SEE THE BEST OF THE CRUISING WORLD AND CUT THE COST OF YOUR NEW BOAT
Better still buy a share in a new Bali 4.4 catamaran, have it managed over 3 years and spend 6 months cruising the Mediterranean, Caribbean, and South Pacific before importing the yacht into Australia.
The current cost of shipping and importing a 45ft. catamaran from France to Australia is about
A$470, 000 by the time you pay:
- land transportation of the vessel to the port of launching in La Rochelle, France
- export fees,
- fumigation,
- delivery to port of loading (Southhampton or Le Havre),
- insurance,
- ocean freight via the Atlantic
- import duty,
- GST,
- Clearance,
- commissioning.
That’s nearly 25% of the eventual sale price and the weakness of the A$ is not helping .
The three-year plan on offer by Australian company Yacht Share Mariner has a cruising program where each of 6 owners spend a total of 24 weeks cruising the Eastern and Western Mediterranean, the Leeward and Windward Islands of the Caribbean, Tahiti and New Caledonia in the South Pacific and probably New Zealand as well.
A used yacht sailed to Oz is valued for duty and tax purposes according to the market rather than the bill of sale used for new yachts, thus reducing the cost of duty and GST plus of course eliminating the cost of the ocean freight. The cost of sailing the boat to Oz is included in the price of the share and so there is no additional cost for a professional crew on the open water ocean passages. An owner can always join the crew on an open water passage, but the skipper always takes responsibility for the yacht.
When the yacht is in cruising mode the owner skippers the yacht and goes where he wants, although preferably in a general south and westerly direction toward Australia, with stepping stones along the way at designated Dream Yacht Charter bases’ of which there are more than 50 in the world.
When the yacht is eventually imported to Australia and sold the chances are the market value will in fact be higher than assessed because of the likely condition of the yacht after three years of solid cruising. Mind you good usage by caring owners is generally considered to be good for a boat.
The yacht in this case is a brand-new Catana Bali 4.4,called Ellidy, she is fully optioned on top of a comprehensive build specification and each of the six owners will be entitled to a total 24 weeks cruising plus any chosen ocean passages.
6×24 week blocks will be sailed by owners in:
- the Eastern Mediterranean: Turkey, Greece, Croatia
- the Western Mediterranean: Italy. France, Malta. Majorca, Spain
- Caribbean Leeward Islands : StMartin, St.Barts Antigua, Nevis St Kitts
- Caribbean Windward Islands: Guadeloupe, St.Vincent, Bequia, Tobago Cays, Grenada
- South Pacific: Tahitit and the Cook Islands
- New Caledonia, Tonga
The Sail Home program is operationally supported by Dream Yacht Charter whose charter bases conveniently follow the route through the Mediterranean, Caribbean and the South Pacific and eventually to Brisbane.
There may well be a pleasant surprise if and when when the cat is sold after importation to OZ because there is an allowable deduction for the cost of getting the boat home, which will also reduce the payable duty and GST on the vessel.
The yacht in this instance is a new Bali 4.4. 3 cabin owner version with a very high secification and factory fitout. The design of the yacht has some truly unique features including the solid foredeck and opening door into the saloon, the well known Bali rear door and a lot of lounging space at the helm station.
The fridge has two doors with separate fridge and freezer compartments with an icemaker in the door! The galley connects with the cockpit at the front and the saloon at the rear. There is also a hatch connecting the galley with the helmstation.
As a catamaran her performance does not belong in the Sail GP. In fact she’s more like house with well over 100 meters of usable space on the three decks but it is very convenient being able to change address without paying stamp duty!..
More information call Gary Erceg.