I was not trying to be confrontational, and if I have offended anyone I certainly do apologize. I was trying to point out that there are lots of other things to worry about and that the "big three" or four, as the case may be, are made almost inconsequential simply by the statistics. I like to fish and big fish can be a problem in the cockpit if brought in alive, a large caliber handgun is a good tool for subduing large fish and something that I am comfortable using. I always have at least one firearm aboard. My biggest concern about that is shooting someone that doesn't need to be shot. I guess we all have to make personal decisions about how we will try to handle such circumstances if ever they occur. I do feel like we give a lot of undeserved press to things like pirates and rogue waves, but maybe it makes interesting reading for someone. The discussion and exchange of ideas on this forum is extremely good, the best as far as I know, but it is dampened slightly by invitations to go away. _________________________________________________________________ MSN Shopping has everything on your holiday list. Get expert picks by style, age, and price. Try it! http://shopping.msn.com/content/shp/?ctId=8000,ptnrid=176,ptnrdata=200601&tcode=wlmtagline