I've had good success with Winlink via SSB radio. It is comparable to Sailmail except that Winlink is free and requires a ham radio license. Both use essentially the same software and radio hardware. Winlink also ties in with an amateur radio position reporting system called APRS which is very useful for keeping friends and family notified of progress and status. They can click on the APRS web page at any time and see your latest report. For example: http://www.findu.com/cgi-bin/find.cgi?call=W2TLI&terra=1 Both Winlink and Sailmail require a modest amount of technical skill to choose a gateway station appropriate to current position and propagation conditions. The software offers a lot of assistance but it does require some practice and knowledge. Regards, Wayne B Grand Banks 49, Long Legged Lady