Time to move, been right here too long weather looks good so we left.  Left the spot, not the island.  We did go to the french side tho, Grand Case by way of Friars Bay.  We swam ashore, walked the beach, and had an over priced drink at the beach bar before swimming back to the boat.

Snorkeled some, thought about going more out on the rocks but decided to go swim with the turtles out at Tintamarre, a little day stop of an island on the north side of Saint Marten.    Also should be a good vantage point to watch the RORC600 racing boats go by.  Of course the fast ones would come by at 2am in a dark and moonless night.  Yes, I got up to watch them, but all I could see was a little mast head red light zooming up the Anguilla channel.

Tintamarre is cool, most folks use it as a day stop, but there is a nice beach there and if the weather is correct very pleasant as the wind blows over the island and you can just park or pick up a mooring next to shore and swim with the turtles and fishies, also there are some paths on the island to explore the old house, an helipad, and old plane.

We had a nice lunch after arriving and then set about the exploration.  We swam ashore, remembering to bring hiking shoes this time as barefoot are no match for the stickers and rocks on the trails.  And by hiking shoes, I mean flip flops of course.  We started on the left of the beach and scampered up the slippery gravel hill, dropped the snorkel gear and set off to find parts unknown.  Well once we got to the top, we found nothing but billy goats.  What else do we have to do today – explore the place. Scamper over rocks and under scrub brush where only billy has been before.   We could see the other side of the island which we had been to before, just no real way to get there.  Forage On!

About an hour later we found the well traveled path, and found an over look that looked over the anchorage and Sugar just floating nicely in the calm waters behind the island.   Then hiked over to the windward side as we had done before.  This time I pushed on, and climbed the rocks and foraged to the next beach around the rocks and motioned Christine to follow.  She had to time it right between the waves which she did, but also got a bit too close to the fire rock, the rocks that look like Edward Scissor hands – and slammed her leg right on to the sharpness, drawing blood.  She took it like a trooper and continued on to explore the long deserted beach for another 1/2 mile, being sure to keep tingling salt water away from the wound, till  we turned around and tried like the dickens to find another way back that didn’t involve that fire rock challenge.  At the last minute we found a trail that lead back nice and easy like, no climbing and no salt water.

Back at the beach, we retrieved the snorkel gear and walked to the closest area giving us the shortest swim back to the boat.  The salt water didn’t help, Christine swam in circles as she was avoiding using the wounded limb.  Till she saw a pretty puffer fish and wanted to follow it.  I was the buzz kill and motioned her to continue to the boat as having a fresh wound in the presence of the barracudas I had seen on the swim in just didn’t seem like a good idea.

All good, we had made water and a shower was in order a couple of grimaces and healing can begin.

At the 2am look out for the race boats, the wind had shifted.  It wasn’t really forecast to be as drastic, but we ended up on lee shore.  What that means is that if the anchor or mooring decided to part ways – we would have just minutes to react/recover.  We had snorkeled and I dove down to see the large hunk of concrete that held us in place and was pretty confident it wasn’t going anywhere, but still made the boat very uncomfortable with the constant pull on the mooring competing against the wind.  So we decided to pack it in and run to the sheltered side of the island.

As we left, I asked Christine which way around she would like to go.  Against the grain and see the RORC600 boats coming at us, or down the east side of the island.  Race boats it was, we did catch some pretty awesome boats heading up the Anguilla channel.  We also made a little water on the way as it was nose into the wind for most of the trip.

Back to Simpson Bay, found our spot – settled back into a routine and prepared for the Heineken Regatta.

A difficult question and one that generates lots of questions and conversations amongst cruisers. Many cruisers decide to go “bare” and either hope for the best or work with local medical professionals. Many islands have very good medical care at drastically reduced prices (compared to the U.S.). We’ve been told by many cruisers that you can get a dental check up for under $40 cash and a broken arm can set and fixed (including an x-ray, several visits, cast, and all) for only a few hundred dollars. So there is certainly reason to believe that this is a good decision for many people.  Plus, if you are an American citizen and live outside the U.S. for 330 days you do not have to pay the ACA (Affordable Care Act or for those of you who think it is called “Obamacare”) penalty.

But those who know me, know that I would worry every minute of every day if I did not have medical coverage. First because I am a world class klutz! I bruise if you look at me funny and cannot seem to make it one day without some injury (big or small). Second, I used to work in the insurance business and truly believe in being prepared for the unforeseen events life brings you. And most importantly, I am a cancer survivor and although I believe I am cancer free and took all necessary precautions to prevent it from returning – you just never know. So, the search begins for healthcare (h/c) alternatives.

My previous company spoiled me rotten with amazing H/C coverage, low deductibles, choice of the best doctors, and supplementary options. Of course, when I made the decision to “retire” that all went away, along with Matt’s coverage as he was covered under my insurance policy.

I must admit that I am envious of our European cruising friends and their universal h/c coverage (yes, I am sure they have their own unique drawbacks, but at this time of my life it seems appealing).

We had three options to consider (since I had already ruled out going “bare” or without coverage (not naked you pervs :)).  1) We could go on my COBRA plan which was $1,350/mo for both Matt and I to continue our current coverage, as is or $642 for me alone.  2) Healthcare.Gov which had several plans ranging around $350-$650 for me alone with incredibly HIGH deductibles, restricted coverage, and restricted doctor selection. 3) Christian Health Ministries (CHM) which is a cost sharing non-profit program, not an insurance plan.  Please note that Matt had opted to go “bare” if I went with either Option 1 or 2 due to cost and the mere fact that he doesn’t go to the doctor.

The one thing I knew we were going to do for sure was to sign up for Divers Alert Network program which is for divers/sailors and provides insurance that provides transportation to bring you back to the U.S. (not necessarily to your home state, but back to the U.S.) for medical treatment.  Basic membership is $35 solo or $55 for Matt and I each year.  In addition, they have an additional coverage plan, “Dive Accident Insurance Plan” that provides additional transportation, housing, and $10k supplemental medical coverage – both the membership and additional coverage plan, for both Matt and I is at the low price of $205 annually!  No brainer, done!

After much research on the different ACA programs and discussing my options with an extremely knowledgeable and helpful friend (thanx Pete), I decided that the ACA programs were not for us – too expensive, ridiculously high deductibles, and too many restrictions.  My care team, medical doctors and prescriptions would NOT be covered under the plans we were considering — plus there is the Trump factor.

So COBRA or CHM???   COBRA was awesome and to be honest, not horribly priced for a COBRA plan (thank you TDC).  But we don’t need that much coverage – in fact over 90% of that coverage would go unused so it was really hard to justify spending almost $8k on this h/c plan.  I did a lot of research on CHM and talked to a few CHM members who are part of the cruising network. The CHM program is a cost sharing program and not an insurance policy.  Meaning you pay for your h/c services up front and submit the expenses for reimbursement based on their qualifying guideline.  They have been around for 30 years and have over 300k members.  General checkups, dentistry, and vision are not included (fine with us as we don’t need those services while cruising).  The kicker is my pre-existing condition.  They do have caveats with pre-existing conditions meaning if you are cancer free for 5 years it no longer is considered pre-existing (of course I am 2 years cancer free so that doesn’t apply to me) and if you have other h/c conditions and are symptom free for a year you are not considered to have a pre-existing condition.  So, what does it mean that I am considered a pre-existing member?  If, I have a recurrence specific to my breast cancer, they will still cover the treatment based on a tiered reimbursement plan.  Well, I am considered a LOW risk since I had everything lopped off and am on medication to prevent a metastasis and I had really good genetic results so I am ok with this plan.  Matt and I signed up for their top tier Gold Program at $150 pp/per month and I signed up for their Brother’s Keeper (a catastrophic additional increased reimbursement plan) at $240/year for both Matt and I.  So, our total annual h/c coverage, for both of us, will be $3,840.00.  I can live with that.  And the bonus part is that they will help you negotiate your medical bills since you are considered a cash paying patient (usually you get 40-50% discount).

Have to be honest, it is a relief having made this decision and knowing that we have the coverage we need for our current lifestyle.

 

Guess where we will be..