Travel to Taiwan

[twistedtree]

I’m heading off shortly to Taiwan for final boat build inspections and sea trials. The trip will be a month long, half of which will be strict quarantine in a designated hotel where I can’t leave the room, and nobody can come it. Food etc gets left outside the door.

It won’t be a fun two weeks, but the up side is that when you come out, you are in a country that is covid-free, and life is normal. What a concept, right?

 

[twistedtree]

Oh, I forgot there is more....

To board the plane I need to present a negative PCR test from within 72 hrs. So the flight over is pretty low risk. Not zero, because people could test negative yet be incubating. I fly direct from JFK to Taipei, so no flight changes. And I’m renting a car and driving to JFK rather than take a domestic flight.

The trip home is near zero risk on the flight from Taiwan. Once I get to JFK I’m uncertain how I will get home since the flight arrives around 10pm with no connecting flights to Boston until the next day. I’ll probably just rent another car and drive since it will seem like mid day to me anyway....

 

[ScottC]

Good luck on your trip and the inspection, TwistedTree!
Not sure where you will be in Taiwan, but can say that we thought Taipei was quite spectacular when we visited there in early December 2019.

During the half of the trip when you're not in quarantine, if you're in or near Taipei, I would highly recommend you try to carve out some time to see the National Taiwan Museum. It's one of the finest museums I've seen.

 

[twistedtree]

I'll only be in Taipei for the quarantine, then immediately to Tainan where the yard is located. This trip is all business, for better or worse. Fortunately the last time I was there my wife and I spent a couple of days touring around which was really nice. And the yard management are outstanding hosts, so even on a work trip, I always thoroughly enjoy it.

 

[Northern Spy]

Exciting times. Looking forward to some photos of the new build.

Congratulations!

 

[Crusty Chief]

Ye Haw, another new boat! Congrats buddy! We are following your blog, so dont forget to update that also!

Cheers

 

[Prospective]

Agree with Crusty. 2 weeks of quarantine should provide plenty of time to update your blog with the build details and technical machinations that we all love and live vicariously through...

 

[twistedtree]

Thanks, and I'll try to update the blog. You are right about having plenty of time in quarantine, and I'm making a list of things to get caught up on.


I just realized this ended up in Harbor Chat, and I meant it to go in the Covid section, since it's about traveling during Covid, and how some other countries are handling it.

 

[BruceK]

Oh, I forgot there is more....

To board the plane I need to present a negative PCR test from within 72 hrs. So the flight over is pretty low risk. Not zero, because people could test negative yet be incubating. I fly direct from JFK to Taipei, so no flight changes. And I’m renting a car and driving to JFK rather than take a domestic flight.

The trip home is near zero risk on the flight from Taiwan. Once I get to JFK I’m uncertain how I will get home since the flight arrives around 10pm with no connecting flights to Boston until the next day. I’ll probably just rent another car and drive since it will seem like mid day to me anyway....

Is arriving in USA from Taiwan exempt from quarantine on arrival? Maybe USA doesn`t quarantine arrivals generally, I don`t know.
We only let in citizens and permanent residents, they do 2 weeks policed hotel quarantine(except if rich and well connected when some can do it at home). We catch lots of infections in quarantine before they can infect the community.

BTW, which airline still flies that route? China Airlines?

 

[twistedtree]

Is arriving in USA from Taiwan exempt from quarantine on arrival? Maybe USA doesn`t quarantine arrivals generally, I don`t know.
We only let in citizens and permanent residents, they do 2 weeks policed hotel quarantine(except if rich and well connected when some can do it at home). We catch lots of infections in quarantine before they can infect the community.

BTW, which airline still flies that route? China Airlines?

On return to the US, it's a free-for-all, especially if you are a citizen. Rules are state-by-state, and typically only apply if you are staying in the state as opposed to passing through. But I believe I will be a very low risk to others, having come non-stop from a Covid-free country. My exposure will be passing through JFK.


I think the health risk for the whole trip is pretty low, assuming I take all sensible precautions.


I think a domestic US flight would be higher risk than my entire trip to Taiwan. That's why I'm driving from Boston to JFK rather than flying. I also don't trust the domestic airline schedule. My son got totally screwed by Jet Blue who changed his flight to depart 6 hours earlier than scheduled, sent a notification to an old email address, not the one associated with the reservation, then refused to re-book or credit him in any way. So Jet Blue is dead to us, which is too bad because they were otherwise one of our preferred airlines.

 

[BruceK]

On return to the US, it's a free-for-all, especially if you are a citizen. Rules are state-by-state, and typically only apply if you are staying in the state as opposed to passing through. But I believe I will be a very low risk to others, having come non-stop from a Covid-free country. My exposure will be passing through JFK.


I think the health risk for the whole trip is pretty low, assuming I take all sensible precautions.


I think a domestic US flight would be higher risk than my entire trip to Taiwan. That's why I'm driving from Boston to JFK rather than flying. I also don't trust the domestic airline schedule. My son got totally screwed by Jet Blue who changed his flight to depart 6 hours earlier than scheduled, sent a notification to an old email address, not the one associated with the reservation, then refused to re-book or credit him in any way. So Jet Blue is dead to us, which is too bad because they were otherwise one of our preferred airlines.

The inability to distance on flights which fully book so that a 737 has 3/aisle/3 (except up front 2/2)is a risk factor I would not accept, mask or no mask. Hopefully you are located somewhere with better spacing, like 1/2/1 as many B787s or A350s may have.
An airline problem we`ve had getting people back home to Australia is our capacity to quarantine has limited the number of incoming pax. Sometimes a 300+ seat plane can only unload 60 pax, so for obvious financial reasons if you book economy/coach you get bumped, unless you booked or upgrade to Business or First(if First exists, many have Business/Premium Economy/Economy now, ? same thing different names).
Hope your trip goes well and the build is progressing nicely.

 

[twistedtree]

The inability to distance on flights which fully book so that a 737 has 3/aisle/3 (except up front 2/2)is a risk factor I would not accept, mask or no mask. Hopefully you are located somewhere with better spacing, like 1/2/1 as many B787s or A350s may have.
An airline problem we`ve had getting people back home to Australia is our capacity to quarantine has limited the number of incoming pax. Sometimes a 300+ seat plane can only unload 60 pax, so for obvious financial reasons if you book economy/coach you get bumped, unless you booked or upgrade to Business or First(if First exists, many have Business/Premium Economy/Economy now, ? same thing different names).
Hope your trip goes well and the build is progressing nicely.

I'm in business class on a 777, in a 1-2-1 config. I'm in a "1". The saving grace is that everyone boarding has to have a negative Covid test. It's obviously not a guarantee, but greatly reduces the risk. And coming back from Taiwan, everyone is boarding from a Covid-free country.


But for the reason's you describe, I would be very reluctant to fly domestically.

 

[twistedtree]

I'm now facing the Catch-22 of Covid test timing. I need a test that is no more than three days old to board the plan on Saturday. That means testing no earlier than Wednesday, which is when I tested.


But here we are Friday and I don't have my test results, yet I need to leave early afternoon to head to JKF for a 1:30AM departure. I sure hope my results come back this morning sometime.

 

[twistedtree]

Note to self....Trying to fly internationally during Covid is just not worth it.


After multiple calls, emails that wouldn't go through, and more calls, I finally got my Covid test about an hour before leaving in a rental car to drive to JFK. A drive that is nominally 4-4.5hrs took 6. So much for reduced traffic.


Then I sat by the counter waiting for them to open. This was around 7pm, for a 01:25 departure. People finally showed up and they started informally checking paperwork visas (I had to apply for a special exception visa), etc. I showed them my Covid test results and all sorts of discussion ensued. Long story short, they wouldn't accept it because it only had my name on it, and not also my passport number or birth date. To their credit, they spend 2 hrs back and forth on the phone with the Taiwan CDC, but it wasn't to be. I waited as long as I could before the car rentals closed, then pulled the plug rather than be stuck in JFK overnight. Rented another car, and drove home. Got back at about 04:00.



Looking back at everything I had to do for this trip, from special visas, letters of invitation and proof of business relationship, lining up a quarantine hotel, private car because you can't use public transportation, covid tests where you need results in 24hrs, but nobody will guarantee that, and nobody seems to do it, trip reschedules, more covid tests, reschedule other appointments around a moving trip schedule, renting a car, driving to JFK. And then committing to a 2 week quarantine before the visit really begins. In hind sight, it's just not worth it. Find another way.


I've already done two video inspections where I guided them around with a camera on skype. Not as good as being there, but so far a three hour investment vs a month. I'll do a few more of those, and do drill down inspections on a few other areas.

 

[ScottC]

Note to self....Trying to fly internationally during Covid is just not worth it.

So sorry to hear that it all unraveled!


It's quite a significant investment to make without being able to do a sea-trail before taking delivery. I doubt video can help much with that. I wonder if there are any reputable marine consultant firms in Taiwan that could do at least some of this for you. Obviously it would not be as good as being there yourself, but perhaps better than nobody representing your interests at all before you take delivery...

 

[firehoser75]

Peter,
Likewise, so sorry to hear about all of the issues you have had to face. Good that you are able to keep your head and be as pragmatic as possible. Scott's suggestion might be worth investigating?
Good luck with all of this, and keep us posted!

 

[twistedtree]

I don't actually take delivery/ownership until the boat is back here, commissioned, and fully inspected and accepted by me and anyone else I want to bring in. So I'm not at all worried about that.


The real value in inspecting at the yard is that it's much faster and easier to correct things. They have a small army of very skilled people who know exactly how the boat goes together, and can do a huge amount in short time. That simplifies and speeds commissioning.



So now I need to focus on finding any issues that are better fixed at the yard.

 

[BruceK]

Sorry to hear that. Even if you resolve the shortcomings of the Covid Test Certificate in another test, something else could arise. Taiwan`s exhaustive checking is understandable from their position of keeping Covid out,and likely being adjusted on a daily basis, but it must be so frustrating. Maybe someone positive got in using someone else`s test.
We just lock up arrivals under guard for 2 weeks, test them several times during. Refuse a test we add 10 more days. All at their expense.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. (saint) tt. Tough situation BUT I'm a firm believer in Karma. There's a reason things didn't come to fruition. It's all good, IMO.

 

[twistedtree]

Greetings,
Mr. (saint) tt. Tough situation BUT I'm a firm believer in Karma. There's a reason things didn't come to fruition. It's all good, IMO.

Yup, I agree. It was meant to be, or not to be. Wait, have I heard that somewhere before?



And BruceK, I hold no grudge against the Taiwanese. I admire the measures they have taken, and the results it has yielded. And the guy with the Airline really went above and beyond trying to find a way to work around it. But the whole thing was a very clear reminder of the new world we are in, and in many ways it has forced some real improvements, I think. Except for yesterday, car traffic is WAY down. What's not to like about that. People are learning that they don't have to do everything in person, and fly and drive all over the place. I think much of it was just habit, and now we are forming new habits. I love hearing about people who don't plan to ever go back to full time in the office work, and will continue to work remotely a significant part of their time. And this is forcing me to find other ways to inspect the boat, and I think it will be 80-90% as good, if not better. The first two video inspections we did surfaces a bunch if things, all of which they had plenty of time to fix. It wasn't perfect, but we got better with the second one, and I'm sure we will improve more. The upside for me personally from all this is that I gained a month of time, and saved maybe as much as $10k in travel expenses. So different isn't always worse, unless you are an airline.