefs out in the middle, sadly a few have.

So far Force all seems to look as if it won't be a big drama to get her ready.

[MidLandOne]

In case not known already -

If the boat is not on the Register of Ships of any country then it has to be on one to be cleared from NZ or entered to Australia. If not on a register then can only go on that of a country that the owners are citizens of. If you are an Australian citizen then I would suggest their register to avoid the inspection requirements of NZ vessels that GMac alludes to (but no excuse not to equip the boat properly).

The contacts are Maritime New Zealand for New Zealand or the Australian Maritime Safety Authority for Australia - both have good web sites which explain what you do.

If the boat is on the NZ Register and you intend leaving it on that, then my suggestion is that you move the boat to Nelson before departure as the inspector there (I think there is only one) is very realistic and very knowledgable - attributes that are not regarded as being neccessarily so in Wellington. Besides if I recognise the travel lift photo on the brokers site you gave the link to, he will be very familiar with the boat already - PM me if you want his name and contact details so you can liaise as to what may be required well in advance. Note that the inspection includes the competence of the crew (in the main, that of the skipper).

If you are a permanent resident of Australia (ie hold a Permanent Residents Permit) or an Australian citizen you will likely have to import the vessel. If the vessel was built in NZ then under CER you have to pay the 10% GST only, but if was built in South Africa (or elsewhere) then you have to pay the GST and duty on the vessel (the duty is on the Australian Customs web site). Both are levied on an independant valuation of the vessel at the port of entry to Australia. Australian customs are helpful and I suggest that you talk to them at the planned port of entry well beforehand as to what they will require.

On the last, there have recently been some changes to the time that boats can be temporarily imported by non Australian citizens in that they have become much more relaxed. Just a long shot - if there is any way you could class yourself as a new immigrant, if I were you I would try and check out if there are any moves in the wind to forgive GST and duty on new immigrant possessions, including boats, along the lines that NZ does in which case it might pay to leave the boat in NZ a while. If you are a NZ citizen but not an Oz citizen nor hold an Oz Permanent Resident Permit then getting classed as a new immigrant might be as easy as just applying for a Permanent Resident Permit (even if you are a NZ'er with right of entry and work, as I understand it, you will still have to qualify under their occupation and points criteria for the permit). If these things sound like you then suggest you check them out with the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship.

John

[Talbot]

Last time I cecked on the import as a new immigrant, you are allowed to bring in a car, but not a boat.

In UK, if you have been living on a boat for 6 months and it is classed as your residence, then it can be imported VAT and tax free.

[force8]

Firstly i must say Thanks to everyone for there support an help on this matter ..Atm this seems to be very complicated ,abit out of my depth ,as far as tax,imigration,an being a novice sailor ,It seems like it wont be an easy task ..I thought it was just a matter of getting the boat up to specs getting a good crew an doing it ..Amazing what i have learnt an i must thank everyone !!!!...I think i really need to think this through abit more ,i still want to do all of this but it seems very daunting ..I think i will need to do alot more reserch before i know exactly what everyone is talking about an how to go about it .....Just shows to me how much this world has changed an what needs to be done to have an adventure ...bloody governments want to cash in on everything ....

[Talbot]

This is why hiring a skipper for the trip is such a good idea. He "should" know all these things and should also help to educate you during the trip.

[MidLandOne]

Originally Posted by Talbot

Last time I cecked on the import as a new immigrant, you are allowed to bring in a car, but not a boat.

Yes, boats imported by new immigrants are still subject to GST and duty (duty does not apply to NZ sourced boats though).

They seem to be slowly becoming more flexible insofar as temporary importation by visitors is concerned so am wondering if the above with respect to immigrants will change in a little while. Would sure be a pain in the proverbial to get there, import the boat paying the GST and duty then find a few months later they start giving free importation .

NZ allows immigrants' boats (and aircraft too) free of import taxes and duties.

[Wotname]

Force 8,

A couple of adages come to mind while reading this thread:

A Journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

The only hard questions are the ones you don't the answer of.

It seems to me that you have taken the first step but have come against some questions you weren't expecting and because you don't know the answer, they seem hard.

Well, I will let you into a little secret, to certain degree or another, we are all in the same boat but at least around here (CF), there are a lot of answers - some of them even correct .

As to the legal aspects, they are just bureaucratic steps that must be followed (correctly). We are stuck with them so we just follow them. I am assuming you are either an Aussie or Kiwi so it shouldn't be overly difficult to get it sorted out.

At least you appear to be tackling this trip with far more insight than some others e.g. http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ice-20095.html

Good luck with this endeavour.