NAUTICAL LOG

What is an experienced boater?

As the national boating season approaches NAUTICAL LOG will try, once again, to save a boaters life. For most of you now is the time when you start de-winterizing (is that a real word?) your boat. Without doubt you will clean, polish, paint, varnish, overhaul the engine, winches, check standing rigging, examine the running rigging, anchor gear, blocks, bilges, docklines, sails, charts, tide/current tables, the galley (beer in fridge is optional, remember BUI), all safety equipment such as lifejackets, flares, radios, foul-weather gear, depth sounder, shoes and sealing wax. All to be 'Shipshape and Bristol fashion' and ready to head for the yacht clubs and marinas. Splendid, well done, hard work pays off and things look really great. Now there how about yourself, - excuse me I am in good shape, up to speed on things, been boating for years - I'm an experienced boater. Oh! dear those fatal words, - I'm an experienced boater. Fellow seafarer …

This is NOT one of those urban Internet tales but from a report on fires and their sources.

Some of you may know that the last years of my career were spent as a cruise ship Safety and Security Officer. Once ashore I was a STCW instructor and also taught firefighting, some of my students were active firefighters gaining an understanding of shipboard fire sources and on board firefighting. As a result NAUTICAL LOG recieves, on occasions, copies of reports such as the one received this morning on house fires and sources.

SOURCE;
An Investigator for a property insurance company was trying to pinpoint the cause of a serious house fire that completly destroyed the home. After sifting through the ashes for several hours he developed some ideas and placed the source in the master bathroom. Sitting down with the homeowners he asked them if they used and had possibly left plugged in the usual things, curling irons, blow dryer or electric shaver. The answers were negative as he expected since ther…