EDIT - Just got back to the states and everything looks good. It brining it back through heathrow was similar to leaving Seattle - they took a bit of time to work out what to do with it but were fine. One point though, as there was no weight prob on the way out, I left most of the fittings on the boat and Heathrow was a bit more weight sensitive (and i think the scale was wrong) so I needed to take them out again as the bag weighed 34kg's. I took out 1.2Kg's of fittings and line then it weighed 27kgs - not sure how that worked but I will be sure to keep it as light as possible in future. Again, it cost nothing to bring back home accross the states. The bag seemed to take a bit more of a beating coming this way but still no issues and no harm whatsoever to the boat (yes, I took out the wand axel this time) so I am pretty happy with the whole thing.
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Sorry for all the detail but firstly I want to brag about it as I love it when a plan comes together, second, if anyone else feels like trying it, I think its worth sharing the experience.
Getting through the airport was a bit of a pain, but that only took 30 mins so didnt really matter. (could build the packages smarter next time). The people checking me in at Virgin America took about 10 mins working out what they were meant to do with it but were always nice and friendly. Ended up costing $150 - $50 for the windsurfer in the bag with mast and boom (that was the sporting goods bit) and then $50+$50 for the other package as it was a second bag and oversize.
Caught this thrilling vid of them loading it on the plane too (well it beats watching golf). Obviously dull but its interesting to see how they handle it etc.
It arrived in SF with a couple of scuffs but nothing to worry about.
Checking it in with Virgin Atlantic was a breeze, no issues at all. The best part though was that there was NO charge whatsoever for bringing it or the tube/sail package - nuts. In a good way.
Lastly, having the VW camper made the whole thing doable as it fits perfectly in the back. Not sure I could have done this if it had to go on the roof as I was on my own and would not have been able to get into the car park to unload and check in etc.
I will give you a final thrilling update once I get back.
