Trucking to Island Packet Yachts Refit Program

...there is our boat as nearly as big as an auto carrier...

Today we hauled the boat at Snead Island Boat Works and loaded it onto a Joule Yacht Transport Tractor Trailer. The truck driver drove it up to Largo Florida via route 75 then route 4 and 275 because the boat was too wide to truck across the Tampa Bay Skyway Bridge! This was really an exciting process and a relief after months of planning, emails, and this massive final week of offloading.

Now, Island Spirit, our 1994 IP-35, is back where she was designed and built! Imagine if you loved a classic car and you could send it back to the car manufacturer 20 years later and ask then to refurbish and upgrade the car to modern standards. If you can imagine that, then you have an idea of the excitement we are experiencing!

Many IP owners do not know that the factory has started an extensive refit program. If you are interested in this program, please contact the Vice President of IPY, Bill Bolin, for your refit needs. See this page for the email link.

Here are photos of the delivery process....

At 0830 am, we moved the boat into the haul out slings

Terry is driving the lift via a remote control which gives a better visibility

The travel lift is driven over the special yacht hauling trailer

I wore my HOPE TOWN shirt...hoping that next year, we will sail her back to HOPE TOWN

That is an IP-35 (39' 6" plus 5' dinghy davits) on a 53' yacht transport trailer

We followed the truck onto the road...the dinghy davits are hitting the trees!

Notice the width of the yacht, 12 feet on the road

Driver takes route 4 to Tampa because the boat will not fit the Skyway Bridge

Several times, it looked like she would clip the bridges, but she was just close.....maybe a foot

Next we took route 275 where they were doing road shoulder work 

SAFE ARRIVAL at 1979 Wild Acres Road, Largo, Florida
The Island Packet Yachts Facility

The truck driver did a GREAT JOB, here is his co-pilot and navigator

Island Spirit is backed into "Assembly Building #5" where she will live for 5-6 months!

Great Friends and IP 420 owners of TRUE NORTH, rented a car and met us at the factory!
Hayden, Debi (aka BLONDIE) Dennis, Radeen and Bill Bolin
Photo Credit: Captain Horace, friend and frequent crew on TRUE NORTH 

Hayden and Radeen turn their yacht over to good friend and VP Bill Bolin
Mission Completed.....we DID IT.....we trucked our yacht back to the factory for Refit !

Now, it is time to refine the work order list and the scope of jobs for our factory refit. We will take the summer off from boating and drive home to our house in PA.  In late Oct or early Nov, we will truck the boat back to the water for our third winter exploring the Bahamas.

Thank you Bill Bolin and Island Packet Yachts for creating the factory refit program!

Email your REFIT needs to the Factory
See this page for the email link