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Cyclone season (November to April) in the South Pacific is over but John broke his wrist

Posted on by by Posted in Boat Projects, Medical Service Experiences, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, South Pacific

John’s Broken Wrist with a Hard Casting, Whangarei, North Island, New Zealand

Sailing life sounds rosy, but staying in a boatyard demands a lot of patience. The boat is on land so the toilets, kitchen sink, and main refrigeration on the boat have been disconnected. We use the boatyard common area for bathrooms, washing dishes, and other tasks and sleep in unorganized cabin for now.

We were aware of the high quality of boating work in New Zealand and we arrived at Port Whangarei Marine Centre (https://portwhangarei.com/) with a list of repairs and upgrades.

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Excellent Medical Checkup in Mexico

Posted on by by Posted in Medical Service Experiences, Mexico

Doctor Shukan’s Office, La Cruz, Mexico

October is my birthday month and when I usually have my annual physical checkup. Many doctors and dentists in Mexico speak good English. I visited Doctor Shukan’s office which is near La Cruz Marina in Mexico. He is well-known by the cruisers/expats community in this area. The office collected my blood and urine samples. When reports were ready, I had a long and pleasant consultation with him. As I live on a boat and travel all over, I see doctors in different countries. There are some doctors (ones in Trinidad, Colombia, South Korea,

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Sailing from Costa Rica to Nicaragua on the Way to the Sea of Cortez

Posted on by by Posted in Central America, Central and South Americas, Medical Service Experiences, Sailings

(February 22 to March 2, 2021) Each night, we stopped at a different anchorage in Costa Rica, leaving after sunrise and arriving in mid-afternoon at a new place. One day, we had to leave at 4 AM at dark (no moonlit) from Bahia Ballena (Whale Bay). Luckily, when I flashed the light on the water and John noticed water breaking on the surface, we quickly steered the wheel not to go over the barely visible rocks. These rocks were not on the chart.

On the day approaching Tamarindo anchorage, we started getting flies. After anchoring, we were immediately swamped by countless flies.

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Can I improve US Health Care System?

Posted on by by Posted in Medical Service Experiences, USA

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. – Margaret Mead (Anthropologist)”

Smart shopping is finding a reasonably priced quality item that fits my budget. I have a limited income so I have to budget my lifestyle accordingly most of the time.

As I have been sailing outside of the USA, I didn’t have to carry a US health insurance for three years. In 2018, I planned to stay in the US for several months and I decided to have US health insurance.

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Sailing in a Hurry in the Caribbean

Posted on by by Posted in Caribbean Islands, Medical Service Experiences, Sailings

Night sailing from Trinidad to Grenada
We were worried during our passage near the oil rig platforms after leaving Trinidad. We made sure we sailed at least 10 miles east of the oil platforms which is farther from Venezuela. We wanted to be invisible to any potential pirates so we sailed without lights and also turned our AIS off. However, we noticed there are many oil rig supply ships in this area. This made us somewhat relieved, and as soon as we felt we were in a safe zone, we turned our lights and AIS back on.

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Ready for Sailing to Cabo Verde, Singer Cesaria Evora’s Island

Posted on by by Posted in Atlantic Islands, Medical Service Experiences, Sailings

(November 26, 2017) After seeing a reasonable weather forecast, we decided to sail to Cabo Verde on November 27th. This is the island I first got to know by listening to a CD about 20+ years. At that time, being a music lover, I frequently visited a bookstore to find new songs. One day, by listening to a sample CD at a bookstore, I bought a CD, “Cabo Verde” by Cesaria Evora. It was love of songs at first listen. Without knowing the lyrics and language of the songs, I listened to them over and over. Back then, we didn’t have Google Search.

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Canary Islands Immigration Clearance (Schengen Agreement), Adventure at Papagayo Beach, and Medical Fee

Posted on by by Posted in Atlantic Islands, Medical Service Experiences, Sailings

Most of the cruisers in the Canary Islands are citizens of European Union. We (US Citizens) are among the few non-EU cruisers here. We can stay in any combined EU countries during a six month period for a total of 90 days (i.e. Schengen Agreement). The days are calculated by the check-in and check-out stamp days on the passport. It is important to get a passport stamped both arriving (check-in) and departing (check-out) in each country.

After arriving at Lanzarote Island in the Canaries, it took a while for us to get the check-in stamp. On Lanzarote Island,

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Azores 100: Sailing in the Azores

Posted on by by Posted in Atlantic Islands, Medical Service Experiences, Sailings

Each night, when I go to sleep, I die. And the next morning when I wake up, I am reborn. — Mahatma Gandhi (October 2, 1869 – January 30, 1948)

(July 15 to September 20, 2017): A German cruiser once told us that “The Azores go by 100; the daily high temperature is around 25 Celsius (77 Fahrenheit), the daily low is 25 Celsius, the water temp is 25 Celsius, for 25 hours a day.” It is not exact but it really has some truth in it.

We stayed in the Azores for two months and could have stayed longer but our time is running out (90 Days Visa Permission in the European Union).

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My Experiences of Clothes, Food, Water, and Medical Bills in Rio Dulce, Guatemala (February to April 2016)

Posted on by by Posted in Central America, Medical Service Experiences, Sailings

“All sorts of bodily diseases are produced by half-used minds.” — George Bernard Shaw, Irish Playwright (1856-1950)

Clothes are real cheap in Rio Dulce. Most of the stores sell second hand clothes that appeared to be brought from the USA. John has been enjoying buying work T-Shirts when there is a bargain. It costs 33 cents for a T-Shirt. Whenever he brought newly purchased T-Shirts, we laughed at the printings on the T-Shirts. I also purchased a nice summer dress with 30 Quetzals (US$4). We don’t know how all of these second hand clothes are brought here but they were like new and real cheap.

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My Experience with a Dentist and a Doctor in Providencia Island, Colombia

Posted on by by Posted in Caribbean Islands, Central America, Medical Service Experiences, Sailings, South America

I consider that I am active and healthy. I also do regular exercise and try to eat smart even in remote islands. However, since I started sailing in June 2014, I have been seeing doctors in each country we stop at. The two main problems I have are: (1) a tooth crown that won’t stay on, and (2) a skin problem on my palms, and soles of my feet that began not long after I started sailing. The two crowns I have are not even two years old. I paid a lot of money for them back in Florida when I was working as a computer programmer.

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