Haven't done it yet but plan to fall of 2014 (we may ship to northern europe if it's cheaper).   Shipping: 3 basic options:  - Deck cargo (they lift it with a crane and set it on the top level of containers)  - RORO (Roll on, roll off: Basically a giant floating parking garage)  - Float On (Ship partially submerges, you drive on and then the ship comes back up)  - If it's small enough, you could put it in a container.   We are planning to take our Gemini sail catamaran (34'x14') but as we plan to spend most of our time on the canal systems, for simplicity, we are going to leave the mast behind.  - We have a quote for RORO of around $12,000  - For Float on with Dockwise (the primary player), they quoted $20,000. I've read on a few blogs that if you go last minute opposite the prevailing direction, you can get discounts but when I asked directly, they never responded.   I've heard conflicting stories about what you can leave on board. The official answer is nothing but others report leaving most of thier stuff. Of course, what about stuff that such as bumpers and dock lines which are easily removed but clearly part of the boat equipement?   Taxes & Visas: Assuming you are a U.S. citizen and the boat is not EU VAT paid, there are some rules to consider (if you can claim citizenship or residency in an EU country the rules are totally different):  - You are generally only allowed 90 out of the last 180 days in Schengen area (simlar but not the same as the EU)      - England & Ireland are EU but not Schengen while Switzerland is not EU but is Schengen.      - You can't leave for a day and come back to reset the clock. If you count back 180 days from today, you can only have up to 90 days in the Schengen.      - There is the option of a long stay visa but it technically is only for a single country but with no internal borders there isn't a good way for them to check. The problem is the long stay visas are very hard to get based on everything I've read on the subject.  - The boat can be temporarily imported without paying tax for up to 18 months (24 if you put it in-bond, basically in storage)      - You can reset the clock for this by taking the boat to a non-EU country for a day (get a reciept for dockage or fuel to document)      - England & Ireland don't help for this as they are EU but Switzerland does as it's not EU.   If you are legitimately cruising, this isn't that hard to handle as you can plan your route with the timeframes in mind. If you are going to stay in one area for a long time, it starts making things more difficult.   Europe's Great Loop (my own name, I'm trying to see if it catches on):   As with America's GL, you could start anywhere on the loop and go in either direction but there are logical starting points and direction. Assuming you are shipping the boat in start on either the Rivera or the English Channel and proceed clockwise.We will assume you start near Amsterdam. We will also assume trawler speeds. I do suggest shallow draft (both air and water) as many of the canals are shallow with low fixed bridges.  - Starting in say Calais, you head to Paris on the inland waterways.  - Then on to the Dijon area where you go up the Rhone du Rhine waterway  - This pops us out on the Rhine River just south of Basel. We do a short side trip to Basel to reset the VAT clock  - Then it's downriver on the Rhine (You could go up the Rhine from Holland but it's a long way against strong currents)  - Near Frankfurt, you turn up the Main River and meander across central Germany before  - Hitting the Danube shortly before Austria. (Again you could go up the Danube but it's a long way with several areas of strong currents)  - You cut across northern Austria with a stop in Vienna before  - Running across the Hungary Slovakia boarder to Budapest. Then turn south and cut across Hungary.  - Cut across the Croatian and Serbian boarder to Bulgaria/Romaina.  - Run the boarder between the two until you come out on the Black Sea.  - Follow the coast down to Istanbul and then the Agean (Turkey resets the VAT clock and is outside the EU (for now))  - Across the Aegean to Greece  - Up to Albania & Croatia for another VAT/Visa reset, then  - On to Itally and up to the Rivera.  - From Marseille, it's up the Rhone (one river you do have to fight a current for a while)  - Eventually closing the loop near Dijon.   There are lots of side trips  - England/Ireland  - Northern Germany into Poland  - North Africa  - French Atlantic coast with the Canal du Midi  - Rounding Spain and Portugal  - In theory there is a route thru Russia  from the Baltic to the Black Sea.   We are planning to be over for 6-9 months at a time so that visa rules aren't as big of an issue and we can take our time.   Hope this helps   Mike & Tammy Valhalla II

I did it in the reverse direction. Balearic Islands to Newport. Nice trip. I and my dog went along, sleeping on the catamaran and eating at the officer mess. Dutch ship (yacht transport), former soviet union officers and philipino crew. I was able to bargain on the price - I could have done better but my initial offer was too high - it was taken immediately. Earl On Tue, May 14, 2013 at 8:59 AM, M S <valhalla360@yahoo.com> wrote: > Haven't done it yet but plan to fall of 2014 (we may ship to northern europe if it's cheaper). > > Shipping: > 3 basic options: > - Deck cargo (they lift it with a crane and set it on the top level of containers) > - RORO (Roll on, roll off: Basically a giant floating parking garage) > - Float On (Ship partially submerges, you drive on and then the ship comes back up) > - If it's small enough, you could put it in a container. > > We are planning to take our Gemini sail catamaran (34'x14') but as we plan to spend most of our time on the canal systems, for simplicity, we are going to leave the mast behind. > - We have a quote for RORO of around $12,000 > - For Float on with Dockwise (the primary player), they quoted $20,000. I've read on a few blogs that if you go last minute opposite the prevailing direction, you can get discounts but when I asked directly, they never responded. > > I've heard conflicting stories about what you can leave on board. The official answer is nothing but others report leaving most of thier stuff. Of course, what about stuff that such as bumpers and dock lines which are easily removed but clearly part of the boat equipement? > > Taxes & Visas: > Assuming you are a U.S. citizen and the boat is not EU VAT paid, there are some rules to consider (if you can claim citizenship or residency in an EU country the rules are totally different): > - You are generally only allowed 90 out of the last 180 days in Schengen area (simlar but not the same as the EU) > - England & Ireland are EU but not Schengen while Switzerland is not EU but is Schengen. > - You can't leave for a day and come back to reset the clock. If you count back 180 days from today, you can only have up to 90 days in the Schengen. > - There is the option of a long stay visa but it technically is only for a single country but with no internal borders there isn't a good way for them to check. The problem is the long stay visas are very hard to get based on everything I've read on the subject. > - The boat can be temporarily imported without paying tax for up to 18 months (24 if you put it in-bond, basically in storage) > - You can reset the clock for this by taking the boat to a non-EU country for a day (get a reciept for dockage or fuel to document) > - England & Ireland don't help for this as they are EU but Switzerland does as it's not EU. > > If you are legitimately cruising, this isn't that hard to handle as you can plan your route with the timeframes in mind. If you are going to stay in one area for a long time, it starts making things more difficult. > > Europe's Great Loop (my own name, I'm trying to see if it catches on): > > As with America's GL, you could start anywhere on the loop and go in either direction but there are logical starting points and direction. Assuming you are shipping the boat in start on either the Rivera or the English Channel and proceed clockwise.We will assume you start near Amsterdam. We will also assume trawler speeds. I do suggest shallow draft (both air and water) as many of the canals are shallow with low fixed bridges. > - Starting in say Calais, you head to Paris on the inland waterways. > - Then on to the Dijon area where you go up the Rhone du Rhine waterway > - This pops us out on the Rhine River just south of Basel. We do a short side trip to Basel to reset the VAT clock > - Then it's downriver on the Rhine (You could go up the Rhine from Holland but it's a long way against strong currents) > - Near Frankfurt, you turn up the Main River and meander across central Germany before > - Hitting the Danube shortly before Austria. (Again you could go up the Danube but it's a long way with several areas of strong currents) > - You cut across northern Austria with a stop in Vienna before > - Running across the Hungary Slovakia boarder to Budapest. Then turn south and cut across Hungary. > - Cut across the Croatian and Serbian boarder to Bulgaria/Romaina. > - Run the boarder between the two until you come out on the Black Sea. > - Follow the coast down to Istanbul and then the Agean (Turkey resets the VAT clock and is outside the EU (for now)) > - Across the Aegean to Greece > - Up to Albania & Croatia for another VAT/Visa reset, then > - On to Itally and up to the Rivera. > - From Marseille, it's up the Rhone (one river you do have to fight a current for a while) > - Eventually closing the loop near Dijon. > > There are lots of side trips > - England/Ireland > - Northern Germany into Poland > - North Africa > - French Atlantic coast with the Canal du Midi > - Rounding Spain and Portugal > - In theory there is a route thru Russia from the Baltic to the Black Sea. > > We are planning to be over for 6-9 months at a time so that visa rules aren't as big of an issue and we can take our time. > > Hope this helps > > Mike & Tammy > Valhalla II > _______________________________________________ > http://lists.trawlering.com/mailman/listinfo/great-loop_lists.trawlering.com > > To modify your Great-Loop subscription options (change email address, > unsubscribe, etc.) go to: http://lists.trawlering.com/mailman/options/great-loop_lists.trawlering.com