G'day, our list is: Fire, wave interaction, medical, running gear fouling and collision with an relatively immovable object Fire aboard is beyond an adrenalin rush. It can bring the entire voyage to a rapid and dangerous halt. Multiply fire fighting equipment placed throughout the vessel can go a long way towards getting on top of a fire. We have 10 extinguishers on board one is never more than a few feet from a highly visible one. Wave interaction can product an unexpected "up is down and down is up" boat attitude. This can lead to the loss of the vessel or not depending on the construction and fit out. Keeping the sea out from inside the buoyant bubble is the key here to recover from the inevitable bad roll that will occur from a wave crossing a swell crossing a wave. One occurrence and you happen to be there. The few treasures which are broken are emotional things that can't detract from the task of keep the sea out. All the crew needs to focus on this aspect when the chips are down. Medical emergencies can put the vessel in jeopardy along with the individual affected. It is imperative to do all one can for the disabled person but one needs to keep on top of the vessel's management or the rest of the crew maybe put in peril. Running gear fouling can disable the strongest vessel. Freeing it of a serious wrap of commercial nets at sea might be more than the crew can manage. Not life threatening but certainly will require outside assistance unless one is a "seal" or similar underwater expert. Collisions are always a worry especially at night when things go bump. Vessel construction and speed have a large bearing on the damage caused by an event like this. The repair kit and the ability to use it will vary depending on the sea state. Easy to fix a hole in the hull in calm water. Very difficult to do so in a large sea at night without putting a crew in a life threatening position. Remember giving Neptune the title to the vessel is a far better option than losing a life trying to resist the change of ownership. It a fine edge to straddle but one that training and discipline has to bring to the surface. Crew compatibility along with lightening, engine failure, crew overboard are all serious issues but not on our top list of concerns. Remember there's a big difference between a bad day at seas and one that causes the loss of life. One is easy to recover from the other is not. As always YMMV, Cheers Dave & Nancy Swan Song Roughwater 58 Caribbean Cruise '07