Hanse 575 delivered from Turkey to Denmark, Marmaris to Middelfart
Our third Hanse 575 delivery. About 3,700 nautical miles from the Turkish coast through the Mediterranean, past the orcas of Gibraltar, up the Atlantic coast of Europe and across the North Sea to the Baltic. One summer, three skippers, a change of flag on the way and a boat that needed a lot of care.
3,700 NM
Marmaris to Middelfart
May to July
Season 2026
3 skippers
Planned crew changes on a long route
14-16,000 EUR
Similar delivery today, net
Net price for a similar delivery today. The owner covers fuel, berthing fees, repairs to the boat and crew travel to the start and home from the finish. Travel for crew changes on the way is on us.
The passage
From the Mediterranean to the Baltic on a boat that needed work
The Danish owner wanted his Hanse 575 brought home from Turkey to Denmark. When we took her over in Marmaris she was in poor condition. Before she could leave Marmaris, local yards worked on leaks in the hull, the fuel supply and the electrics, and the batteries were flat. We also had the paperwork to sort out. The boat was registered for sailing in EU and Greek waters, and on the way, in Malta, she changed from the Turkish to the Danish flag.
The first leg was sailed by Jeremy, one of our skippers from the UK, with a crew that included two Danish sailors. From Marmaris they went to Malta and on to Gandia in Spain. The navigational warnings on that stretch were a good reminder that the Mediterranean is a busy sea: a drifting ship, a dead whale about 8 metres long and a live firing exercise area. In Gandia the boat was hauled out on the hard to reseal the seacocks, which were leaking. On a boat about to sail into the Atlantic that is not a detail, it is a safety repair. From Gandia she continued to Alcaidesa Marina, next to Gibraltar.
The Strait of Gibraltar and the coast of Portugal are where orcas have been interacting with sailing yachts for several years. For this stretch Marek Belniak, who runs Seven Seas, joined the boat in Alcaidesa Marina as co-skipper and navigator and sailed her from there to Cascais near Lisbon.
The route: Marmaris, Malta, Gandia, Gibraltar, Lisbon, Muros, Bénodet, IJmuiden, Kiel and Middelfart. Yellow: live track from our tracking app
Repairs on the way
In Cascais the inverter failed and the batteries had to be replaced. The yard did not answer for three days, so the crew found a local electrician themselves. The new batteries had to be ordered in and the crew used the waiting time for smaller repairs. The boat left Cascais as soon as the new batteries were installed.
Pan-Pan off the Costa da Morte
North of Cascais, on the Costa da Morte in Galicia, dirty fuel clogged the filters and the fuel lines, and the engine stopped. The wind was light, the currents off the cape are strong, and because of the orcas we were sailing close to the shore. We called Pan-Pan so other vessels would keep an eye on us. The local rescue service heard it and within ten minutes sent a large vessel to stand by, until a rescue boat arrived and towed the yacht into port. Prevention is better than rescue. The owner's insurer accepted the breakdown and settled the matter with the Spanish Maritime Rescue service.
Tracking when the AIS would not work
The AIS gave trouble for the whole trip, and repairs in Malta and in Spain did not really fix it. So from Malta we used our own tracking app, which sends the boat's position even when the AIS is down. The owner could see where his boat was at any time. Things break on a long delivery, especially on a boat in poor condition. What matters is that the owner knows what is happening and that every problem gets solved properly before the boat goes on.
A planned change of skipper
On long routes we sometimes change skippers, and the boat is never left without a crew. In Bénodet in Brittany the boat was handed over to Piotr. We arranged the paperwork with the harbour office in France in advance, so the new skipper could take over without losing days. Piotr sailed her in two fast hops, up the English Channel and across the North Sea to IJmuiden, and from there via Kiel to Middelfart, after the owner extended the route from Kiel. The boat arrived in Denmark in July.
The Strait of Gibraltar under the new Danish flag, June 2026
At the helm in the Strait of Gibraltar, the start of the orca zone
Evening at sea after the Strait of Gibraltar
The new Danish flag, flying since Malta
How we ran it
What the owner got, step by step.
Crew and plan
A boat in poor condition, repairs by local yards before departure, a haul out in Gandia for leaking seacocks, registration and a change to the Danish flag in Malta, and a plan with three skippers for one long route.
The passage
Malta, Gandia, the orca zone at Gibraltar with Marek on board, Lisbon, a Pan-Pan off Galicia, Brittany, the North Sea and the Baltic. Our own tracking app when the AIS failed.
Handover
Skippers changed in Bénodet without losing days, then two hops to IJmuiden and Middelfart. The boat arrived in Denmark in July.
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