Part of wandering into a completely foreign world is sorting out all the legal steps that have to be completed, and in what order.

This is a log to date of some of the things I've learned.

Like buying a car, the most important thing to do first is to register the boat. You can do this at the state level, which is quicker (and probably costs more). But a registration through the US Coast Guard goes farther in international waters, and is easier to renew. (Apparently if you get state registered, it's easier to get USCG registered...)

However, Varuna has no hull ID, as hull ID's were not required until ~1980. So I had to file for an initial filing with US Coast Guard National Vessel Document Center.

This involves:

It took a month to get these papers. I immediately filed. It took me a month to realize that I needed to also submit a Priority Request if I wanted my registration before October.

We'll see if I get my registration before I leave to Grenada.

(Once I get it, I'll have to have the new hull ID and new hailing port ("Austin, TX" - previously "West Indies") painted on the boat.

To legally operate a VHF in international waters, you need a VHF license. You can also get a MMSI number this way, which is like a phone number for your radio.

However, you need a boat registration to request this application.

It seems like a boat registration will be required to check out of Grenada.

The first thing most people do when buying a new, expensive boat is to do a survey. A survey helps people get insurance, and insurance is useful -- and often required -- by marinas that haul the boat out of the water for repairs.

In my case, a survey cost $960 surveyor fee + $240 to haul out + cost of a captain hire. It makes less sense to do a survey on a $20,000 boat that has most of its repairs documented online. Also, the make/model of my boat is known for its hardiness. It is a calculated risk to skip on a survey, and hopefully I won't be regretting this decision later.

It's a good idea to have liability insurance, which covers damage to other boats and other non-family persons on-board.

Unlike with cars, not everyone is required to have insurance, and nor do insurance companies happily proffer a policy after a quick signup online. Instead, the boat and the operator have to be underwritten by insurance companies. Apparently, an old boat operated by a largely inexperienced sailor (me) is not a lucrative business deal to the variety of marine insurers out there, and I've been heartily rejected, if not scoffed at by these companies. (Although I'm told in the US, BoatUS is very forthcoming with insurance policies. They don't extend policies to international cruisers.)

After talking to apparently "the only company that will talk to someone like me" - offshorerisk.com -- and being told that they would only insure me if I have a 2nd operator on board, every time I operate the boat, I decided to forego the insurance. Experienced single-hand cruisers tell me that 1) it's not entirely necessary, 2) that I ought to just spend the money i'd spend on insurance on good ground tackle and electronics instead, and 3) that it's mostly needed for marinas. It seems I ought to be able to get local insurance when I need to haul out.

It's free to leave the boat anchored out in the water. The previous owners hired caretakers (Sylvie and Nikola of Hog Island) for $150 / month to check on the boat and start the engine. I continued this service for Jun through September.

After some searching, I found a service backed by Lloyds of London that provides medical insurance in the US as well as abroad, as long as you live outside of the US for at least 6 months / yr. This covers the ACA requirements. It also seems that the variety of travel policies out there such as World Nomads or DAN would prioritize sending you back to the US in a medical emergency, which would not help you out if you did not have health insurance at home.

The premiums are very affordable, unlike anything the ACA offers!

I'm told for routine check-ups, that island doctors are quite a lot cheaper. Paying out of pocket is the way to go for small procedures.

I am switching from Republic Wireless, which has pretty much no international service, to Google Fi, which uses T-mobile, Sprint, and wifi networks. T-mobile is heralded as the best service in the Caribbean, but it seems their rates are higher and their customer service is not as good.

My phone number is staying the same, and I'll have unlimited texts, so don't hesitate to send me a text!