I have some results to add to this thread. This was with Privateer only, I tried this with an old save and with a new game. With a save before the new patch, I sent my 3 commanders and 9 ships to Gola. Once there I dropped a commander, added a new one mixed the ships around and saved. Then sent everyone to Lisbon. 3-4 minutes into sailing back to Europe I get the window that says EIC has stopped for unknown reason. Ok, reload the old save and try it all again. Did everything the same again and sent them off again to Lisbon. They all made it, so I turned 3 commanders into 6, dropped 2 commanders and added 2, mixed up the ships again, saved and sent them all to India. Well they all made it again without any problems. Now with a new game. Took the 2 commanders and 3 ships and made 3 commanders with a ship each. Dropped one of the original commanders for a new one too. Saved and off to India with them. Stopped in Capetown just to swap 1 commander for a new one and saved again. They all met in Bombay where I now gave all 3 ships to a brand new commander again. This is where a runtime error occured, as I left the port for Lisbon. So reload from the Capetown save, back to Bombay with all commanders and again turn 3 commanders into 1 new one. Off again to Lisbon, this time all worked well and I arrived in Lisbon without an error. Traded goods, added 2 commanders again (one for each ship) and hired a new commander for the old one and off to India with 3 commanders. Had to fight a battle along the way and won. All 3 landed in different ports in India without a problem. So what does this all mean........ I don't have a clue:wacko:. I'd just say save often.