From: PRINTMORE1@aol.com Subject: [PUP] Get Home Engines and NAR Scott: I see that your post was to Mike but I would like to say a few words as well. I understand your point well in that you may not have the ability or time to be self sufficient and would have to rely somewhat on "luck" that serious things do not breakdown at the wrong time. In a previous post I mentioned that if this is the case then travel in a convoy is really the best way to go (such as NAR). This can be organized so that someone in the convoy has the expertise. --------------------------------- There is another way to look at this. Depending on nothing catastrophic breaking to me is depending too much on luck. The wing engine has provided us the security to do extensive open ocean cruising. I am not sure what you consider self sufficient. I have done ALL electrical, engine, stabilizer, and electronic maintenance on our boat except for one transmission pump replacement (I just did not have time), and I had help on replacing a worn part on the stabilizer, help on an electrical interference between the SSB in email mode and the stabilizer). Otherwise I have done all the maintenance on those systems, and much of the maintenance on the boat. In Europe I plan to do 100% of the maintenance. For those that have boated there know that is almost the only option. I also help many of other boaters with repairs. I am going to Spain in March just to help modify/repair the A/C electrical system of another boat. They made the assumption that they could run their boat off a step down transformer. That is not a viable option with many of today's appliances. The reliability of US appliances running on 50 cycles appears low based on the experiences we have seen. I think this qualifies as self sufficient. Last year of the 1980 hours (14,000) miles we did, only 4,000 was with other boaters, and less then 1,000 miles was in protected waters. We did LA to Canada to Panama to US before we did the NAR. Over average planned leg length was 8 days. Usually far out of range of help. No sea tow /coast guard off the coast of Central America. We saw another boat on the radar many be once every 2 days, and by eye once a one every 4-5 days. I think that qualifies as non-convoy open ocean cruising. Just because we did the NAR does not mean we are not self sufficient, or that was the only way we did open ocean cruising. Its not that I do not have the ability to be self sufficient, but that I want more safety then luck when depending on nothing catastrophic breaking. We each have our own tolerance levels for risk.