There's some very useful information in this article for people setting off to cross oceans. I know we on Aleria have experienced a torn sail, damaged dodger from flogging sheet that suddenly broke, loss of steering, broken boom vang, and other problems on our Atlantic crossings. We now have a philosophy. When something breaks at sea, you can fix it, replace it, or do without it. We bring spares for anything we don't want to do without, and tools to fix just about everything else. And we protect against chafe, inspect rig with binoculars every day, and reduce sail as soon as we think of it. Do you have any insights into living with things breaking at sea?

http://www.yachtingworld.com/sailing-across-atlantic/what-are-the-most-common-repairs-at-sea-for-yachts-sailing-across-the-atlantic-arc-survey-results-tell-all-109688

Vice Commodore, OCC