Gods appear to be conspiring against me!

[JOHNMARDALL]

Very sorry to hear about your sea of troubles, but in the happy event that there is God and she has noticed that we exist, rest easy - conspiring requires multiple participants and who would God have to conspire with? No, you are just experiencing the Law of Universal Perversity (of which Murphy's Law is a sub-chapter), which states that nothing can wrong because everything is already wrong, but can get worse, much worse.



Hang in there, this too shall pass.

John Mardall
retired from Vetus Maxwell Boat Equipment

[Roger L]

I like the idea that you don't have to go far to be cruising. It's more a state of mind than distance.

[captlloyd]

Originally Posted by HighTemp

As the title would indicate, the current set of events are starting to make me feel like the odds are stacked against me. Long story short is that most of last year we have been preparing to become full time cruisers. Sold the house, bought a new boat and moved aboard, and in the process of trying to find a buyer for our moderately successful business.

Now, with all this coronavirus stuff, plus the collapse of the oil and gas markets as well as the larger economy, selling the business at the moment may not be wise, at least from a retirement funding standpoint, as activity is dropping off and will likely remain slow for some time.

Now on top of all of that, it appears that I have developed some health related issues that appear to require a fist full of various meds to be taken daily. Great...another thing I have to worry about....sourcing my meds as we cruise....If we can ever get off the dock....

As far as the medical issues are concerned, more details need to be provided. For instance, a lot of type 2 diabetes can be eliminated by weight loss and low carb diets. But some medical conditions will require medication.

[rbrazil]

Originally Posted by HighTemp

My biggest fear is that I might, unintentionally leave my wife in a very difficult, if not dangerous, situation of having to single hand on a very long passage. She is a very capable sailor, but our boat really takes 2 to sail. I have never been one to allow myself to be paralyzed by fear of what may come, but I feel as if I may be doing that now and it pisses me off. I guess this can be overcome by simply inviting others to come with as crew..... not our original plan, but one has to adapt to the situation as it is....

Stop complaining.
You are better off than most people on the planet.

Sell the boat and buy an RV.

[captlloyd]

Originally Posted by rbrazil

Stop complaining.
You are better off than most people on the planet.

Sell the boat and buy an RV.

People making snarky replies like this need to be warned by the moderator. Moderators should then keep them on a short leash to make sure this doesn’t become a habit with these folks.

[AiniA]

Originally Posted by sailormed

I had the same experience more then 20 years ago. Medical world agreed that I needed a meniscus operation. Decided that I did not needed one. Prescribed myself soft soles for running and exercises to reinforce knee bands/muscles etc.
Still going strong today without that “necessary” operation.
Came to the conclusion that patients are only money generating subjects that medics pass on to their study friends.

I have had both knees scoped to clean up meniscus and it has proven fine for 20+ years but when we lived on our boat in NJ our dock mate was highly rated orthopedic surgeon. He said that the current research is not to do the kind of surgeries I had, that bad cartilage and meniscus is better than none. Now they prescribe lots of the right exercise to strengthen the adjoining muscles. He said the problem is that a doctor gets $70 for the examination and referral to a physio and $4000 for the surgery. For a younger doctor (he was an older one who bought a Hylas 55) with a large student loan best practice can get ignored.

[CF32907]

I'm 73 and are starting to develop some issues myself. But one thing life has taught me. Don't give up, especially your dreams. Keep on chugging and things will work out. Some times with some flexibility.
One other thing I can mention. Your not paranoid if everything and every one is against you.
With tenacity and endurance, you will win. I'm sure you had these ups and downs in your business, and you made that work, just now you have the frustration of having your boat and your dream in hand and things out of your control, sucking them away like a black hole.
Stay positive, sail when you can, and all will come your way. A sailors prayer to you my friend, have faith and all will work out..
Capt. Vince Rakstis, Ret MS

[belizesailor]

When you can...get outta the USA where medical care for profit keeps people sick.

Get to somewhere in the world (most of the rest of the world) where the focus is on patient care. Get some different opinions there, where the suggested treatment is based on what is best for you, not the healthcare/insurance system.

I know many expats/cruisers who are now radically healthier than they were back in the USA and in many cases have gotten off that fist full of profit generating meds. I have seen a few transformations that borderdered on miraculous.

And, both medical care and meds, if needed, are radically cheaper outside the USA.

[CMO Tashina]

Sometimes, it is only in hindsight we can appreciate that the universe was actually trying to protect you.
Myself, I bought a boat in April 2018, hoping to take it to the Caribbean for island hopping. I had only sailed the boat 16 times (with little prior sailing experience) when hurricane Michael came along and damaged it.
Next, I had to deal with a serious problem with a tenant. In the end I decided to sell my house as I really would not be able to fully focus on sailing while worried about what the next tenant would do. The time fixing the problem in the house and selling took away a year.
By the time I got back to my boat, it had sustained some flooding because batteries had died and bilge pump not working. Also, the engine was hard to start. And so, I set about the needed repairs. They are almost done now and I am ready to continue with my dream. But there is no place to sail to as all the wonderful island kingdoms have shut their borders. And so, rather than feel like the universe is conspiring against me, I take it that it has saved me from being stuck between ports in remote Caribbean waters with no place to go. Also, perhaps the universe just felt I needed additional sails locally before taking off. After all, I'm 72 and wanting to do this solo.
I expect that this too shall pass so take heart!

[altinr]

Originally Posted by HighTemp

As the title would indicate, the current set of events are starting to make me feel like the odds are stacked against me. Long story short is that most of last year we have been preparing to become full time cruisers. Sold the house, bought a new boat and moved aboard, and in the process of trying to find a buyer for our moderately successful business.

Now, with all this coronavirus stuff, plus the collapse of the oil and gas markets as well as the larger economy, selling the business at the moment may not be wise, at least from a retirement funding standpoint, as activity is dropping off and will likely remain slow for some time.

Now on top of all of that, it appears that I have developed some health related issues that appear to require a fist full of various meds to be taken daily. Great...another thing I have to worry about....sourcing my meds as we cruise....If we can ever get off the dock....

Sorry about that! One day at a time!

[duetto]

My wife and I moved onto our (wait for it) Catalina 25 full time on an inland lake in Arizona in November 2019. We rented our house long term and got our jobs setup remotely (which everyone is doing now anyway). We were all setup to trailer the boat to (wait for it) New Orleans and live aboard there. Our target to leave was April 20. That is not happening due to Covid. Yes, we are aware we were heading there going into summer, humidity and hurricane season. But it's a place we've wanted to live at least for awhile then figure out the next move. Anyway, this is a global pandemic and effects everyone so I don't feel the God's are out to get me or anyone personally, but I understand the OP's sentiment in regards to the timing. To stay positive about something we can't control, at least the timing of this happened before we left. So our house is rented and we work remotely so now it's time to tack and change course and figure out summer in AZ since going anywhere else is just not a good move now. As sailors, recent live aboards, and someday cruisers, we figure being flexible is going to be the norm, not the exception.

[garyfdl]

Don't blame the gods... it's all Murphy's fault!

Hang in there, you'll get through this.

[Sailshabby]

Originally Posted by HighTemp

As the title would indicate, the current set of events are starting to make me feel like the odds are stacked against me. Long story short is that most of last year we have been preparing to become full time cruisers. Sold the house, bought a new boat and moved aboard, and in the process of trying to find a buyer for our moderately successful business.

Now, with all this coronavirus stuff, plus the collapse of the oil and gas markets as well as the larger economy, selling the business at the moment may not be wise, at least from a retirement funding standpoint, as activity is dropping off and will likely remain slow for some time.

Now on top of all of that, it appears that I have developed some health related issues that appear to require a fist full of various meds to be taken daily. Great...another thing I have to worry about....sourcing my meds as we cruise....If we can ever get off the dock....

Source your drugs from Canada now for the next year. I’m sure others can give you pointers to reputable companies up there, but I’ve got a friend who gets his from Maple Leaf Meds. You’ll need a valid scrip, so there’s no short cutting there. Avoid any company that does (and charges for) consults over the phone.

[JPA Cate]

@HighTemp,

Instead of saying it really takes two to sail your boat....

Jim and I have a 46 ft. fairly lively one-off Solent rigged sloop... For this boat, shortening sail can make a lot just more doable. He is 82 yr. old, and I am 80, and have 2 artificial knees. So, with that, for background, ask your wife what she would need to singlehand it a long distance while caretaking you. The answers you receive will shape what you choose to address, and how you address it. She has to be able to get the mainsail up and down by herself. Maybe you need a spare autopilot. She needs to have a plan she can execute alone, if you should die at sea (as you need for her). One problem is getting you above decks. The next has to do with what to do with the body. There are guidelines in a thread here from last year. Use the Custom Google Search under the search menu, the subject "death at sea" should find it for you. This may all sound rather grim, but I have found that if I address the worst parts of what I am afraid of, all the rest gets easier.

Finally, all of us are dealing with a lot of uncertainty right now. Ask yourself what has really changed. Are you really more insecure, or just facing up to normal insecurity of life? [Most of us weren't promised rose gardens. With couples, usually one dies first, and the other is left without their partner.]

Once you've survived the inevitable corona infection, life will go on, or not, and it is not in our hands to control.

Imo, addressing the boat issues with your wife will give you both something to do, and a positive goal to work towards while employment is on hold.

Good luck with it to both of you,

Be well,

Ann

[allatsea99]

Hello High Temp... right now this may seem to be the case, but things never stay the same. It may be when the crisis lifts some folks may be looking for a new business - it maybe without the pressure of leaving the dock you can look into alternatives to meds, in-part perhaps. Good thing this happened now and not later. If you've made the decision to cruise you have achieved a huge step and maybe in a much better position going forward at the rate land based living is, for many. Such positive threads from others - good on you cruisers. Thanks for sharing your real story.