<Marty wrote in part: The discussion so far has focused on situations in the Pacific and while I know both boats spent substantial time in the Atlantic, I find nothing different about the availability of parts in the Atlantic once you leave North America and Puerto Rico> Where you are has little bearing if you don't have the part(s) on board and are passagemaking. You either fix the problem or work around it. Perhaps in the future with AIS via satellite and a very expensive FedEx account they can "drop ship" you a package anywhere in the world :-) Somehow I don't think that will occur soon, perhaps Scottie can beam some parts over to our transporter. I guess the point is it isn't Ocean dependent but location dependent. Once you are a couple of hundred miles from shore the options change. We have had more trouble getting parts in Venezuela than can be imagined. Like a flight to Miami and back to get them aboard for some friends. Shipping items to some countries, like Venezuela, is like p...ing in the wind. The Aduana, aka Customs, view incoming goods as theirs and only if they don't want them do they get thru and then with huge delays and duties!! So again I simply state that any passagemaker heading offshore needs a full compliment of spares, the tools to fit them, the knowledge to do so and the ability to work around issues that can't be solved with the kit at hand. Accomplishing this allows you to enjoy what few folks on the planet do. Be self sufficient and roam about the planet engaging people and cultures in a manner that you could never do as a "land tourist". It's a fascinating experience :-) One good technique we have used to source the correct part(s) while in remote ports is to take digital pictures of the bad part including the major assembly that it is a part of. Then a few emails with a supplier who can actually look at the picture and a new part will eliminate getting the wrong part. We have even been on the phone in someone's ER with our camera tied into the internet using Skype so we get the right issue/part for them. Better to insure that you get the right part the first time. We've helped a bunch of folks this way. As always YMMV..... Dave & Nancy Swan Song Roughwater 58 Limin in Honolulu