Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way!
Published: Saturday, May 15, 2021
In the fall of 2019, Colony Marine sold a custom-order 2020 Prestige 590 Fly to an eager customer. After partnering with Prestige Yachts earlier that year to bring the world-class yacht series to the Eastern Great Lakes, the Colony team was eager to get one of their first Prestige customers his new vessel and ensure a seamless delivery all the way from France. Little did the Colony team know at the time that the delivery of this French yacht would be unlike any other they’ve done in their 60 years in the business.
When the boat finished production a couple of short months later, the team began to hear the first utterances of COVID-19 and the world around them was quickly changing. Borders were closing and uncertainty was all around. The brand-new Prestige 590 Fly was ready to board the freighter that would begin its journey across the ocean to the Port of Baltimore when Canada shut down its waterways and locks to private vessels, an act in response to the growing threat of COVID-19. And this was only the first chapter in the tale of the “little transport company that could.”
The real journey started in a small town in Western France called Les Herbiers, the location of the Prestige Yachts factory and shipyard. Getting the vessel across the ocean was business as usual, but due to the Canadian canals and locks being shut down during the peak months of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Colony team had to get creative for the second half of its journey. How were they going to get a 60-foot yacht—with a flybridge, no less—from Annapolis, Maryland, to St. Clair Shores, Michigan, without access to the canals and locks?
That’s when Pete Beauregard Jr., owner of Colony Marine, called Ian S. Fenberg, president of Hurricane Marine Transport, Inc., an Ohio-based marine transport company. Pete knew they’d be up to the job because they had done countless successful deliveries for Colony in the past, and it turns out, they absolutely were. Called “to work a miracle” as Ian later put it, Team Hurricane set out to do the seemingly impossible: transport a 60-foot yacht from Maryland to Michigan while circumventing the St. Lawrence Seaway and Canal system.
At more than 17 feet tall, 15 feet wide, 90 feet long, and well over 94,000 pounds with the vessel on board, the sheer size of the load meant that Hurricane had very limited route options. For the next five weeks, Ian worked tirelessly to review potential routes for their journey, personally scouting by driving all available routes in advance with a height pole attached to a pickup truck. He knew whatever route was approved by the States would inevitably consist of many turns, hills, and roads that were not necessarily made to sustain a load of this magnitude. What they needed most was patience, skill, and a support team surrounding the rig. This support brigade would need to include police escorts, electricians in bucket trucks, and several private escort vehicles, plus a height pole car to lead the way as they travelled through the far-too-narrow streets of the small towns along the route.
Knowing the challenge that lay ahead, the Hurricane Marine Transport team began their long journey from Annapolis to Erie, Pennsylvania, where they would meet up with the Colony Marine team to finish the journey by water.
As if the initial obstacles weren’t already difficult enough, due to traffic congestion the load was limited to only driving between the hours of 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. while heading through Maryland. Driving in the darkness led to its own difficulties. In fact, the team was only able to travel 70 miles in 10 hours—with an average speed of 7.5 miles per hour—on the first night of the job!
As the Hurricane crew moved slowly but surely through Maryland into Pennsylvania, each mile presented new challenges to overcome. Due to the height and width of the load, the use of the Pennsylvania Turnpike had never been an option. This meant that, as the load travelled through small, historic towns, the Pennsylvania State Police was in for a surprise. Having never before seen a yacht of this size travelling through their communities, the procession was brought to a halt several times to check route permits.
The most historic town the convoy traversed was Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The team slowly and skillfully maneuvered through the tight streets in the center of town and paused briefly on Chambersburg Pike (US 30) at the exact place where the battle began, as a rally point for all vehicles to converge.
And how does one guide a rig of this size under low-hanging traffic lights and electrical wiring in these small towns? First, police and fire department assistance is always appreciated since their lights and authority can increase safety overall. But, when travelling through Altoona, Pennsylvania, the Altoona Police Department and the neighboring Logan Township Police Department certainly earned the title of “Most Helpful Authorities of the Trip.” Although Hurricane is well-prepared regardless of assistance granted, their presence in these towns came largely unannounced meaning assistance wasn’t always available. However, in Altoona, the two departments coordinated quickly and, without much ado, the rig was granted the ability to move through intersections efficiently, avoiding the need to stop multiple times for traffic signals and generally making the trip through town smooth, safe, and efficient.
“In addition to the police escort,” said Ian, “make sure you have an ‘angel’ on your shoulders. In our case, the angel sometimes appeared on the flybridge of the vessel as we were hauling through town and we dubbed him ‘Super Dean.’”
“Super” Dean Eldred, an experienced electrician, had the job of following behind in a cherry picker, or at times climbing on top of the flybridge of the vessel, to lift the low-hanging wires and traffic lights while the rig drove under. As one can imagine, the convoy had many admirers throughout their journey.
From the windows of the local Red Lobster to folks coming out of their homes along the route, everyone wanted to snap a photo of this impromptu parade. The many (often frustrated) drivers stuck in traffic behind the rig also shared their photos, and the whole deal became the source of many questions and theories. Curious onlookers turned to social media to investigate why there was a 60-foot yacht travelling through their small towns, and rumors were flowing as to whose boat it was. One rumor that began to stick was that it was then-Presidential-Nominee Joe Biden’s vessel. Funnily enough, this was a rumor that Hurricane team members started!
“When you’re responsible for transporting a multi-million dollar yacht for days at a time during an immensely high-pressure transport such as this,” said Ian, “it’s important to break the stress with a little humor!”
The entire journey of over 500 miles from Annapolis, Maryland, to Erie, Pennsylvania, lasted seven days. The Prestige 590 Fly was only taken on the interstate for one mile in Maryland and only travelled under two bridges during the entire trip. Their route consisted of roads that one can be sure were not created with 90-foot semi-trucks in mind.
“As we finally rolled into Erie, I knew this was—by far—one of the most memorable and challenging transports in our history,” said Ian. “But when a great bunch of individuals come together as a team and everyone pulls in the same direction, great accomplishments can happen.”
Ian Fenberg’s 35 years of truck driving and leadership experience was largely responsible for the success of the mission and, with the Prestige 590 safely arriving in Erie undamaged, Colony Marine found that, as suspected, they had made the right call.
Added Ian, “Once you’ve moved a 60-foot yacht across the US, anything seems possible! As General George S. Patton once said, ‘Accept challenges, so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory.’”
The “torch” was then handed off to Pete Beauregard and Colony crew members, who began their own adventure of cruising the rest of the way across Lake Erie to the boat’s final destination at Colony Marine in St. Clair Shores, Michigan. The flybridge’s hardtop was concurrently on its way to St. Clair Shores via land on a separate rig, so Pete and the team made do without and drove the vessel from its bottom station. They would re-assemble the flybridge when they got to St. Clair Shores.
An unprecedented accumulation of hours and effort went into the preparation, transport, and ultimately the final delivery of this beautiful vessel to its enthusiastic customer. Luckily, the client purchased his boat from Colony Marine and the team’s “customer-first” attitude, alongside their passion for sharing the boating lifestyle, motivated them to get the job done, even during a most unprecedented time.
From France to Michigan, Colony Marine delivered, and earned one very happy customer… who just so happens to NOT live in the White House!
ABOUT COLONY MARINE
Colony Marine is the largest boat dealer in Southeast Michigan and one of the first in the industry. Family-owned and third-generation-operated since 1958, Colony Marine has been dedicated to providing superior boating products and services and has been recognized as one of the Top 100 Boating Dealers in America. Colony Marine sells a complete line of world-class boats by Sea Ray, Boston Whaler, Cobalt Boats, Crest Pontoons, Maritimo Yachts, and Prestige Yachts with locations in St. Clair Shores, Algonac, and Oakland County, Michigan.
ABOUT HURRICANE MARINE TRANSPORT
Hurricane Marine Transport, Inc. (HMT) is based in the heart of the Great Lakes region, world headquartered in Findlay, Ohio, and operating out of Port Clinton. This location allows quick reach to boating customers from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, from the Atlantic to the Pacific Coast, and all areas in between. Specializing in large yacht transport, their extensive fleet of late model equipment enables them to easily handle all vessels, sail, power, or commercial, from 16 feet to 70 feet. With decades of experience, the team is more than a boat transportation company, they are an integral partner. From start to finish, Team Hurricane assures the safe transportation of your vessel.
A version of this article appeared in the Launch Issue (May/June) 2021 of Great Lakes Scuttlebutt magazine.
tags: Dealerships, Hauling
