We were scheduled to fly back to Trinidad on November 12. It was going to be a long day but manageable. We were up at 3:00 am to be at the airport in Rapid City by 5:00 for our 6:30 flight. As we were being dropped off at the airport the temperature reading was -1 degree Fahrenheit. We boarded the plane on time and then taxied over to the de-iceing station. After being sprayed down the pilot announced they had a warning light in the cockpit and needed to go back to the terminal. At the terminal we were ordered to gather our belongings and exit the plane. It turned out to be a problem with a fuel pump. After several hours they canceled the flight and we were re-booked on the 1:30 flight and would have to spend the night in Miami. They assured us that if we hustled when we got to Dallas we could make our connection to Miami. Our flight in Dallas was already boarding when we arrived and we just made it, being the last ones on the plane. We just made it but once on board they announced that there was a problem with the maintenance log and we would have to wait for a mechanic to straighten it out. An hour later they cleared us for takeoff.
On arrival in Miami we checked in with customer service to see what they were going to do with us. We lucked out and they would hold our bags rather then make us collect them and recheck them in the morning. We had checked four bags each weighing between 48 and 52 pounds. We didn't want to be dragging them around. They also provided us with a hotel room for the night due to it being a mechanical problem. I was guessing what flea-bag hotel we were going to but they booked us into a Hilton. Room service closed at 11:00 and we just got an order in before closing but learned in the morning that they could not take our meal vouchers. We set an alarm for 7:00 AM and crashed. In the morning we checked out and caught the 8:00 shuttle back to the airport where we had breakfast using our vouchers. We also had a voucher for dinner the previous night that we couldn't use so we bought some sandwiches to take with us. Our 1:00 am flight left on time and we arrived at Port of Spain, Trinidad about 3:30. We had booked a driver to pick us up and once clear of Immigration and Customs we were off for an hour and half drive to the boatyard.
But first we needed to stop at the Customs office near the boatyard to declare the boat parts we were bringing in. Trinidad does not charge a duty on boat parts but you have to declare them, show receipts and explain their use. We had told the Customs agent at the airport that we had six packages of parts. On the ride we dug through the parts and came up with six items that we packed into separate zip lock bags with their receipts and that is what we presented to the next agent. It turns out our Sodastream machine is not considered a "boat part" but she decided not to charge us the duty. We were finally dropped off at the boat about 7:00 pm. We were back home on Hi Flite, now we could eat the sandwiches we brought with since there is no food on board yet.
The rest of the evening was spent rearranging things on board so we would have a place to sit and clear the bed. We had workers on board while we were gone so we had to have certain areas clear for them to work, so much of our stuff had been stored for the summer out of their way but in ours when we arrived. We left unpacking for the morning, to the point we left the suitcases under the boat rather then bring them up the ladder. Remember, we are out of the water and anything we do requires a trip up or down the ladder. In the morning we treated ourselves to doubles from the vendor outside the boat yard entrance. Doubles are a breakfast item popular here and is one of our favorites. I bought lunch from our favorite lunch lady, again in a booth outside the yard, who was happy to see us back and had enough left over for dinner.
We have been unpacking, rearranging stuff and making plans for the next set of projects. We had the mizzen mast (the shorter mast in the cockpit) pulled and painted and we have decided to have the main mast pulled and painted so that they will look alike. Something we had debated doing last fall and kept rethinking all summer. We have a laundry list of other projects that need to be finished so it may be up to three weeks before we are launched. Cori made the first trip for provisions, once unloaded it seems to be a pallet load.
I have added another feature to this blog. If you look at the top of the list of links on the right side you will see a link to an interactive map that will show our travels this season. If you click on that link and search for the vessel Hi Flite it will show our current location and tracks. Hope you enjoy it.
