Crossing The Goal Line

If you have been following along on our little journey, you know that we are moving north. You know the reason we are moving north now is due to an imaginary line drawn in the sand by our insurance company that says the boat won't be covered for damage by named storms unless we are north of Cape Hatteras.

While our insurance policy is significantly cheaper by having this restriction, it isn't the only reason we went with this policy.  Our original intention was to spend some time in the Chesapeake and further north anyway, so it did, and still does, align with our goals. While we do appreciate all the concern and suggestions regarding insurance, don't fret, the insurance restriction does align with our overall goals.

When we last left you, we had arrived in Southport, NC. We decided to stay at the one other marina in town that we had yet to visit.  South Harbor Village Marina sits along the Intracoastal Waterway just south of the town of Southport and I believe is actually part of the town of Oak Island. Overall the people and the facility was nice.  They have two restaurants on-site and that is convenient but my wife and I are not fans of the Dead End Saloon when we visited on a couple of prior occasions.  We didn't get a chance to try the Italian restaurant but it is reported to be good.  Given the marina isn't all that convenient to Southport, I think we still prefer the free laundry, pool, and slightly cheaper rates at Deep Point Marina.

Shortly after arriving in Southport, we met up with some new friends we had made back in Isle Of Palms marina. They were staying at the Southport marina near downtown.  We had a nice dinner at Provisions (a must stop in Southport) and then went with them to the weather briefing that is put on by Hank at Carolina Yacht Care (CYC - the same gentleman that runs the boaters shuttle service). If you are ever in the area, it is worthwhile to sit in on one of Hank's briefings. It was there we found out that a low pressure system in the Bahamas might become the first tropical storm of the season and was likely to bring about some lingering bad weather in a few days.  This accelerated our schedule to move north and we quickly made plans to get us north of the insurance goal line before the storms arrived and pinned us in place past our deadline.

Tropical Depression 2 - National Weather Service prediction,

Until the predicted storms arrival the weather was expected to be nice for an outside run up the coast. This could put us north of Cape Hatteras (35° 13' North latitude) in about a day and a half of travel. We found one of the marinas we have stayed at, Dowry Creek (35° 32'), is about 20 miles north of the line (no matter how the insurance company may try to draw it) and within the two day and one night travel window.

We departed the marina and made our way up the Cape Fear river.  With the incoming tide, we were going up river at over 8 knots.  High tide was right when we were making our way through Snow's cut and we again had favorable current for the trip to the Masonboro inlet.  From there, we jumped out, set sails, shut down motors, and had a nice overnight sail across Onslow Bay. Before we left cell phone range, I called the range master at Camp Lejeune and confirmed that their offshore firing range danger area was not active and we could cut through it without becoming a target of unwanted attention...or unwanted ammunition.

Camp Lejeune Firing Range area.

The seas were just as predicted at 1 to 2 feet on a relatively long 6 to 8 second period. The predicted 10 to 15 knots of wind were actually closer to 25 and this combination made for a nice brisk sail.  In fact, at one point it looked like we were going to arrive at the Beaufort inlet around 1 AM.  While I wanted to arrive at first light, this was a bit too early. I resisted the urge to slow the boat down for a while but I really didn't feel like heaving-to and waiting for first light just outside the inlet.

I finally gave in and further reduced our speed.  That, of course, was a mistake. Not too much later the winds started to die down and by first light we were about 4 nautical miles from the inlet going about 1.5 knots. Someday I'll learn you have to take what you can get when you get it.  We fired up the engines as the wind completely died and made our way in.

Going in the inlet was crazy.  No big cargo or cruise ships to contend with, but the onslaught of fishing boats headed out for the morning was incredible.  If I didn't know better I would have thought that someone was giving away free kegs of beer to the first 1000 boats to arrive at the fishing grounds. Fishing boats of all sizes were pouring out of he inlet as we were fighting our way in.  Unfortunately this isn't a no-wake zone and every one of them was going full throttle to be the first one out.  It was the roughest seas we have faced on the entire trip north, and it was all caused by the wakes of the high powered boats zipping around us on all sides.

A few stragglers after the onslaught.

Once we escaped the barrage of high powered boats at the inlet and turned north out of Morehead City, things calmed back down. We motored or motor-sailed the remainder of the trip. Other than a minor hiccup with an engine that had me down in the engine room with a wrench for an hour (note to self: never let that hungover marine mechanic in Palm Coast get near the engines again), the trip was uneventful.

We arrived at Dowry Creek (near Belhaven NC) about 5:30 in the evening. We are now officially across the goal line as far as insurance is concerned. Looks like we will be here for a week or so as we do a little maintenance and figure out what is next.

View off of our "porch" this morning.

Map Lines and Deadlines

Sorry I haven't been posting much in recent days.  When I haven't been working my day job, I've been trying to solve a problem I have.

According to my current insurance I need to be north of Cape Hatteras by the beginning of the dreaded "H" (hurricane) season.  This season runs from June 1 to November 1.  Originally, we didn't think this would be an issue since we wanted to see the U.S. East coast and this bigger restriction fit with our plans.  Of course getting the first house ready to sell took much more time than we anticipated and some other things have conspired to throw a wrench in the works.

The best option for moving the boat north would be to make a few overnight hops "on the outside" (going up the coast instead of the ICW).  Unfortunately, my wife is busy and can't come help so I'm by myself in Georgia and needing to move the boat pretty far up the coast in a month and a half.  Given my current level of experience, I don't think it would be wise for me to do an overnight passage alone.  This leaves me needing to find a deckhand to make the trip(s).

Right now I think I have a friend coming to help me move the boat from Brunswick to Charleston or so.  From there, I still need to figure out the best option for continuing the trek north.  I thought offering the chance to spend some time on a boat with room and board paid for in exchange for a minimum amount of help would entice some of my friends, but apparently not.  Maybe I'm not selling it right...how does "come spend a few days basking in the sun on catamaran instead of shoveling that snow back home" sound?

I also need to figure out my "final destination".  I'm thinking somewhere in the Chesapeake.  I'd like to find a place that is reasonably priced and near "services" so I can get some work done that I simply cannot handle (I'm somewhat sewing and welding challenged).  While Annapolis is probably an excellent location for everything sailboat repair, I think that location usually comes with a high price tag.

So, I have been spending a lot of time looking through Active Captain, checking for marinas and services and their prices and trying to come up with a loose plan for how to get north of our insurance line before the deadline.

On a semi-related note, part of the reason my wife cannot come down right now is good news in that she will be closing the sale on her father's house.  Apparently the housing market is pretty good in Denver right now, at least for smaller homes.  We had listed the house at what we thought was a fair price for the renewed condition and in less than a week we had numerous offers and were under contract for over asking price.  We really need to get our house on the market soon.

Health Insurance

What is it they say about the best made plans?  Well, in the middle of my search  for a boat, life has thrown me a little curve ball.  A few days ago I had to go in for a minor outpatient surgery.  I'm at home recovering now and everything should be OK, but it has put my search on hold for just a little bit.

This got me thinking about healthcare again.  Of course right now I, like many working stiffs in the U.S., have health insurance provided by my employer.  Over the past years the portion of this insurance that the employee pays for has gone up considerably while the coverage seems to have gone down.  While I haven't received the final bill, between all the deductibles and copayments and multiple billings. I expect I will owe several thousand dollars...for this outpatient procedure.

I'm pretty sure that for the cost I'll end up paying myself, I probably could have flown to one of a number of places where healthcare is both decent and affordable.  If I had been able to think straight at the time, I should have looked into this.  Maybe I could have been recuperating in some tropical locale where I could look at some boats instead of sitting at home.  Oh well.

General Hospital in St George's, Grenada

In the U.S. we always hear that we have the best healthcare in the world. (We should tout that we have the best propaganda and advertising in the world).  While I'm sure we have some very cutting edge research and procedures that can better save lives here, I think the truth is that for most of the average working stiffs in the U.S. our medical care is determined mostly by an insurance company that works as a for-profit business. Their primary concern is to make a profit for their shareholders and their secondary concern is selling their insurance to the companies we work for as a reasonably cost-effective "benefit".  The end result is that I doubt most of us actually have direct access to the "best" due to the prohibitive cost and lack of coverage by our insurance providers.  When pitting my well-being against the profit of a corporation, I don't think I'll be betting on my well-being as the insurance company's primary motivating factor.  So, this leaves most of us with more "average" healthcare.

I have a friend whose father retired to Mexico a number of years ago.  As with most traditional retirement-aged folks, they have had somewhat regular experience with the medical care there.  The father is happy with the healthcare he has received and finds that the quality of care is very similar to that found in the U.S., with many of the doctors and specialists actually U.S. trained. The difference is that the cost is significantly less, on the order of 25% to 33% of what comparable care costs in the U.S.  By the time I calculate what I've paid in insurance premiums and what I'll pay in deductibles, co-payments, and co-insurance (a fancy term for a percentage that you will have to pay out-of-pocket anyway), I'm pretty sure I'll have paid for more than 33% of my U.S. priced medical care this year.

The only thing that the insurance companies seem to really do for us is to negotiate somewhat more reasonable rates with medical providers (you know, when the doctor charges you $100 for something, the insurance says they apply a "discount" and the charge is reduced to $10).  Ironically, this isn't that different from the cost controls used in many of the public healthcare systems in the rest of the world.

When I was doing research on this subject a while ago, I ran across an insurance company that would provide international health insurance.  I don't recall the exact figures but from what I could remember at the time, I could get insurance for my wife and me that would cover us everywhere except the U.S. and it seemed fairly reasonable.  If we wanted to add coverage in the U.S., the cost of coverage was multiplied by a factor of about 8.  So, apparently the U.S. does have the most expensive healthcare in the world.

It seems in most cases we plan to be in places that will have decent healthcare at reasonable prices.  So, do we simply "self insure" (a.k.a. pay our own way)? Buy a policy with a high deductible that would cover more catastrophic issues? Should we consider some sort of evacuation plan (can fly you to somewhere with better medical care if you are not near facilities that can help)?  Lots of questions to be answered.  Depending on the cost, I think we will likely do some catastrophic/self insure combination.  If we do include an evacuation plan, would we evacuate from the U.S. to find reasonable healthcare.  Hmmm...

Here are a couple links for health insurance for cruisers/travelers:
Health Care International
International Medical Group
Diver Alert Network (DAN) - Scuba-oriented, but covers other issues as well.