5 Years of Cost Data -

[SaltyMonkey]

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[Usagi]

Thanks for posting your expenses. They did make me wonder because I have only about $1200 per month to spend. My main concern was medical costs outside of the US. I have medicare but it won't pay outside the US. I do see a number of items that I can easily live without so thanks for breaking everything down.

I have been wondering if I was dreaming of cruising on what I have to spend but I now believe it's quite possible.

bob

[chuckr]

USAGI -- looks like from your posting you are headed down the ec of the usa and bahamas -- that is doable on your budget if you are careful -- no dockage in bahamas - not sure if you have ssb or not but lots of guys in bahamas and ec to help you with anchorages ect -- good luck it is a great life

[carstenb]

Very interesting, we drive a 40 jenneau sunfast so our boats are similar (ours is 2007) it sounds like your lifestyle and ours are similar and the same goes for our conceptions of boat maintenance.

We've figured on usd3k per month with another 1k for boat maintenance/upgrades

By the way - why no expenses for oil? haven't changed the oil in 5 years?

[chuckr]

carstenb -- Jeanneaus are great boats -- as for the oil -- the cost is unfortunately in the boat supplies -- we may buy 3-4 gallons at a time when we hit a good chandlery and stock up on supplies then we store it until we do our oil changes

if you are sailing the med this summer we will be in italy croatia and albania before wintering over in tunisia again next winter -- hope we can meet up

[carstenb]

Originally Posted by chuckr

carstenb -- Jeanneaus are great boats -- as for the oil -- the cost is unfortunately in the boat supplies -- we may buy 3-4 gallons at a time when we hit a good chandlery and stock up on supplies then we store it until we do our oil changes

if you are sailing the med this summer we will be in italy croatia and albania before wintering over in tunisia again next winter -- hope we can meet up

Hi Chuckr,

I can only agree that Jennies are good boats. Unfortunately we won't be going to the Med this year (planning on casting off on a circumnavigation next spring), so we will be testing everything by sailing across the Baltic to Tallin non-stop from Copenhagen (about 3-4 days). This, we hope will give us some insight into double-handing while at sea for multiple days. What type of watch set-up etc (can we even stand to be together alone for 3-4 days - I mean we've only been married for over 25 years) How does the boat function when being constantly pushed for 3-4 days.

Anyone else planning on sailing the Baltic this year? It is one of the premier cruising grounds in the world - no I'm not biased. No tides, No swell, thousands of marinas, uncountable anchorages, thousands or islands ranging from small rocks to big ones with metropolitan cities, 9 different languages spoken , drinking water is clean and readily available, the food is great and not pumped with all kinds of hormones/chemicals, the natives are friendly and by western standards beautiful (don't get me started on nordic women)

[sailorboy1]

One of the things I like about this thread is that the cost are broken down so much that people are having a harder time saying it is wrong. Meanwhile if you ask the $500/mo people for such a break down you will never get one.

My current planned $3000/mo budget for 2 people on a 43' boat is:
food -$1200
Boat (marina, repairs, ins) -$1000
eating out & entertainment - $500
phone - $100
misc- $200

[Nicholson58]

Great posting. Thanks so much.

We feel in control and ready to cast off. We've spent around 100K over a 5-year renovation and repairs since we bought. We plan one more season on the Great Lakes before retiring and liquidating the house etc. The hope is that the major costs are pre-handled.

Our one major concern is the health care/insurance cost. Did you buy boater's or travelers insurance? The Obama-mess complicates this even more. We are both about 60. It seems that many cruisers self-insure and pay out of pocket away from the US & Canada.

The 6-month posh accommodations in Trini is very appealing to my Admiral as well. Were you pleased with the rates & your stay? Did you haul your boat and leave it on the hard for your stay? I poked around their site and couldn't find hard rate data but they noted a rate benefit to renting a room and keeping your boat there as well. Do they permit owners to perform any work?

BTW, we share part of our home with a woman who competes in the carnival steel pan bands and teaches at the university. Carnival is now. She plays in Phase II. Say hi to Jean.

[chuckr]

Nicholson -- thanks and hope it all helps

as for insurance -- we are both a bit older and medicare part a&b - but it is worthless -- we are self insured - you will find cost of medical very inexpensive and very good in the rest of the world -- i trini i had a major thing removed from my nose by a plastic surgeron who removed probably 2/3 of one side of my nose and repair with skin from near my ear - and docs we have seen since marvel at the job - cost about 1,500 usd -
just had a root canal done here in tunisia for about 360usd -

as for crews inn -- no we stay in the water year round - there are a couple of yards that you can haul and live aboard - peakes, coral cove - as for work - yes i did work on the boat while in the water

sorry we will not the make carnival - we are in tunisia - crossed over the pond last may

any help we can give let us know - and enjoy

[donradcliffe]

I agree that that the medical insurance is the wild card for US. We carried high deductible insurance in the US for 15 years while cruising RTW, and it paid for itself in one heart bypass operation--the bill was $350k, the insurance company paid $65k, and I paid $5k.

In the broken US system, you will pay 5 times as much as the insurance companies do if you self-insure and need treatment. Maybe with Obamacare you can wait until you get sick and then purchase the insurance...

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

In the broken US system, you will pay 5 times as much as the insurance companies do if you self-insure and need treatment. .

That's the truth. From my heart attack last year the hospital bill was $53k and the insurance paid $22k and I paid about $300.

If I didn't have my cruise to other places fantasy I would have to work till I'm too old not to just because of health care. Just got to get out of the US.

[carstenb]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

That's the truth. From my heart attack last year the hospital bill was $53k and the insurance paid $22k and I paid about $300.

If I didn't have my cruise to other places fantasy I would have to work till I'm too old not to just because of health care. Just got to get out of the US.

uuhhh Don

53k minus 22k leaves 31k less 300 leaves 30.7k. Who paid the rest

I live in Denmark - here it is all paid over taxes

[cwyckham]

Originally Posted by carstenb

uuhhh Don

53k minus 22k leaves 31k less 300 leaves 30.7k. Who paid the rest

I live in Denmark - here it is all paid over taxes

That's the whole point. Nobody paid the rest. If you can't afford health insurance in the US, then you get charged 2-3x what the insurance companies actually pay. They get a bulk discount, basically.

Ridiculous but true.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by carstenb

uuhhh Don

53k minus 22k leaves 31k less 300 leaves 30.7k. Who paid the rest

No one, bill paid in full after the "you have insurance" discount was applied!

But this is for a whole different thread and I'm sorry for the side track.

[hellosailor]

"In the broken US system, you will pay 5 times as much as the insurance companies do if you self-insure and need treatment. Maybe with Obamacare you can wait until you get sick and then purchase the insurance..."


Yes and no, Don. A lot depends on whether you know the system at all, and none of us are taught how to really use it. There are large numbers of hospitals in the US that participate in federal programs that require them to bill uninsured patients on an income-basis. So if you have a very low income, you may find a specialist's treatment and examination costs you $15 and a 30-day rx for ANY med costs you $2.

Walk in through the same ER to the same care, and you may pay $500 for the $15 service if you don't ask for aid.

The trick is, even if you know which local hospitals participate, or have programs of their own, you also need to know to ASK if they have any programs for uninsured folks with low incomes.

Most of us never find out about these programs, because they are not advertised or taught unless you are in the social welfare system.

Still, they exist.

And with private practitioners, a surprising number will also accommodate uninsured patients, or unemployed uninsured patients. Tell the receptionist "what's the bill?" and you get the track rate. Tell them "I have no insurance" and you often will be charged the Medicare rate, which can be 1/3 of the rack rate. The trick is, you have to ask.

Does this su** ? Damn right it does. Somehow a "professional service" doesn't seem like it should be negotiated the same way as everything else in the bazaar. At least, not to me.

Now with Obamacare...it will take a good six months before that gives the insurers a chance to reformulate their new games. They already started a new one, claiming that because of the massive demand (which Congress claims has been nearly no demand) they're so backlogged it has taken many of them over three weeks to simply assign new policy numbers and issue new ID cards. Meaning, you can't give anyone your membership number, so they can't submit bills, or order meds, and you have to pay everything yourself and file for reimbursement. Even if you paid in December for January coverage.

New plans, new names, same old games. And no rule book to help the rubes.