A like more than three and a half years ago I designed the primary sign for Skallywag Bay adventure Park. I designed he routing files a short time later but it would be another year before we started to build two copies of the sign. That process was chronicled here.

There were a whole lot of signs which we did for Skallywag Bay in Trinidad and I’e been itching to get them installed for quite some time. During my last visit to the site we got almost all of the larger pieces placed around the site. We did it using a 60′ zoom boom which is a very handy machine. I have my forklift licence for our little machine at the shop but the larger machine was a whole new experience! The key is to go slow and easy. Every move is amplified when the boom is fully extended and to reach these pieces we did just that most of the time.

It is pure magic as we install the scores of features at Skallywag Bay in Trinidad. It’s been four years since we started building the fourteen shipping containers full of features. We packed the last of them into the containers more than two years ago. Now at last it is time to install everything. Today was the day to assemble two of the attraction signs. Being too tall to fit out of the shop door we built and shipped them in sections. Today was the first time we’ve seen them put together. They are every bit as we imagined they would be and will look even better when he gardens are planted!

It’s been a busy week as I headed south from the EnRoute Summit in Salt Lake City rather than heading home. In Trinidad the work on Skallywag Bay Adventure Park is continuing, with the permanent placement of the features now beginning on a large scale. It is ratifying to be doing that job after almost four years since the project began in earnest. I was in Trinidad for four days this time and great progress was made.

We shipped eighteen 40′ shipping containers to Trinidad more than a year ago. We then had to wait for the construction there to catch up to our reconstruction. Now, at last we can permanently place most of the features where they go and assemble all of the pieces, most often for the very first time. Our shop has limited ceiling height and because of this and the shipping constraints ship them in segments. This meant we were seeing the finished features for the very first time.

The trickiest installation was the arms of the Kraken. Tolerances were tight as each long arm was carefully slid into position.

It sure was good to see the features assembled!

The largest and heaviest piece, the pirate’s ship had been placed in the unfinished pool to locate it accurately. The 12,000 lb boat was gently lifted out one last time before they finish the concrete in the pool.

While we worked elsewhere on site the concrete crew was sweating in the pool as they poured the walls and floor. The next time I am there the plinth for the ship should be done and we can locate the ship and install the ramps leading onto it.

Four years ago we started an exciting project. It’s a theme park in Trinidad called Skallywag Bay Adventure Park. Three of the rides in the park were to be built in Italy. They are off the shelf rides which we mildly customized to fit the theme of the park.

One of the rides is a spinning coaster called “Pieces of Eight”. The track is a figure eight which loops over itself. We picked custom colours and enlarged one of the loops so we could locate a spinning tower drop ride inside. We also designed some custom cars for the coaster. In order to keep costs in check we could not change the size of the car, change the seats nor the mechanics of the car. I did some concept art up to show them what we wanted.

The ride wasn’t quite assembled when I left but things were coming along nicely. Soon I’ll get my test ride!