PARTS & POWER FLIES TO MARTINIQUE TO SAVE A CUSTOMER’S CHARTER

On April 1, Parts & Power was informed that the SD150 Sail Drive they ordered and had shipped via Fed Ex had been returned to Volvo in Mississippi. Unfortunately, Volvo used the returned SD150 to fulfill the order to another customer before Parts & Power even knew it was returned. Volvo Territory Manager Kevin Arnoux scoured the world looking for a replacement. None could be found in either the US or Europe. He suggested contacting Inboard Diesel Service in Martinique, who carry a large inventory of Volvo engines and drives. Adrein Mesureur at Inboard confirmed they had the SD150 in stock. The bad news was that shipping the SD150 to the BVI would cost 2000 euros and would take a week. Our customer had already lost one charter and would lose another if he could not get the drive by Friday. Tom Gerker, realizing there was no other choice, decided on Wed, April 2 to fly down to Martinique in his plane to pick up the drive the following day.
The flight to Martinique would be a 308 nautical mile trip over open ocean. In addition, he did not know if the SD would even fit in his Cessna T210. It weighs just under 100 lbs and maneuvering it into a tight space would be challenging. So, he sought a co-pilot for the flight. He was fortunate to get Clive Smith, an accomplished pilot and flight instructor to go along for the ride. The trip to Martinique took just over 2 hours at 17,000 feet. Clive and Tom arrived to find Adrien waiting for them with the SD150. They quickly loaded the drive where it fit perfectly into the second row of seats. They strapped the drive securely into the seats so that, in the event that they had to ditch in the sea, they would not be crushed by the 100 lb drive traveling at 50 mph!
The flight back to Beef Island in the BVI was uneventful. They flew at 10,000 ft to take advantage of the stiff easterly winds and picked up a 10 knot tailwind. After completing the instrument approach and landing in Beef Island, they cleared the drive through BVI Customs and unloaded it into a waiting vehicle. It was ready to pick up Friday morning April 4 and the customer made his charter.
Thanks go to Adrien Mesureur from Inboard Diesel who made this transaction possible, and Clive Smith who made the trip safe and fun.