Category Archives: Travel

Gotta roll with it

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When the best laid plans go ary, you just gotta roll with it.

Yesterday, one day before we board the plane to St Lucia we get an email that Sugar Shack is back on the hard. Seems the issue with the sail-drive transmission was more than just replacing the seals and oil. The shifting cone had worn out, small piece that puts the propeller in forward or reverse. A pretty important piece if you ask me. The email said that the part was hard to find but it should be on island on friday. The day we were going to provision and leave. Since the boat was on the hard for the repair Christine found us a hotel near the marina to crash instead of staying on board.

I called around to see if we could find the parts and get them sent to us to take with us. Unfortunately every p,ace had a 2-3 day lead time before they could ship. So that didn’t work out too well. It was a back up plan just incase they didn’t arrive on island on friday as expected.

It is going to take a full day to repair after the part arrives then a while to drop the boat back into the water. No big deal we can roll with it, we’ll be in the islands after all.

Up bright and early on Thursday morning get all loaded up and the taxi arrives early and we get to the airport with plenty of time to relax at the admirals club. First bud light to start vacation @ 8:30, every thing on track. It gets close to Boarding time and I check the iPod app and see that the flight out of Austin is delayed. Check the connection in dallas and its now a 13 minute connection. Christine checks with the desk and there is little chance we make that and there are no more flights to San Juan so that we can make our connection. 45 minutes later exploring all possible routes through JFK to LAX we settled on a change of airlines. We are on JetBlue flying to FLL and going to take a 1 hour taxi to MIA and catch an American flight to San Juan and catch up with Wayne for the last leg.

Changing airlines means we had to go back out through security and grab our bags and check into JetBlue. Since we have no status on JetBlue our heavy bags cost a $100 dollars. While collecting our bags the carousel jams with too many bags going around and shuts down before our bags came out. We help unload the carousel and eventually it starts delivering the bags again and we hustle up to the JetBlue counter to check in. Back through security again. At least we were able to leave the carry ons in the admirals club and get a JetBlue priority clearance to go in the fast lane. We made the full JetBlue flight barely.

Now to collect our bags in fort lauderdale and make a bee line to Miami and once more through security all within a 2 hr window and the drive between airports is 1 of those hours.

We are rolling along, at least flying over New Orleans on our way.

The journey home

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Up at dawn, taxi organized by Christine was on time to meet us at 8 am for our 9:45 flight. Christine had packed all our stuff yesterday so only one last trash run and opening up the bilges to let it all air out and we took the long sad walk off the dock.

Leaving is always so sad, but we’ll be back soon enough.

Turbo prop to San Juan to clear customs, then to Miami, then to Dallas and finally on to Austin and we’ll be home for the first time this year. Gotta get back to work to earn some more vacation time and get back to St Lucia and move the boat back south before hurricane season of 2012.

Dallas from a MD80

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It’s definitely holiday season. Travel on a Wednesday is normally business travelers but the holiday season must be eminent.

Pay the damn baggage fees people or leave it at home.

That last minute attempt at shoving the worlds largest carry on in the overhead is good for no one. It don’t fit but you continue to try. First the wheels first then sideways, only to have it gate checked. The 30 mins it takes you to go against the grain while everyone else is trying to get to their seat makes that $25 dollars you saved worth it.

Christine and I found an Irish pub in Dallas. Cold beer and 1/2 a sammich while waiting on Wayne to make an appearance. We were almost last to board another completely full flight.

Some poor lady won’t take her seat, they have asked everyone to take a seat so they can close the doors. “My husband hasn’t made it on board yet and he was supposed to be here an hour before me”. All 200 of us just can’t wait to meet the man. Finally she gives in. I’m sure he’ll eventually show up at their destination. Only 7 bags had to be gate checked on this 2 hour trip to Miami.

Two pilots sitting in the row behind us. It’s always unnerving when it’s raining and you are about to take off. The nervous tapping foot of the pilot right behind Christine sure doesn’t help. We bounced through the clouds and the cold Smithicks at the Irish pub let me catch a good siesta, as the say in Miami. We is on our way to our next stop for more adult beverages.