The Pitfall of Sailboat Parts

Ah, the pitfalls of boat parts. When you’ve been sailing long enough, you know the motto, “It’s not if, it’s when” an essential part on your boat will break. Even though you may have a spare part for just about every system on your boat, there will always be something that breaks that you didn’t count on or a spare part you’ve already used.

You’re probably used to the swift, hassle-free process of ordering boat parts in the United States. With stores like West Marine and Defender, the marine world is your oyster. You click, you order, and it arrives promptly at your doorstep – easy peasy! Unfortunately, this luxury does not extend to countries outside the USA.

Now, let’s fast forward to when you decide to take your trusty vessel to another country. Suddenly, the sea of boat parts seems to transform into a vast desert, and you find yourself stranded in a nautical version of the Sahara. Parts will cost two to three times the amount you pay in the US. Getting them shipped to you? That’s a whole other ball of wax.

Limited Selection

First off, forget about finding your American boat part in the local stores. It’s like searching for a needle in a haystack. If you don’t speak the language, you will have to get your Google Translate out and try to describe the obscure part for which you are searching. The options are limited, and you’re faced with two choices: a pilgrimage back to the USA or enduring the waiting game. We’ve played both of those options.

The Customs Tango

If you choose to wait for your part to be shipped, brace yourself for the customs tango. Customs will take your package on a merry dance, determining its value and charging you a fee to continue the shipping process. It’s like a surprise tax party, and you’re the unwilling guest. You may be charged 20 to 25% of the value of the part. Customs will open your package and inspect the contents. They will use the invoice or research the price of the part and determine your fee.

The Border-Crossing Odyssey

Even if you find a replacement part on the same continent, prepare for the border-crossing odyssey. Your part will promise to ship in a couple of days, but little do you know the pitfalls that part may encounter before it arrives in your hands. Tracking information will keep you hopeful, but alas, your part might get stuck in customs or at a depot.

Days turn into weeks, and your excitement turns into despair. Your part is stuck in processing, there’s a problem, or maybe it’s enjoying an unexpected holiday in customs. In the UK, they are called bank holidays. In Spain, holidays are sprinkled abundantly across the calendar. Also in Spain, you’ll get acquainted with the mid-day siesta, where everything comes to a standstill between 2:00 and 6:00. You’ll be tapping your fingers until Monday if your part decides to take a Friday detour. Don’t expect any shipments on the weekend. Most businesses are closed on Saturday and Sunday, including delivery services.

Public holidays, random religious celebrations, and unforeseen taxes can turn your sailing into a waiting game nightmare. And just when you think you’ve cleared all hurdles, your shipment is subject to the whims of siestas, holidays, or a closed-for-the-weekend scenario.

DHL – DEFINITELY HORRIBLE LOGISTICS

We have been waiting now for a week and a half for a part that was supposed to ship in two to three days. We have had terrible experiences with DHL and this shipment is further proof that this company is unreliable and horrible at its job. Had we known how painful getting this small part for our wind generator would be, I would have bought a plane ticket, flew home, and brought the part back. In four days, I would have had the part. I actually did that for our watermaker membrane.

In Ireland, DHL spent a week trying to deliver our package to the wrong address. I shipped two packages from St. Thomas with DHL. One arrived a month later, and one arrived six months later, both going to the US. A sailing friend of ours told us he spent two weeks waiting for a package held in customs by DHL.

We just found out that our package has been held up because they couldn’t read our passport numbers on the email we sent them with our information. It took four days for us to even know this problem existed. We sent a new photo – basically, the same clear picture we sent them the first time. It took them another two days to tell us it was acceptable. We made phone calls daily but received the same answer each time, “Your package is being processed.”

Here’s the kicker. More than a week after our package was supposed to arrive, we finally got an email that we owed $84. The value of the item was 160 pounds. The VAT tax for the part was $39. Then, we got an additional fee of $45 for their administrative and processing fees! The package sat for over a week having nothing done to it… and for that, we got charged an additional $45. We received the payment information on a Friday. We promptly sent the payment. However, since they don’t work on the weekends, this means another several days in delay. I feel like suing them for the marina fees we have been accruing due to their delays and ineptitude. DHL is a horrible company. Don’t ever use them. They are thieves.

The Waiting Game

Meanwhile, our window to sail from Spain to the Canaries is closing. We had a perfect weather window to make the five-day passage this week. Currently, severe storms in the Atlantic will be wreaking havoc on the state of the sea, and even if we get our part in the next few days, we will have to sit for an underminable amount of time to wait for another good weather window. It’s simply amazing how the simple process of getting a boat part can turn a mole hole into a mountain of inconvenience in your sailing plans.

This is just one small tale in the boat parts saga that we have had in our five years of circumnavigation. It would take a whole book to describe the weeks and months we have toiled through to find a part we needed. We have had to repair our refrigeration system, in-furler mast system, windlass, engine, generator, alternator, inverter, navigation equipment, autopilot, and water maker, to name a few… and replace our anchor chain. Each of those stories is an entire chapter of frustration and headaches to secure the new systems, order parts, and find replacements.

The End Game

There may be some rough waves along this adventure, figuratively and literally, but we have to keep our eye on the end game. We may be slaves to the process of ordering boat parts and when and how they will be acquired. The reality is that we are still masters of our own destiny, we are alive, in love, and still afloat. We may have some headaches and delays, but today we live in Spain. Today is beautiful and sunny, and we have the quaint city of Puerto Sherry to explore.

While you’re waiting for your boat part, check out our ‘just released” story of the first five years of our circumnavigation. Available on Amazon in Kindle and print. Riding the Waves of Reality: Tales of Turmoil and Triumph.

Until next time, fair winds and smooth customs clearances to all our fellow sailors out there! May your boat parts be swift, your seas be calm, and your siestas be optional.

Alison and Dan
S/V Equus