Skype is very popular among long distance cruisers. I would say more than 90% of the cruisers, sail or power, are using Skype to stay in touch with their friends and family. It beats the roaming charges of cell phones and in our case, the use of the Iridium phone. All you need is Internet access. There is NO CHARGE from Skype user to Skype user and a very small charge, approx. 0.017 cents if calling from your computer to a land line. Overseas or calling to anywhere in the world is very inexpensive and the charge per minute is displayed on the computer screen. Skype asks for a minimum pre-payment of $10 Euro and after your call to a land line the remaining credit is displayed in your account on the menu. Of course if you do not plan on making calls to a land line, no pre-payment is necessary and the service is free. We found that with the addition of an external wifi antenna, like the amplified 1 Watt antenna from "Wirie" http://www.thewirie.com we on "Diesel Duck" can receive wifi on board from providers located more than a mile away. Check it out, there are additional options available from Skype. Regards, Benno and Marlene on Diesel Duck in Iles Des Saintes(we have wifi here too)