WHS-PA

Dublin, Ireland — Phenomenal growth in the global yacht industry has caused many new boat owners to hire professional yacht delivery captains to skipper their boats on long or dangerous voyages. Yacht delivery skipper Graham Caswell of the http://www.delivery-skipper.com website confirms that the boat delivery industry is growing with international trends. “It’s relatively easy to buy a new yacht”, he said, “but sailing long distances through potentially difficult waters or weather conditions requires skills that can take years to learn”. Recreational boat ownership is currently a $25 billion international industry and sales are growing annually at 5-10%. While sales growth will likely be lower in 2008 due to economic conditions, many motor and sailing yachts are pre-ordered and already under construction. There are waiting lists of up to three years for luxury yachts in the USA and Europe and so the in fullfast ternational fleet of recreational boats will continue to grow strongly. However sail training and sea experience lag far behind the growth in boat numbers. Learning how to handle boats safely, how to navigate and how to operate the often-complex equipment found on a modern boat can take years. The American Sailing Association and the British Royal Yachting Association operate training and certification schemes in the United States and Great Britain. But learning to sail is not as simple as doing a course – developing experience is critical. ”Often new boat owners will join a delivery skipper for the voyage to the boat’s new home”, said Caswell. “This helps them to get to know their new boat and gives them valuable sea experience, while the presence of a professional captain gives them security and confidence”. Caswell offers instruction to new yacht owners in such cases, as do most delivery captains.