In August 2025 I delivered M/V Dump Diver, a 76 ft motor yacht, from Vero Beach, Florida, through the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos, to Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic. That was 869 nautical miles. I’ve stayed on as her captain since we arrived, looking after systems and keeping the boat ready.

Hamilton Clemens and Wim, the owner, underway on the flybridge of M/V Dump Diver during the 2025 delivery
With Wim, the owner, underway on Dump Diver’s flybridge during the delivery.

Most of a delivery happens before the lines come off

The useful work starts on the chart table. I planned the route around fuel, weather, and ports, with a reserve at every stop. Dump Diver draws four and a half feet, which still means reading the banks carefully through the Bahamas. I filed a float plan ashore, with check-in times and rescue contacts on both ends, and I planned on three customs entries: the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, and the Dominican Republic.

The route ran West End, Nassau, George Town in Exuma, and Providenciales, then the long last leg into Puerto Plata. And then you change the plan when the weather says so.

A white lighthouse on a small island, seen across deep blue water from M/V Dump Diver
A Bahamas lighthouse from the water, on the run down the chain.

Keeping her running on the way down the chain

On the run down the Bahamas, the boat tested us a few times. We had a bad galvanic isolator and a failed shore-power cord. I diagnosed and replaced both myself, including a new 60 amp ProMariner ProSafe FS60 isolator. Then the generator started running intermittently. I traced the problem, found technicians on short notice in the Bahamas, and we stayed on schedule.

On a two-person delivery there isn’t anyone else to call, so you fix it, document it, and keep moving.

An open electrical panel on M/V Dump Diver, before the galvanic isolator was replaced
The panel on Dump Diver, before the isolator was replaced.
A newly installed ProMariner ProSafe FS60 galvanic isolator in the yacht’s electrical panel
The new 60 amp ProMariner ProSafe FS60 isolator, installed underway.
The bow of M/V Dump Diver entering the harbor at Nassau, with a person relaxing on the foredeck
Approaching Nassau aboard M/V Dump Diver.

When the plan meets the islands

Two days went nothing like the plan. On Crooked Island, the marina was closed for the season. We still found a place to tie up and a hot meal.

In Providenciales, we had to clear customs at two marinas and then wait an extra day, even after pre-clearance. I used the delay to source parts on the island. Delays are part of every delivery. What matters is that the owner stays informed, nobody gets frustrated, and the boat leaves in better shape than she arrived.

Palm trees and a path on Crooked Island, looking out to a distant lighthouse on the horizon
Crooked Island, Bahamas. The marina was closed for the season.

Puerto Plata

The last leg was the longest, from Providenciales to Puerto Plata, then clearing into the Dominican Republic. That made 869 nautical miles and three countries, and Dump Diver arrived safely. I’ve been in command since then: systems, repairs, vendors, and the ordinary work of keeping a boat ready.

Last leg of the delivery: leaving Turks and Caicos for Puerto Plata.
A marina dock at night in Puerto Plata, lit in blue, with boats on either side under a starry sky
Ocean World Marina, Puerto Plata, after the last leg.
Sun setting over calm water, with a buoy in the foreground, photographed during the delivery
Evening light on the water during the delivery.
Hamilton Clemens and Wim, the owner of M/V Dump Diver, together at sunset during the delivery
With Wim, the owner of M/V Dump Diver, at sunset during the delivery.

I’m based in West Palm Beach and available for captain, mate, delivery, and relief work. If you have a boat that needs to go somewhere carefully, I’d be glad to talk.