Delivery Voyage Begins
Pikorua has hit the waves on her way to Australia and we've secured a marina berth.
There were a ton of last minute hurdles, but last Saturday (Nov 30) Pikorua finally got underway on her delivery voyage. She is currently in the South China sea off the coast of the Phillipines.
I created* a new location page where you can track her position at any time: Pikorua's current location. This page uses the last AIS update from MarineTraffic so there may be update delays, particularly while Pikorua is out in the middle of the ocean.
* Technically speaking, AI created it - I just told it what to build.Last minute issues
Bad weather and last minute technical issues conspired to delay the delivery by 3 weeks. Granocean have been very responsive in dealing with these issues and have been putting in some big hours problem solving. Also, a big shout out to Chris Chapallaz from Solar 4 RVs who flew out to HK from Melbourne with a new BMS unit on a moment's notice and was able to use his expertise to figure out what was going on with the house battery and charging systems.
We were also very grateful to have our delivery skipper Gary on board overseeing these fixes. His patience, experience and timely updates, have been greatly appreciated. Gary is blogging the delivery trip here: https://garysdeliveries.blogspot.com/
The boat will run 24 hours a day, only stopping for refuelling in Kota Kinabalu (Malaysia) and Darwin. Arrival in Sydney should be around the end of December, weather permitting. Unfortunately this means our plan to join the trip in Cairns is now off the table as we'll be in Canada for Christmas this year.
Customs/Import
Since we'll be in Australian waters for more than 12 months, and we are Australian residents, we will need to stump up the 10% GST (based on the purchase price) that applies to new boat imports. Fortunately we won't have to pay the 5% duty owing to a free trade agreement. We've engaged a customs broker to help with this process.
Marina Berth
We've found a new home for Pikorua for when she gets here in Sydney. She will be berthed at Woolwich marina which is about a 15 minute drive from our place and close to a couple of our favourite pubs/restaurants. This location has a fantastic view up the harbour towards the bridge which is 2.5 kilometres away. We are looking forward to watching the Australia Day (Jan 26) fireworks from the boat.
What's Next?
In the mean time we are getting our current boat Blue Yonder (a Jeanneau 33i) ready for sale. She has been the perfect boat for cruising Sydney harbour and Pittwater. Many great memories so it will be sad to see her go.
November through April is cyclone season in Australia so we are keeping a close eye on the weather. Our fingers are crossed for continued smooth seas.