Folks have asked, why are you still there? Why are you still in Saint Maarten, you can go anywhere you like but you spent months there already. Its be cause of the parties of course. First it was the Cruisers Party from CruisersOutpost.com – had a great time last year and again this year, then the ultimate Beer Can Regatta – aka, the Heineken party disguised as a boat race was shortly to follow.

Fun times at the 2017 Heineken Regatta held in St. Maarten this year!  We were planning on anchoring around the same area we were last year (right by the start/finish line), but the weather was not cooperating and the seas would have beaten us up.   The Gill’s Commodore’s Cup, the first race on Thursday, Matt and I decided to take Sweet N Low, our dinghy out to the start which sounds all fine and dandy until you get lost in the 1-2 meter seas (for the American followers that is 3-6′) which is HUGE when you are in a dinghy.  But, we braved the waves, the seas, the swamp a$$ in order to be front and center of the race which was truly spectacular.  We lasted a little over an hour before it got “uncomfortable” and headed back to the boat to prepare for the first regatta party at Port de Plaisance (PDP) marina which was loads of fun ($1 beer and $2 vodka drinks), dj, dancing, and ran into some new friends

Emily and Tim from “Play”, the Ogre and Princess from Contrary Mary, and Sugar Shack

Then the ladies had some fun at a photo booth (Princess, Emily, and the Easter bunny)

Hank and Cathy Schmit from Avocation (who run Offshore Passage Opportunities)

On Friday, the first official race day of the Heinken Regatta the boats are to sail around the island and we decided to take the big boat out as the dinghy was just too small for the weather conditions.  We loaded our friends from Contrary Mary, several coolers of cold beverages and took Sugar Shack out into the middle of the race!  Matt expertly navigated out the way of the racers while maintaining a great position to see the start of each of the different races.  Once most were across the start line we headed to the first marker (by Rue Baile Longue) to watch the boats jockey for position to make the best tack.  Just as we were approaching the marker, we heard on the live broadcast and caught a glimpse of the 40′ Nautitech catamaran that t-boned a small 30′ monohull, Solstice.  Luckily nobody was hurt, but Solstice had to “retire” from the race but they were able to race again the next.  Super exciting to be anchored at such a pivotal  point in the race.

These two photos were taken by Tim Wright Photoaction.com and found on the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta Instagram account – he captured the collision and impact on Solstice.

And another unfortunate event, the Green Dragon was de masted. Boats are pushed to their limits during this competitive race and it doesn’t always work out for the best.

Friday nights part was in Philipsburg  which is a long bus ride so we opted out of these festivities and stayed in Simpson Bay instead.  Here is the official Heineken Regatta’s Facebook page with tons of photos from the parties and races.

Sugar Shack outpacing the racers with our twin Volvo 50 engines

This is one of the gunboats–either Flow or Momentum

And this beauty is Morticia, first time racing and she won her class!!

Saturday, race day 2, we hosted 6 friends (Contrary Mary and 4 friends from Toe Jam).  We took Sugar Shack out to the start and bobbed around watching the windward/leeward races between all the different classes.  Matt of course jockeying to stay out of the race course while trying to get the best vantage point.  Of course we had to be the first boat to cross the finish – even if we were not entered into the race 🙂  We feasted like kings and queens with the Ogre’s mouth watering ribs, smoke salmon and cream cheese pinwheel crepes, bruschetta and fresh baked cookies.  Our intention was to head to Kimsha Beach to attend the regatta party, but we ended up staying on our boat, enjoying spritzers, beer, and fabulous stories!

Sunday, the final day of the race was a “recovery” day and we watched the boat races from our anchorage which is far enough away to be comfortable on the boat, but close enough to see them finishing.

All in all the Heineken Regatta 2017 was exhilarating!  It is always a spectacular site to behold!

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.