Just wanted to offer a heads-up to those hauling out in Trinidad. There are 3 marinas/haul outs in Trinidad. All 3 are capable of lifting up to 60t/80ft for monohulls. We had to use Peakes since we are a 62t/89ft wooden ketch. It was not a pleasant experience nor would we recommend them to anyone with a choice.

Beginning with the haul out where we had to wait for line handlers to show up to enter the slip even though we had a set time and they could literally see us coming in to the indifferent attitude of the office staff (except for Danielle) to the splash in, our experience was horrendous and apparently one which was widely shared with everyone we had a conversation with while there.

Because of our size, we were put in the sandblasting area. As far away from everything as you could get. I'll give them that since it was a size issue. But from there it got worse. While returning to the marina after haul out, a Peakes employee stepped on the rope barrier we were both crossing causing me to trip and flip onto the concrete. My knee cap was broken in two and wrist fractured. Instead of offering assistance, the employee ran away. Peakes management did find a stretcher to bring me into the office but I laid there for over 2 hours waiting for an ambulance. Blame does lie with the ambulance service for their poor response, but also Peakes management relayed no sense of urgency either. Only following up with the ambulance request after repeated request from helpful bystanders. I was offered an unbooked room at Peakes hotel but was told to vacate the minute it was booked. (Shortly after my surgery). $10,000 USD later for emergency room, doctor visits, surgery and medication, Peakes informed me they would bear no liability for their employee's inattention and negligence. They did however state if we did not pay their $4,000 bill for haul/splash and time on the hard, they would not relaunch our boat and we would continue to incur daily storage fees.

Time on the hard was 3 weeks longer than necessary (all while incurring the daily Peakes charge.) We used an "approved" Peakes vendor for propeller shaft work. What was contracted to be 3 days turned into a 3 week job that was only completed because my husband did 95% of the work. (We still had to pay a hefty price to get vendor for the little assistance they provided). After speaking with others there is a consistent complaint from everyone that this is a feature not a bug. Time after time we were told of boats being left for 2,3, even 6 months with contracted work to be done while the owners were away only for the owners to return and nothing had been touched. Typically most owners spent an additional month on the hard (all the while having to pay Peakes daily rate) trying to get the contracted work done. And, once done, the quality of the work was substandard with more than 1 boat having to be hauled back out after relaunch to correct mistakes. If the needed repair was an option instead of a requirement, many owners gave up, relaunched and sailed to Grenada to get the work done.

Conversely, after relaunch and refueling we had engine problems and ended up at Powerboat's dock. (Powerboats name is misleading. They also offer services for monohulls and catamarans). In less than 30 minutes, we had a mechanic on board who called someone for the necessary repair part immediately and had us on our way the next day.

In summary, Peakes Yacht Services and Marina is poorly staffed and unwilling to address any issues you might encounter with either their management, employees, marina, or their approved vendors.

You WILL be on the hard much longer than anticipated even if you have no work done. Again, everyone we spoke to in our month there recounted that even with an appointment for a specific relaunch date, they couldn't be relaunched on their promised date. (And yes , you will be billed the additional daily rate while you wait.) This might be due to the fact they only average 1 to 2 boats a day on relaunches Monday through Friday. The only work being done on the weekends that I observed is if you become a squeaky wheel and are willing to pay more.

With hurricanes hitting farther south now, you may have no choice but to haul out in Trinidad. If that is the case, I urge you, from the voice of experience, to contact the other 2 marinas before soliciting Peakes


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