Mike: Thanks for your comments. I do get concerned though that others who are in the planning stage to go offshore might get influenced negatively and drop their dream of cruising the seas. We do not hear too much of all the successful cruises but only those that make the headlines like "pleasure boat lost at sea". It does happen for a great many reasons but the % is a drop in the bucket. I'd rather encourage the new comers but emphazise the proper steps to prepare for a trip of a lifetime. My sense of humor is intact. Regards. Leonard Stern, Indifference.