p84, You say:
but flying the 90 MPH Steaman across 400 miles of open sea is pretty ballsy
Yes it is and, judging from some of your posts on this site, I think that some of your flying is pretty ballsy too. But from my own pathetic XC experience I know that it is much easier and less stressfull to do it when accompanied by an experienced pilot with whom you can chat about things that come up even though you are the agreed PIC. To me the essential requirement of being SOLO is being ALONE.