John makes some good points. One of which is to see how the crew reacts--ie seasickness etc before a passage (in benign weather). We also have been saddled with sea sick crew (two people in one instance--but fortunately it was a short passage)--3 days. We still had Marie and myself--there was an extra burden of caring for the sea sick crew--but we made it without problems--and in an extremely high traffic and rough area: The North Sea thru English channel. Again, getting used to and understanding passagemaking is the key to avoiding fatigue. The watch schedule and the importance of sleep when off watch are very important. If two people had been seasick, then John would have been down to single handing--and there are lots of folks who single hand boats more difficult to run than his trawler. Being on Schedule: This is a major issue. Although I certainly advocate not having to stick to a schedule--the reality is that various factors do require a schedule at times. Weather windows for one exampe: the Queens Birthday Storm New Zealand June 1 1994. In order to leave New Zealand, one wants to get away mid spring. However in 1994 there were a series of lows, which gave 30 to 40 knots of wind and many boats delayed leaving. Thus they were pressured into waiting for a better weather window--but risking more severe weather as the winter came on. Read about the storm at: http://www.setsail.com/products/pdfs/qbs.pdf The yachts thought that they were doing the right thing by waiting, but in fact became at more risk as the season progressed. In an Atlantic Crossing in the Spring there is a window from May 1 thru the first of July. We had scheduled the crossing mid May--normally a safe time--and weather forcasts (high seas and FAX) were favorable. There was no apparent reason for delay--and we had guests to meet us in the Azores about the 30th of May. Most of our crew were folks who were working and took a month off to join us. There were not many options for them to change plans. Going to an island in the middle of an ocean does not give alternative pick up sites. When we arrived in Spain we were not able to get thru Gibralter due to a Levante wind. Thus the crew had to take a bus to Malaga and fly to London (at that time the border between Spain and Gibralter was closed). We found that the majority of times schedules within a few ways were fairly easy to keep--but it took extra work on our part. The beauty of Ham radio is that you can get a phone patch to your friends to tell them your exact plans as the voyage progresses. (Also SailMail or satellite communication will give that capability) Many times our young children joined us along the trip. We had to make arrangements to put them on airplanes months in advance--and be sure we were at the destination to meet them. If it is just the two of use--not having a schedule works very well--within the confines of weather. It is fairly easy to have people get to a nearby island in the Caribbean, but not to change long made vacation plans where there are no alternative locations for a pick up. Regards, Bob Austin