Tag Archives: Vietnam

Delivery date set, finale month in Vietnam

Okay, as stated in our previous post our delivery got prosponed to the end of March. But today we are happy to say: All missing parts arrived, the finish of Kiskadee is getting there, and all yellow tape/cardboard is protection for finished items. And most important, a reconfirmed schedule.

Delivery collage of Kiskadee on 9th of march
Delivery details of Kiskadee

Jon and Will are the two experienced crewmembers and they join us on our maiden voyage and beyond, all the way to Vancouver. A crew of 4 is so much more relaxed then dual handed sailing for long stretches. They will arrive last week of march and join us in Nha Trang, the delivery and embarkment seaport.

Another aspect of getting finished, all live aboard stuff is bought. Respect to my wife who resisted the temptation to buy the whole hypermarket. Our favorites are:

Live aboard goodies

So in general our schedule is:

  1. Getting up to speed on weather forecasts, currents, local notifications, looking at the forecast, checking it with historical data;
  2. Looking at our things-to-do list, introducing a new category “not doing it”;
  3. Technical acceptance while Kiskadee is still at the factory on 20th of march;
  4. Launching, rigging, factory trails, 22-26 march;
  5. First Handover and sea trial to Nha Trang, 28 march – 1 april;
  6. Aftercare, fresh provisioning, crew onboard, final acceptance, 2-5 april;
  7. Start our journey at the 6th of April.

Living in HCM city

Our first week in HCM (Ho Chi Minh) City has come to an end. The departure and the flight went well, Schiphol Airport was not chaotic for a change. To reclaim VAT, Customs in departure hal stamped 2 large invoices without any objections.
And Emirates is an efficient airline. Baggage immediately labeled to HCM, you only have to walk km in Dubai from one side of the terminal to the other end. We flew a B777 and an A380, lots of legroom. That makes me happy.

A lot of luggage
A lot of Luggage

The queue for immigration in HCM City was long. 2, 3 classes of American teenagers were called to order. They had to line up behind each other and shut up. They were indeed joking around and tired of waiting. In Vietnam, a green uniform with epaulettes and stars on it, means that you have to listen with respect and do what they say.

All of our luggage was there, undamaged. We walked to “Declare Goods” with an English / Vietnamese letter with an explanation etc.
Customs kindly helped to put the items on the scanner belt and without any action we passed. Taxi, hotel, sleep.

We used the first week for a combination of sleeping in, factory visit and shopping. From crockery to cushions, to pots and pans. A bit of walking around, eating out, etc. Life is relatively cheap, if you eat locally and you don’t drink cocktails or wine, you will pay € 20 per diner. Prices can range, a pair of Skechers costs € 60, a pair of Bitis €12. I think they are made in the same factory.
We have a cold from the air conditioning, they are turned on everywhere. Outside it is 32 degrees. According to an old Surinamese custom, you don’t walk directly in the sun and in the afternoon you just have to rest instead of … In Vietnam, also on the northern hemisphere, it is ‘winter’. On a cloudy, windy day you see people with an extra hoodie for the cold (25 degrees)

Delayed

We have been to the factory and had a conversation with the owner of Seawind. He is very interested in our adventure and the North Pacific crossing. And he has pledged to help find solutions if we experience further delays.
There is a delay on SV Kiskadee, as we learned from our second conversation, with the Line Manager and Customer Services,.
We discussed the daily schedule and concrete dates. But also seen that ~ 10 parts are still missing, 9 of which are due to arrive on the 28 of February and one part of the watermaker even a week later.

There is no slack in terms of planning for favorable sailing weather and my wish to visit Gabriella’s graduation ceremony.
Our two crew members also have to rescheduled their journey. We are now waiting for 28 February for a conformation of the planning, before we start re-planning again.

Weather and Current Pilot Chart for the month May
Weather and Current Pilot Chart for the month May

Our next serious date with the factory is the 20 and 21th of March to do an technical inspection of SV Kiskadee. On 24 of March they launch & rigging started. And from the 27 of March we start sailing from HCM to Nha Trang, a 270 NM journey together with the factory people. Formal delivery in Nha Trang around the 2 of April and then departure, provided the weather forecast is good.

In the week of March 2 – March 8 we will go up the Mekong river and via via to Phnom Penh and then Angkor Wat, both in Cambodia. A real holiday trip and the easiest way to activate a new eVisa for Vietnam.

Leuk en Verdrietig

De datum van 6 februari 2023 nadert snel, we vertrekken naar Vietnam om onze sv Kiskadee op te halen. Daarmee ervaren we een gezonde spanning, leuk en verdrietig. Ten slotte werken we al 5 jaar naar dit punt toe.

De beslissing om een Seawind te kopen, 2 maanden voor de algemene lockdown voor Covid. En dan de aanbetaling en het wachten tot de bouw gaat starten. Gevolgd door vertragingen met gedoe in de supply chain van 1/2 januari naar eind februari, misschien wel midden maart.

Zeilen, zeilen, zeilen om meer ervaring op te doen. En het behalen van diploma’s voor ongeveer alles. Van vaarbewijs tot aan ehbo. Lezen, lezen, lezen, leuke verhalen, technische verhalen, reviews over producten. Ach lezen is leuk.

Lijstjes, de lijstjes. Wat te doen en wat mee te nemen en wat vooral ook niet. Onze eerste neiging is alles te kopen, ook dingen die niet direct of zelfs indirect nodig zijn. Lijstjes zijn soms boodschappenlijstjes en spulletjes kopen is leuk, we zullen beslist extra luchtvracht kilos nodig hebben als we naar Ho Chi Minh City afreizen.

De eerste verkenningen om ons huis te verkopen, van een mooie taxatie tot aan de verkoop, net voor het ineenstorten van de huizenmarkt. Het opzeggen van mijn baan, het vervroegen van het pensioen van Therese. Dat zijn grote stappen met gemixte emoties. Als je op de bank zit en het nog eens overdenkt, dan pas zie je alle kanten en moet je echt afscheid nemen. Inclusief wat ontkenning, rouw en berusting.

Algemene trend in dit alles is dat je al die activiteiten ongeveer 3 keer doet. Het idee, de uitwerking met alles er op en aan en het weer downsizen naar een handelbaar volume. De boordapotheek als voorbeeld met dank aan de huisarts en onze lokale apotheek. Maar een hecht setje moet je dan weer zelf bij de medische groothandel kopen. Grrrr.

Een aparte paragraaf voor de bureaucratie. Het uitzoeken of je ingezetene blijft of uitschrijft, Wat, ja dat is een complex verhaal, zie Briefadres, INGEZETENE of uitschrijven. Je hebt een zeiljacht en wilt het registreren, ook nodig voor je MMSI, je verzekeringen, inklaren, je veiligheidsmiddelen etc. Veel dingen die niet mogen of kunnen. Dus, je merkt dat geautomatiseerde systemen geen rekening houden tot het helemaal niet aankunnen dat je een uitzondering bent. En dan is een schip in Nederland registreren terwijl het ver weg gebouwd wordt, praktisch onmogelijk. De frustratie loopt dan op en dat helpt niet. Vriendelijk blijven, vragen blijven naar wat wel kan, het liefst in persoon afstemmen. En er is altijd wel een andere oplossing. Omdenken, omdenken, omdenken!

En dan is er het afscheid nemen van familie, vrienden, je sociale leven, werk. Met meer emoties dan we dachten, het valt niet mee. Ondanks dat we tegen onszelf zeggen: kom, kom we gaan lang op vakantie, het is niet emigreren. (Misschien is zeilen over de wereld nog wel minder vast) We hebben gewoon moeite met afscheid nemen. En dan zijn wij nog redelijk internationaal georiënteerd en gaan echt weg voor iets leuks en bijzonders. Daarom alles samengevat

We vertrekken, met vreugde en verdriet !

Commissioning in Vietnam

Commissioning in Vietnam, with a Seawind 1260 as a new yacht, is a bit complex. Getting familiar, repairing little mishaps on commission and departing the country in 3 to 5 days after accepting ownership, is tight.

We will try to charter an Seawind 1260 in the med or US to get familiar with the yacht and the B&G equipment. We are both experienced sailors and will do as much preparation as possible. Test driving our Seawind for 1 or 2 days, the basic on commission, is short. So we will prepare for detecting small failures while making a maiden voyage of 900 NM. We will talk to the support office of Seawind what is possible to extend the commission or other solutions.

Route and Crew

The maiden voyage is to the south of Taiwan. A backup plan, sailing to the Philippines, is necessary. We will avoid China, to much of a visa hassle. A second thought is the accompanying of 1 or 2 crew members. Which will make this first trip more comfortable. Lets see if a local delivery crew is available, again with the help of the support office of Seawind. (Skills, payment, Passport, Visa, Return flight) An alternative is asking around in our circle of friends, or even within the Seawind community.

Global route form Vietnam to Taiwan, staying on the Philippine site
Commissioning in Vietnam, sailing toward the America’s, first stop South Taiwan

Spare Parts & Tools

Oke, I have a list of tools put together by comparing other lists with two thoughts in mind. First downsize aka limit the total amount of weight. Second ship it to Vietnam of buy it locally?

Spare parts is a second list to work on. A big yes to service kits and lubricants. A maybe to some service kits. And an “I don’t know” to complete spare units. I hope the Seawind factory can provide me with some advice and getting this these items in Vietnam.

Provisioning

Well from crockery to bed linen, fresh food to cans and beans, yet a few more items to consider what to bring to Vietnam or buy locally.