Annual Ditch Bag/ Safety Inspection

I've heard them referred to as ditch bags, overboard bags, abandon-ship bags and grab bags. Whatever you call them, it's that time of year again. Annually, it's my job to complete the ditch bag/safety equipment inspections aboard Nine of Cups. I've blogged about this in the past, but I thought it might be a good reminder if you haven't done it in awhile that this might be a good time to consider doing it. It's one of those things that tends to slip your mind unless you have it on your calendar or pre-passage checklist.

I have a checklist I use and just work methodically down the list. I update it from time to time as we add or delete items from the list. Some checks are easy and take less than a minute … test the EPIRB and check that the decal is current, for instance. Some items, like making sure the spare GPS and VHF are operative, take a little longer since they're stored without batteries. Then there are others that are time-consuming like making sure the manual watermaker works and then re-pickling it. Nonetheless, since our lives might depend upon each and every one of these invaluable items, we inspect them yearly, hoping we'll never have to use them.

This year there were a number of things that needed updating. David got a new passport and our boat docs were renewed. I replaced the old docs with the new and also replaced the US$100 cash we borrowed when heading home to Las Vegas last time. There were several out of date AA batteries and I replaced those with some we'd brought back with us from the States. We must have borrowed and not returned the little screwdriver we pack with the VHF and GPS because it was nowhere to be found. I replaced it with a spare one from the tool drawer (probably the same one that was originally in the ditch bag).

Once the ditch bag inspection was complete and the contents repacked and stowed, I made notes for myself for next year's inspection. More batteries will need changing out next year as will some of the flares. Several of the meds are near their expiration dates, too. I moved on to the safety inspection.

Our inflatable PFDs are in good shape … both canisters showed green and the strobe lights and whistles work.

We added a new strobe light to the horseshoe just recently.

The fire extinguishers (all five of them) were fine except for the one in the cockpit which needed replacing. The others just needed their annual dusting off.

We have two EPIRBs aboard, one in the ditch bag (an older one) and one in a holder by the cockpit ladder, ready to grab in an emergency. I tested it, confirmed we'd put the new decal on it and rechecked the date for battery expiration.

Last, but certainly not least, I took a good look at our Great Circle life raft. It's mounted on the coach roof in a sealed canister, so there's not much to see. I noted, however, that it's due for its 3-year inspection in January 2017, so I put that on my calendar as a reminder.

The entire check took about an hour … well-spent time for safety and peace of mind.

We have an updated checklist available. If you'd like a copy, just drop an email to Gentry and she'll e-mail it to you.

That Pesky Chore List

Under Control

That chore list I described when we first arrived here in Lüderitz is actually getting a bit shorter. I know you think we've only been gallivanting over the Namibian countryside and cavorting over deserts chasing wild horses, but in actuality, we're also getting a few things accomplished … and they were actually on the to-do list.

We've had a couple of extremely windy (30-35+ knot) days when there was a chop on the bay and we could see whitecaps all around us. Those were good days for concentrating on inside chores. With so much power, I was able to sew without worrying about power consumption. I fabricated a new dinghy engine cover which I'd been putting off (rather successfully, I might add) for over a month.

I re-stitched the boom crutch cover, but as usual, it wasn't as easy as anticipated. The twist-locks  which hold the cover in place were pulling out, so they had to be removed. I stitched on reinforcement patches (12 of them)  and then David re-installed the twist-locks. Typical small project that should have taken 30 minutes ended up taking a whole morning. Sewing a new zipper in my foul weather bibs was easy compared to the other two projects. And the chafe guard between the dinghy storage location on the foredeck and the hatch cover was just straight stitching … a piece of cake … for me. David had some problems securing it, but managed after giving it some thought (and choice invectives).

David has been working on a rather clever electronics project: a gizmo that measures and displays the amps and amp hours produced by our alternative energy sources, i.e. wind, solar and prop generator. I'll let him tell you about it himself, but the finished product all mounted and labeled and backlit is pretty impressive. Of course, I'm from the “dark side” (marketing), so what do I know?

David's tackled the calcification in the head hoses … nasty job, but done. The fairleads for the traveler are now in place. He's tinkered with the reef lines and is happy with them now and the shaft brake has been adjusted.

Still, a few more things to do … additions actually. It's time for preventive maintenance on the dinghy engine and before we leave for the Atlantic transit, I need to do the annual ditch bag check. We've eaten up some stores, of course, so we'll need to do a mini-provisioning before we leave Namibia.

With all those chores accomplished, I think it's time for more play. Just need to convince the captain!