SV Nerida (crewman)

“It has been my pleasure to have known Grahame Bear for over 20 years both in his successful cleaning business and in the sailing world, where he has crewed for me on many occasions. Grahame is a most affable, diligent, reliable and knowledgeable yachtsman with many years of experience. I have no hesitation in giving this character reference, Yours respectfully, Jim Hardy"

Sir James Hardy OBE.

'SV Freyja' November 2024...

I wish to thank you and Murray for creating such an enjoyable and rewarding experience and also for delivering Freyja in a better state than when she left, with the maintenance and tuning that you both put in on the journey. It was great chatting with you both along the way. You and Murray are fabulous at demonstrating your knowledge and skills.

Peter

'SV Freycinet' September 2024...

'SV Amoray' August 2024

Graham and his crew Murray were a congenital, highly competent and efficient team who delivered our newly acquired Dufour 425 GL from Coffs Harbour to Adelaide in 11 days during the peak of winter. On arrival into Adelaide the boat was spotlessly clean and both crew were generous in sharing knowledge about the boat’s performance verbally and in writing. We would recommend Graham and his company to anyone needing a boat delivered, and would definitely use them again in the future.

'SV Winedown' February 2024

'SV Stela Odyssey' October 2023

Grahame and Murray delivered our newly purchased 2005 Elan Impression 434 from Lake Macquarie to Adelaide.  We joined them from Lake Macquarie to Sydney where Grahame played tour guide, sharing the sites and stories from his childhood on the Sydney harbourside.  His local knowledge was also useful in finding us a mooring buoy off Milsons Point for the night.  It was a pleasure spending this time with the team and we felt assured about leaving Stela in their capable hands.

For the rest of the delivery journey, Grahame phoned us every night when possible, for a progress update.  He made good decisions to balance the rate of progress with safety, and when sitting out a weather front in port, Grahame and Murray used the time to assess Stela for maintenance and repairs required, making a list for us, and carrying out many of the small jobs themselves.

Stela was faithfully delivered to us in North Haven at the end of her 12-day journey with no problems encountered.

We would confidently recommend Special Delivery!

'Four Bells' October 2022

“ In an industry that sometimes lacks the discipline and commitment that one would like to expect, my first dealings with Grahame and his team at Special Delivery has been a stand-out experience for me. Grahame’s references, experience, commitment, timeliness, friendly and prompt communications and, most importantly, professional seamanship practices made me very comfortable in handing over responsibility for the safe passage of both my yacht, and my friend’s young relative needing to add hours to achieve their Yacht Master qualification, for the trip from the Whitsundays to Pittwater. My yacht arrived ahead of schedule with little evidence that it had been on anything greater than a cruise for sunny day out. Grahame’s miserly reliance on the iron sail resulted in fuel consumption levels that may even be acceptable to Greta Thunberg.

Based on my first experience with Grahame and Special Delivery, I will certainly be calling upon him in the future for those upwind homeward deliveries along the Australian coast and would have no hesitation in recommending him to others.”

David Bell

The Jewels November 2021

Grahame was a true pleasure to deal with from start to finish. I had great confidence that my boat was in safe hands. Being well connected Grahame also helped me out of a difficult position on 2 accounts. One being a great recommendation for a skipper who could take our boat from the Tweed River to Southport QLD while there was a hard border closure in place. The other being his advice on numerous different items from boat nuances to insurance. Grahame comes highly recommended from the crew of The Jewels – Catalina 36.

On The Prowl August 2021

After committing to purchasing our site unseen boat in Shoal Haven Heads NSW ( due to covid ) we were unsure on how the best way was going to be to get it to us in Cleveland QLD.
Thankfully a friend recommended Grahame from Special Delivery to us. After the first phone call to Grahame I felt at ease and that I had found the right man for the job, he gave me a quote within hours and organised the whole process for us.
He contacted the seller of the boat and co-ordinated everything from car hires, fuel stops, running repairs on the boat and even fixed up instruments during the journey.. with boarder closures Grahame organised a QLD skipper to meet him at the boarder,
And we got our pride and joy in fantastic condition. I would highly recommend Grahame for any boat delivery, he knows what service means and follows through on his word.
Ross Howe
Cleveland Qld.

Mojo June 2021

Grahame skippered us from Newport to Hobart in June 2021 on our newly purchased and (as yet) untried, Halvorsen 50. While we weren’t novices, we hadn’t been to sea for some time, and we didn’t know the boat well before collecting it and setting off. Graham’s immense experience gave us the confidence to make the journey across Bass Strait and it was the best decision we could have made. Within a short time of coming on board, he became familiar with everything from engines to anchors to electrics. He planned the weather window for us in advance and we set off according to his schedule and had a perfect trip. We felt connected to Grahame from our first contact and not only was he good company on the trip and easy to get along with, but also his level of competence was obvious from the start which made us feel safe and in good hands. His empathy with the boat resulted in a comfortable trip with a very low fuel usage. We highly recommend Grahame as a skipper for any journey.  Beth and Lance Hobart

R'nR May 2021

We hired Grahame from Special Delivery to pick up our new boat from Port Stephens and deliver it to the Gold Coast.

It was short notice & Grahame worked his magic and was able to fit us in his busy schedule.

From the very first contact Grahame was so easy to deal with, he organised everything and had our minds at ease making it a very smooth process.

Grahame and his crew delivered our boat as promised without a hitch, on time, and with no issues.

I highly recommend Grahame and his crew for anyone needing a very professional  and experienced  skipper for a vessel delivery .

Leanne

L'Attitude November 2020

Sea Mist June 2020  

“I engaged Grahame to skipper my 70 year old wooden sloop from Manly, Brisbane to Docklands Melbourne. The trip had to be broken into two parts originally due to the weather window and then Covid-19 restrictions. Grahame took everything in his stride including running repairs, changing weather conditions, navigation and ensured we made it down safely and in good time. Grahame is an incredibly experienced, knowledgeable and reliable skipper as well as a great person to sail with. We had a lot of memories and laughs along the way. I wouldn’t hesitate using Grahame again as professional delivery skipper, or in recommending him to anyone else.” Ross Joyce, Melbourne, Australia

Sea Lady January 2020

We contacted Grahame to deliver our 45ft Fly Bridge Cruiser from Townsville to Tasmania. From the very start, we were confident that Grahame was the right person for the job and ten days later we took delivery of our boat together with a list of all the repairs completed en-route and items that still needed attention. Grahame was forthcoming with advice, concerns and suggestions and displayed a level of professionalism and care rarely seen. We would have no hesitation in recommending Grahame for your next delivery.

Evening Breeze November 2018

Grahame Bear sets the benchmark in yacht delivery. To my mind he is the go to skipper for short and long haul deliveries. In late November/early December Grahame and crew sailed my Catalina 350 from Sydney Harbour up to its new home in Airlie Beach, around 1,900 km or 1,200 miles. The boat had never undertaken such a long journey beforehand so you could expect the odd glitch to occur which in fact they did but Grahame managed these perfectly and kept me posted on the status of the boat and the journey. I never had to ask anything as Grahame was always ahead with SMS or phone calls. The boat was cleaned, everything put back to its prior position, it was if I was stepping on to the boat as usual in Sydney. I can’t recommend Grahame highly enough.

42 South November 2018

For me it was an amazing experience and I feel both honoured and grateful for the opportunity to spend it with you. Grahame, you in the section from Flinders Is and Murray your driving hard into the swell on the last night were inspiring. All along the way your teamwork and making me feel part of it made for a great trip – adventure.

'Time Lord' September 2016

To whom it may concern.

Recently Grahame  Bear and his First Mate Rocky, successfully completed a marathon mid winter delivery, of my 34 foot Shionning Catamaran Time Lord.

I am absolutely delighted with the job the pair did, and could not speak highly enough of the pair. Grahame was faced with Antarctic like conditions, 30 foot waves and 40 knot winds, and it was no mean feat to sail a 34 foot harbour cruising catamaran, across the South Tasman sea from Hobart to Auckland.

They faced a raft of technical challenges from steering rod failure, to total autopilot disintergration, where the wheel pilot fell  to bits in the cockpit , spreading a large number of loose ball bearings everywhere .. in 30 foot seas. The pair totally reassembled the autopilot and its performed amazingly since!

Half the Tasman was sailed  on a third of the jib only at a speed of 7 knots. I am really greatful Grahame never pushed the boat at all, both for their own safety and the safety of the boat. Which arrived in Auckland with virtually no damage and not a singhle stress mark.

I absolutely love the boat and weve already been away 6 times on her in 2 months.. A very delighted customer indeed.

Thanks so much Grahame and Rocky for a job expertly completed!

Kind regards

Paul Binns Lucy Fitzgerald 🙂

Wine Down November 2016

Grahame skippered our yacht on a delivery from Melbourne to Jervis Bay. He had excellent knowledge of the route, weather planning and sailing requirements as well as being supportive of the crew. The yacht was delivered in excellent condition and it was a pleasure to sail with him.

Viva La Vita 2003-2015

Tony Bates writes…

Grahame is a true Man of the Sea  – but strongly customer and service focused. Always excellent company on board a boat, and always keen to share his knowledge with whoever else may be there (if any ! ). A very experienced  and active sailor and navigator, Grahame has a keen eye to detail and remains cool, calm and totally together no  matter  the circumstance.

Graham has done several deliveries of my yacht  up and down the NSW / Queensland coast over the past years  and has never let me down.  Above all, he really does  enjoy  every trip  – and this no doubt shows out in the way he handles the task and makes  his “Special Deliveries.”

Tony Bates    Viva La Vita   – Viva  Hanse 385