Hi Phil: Thanks for sharing your thoughts and choices. Here's some feedback on the equipment you mention: AIS: I looked up the F 150. Wow! I guess you can't do much better than that! More than I want to spend, though! Congrats! Watermaker: I guess you must mean 900 GPD. Even though I have owned a Village Marine unit for ten years and now have had a Spectra 380 for 2 years I can't comment on these big machines. Although it won't help you, others may have an interest in knowing that Echo Marine here in Trinidad has a great reputation for excellent watermakers of their own design and manufacture. Watermakers are not rocket science, and these guys make up sizes from small sailboat un its to big shoreside desal units. _http://www.ech2otec.com/_ (http://www.ech2otec.com/) No connection. Sea anchor: I have a Para-Tech 18' on the sailboat and the troller came with a 24-footer. I hope I never need 'em, but I have read the directions as well as Pardeys bridle deployment revision, which makes a lot of sense. My boat has sailboat hull and I'm sure she will lie to a sea anchor just fine. I don't know about yacht/trawler hulls - YMMV. But seriously, you guys can outrun most any really bad WX, can't you? Drogue: Have a Delta on both sailboat and troller, too, but somehow, the wind always seems to be ahead of the beam! Dive gear: I am not a diver but I do have a 12 V Super Snorkel and drywall saw in case I am unlucky enough to wrap a line the spurs can't handle in the wheel. Satphone: I made the right choice with Iridium for the Eastern Caribbean. I have the 9505 unit and was lucky to get the docking station before they discontinued them. I now carry the handset back to the States in spring to use on the troller. I have the "real" marine antenna permanently mounted on the sailboat and use the Kojak antenna and DC charger on the troller. No problems unless near high terrain. I used to use it for email but now go ashore and do wi-fi and also surf. Can't do that on Iridium! Globalstar is ng here and always has been in the Windwards, although I hear it's gotten better further west. SSB: Well, you don't need any certification for marine SSB. Hams call us non-hams "eggs." If you are an egg you could use Sailmail for free email but the cost of a TNC is high and the guys who have them are always having to fuss with them. Also, the Pactor transmissions screw up voice comms for others for miles around. I have a 10 year old SEA 235R rig/coupler on the sailboat and love it. I inherited an ICOM M-710 and I don't care for it at all although it gets out OK. SSB is invaluable for hooking up with cruising friends etc. There is regional as well as NOAA WX available too but it has been a long time since I tuned in to any SSB WX and I don't miss it. I get the wx off the Capsat for free and it gets saved on the computer. I do find it enjoyable to listen to BBC and AFR and occasionally an aircraft or two. Inmarsat pay-for play is way too expensive -- and hey, I come down here to get away from all that civilized stuff, anyway! Regards, John Phil wrote: I don't weigh in often, but it's probably time to add my two cents in response to your request for equipment discussions. I have a Nordhavn 50 that I am bringing down the coast from the PNW to Long Beach in three weeks. There, I'm having much extra equipment added to enhance my long range capability in anticipation of crossing to Hawaii this summer: AIS: I have chosen the Furuno F150 full AIS. The full capability is a definite plus but expensive when compared to the passive units. One of the most important features is its ability to be displayed on my Nobeltec display which is our primary navigation aid. WATERMAKER: I am having the new Sea Recovery Aquamatic Compact 900 gph unit installed. Sea Recovery claims the new unit is almost operator free. It can go 8000 hours before maintenance is required. SEA ANCHOR: Ace Sail is manufacturing a Jordan Series Drogue for me right now. This is a decision that I have agonized about for a while and could be discussed at length in future threads. The Jordan Series Drogue is much more expensive than a regular para anchor and still somewhat unproven. I feel that some sort of sea anchor is just as important as a life raft. Hopefully, I will never have to use either one. I will also have some sort of a towable drogue such as the Gailrider or the Delta Drogue. DIVE GEAR: I have added quite a bit of dive gear to enhance diving off the boat. This is not a subject totally appropriate to this board; however, it will significantly enhance my enjoyment of our cruises as we work our way across the South Pacific. SATCOM: I am having an Iridium unit permanently installed for voice and email communication. My co-captain (brother) feels that we would be just as well off with a much less expensive portable unit. What does the PUP board think? SSB (HF radio): I am not short wave/ham certified; however, I have used these radios extensively while flying across the Pacific to Hawaii. Jim Leishman declared that it was the most expensive piece of gear that got the least amount of use during the around the world cruise. I think it is important for access to the cruising nets for convoying and up-to-date local information. I would like input from the PUP board on the on the usefulness vs cost of the SSB, particularly in view of the SATCOM.