THE WAY FORWARD - BOATING WITH COVID 19
The Way Forward; Here at Atlantic Yachts we are finding innovative ways to continue to operate in an all be it limited way with the Virus that is clearly here to stay.
We have already taken measures to protect our staff and customers by implementing social distancing and closing the main office at QAB in Plymouth. Our commissioning yard remains very much open and we have contractors completing arranged works and commissioning boats continuously. Whilst the office is closed we continue to pick up messages and emails.
The Yard can do commercial work exclusively for us such as boat lifts from transport from our factories with social distancing rules in effect.
The Factory in Poland re-opend in late April and France in May, so we have new stock arriving and customers’ orders will be finished all be it on a rescheduled time frame.
⟶ Buying a Boat: we have established a process where you can still purchase a boat within the social distancing guidelines. Viewings when the restrictions are lifted will be done at a distance and we will open the boat for you to view on your own at your leisure. All questions can be done by video call during the viewing. Furthermore we can do virtual viewings with Face time, Skype and Zoom video calling saving you time and travel to the boat. We regularly carryout this service already for customers overseas and living a long way from us so no need to be physically at the boat. Discussions and sale negotiations can take place over the phone and securing your boat by electronic by bank transfer will avoid all physical contact.
⟶ Delivery: We can go on to deliver your new boat to your door or berth using our commercial transport technicians as is allowed currently under government guidelines. Handover will be done on all boats by an emailed video or video call where we will run through the operations of the vessel, Jeanneau’s comprehensive boat manual is supplied with every new boat and incudes everything you need know.
⟶ Surveys: A Surveyor can attend the boat without you being there once a deposit is in place. Surveyors generally prefer to work alone and their reports are submitted electronically with photos and diagrams as necessary. We can provide a list of local surveyors if required.
⟶ Warranty: our engineers continue to carry out warranty work but logged claims may take longer due to the restrictions at the factory with parts. Warranty approval requests and inspections are still be done fairly quickly.
⟶ Orders for next year: If, as seems likely Southampton Boat Show is cancelled we are able to offer viewings on pre-arranged stock boats around the UK so it will always be possible to view and make a decision. Sea trials are a little more difficult but suffice to say we have never had a boat rejected because it does not do what it says on the tin. Also, there are lots of virtual tours and videos at our disposal and where possible we will carryout trials but these will be limited to one skipper and one client at a time to keep the social distancing rules and reduce personal interaction.
⟶ VR: look out for our Virtual Reality video tours and YouTube videos, every boat will have its own collection of videos so you feel the space and layout of actual boats in real time. We have already a suite of online video and all brokerage boats and all will have their own video viewings on record as is already the case. Further to this we will offer one to one video calls on the boats so you can point the camera operator to each section of the vessel you want to view.
These are strange times we are in but we need to face the fact that the virus is here to stay in the population and until we have a vaccine or herd immunity we need to work with it. So don’t let it stand in the way of your plans as boating is the very best in mental well-being and very much a social distancing sport in itself! So, let’s get out on the water away from everyone and everything as soon as possible!
Please give us a call or email if you have any questions or would like to view any of our boats.
☎ 01752600120
Contact Atlantic Yachts, dealer Jeanneau