Back from the (almost) dead and the dark side.

Robin

Robin

Well-Known Member
Joined
30 May 2001
Messages
18,088
Location
high and dry on north island
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Some of you know I moved to the USA last APRIL to live/cruise on our Mobo in Florida, then screwed things up by having a stroke in a country which has third world medical treatment services unless you have tons of money.... Anyways we bought a condo on the ICW in Daytona Beach and moved dirtside in December and put our lovely trawler mobo up for sale. We are almost through the sales process just waiting for the closing and the money but today we piut an offer in on our next boat one of the infamous Benny AWBs a centre cockpit Beneteau 36 currently in Fort Lauderdale about 159miles south of where we are based. We turned down a nice Westerly Sealord 39 because it did not have in-mast reefing ( and me having argued against that in the past but that was Before two hip replacements and a stroke made me somewhat less nimble) There was also a very nice long distance setup Benny 375 we liked but which has too much (6.5ft)draught for the ICW 'Ditch' and the Bahamas. THe US Army need to dredge the ICW which is silted badly in places but they have no money apparently to keep to their obligations of maintaining 13ft of water throughout.

So expect some more defence of AWBs and even in-mast reefing if I find time to get back in posting mode and can get my left typing fingers off the caps lock and shift keys that make me look dyslexic.
 
I have friends who talk about moving to Thailand, Costa Rica, or Greece for retirement. The general idea is to seek a place that has a relatively low cost of living, is relatively safe, and has decent medical services. The idea that anybody would move to the US for retirement seems rather novel.
 
Hi Robin, welcome back - I won't say to the land of the living! :)
What made you ditch the Mobo idea, is it that you now feel you need to be shore based?
You've certainly missed nothing over here this winter!
All the best with your 'new life' - LiB
 
I was wondering how you were getting on, I assumed no news was good news, how wrong can you be! Sorry to hear of your health problems, hope the recovery has been relatively swift with few ongoing issues. And sorry to hear that your long planned move to motorboating has ended somewhat prematurely. Hope all is now plain sailing for you both.
 
interloper said:
I have friends who talk about moving to Thailand, Costa Rica, or Greece for retirement. The general idea is to seek a place that has a relatively low cost of living, is relatively safe, and has decent medical services. The idea that anybody would move to the US for retirement seems rather novel.
Click to expand...

I believe Robins wife is American.
 
Hi Robin,

Glad that you're almost recovered. Probably a judgement on you for going over to the dark side:rolleyes: Hope you enjoy the new saily boat.

If you're ever back to civilisation(?) you know where to find us. May even be persuaded to crack a bottle.

Cheers,

Colin
 
Richard Shead said:
I believe Robins wife is American.
Click to expand...

yes she is and the usa has lots of very good points just not the health system which SUCKS! Living is cheaper and folks are friendly even if they drive like idiots on speed and that is on a good day.

we lived on our mobo until the end of December, somw 4 months after my stroke, I even had Physio on board 3 times a week, we moved ashore because handling the big boat was not easy for just 1.5 fit peeps when the 0.5 peep was not quite so good at precise placement in the berth in reverse ( I had a slight woopsie) we no longer need the space of a 47footer that weighs some 25 tons so a handy little sailboat with a decnt Yanmar and shallow draught for the 'ditch' and Bahamas will do nicely.

but hey i.m getting back to normal have played one round of golf not too shabbily and have just passed my Florida driving test last week, nerve wracking to be tested and out with an examiner after 50 years of driving in the uk, I was told I was supposed to get a USA licence within 30 days as an immigrant so I was a bit overdue. I was stopped once by Dibble wh said he couldn't 'run' my UK licence ( Oh what a shame I said as he just told me to take more care and look left first before pulling out of a driveway in front of a speeding pickup truck
 
Welcome back to the forum Robin. Unfortunate news on the illness, but it does sound like you have a good plan B lined up. Only question I had is whether a sailing boat is going to be less demanding than a mobo?
 
I am afraid Greece is not cheap any more, in fact it can be more expensive than the UK and the Greek national medical service is busy treating the Romanians and Albanians instead.

interloper said:
I have friends who talk about moving to Thailand, Costa Rica, or Greece for retirement. The general idea is to seek a place that has a relatively low cost of living, is relatively safe, and has decent medical services. The idea that anybody would move to the US for retirement seems rather novel.
Click to expand...
 
yes I tried to replytoo but I haven't cracked the new forum yet and it vanished.


we got tornados over here right now, want us to send then west? have you got your us drivers licence yet? We finally got round to ours last week and the dipsticks put me down as 'female' but altered it and gave me another correct one so the operation wasn't needed! beaurocracy here can do incompetence to Olympic standards
 
Parking and un parking the big mobo is stressful and hard work for SWMBO even with our pre-planned lines 'system' and the regular maintenance of big ship systems too is very demanding not to mention costly. We just had to replace the saloon aircon unit for the new buyers as it was going out, cost with labour near $2,000, fortunately the other two units are still OK... We have gone for a near new sailboat with pull string sails front and back, one low hours engine and single lever control. It has front and back power and water connection points so we no longer have to reverse in our slip plus it is low enough to board from the side not just via the swim platform.
 
Robin said:
yes I tried to replytoo but I haven't cracked the new forum yet and it vanished.


we got tornados over here right now, want us to send then west? have you got your us drivers licence yet? We finally got round to ours last week and the dipsticks put me down as 'female' but altered it and gave me another correct one so the operation wasn't needed! beaurocracy here can do incompetence to Olympic standards
Click to expand...

Problem with the new forum?! never!

I've had a drivers license for a few years, but finally won't have to renew it every 6 months now. CA don't write nasty things across them about being aliens, etc. so was never too bad.

Have to call USCIS tomorrow as not sure if I need to visit them to get my visa cancelled/passport stamped/surrender work permit etc. Nice shiny green card arrived in the mail yesterday :)

Also discovered that I can't hold a USCG license as a permanent resident but only as a citizen which kind of puts a damper on job plans...

Do need to sort some sensible priced health insurance though...

W.
 
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