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Re: New autopilot for Mango
Hi Arlo,
I added a second autopilot to my Sharki. Please have a look at the attached picture of the Jefa electrical drive which I used. The autopilot controller is from Raymarine. Volker Mickmoon, Sharki No. 176
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Re: Offshore Health Insurance
Gregory Shea
Hi all,
Maybe I can inject some real world experiences into the discussion and suggest some international health insurance mistakes to avoid.
Seven years ago I was a Mediterranean neophyte with my Sharki in the marina on the Isles de Frioul off Marseille. The Tramontane had been blowing 30 knots for three days, on the beam. I wanted to double up on my bow lines and had asked the harbormaster to help
me. I hurried back to the boat to ready the extra lines and non-Sharki owners may not know that the Sharki mizzen boom extends about two feet past the transom. In my haste to climb aboard, I was watching where my feet went, not where my head was, and I ran
into the mizzen boom, head first. At least that's what I think happened since my first recollection was "Why am in I this cold September water and why does my leg hurt like hell?"
To cut a long story short, fellow cruisers got me back on dry land and the paramedics called in a police patrol boat to get me back to the mainland. I was in excruciating pain and could not walk. That was when the medical mistakes started. I have Medicare C
but had no idea what it said about international coverage. I had no Green Card, the passport that entitles EU residents to universal medical coverage. Without a Green Card, the ambulance folks took me to the local, indigent hospital. In Marseille, you can
imagine what that was like. They X rayed my leg, announced nothing was broken and told me to buy a brace and walking stick and get lost.
I managed to get back to the boat, sailed her back to base, at the foot of the Pyrenees, buttoned her up, transited to Paris, hopped a plane home and got plugged int the US health system. This took about a month from the time of the accident, during which time
I had no idea what was wrong except that I needed a wheel chair to move around. An MRI found the problem, I had ruptured (doctor speak for snapped) my quadriceps tendon, the one on the front of your upper leg that enables you to flex your leg when walking.
Apparently, my knees had folded when my head hit the boom and as I went down, the tendon stretched to its limit and then broke. I found a surgeon who was competent to make the repair, had it done and settled into a year or more of recovery.
Lessons learned, lift the mizzen boom of a Sharki before entering port, it really saves a lot of agro.
Understand what your insurance covers. I have now talked to BCBS and studied their Plan C documentation at length. It is only good in the first 60 days and only covers debilitating conditions, which they define as loss of function in critical areas such as
limbs, sight, cognitive impairment etc. Coughs, colds, influenza and stubbed toes don't count as emergencies. If you are in a bad way, as I was, you qualify, but you have to know that. In retrospect, I should have insisted that the ambulance take me to one
of the first rate hospitals in Marseille. Sure, I would have had to pay and claim it back, net of deductibles of course, but a local MRI would have let me know what I was dealing with. I should have produced my BCBS insurance card and demonstrated that I had
insurance, if not the Green Card they expected, at least something that indicated that I was financially capable.
When these things happen you are usually disorientated because you are in a system that is not familiar to you, often with language issues. You are probably in shock and pain and the Admiral is probably no better, realizing the responsibility for the boat maybe
descending on her shoulders. Confidence in your medical providers is worth its weight in gold.
My summary is that overseas Medicare medical coverage, at least under C plans, is rudimentary, at best. If the time limit has not expired, and your problem is serious, you can afford to seek good medical help, but it won't be free. Find out where you stand
vis-vis your coverage and be prepared to use it. Based on my experience, the cost is well worth the peace of mind it provides.
I retrospect, I would have done a lot of things differently, had I known.
I hope that my experiences can help other sailors be prepared, in case they have the bad luck to find themselves in a similarly unfortunate situation.
Greg Shea
Sharki 133, Cap des Iles
Preveza
From: main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io <main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io> on behalf of Ben Driver <bddriver@...>
Sent: Wednesday, October 21, 2020 1:42 PM To: main@amelyachtowners.groups.io <main@amelyachtowners.groups.io> Subject: Re: [AmelYachtOwners] Offshore Health Insurance Eric
My agent says same; that is, both plan F and G will reimburse foreign medical expense. But I think I best to get another “expert” opinion and triangulate. I don’t trust insurance companies or agents. Also it may be insurance carrier specific; that is,
not mandated.
Ben
Ben and Gayle Driver
On Oct 19, 2020, at 3:43 PM, eric freedman <kimberlite@...> wrote:
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Re: Super Maramu Bimini
Hi Bill and Karen, We had a new bimini made by Oatley’s Top Shop in Galena, MD last year. Base price was $2550 including windows in the forward panel for sail vision and zipped to open for ventilation (zipper does leak a bit but worth it for the other benefits). Also included the side panels with vision. We did add snap on sun covers for bimini and side panel glass which added $300. Excellent service. Check them out. www.facebook.com/Oatleys-Top-Shop-370106889754172/ Mike Ondra Aletes SM#240 Rock Hall, MD
From: main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io <main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io> On Behalf Of Karen Smith via groups.io
Sent: Wednesday, October 21, 2020 10:23 PM To: main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io Subject: [AmelYachtOwners] Super Maramu Bimini
Our bimini fabric is worn and needs replacement. This is cheaper than we could find locally. The quote from Amel is for 1 914,19 Euros plus shipping and taxes, with delivery in 6 to 8 weeks. I am certain it will be of higher quality than we could have made locally! If you have the original tubes and set up, you might consider this!
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Re: New autopilot for Mango
Danny and Yvonne SIMMS
Hi Arlo, its not Danny of Ocean Pearl that posted Regards Danny
On 22 October 2020 at 19:19 Arlo <svplanb@...> wrote:
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Re: New autopilot for Mango
Arlo
Hello Danny. Thanks for the pixs. Do you have pictures of the entire area by chance? I want to see how you tied the ram into the rudder. Do you still have the original cable steering attached as well ? Thanks Arlo
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Re: Super Maramu Bimini
Kelly Ran
That's a great tip! Could you send pictures when yours arrives? We have been trying to get a new bimini made all season. Getting one from Amel sounds like the right move. Thanks, Kelly + Ryan SM233 Iteration Salem
Our bimini fabric is worn and needs replacement. This is cheaper than we could find locally. The quote from Amel is for 1 914,19 Euros plus shipping and taxes, with delivery in 6 to 8 weeks. I am certain it will be of higher quality than we could have made locally! If you have the original tubes and set up, you might consider this!
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Re: Offshore Health Insurance
Ben Driver
Craig
toggle quoted messageShow quoted text
Kinda like paying vastly different amounts for same airline ticket. Nutty. Ben Driver
On Oct 21, 2020, at 6:01 PM, Craig Briggs via groups.io <sangaris@...> wrote:
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Super Maramu Bimini
Karen Smith
Our bimini fabric is worn and needs replacement. This is cheaper than we could find locally. The quote from Amel is for 1 914,19 Euros plus shipping and taxes, with delivery in 6 to 8 weeks. I am certain it will be of higher quality than we could have made locally! If you have the original tubes and set up, you might consider this!
Karen Smith and Bill Kinney Harmonie SM #160 Annapolis, Maryland
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Re: Offshore Health Insurance
Ben
Medicare.gov says, "The cost of Medigap policies can vary widely. There can be big differences in the premiums that different insurance companies charge for exactly the same coverage." That is, all supplemental plans with the same letter are identical and there are no insurance carrier specific differences. Stupidly complicated. You can pay more or less for exactly the same thing. Kind of like West Marine vs your local low cost chandler. -- Craig, SN68 Sangaris, Tropic Isle Harbor, FL
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Re: Offshore Health Insurance
Ben Driver
Eric
toggle quoted messageShow quoted text
My agent says same; that is, both plan F and G will reimburse foreign medical expense. But I think I best to get another “expert” opinion and triangulate. I don’t trust insurance companies or agents. Also it may be insurance carrier specific; that is,
not mandated.
Ben
Ben and Gayle Driver
On Oct 19, 2020, at 3:43 PM, eric freedman <kimberlite@...> wrote:
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Re: VP TMD 22 muffler
Ryan Meador
I believe ours was also aluminum. I thought it was stainless until we actually removed it, and it just didn't feel like stainless. Ryan and Kelly SM 233 Iteration Salem, MA, USA
On Wed, Oct 21, 2020 at 10:50 AM Karen Smith via groups.io <karenharmonie=yahoo.com@groups.io> wrote: Just as a point of difference, on our boat (#160) the Amel "stainless" muffler is actually made of aluminum. It's certainly possible that different materials were used in different production runs.
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Re: VP TMD 22 muffler
Karen Smith
Just as a point of difference, on our boat (#160) the Amel "stainless" muffler is actually made of aluminum. It's certainly possible that different materials were used in different production runs.
Bill Kinney & Karen Smith SV Harmonie, SM160 Annapolis, MD, USA
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Re: Offshore Health Insurance
Mark Pitt
From the medicare.gov website: Medigap coverage outside the U.S.If you have Medigap Plan C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, M or N, your plan:
Foreign travel emergency coverage with Medigap policies has a lifetime limit of $50,000.
Mark Pitt, Sabbatical
III, SM#419
On 10/21/2020 10:18 AM, Ralph Caruso
via groups.io wrote:
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Re: New autopilot for Mango
Dan
Hi Arlo. Dont think this pic will help you much. I’m running only hydraulic.
toggle quoted messageShow quoted text
On Oct 21, 2020, at 9:25 AM, Arlo <svplanb@...> wrote:
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Re: Offshore Health Insurance
Ralph Caruso
Medicare parts A&B do not cover medical care outside the US. You may be covered by some Medicare Advantage plans (read the words carefully, because they may only cover emergency care), but the only that I KNOW covers care outside the USA is BCBS issued to current and retired members of the Federal Bureaucracy (I am a retired bureaucrat). You have to be a Federal Employeee or a retiree eligible to particulate in the Federal Employees Health Benefit Plan. It is one of the best plans in the USA (not quite as good as some union-sponsored plans for stuff like dental or glasses), and it covers you everywhere in the world, because lots of Fed employees work or travel outside the US. When we lived in France, we used to send our claims back to the US, and they would do the translations and currency conversions and send us a check in $US. BCBS has an entire large operation dedicated to foreign coverage. They can even provide you with attestations that you are covered, so that you can present them to foreign governments that require this as a condition for a residency card. (Been there, done that) Unfortunately, you would have to go back to work, for the US govt, for at least 5 years, in order to become eligible for a pension and FEHBP coverage at age 62, if you retire from the govt. Ralph Caruso
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Re: New autopilot for Mango
Arlo
I attached 2 pictures that show the space available. Keeping in mind that this is a Mango
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New autopilot for Mango
Arlo
Hello all. I am installing a new B&G system and looking at putting in the autopilot. The original autopilot works fine, but this will provide me some redundancy. I am looking to see if anyone has pictures of how they installed the hydraulic ram and rudder feedback device. The aft space near the rudder is pretty tight. Not sure what it looks like on a SM but thought I would ask.
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Re: C-Drive drain plug o-ring
Mark & Debbie Mueller
It is a 24x3.5 NBR 70.
-- Mark Mueller Brass Ring A54
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Re: Offshore Health Insurance
Hi Pat, Yes, your post indeed said you did not file a claim. My point was simply that you'll learn what your coverage is if you do file a claim and that may be the most efficient way to find out.
Tom Peacock's post that it is confusing is so true and he pointed out that (Original) Medicare Parts A&B do not cover care outside of the US. To get any coverage outside the US you need either a MediGap Supplemental Plan like your Plan F policy (not any one) or a Medicare Contract Part C plan like Tom and I have (again, not any one). Teun says he has a "Platinum Rolls Royce" supplemental plan, but in actuality all Medigap Supplemental Plans - Plans A thru N - are standardized by the government and all providers offer exactly the same coverage for each plan (although they charge different premiums). Part C Plans, (not to be confused with Supplemental Plan C) must provide everything that Original Parts A&B cover but may add more, like different deductibles and MOOP's (my favorite acronym for Max Out of Pocket), dental and eye care, and out-of-USA, etc. and charge different premiums from $0 to hundreds a month (on top of the Part A/B premium. Finally, Tom's (or Teun's) point that all this is subject to an amazingly huge layer of bureaucrats interpreting what's covered or not makes giving an authoritative answer a bit of a fools errand. Our favorite bureaucratic interchange was in Greece, trying to get stamped out. After literally a two hour wait at the counter with people running about, the supervisor finally took pity on us, came over and most kindly apologized, saying, "I'm so sorry, but this is the first of the month and we have a lot of bureaucracy to do. Perhaps we should stick to lip seals and Lithium batteries! -- Cheers, Craig
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Re: Offshore Health Insurance
eric freedman
Thanks
toggle quoted messageShow quoted text
Typical government BS. Eric
On October 20, 2020 at 9:16 AM "Craig Briggs via groups.io" <sangaris@...> wrote:
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