Skipper Bob writes... Our way is simple and easy. Rent a box with a mail service that will forward your mail. Always have it sent priority mail in a single envelop (usually 6-8$). Have it sent General Delivery to a post office. Dennis adds... Having mail handled in exactly the way Skipper Bob suggests, I only have a couple of comments to add. First, since e-mail has become so commonplace, the potential for errors in the address to ship mail to had been dramatically decreased. Now we e-mail the shipping address to our mail handler, formerly a Mail Boxes Etc. store, now a UPS store. They can cut and paste the shipping address directly to a shipping label. Second, we've found marinas to be willing to allow mail forwarded there. We use larger marinas which try to attract transients, always call ahead to get permission, get the name of the person there who handles mail, and include our vessel name and the words "Vessel in Transit-Hold for Arrival" on the shipping label. I also agree with his advise not to use family members to handle this chore. It WILL get to be cumbersome for some, and it's much easier to vent to an unknown clerk someplace in the mail's absence. In eleven years of part time cruising we've handled our mail this way 12 months per year (our winter home is now only two blocks from the UPS store) and only had one problem. About 8 years ago, another franchisee for MBE simply walked away from his franchise, leaving the doors locked and no one to handle the resulting mess. The Post Office took over, and within a few weeks we finally got all our mail. Best wishes to all for the Holiday Season. And, particularly Mike Tellup (and his family) for moderating this forum. Dennis Dennis Bruckel, Cruising Editor Waterway Guide M/V Sadie B, Albin 27 Cell 407 414 0531 Website: www.debruckel.com A man who is not afraid of the sea will be drowned, for he'll be going out on a day when he shouldn't. The Arron Islands, J. M. Synge