Our first Caribbean destination was the dual island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. Known for its warm climate, jungle terrain and vibrant annual carnival, it is considered a safe destination during the North Atlantic hurricane season.
Our stay was initially meant to be 3 months but it's been well over a year know so we've got to know the place pretty well. In our opinion it's a good option if you want to get some DIY projects done or store your boat during the hurricane season.
Based on our experiences here's some of the tips, tricks and things to know when it comes to hauling out in Trinidad, from entry and importing goods to what's around and extending your visa.
CONTENTS:
Arriving in Trinidad
Since we were hauling out we proceeded directly to Chaguaramas, Trinidad's yachting and boating hub. Upon arriving in Chaguaramas you'll need to check into Trinidad as soon as possible. Here's a quick look at what you'll need to do during this process.
1. Government Port Health Clearance
Before disembarking the vessel you still need to get a Government Port Health Clearance. You can organise this through your marina, haul out facility or an unofficial agent like Jesse James. The document can only be issued once you've arrived in Trinidad and it can take a few hours for the authorities to process and issue it. Our advice is to speak to the person you'd have help you in advance to see what information they'll need to submit it.
2. Arriving with pets
If you're coming to Trinidad with your cat or dog then you'll need to go through the pet importation process, before you can visit Immigration. Check out our guide to bringing a pet to Trinidad for more information on that.
3. Cash
For now Trinidad Immigration only accept TTD cash to pay for visas. The closest ATM is at the Peake Chandlery so the fastest and easiest way to get there is to take your tender to Peake's dinghy dock and walk in. You can try to check what fees you'll need to pay by contacting the Immigration Division in advance. As Australians we were required to pay 400 TTD per person.
4. Immigration
Immigration and Customs are next to each other at Crews Inn so the easiest thing to do is take your tender over and tie onto the dock closest to the office. Immigration is upstairs in the yellow building and are open 6am-12pm then 1pm-6pm. Here's a few things for you to keep in mind.
Trinidad authorities do not take photocopies so you'll need to bring your own. At the very least, take originals and copies of your yacht papers, passports, exit paperwork from the last port of call and pet paperwork.
For now, private yachts undergo the same immigration process as a commercial ship so you'll need to fill out forms that don't really seem relevant and multiple copies of the same form.
There are additional charges for checking in outside of normal business hours
All crew members must visit Immigration
Dress neatly; shorts and t-shirts seem to be okay as long as they're clean and appropriate length.
5. Customs
The last step is visiting Customs. Take copies of everything that you took to Immigration and you'll have to fill out a few more forms. The main one is the Customs and Excise Division Marine Pleasure Craft (PLC) Declaration Form. Keep it safe, you'll need this form when you leave.
Hauling out in Trinidad
There are three places for sailboats to haul out in Chaguaramas.
In general Coral Cove is seen as the cheaper option while Peake and Power Boats have more facilities and services. Personally we chose to haul out at Power Boats and were very happy with that decision. A great resource for getting opinions on the yards from people who have stayed there is the Trinidad Cruisers group on Facebook.
We stayed at Power Boats; you can check out their catamaran trailer in this video.
If you want to stay in a marina the main option in Chaguaramas is Crews Inn. Coral Cove, Power Boats and Peake also have some dockage; the Peake dockage can be more rolly than the others.
Chaguaramas area
Chaguaramas is a shipbuilding, yachting and boating hub with most of the shops and services in the area being focused specifically on the marine industry. Aside from going for a walk there aren't any leisure facilities, but there are cruiser organised trips, a weekly BBQ on Thursdays at the Roti Hut (Power Boats) and many afternoons people meet for a sundowners on the Power Boats dock. The restaurant at Power Boats, Sails, has also reopened after being damaged in the 2018 earthquake.
In our experience the shipyards in Chaguaramas were safe and security was good. Out in the bay there were cases of dinghy theft so make sure you lock up. For the latest you can check the Caribbean Security and Safety Network interactive map.
Finding marine supplies in Trinidad
Almost all of the marine suppliers in the Port of Spain area are in Chaguaramas, with the most significant exception being LP Marine. The main chandlery's are the Boaters Shop at Power Boats, Peake Chandlery and Budget Marine. If you need a specialty part or item you may need to order it in from the US, but more on that later.
Across the shipyards and along Western Main Road there are a range of trades and smaller stores including riggers, canvas workers, wood workers, machine shops, painters, electricians etc. It is best to speak to other cruisers and look at examples of people's work to get a sense of which businesses are better as there are very few online reviews.
Another useful shop in the area is Dumore as they stock a small range of metric and imperial fixings.
Grocery shopping and provisioning
Food shopping in Chaguaramas is largely limited to the Dockside Market at Power Boats, Peake shop or deli opposite Peake, Daniels Grocery. Other than that your main options are:
Get a Price Smart membership (Similar to Costco) and have groceries delivered to the boat
Use a maxi taxi, TTRideshare or hire car to go to Massy Stores or West Bees
Go on one of the weekly shopping trips organised by external providers
If you're at Peake, use the courtesy shuttle bus to join a shopping trip
Join the cruisers bus to the Central Market - read more about the market and why we LOVE it here!
Here's a few other grocery related tips:
Naughty Grape is a good place to buy foreign alcohol; they're connected to the importer and will deliver to your boat.
Blooms Imports has gourmet meat and was the most affordable place to buy imported lamb.
Peppercorns at Westmall sells gourmet and foreign foods.
Trinidad transportation
To get in and out of Chaguaramas you can use the big public bus (tickets MUST be pre-purchased), yellow group maxi taxis, TTRideshare app, hire a car or hire someone you've met to drive you. Personally we stuck to the TTRideshare app, hiring cars and using drivers we'd met at the yard or through the Market bus trip.
Importing Yacht in Transit goods into Trinidad
If there is something specific you need it's likely you'll need to import it into Trinidad. If you get the process right it can be a very easy process. To help, we've written a complete guide on how to import Yacht in Transit goods into Trinidad tax free.
Addressing Yachts in Transit goods sent to Trinidad & Tobago
All Yacht in Transit packages need to be addressed to the boat:
Yacht in Transit 'BOAT NAME'
MARINA/YARD NAME
MARINA/YARD ADDRESS
Customs process for Yachts in Transit goods
When an airmail Yacht in Transit package arrives in Trinidad it's either taken to a customs bond at the airport or the Chaguaramas Customs Office. A crew member can then go and collect it. Here's a list of documents we've been asked for by customs officers when collecting packages.
Yacht registration
Passport
Your Customs and Excise Division Marine Pleasure Craft Declaration Form
A letter from the captain accompanied by a photocopy of their passport authorising the crew member to collect the goods
A letter from the shipyard stating that the boat has been hauled and is currently being stored in the yard
UPDATE: I recently went to Amerijet at the airport and the requirement from customs there was to have a letter from the shipyard stating that the boat has been hauled and is currently being stored in the yard, and for that letter to be stamped by Chaguaramas Customs before you go to collect the package.
It is possible to fly Yacht in Transit goods into Piarco International Airport Trinidad with you in your luggage, which is also covered in our guide on how to import Yacht in Transit goods into Trinidad tax free.
Sea shipments usually go to Port Lisas so depending on the size of the item you may want to use a broker who can organise transport to the yard as well.
Quick feedback from our experience importing YIT goods into Trinidad.
FedEx parcels are taken to Chaguaramas Customs for collection but sometimes you need to call them directly to organise this.
DHL could be slow clearing items through the airport and there's a small brokerage fee to pay, but packages were taken to Chaguaramas Customs for collection without hassle.
UPS do not have a customs broker in Trinidad so all parcels were taken to Swissport at the airport to clear in. In general it was a 2hr round trip to the airport and 4-6 hours of waiting to go through the clearance process. If you have to use UPS aim to get to Swissport before it opens so you can be one of the first people through. Otherwise, avoid them.
EZone was who we used to forward parcels from the US and UK to Trinidad. There was no fee to open an account, they were reliable, we were able to submit our documents to them and they made sure all parcels were delivered to to Chaguaramas Customs for collection. They're a good option if you want to use Amazon because Amazon Prime offsets some of the cost with free shipping to the US depot.
Large Shipments or sea shipments you'd usually use a freight forwarder. We used PAS USA, Tropical Shipping and Compass Logistics & Marine, all with good results.
Extending your Trinidadian visa
Trinidad allows you to apply for a visa extension of up to 3 months at a time. Shortly before your visa expires you need to email the Immigration office to ask for an extension. In your email you need to include this information:
Full name, local address and contact number
Reason for requesting an extension
Pictures of the biometric page and visa stamp in your passport
They should then email you back with an appointment at the extension office in Port of Spain which will be after your current visa expires. If you don't hear back, continue to resend the email as this serves as evidence that you were attempting to organise the extension.
On the day of your appointment aim to get to the office shortly before 8am as it's first come, first served. There's a dress code which overall requires you to be neatly dressed and well presented. When we went, shorts were okay as long as they were not "hot pants". Here's what you should take.
A printed copy of the appointment email
A letter from the shipyard supporting your request for an extension
Your passport and a photocopy of your passport
Money for the extension (100 TTD in mid-2023)
A pen
Restaurants and eating out
Here's a few notes on eating out around Chaguaramas and Port of Spain.
The local food delivery service is foodDROP.
If you're heading out for a special occasion the food and service at Samurai Japanese is outstanding.
The Hyatt has a good sushi bar.
For local craft beer and cider there's Tommy's Brewing Company.
The Wheelhouse just past Coral Cove is popular with cruisers.
At the Central Market there's a food court with great local snacks.
Basil Bistro is a tiny place on Ariapita Avenue which serves great Italian inspired food with quality ingredients
Other tips for your haul out in Trinidad
Here's a few other things that might be helpful!
You can get gas bottles refilled at the NPS Filling Station or see the guardhouse at PowerBoats; there is a local called Ian who does weekly gas refill runs for cruisers.
Diesel is subsidised by the government for locals so the petrol station prices are lower than the yacht fuel docks.
If you're going to be in Trinidad at the start of the year make sure you check to see if Carnival is on. Having experienced it for ourselves, we've created a break down of the different Carnival events you could choose to go to.
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Cheers for the tips, always good to get the inside scoop