Fire On Board

Porter Bay, VT

44 13.71 N 073 18.97 W

The scariest thing I can think of is fire on board a small airplane.  The second scariest thing is fire aboard a big airplane.  The third scariest is fire on board a boat.

Yesterday, we read a news report about a power boat that burned to the waterline just as it exited the Federal Lock in Troy, NY.  Since we exit the same lock a few weeks back it really hit home.  In this case, luckily, the two people on board escaped without injury.

I'm sure that I'm not the most safety conscious skipper in the world.   However when it comes to fire safety, I think about it long and hard.   

What is our status?  First, we don't carry 360 gallons of gasoline as that boat in Troy did.  Gasoline is the fuel in almost all disastrous boat fires.   However, we do carry 5 gallons of gas and 40 gallons of diesel fuel and 10 gallons of propane.  We carry the propane in a lazarette compartment walled off and with it's own drain.   We carry the gasoline in a jug on deck where leaks would run out the scupper.

We have a Halon automatic fire extinguisher in the engine compartment, plus 2 two pound extinguishers type ABC, one in the cockpit and one in the cabin.  We also have a can of "flame stop" liquid fire stopper.  It is not USCG approved.  However, it doesn't leave behind a messy  layer of corrosive powder everywhere, therefore there is less hesitation to use it on a minor galley fire.

I got dinged by the surveyor for not having annual inspection tags on all extinguishers.   Whoops, I've never done that.  The extinguishers come with a guage and a 7 year warranty.  I thought that if I buy new ones every 5 years, that would be enough.  Nope, the NFPA code says that a certified inspector must do it every year, and mark it on a tag.  (New extinguishers in the stores don't come with tags.  They aren't compliant until inspected and tagged.)  How many readers of this blog actually do that with extinguishers they own on their boat, car or home?   Anyhow, I'm searching for an inspector in Burlington.  Will it cost $20 to inspect an extinguisher that costs $20 new?

I've also been shopping for extinguisher upgrades.  I want to replace one of the 2 pound ABC dry chemical type with a 10 pound ABC with liquid suppressant.  After some research, the answer seems to be type AFFF. This week I ordered a type AFFF 10 pound one online for $139.   Then the vendor warned me that they ship empty and I have to find a professional to fill them with fluid.  I cancelled the order.   

Does anyone know of a good dry chemical alternative?   It needs to be USCG approved.   I remember when I was a firefighter that we tried a chemical called "Cold Fire."  It was amazingly effective at fire suppression.  I hoped that by now there would be consumer products out based on that technology.

Western Trip Pictures 2

Vergennes, VT
NoLL

For some reason I've been lazy about writing blogs this week. Here's another set of pics from my recent trip in lieu of prose.

From Western

My favorite sight from the trip wasn't scenery. It was weather. As we toured the lava flows of Sunset Crater Volcano, we could see a thunderstorm on the opposite slope of the San Francisco Mountains. We could see it expend its fury on the mountain but it never came to our side. Here, you see the storm approaching from the left.

From Western

I was not inclined to walk to the top of the promontories that extend into free space above the Grand Canyon. Dave had no such inhibition.

From Western

The juniper trees along the rim are wonderful. Here's a particularly nice one. I'm struck by the fact that nearly identical trees live on the rim of the limestone cliffs on Valcour Island in Lake Champlain. I'll be there soon.

From Western

I love this sign. It makes me want to print signs to give to the street gangs in the Bronx. They would say, "Crime reenactment in progress. Do not call the police."

A New Station In Life

Vergennes, VT

Regular readers know that I enjoy a perverse sense of humor regarding status symbols.

We like Vergennes. It's a lovely cruising stop. Free dock, scenic waterfall, nearby library and a nice park with free concerts. Not everything is convenient though.

Today we needed groceries and a laundromat. Since I'm enforcing rest on Libby to recover from her tendonitis, I volunteered to carry the laundry and the groceries. The hills in Vergennes are especially steep and long. It took 4.5 hours for me to walk to the laundromat, grocery, back to the laundromat and return to the boat.

On the way back, I was really bushed. I asked Libby if we could stop in the park for a rest. I had a liter of Coke in the groceries, so we sat on a park bench and took a few swigs. That's when Libby remarked, "Do you realize that we're sitting on a park bench drinking out of a brown paper bag?" :)

Last night we were a bit lonely. There were 11 other boats docked here, but none of the people on any of those boats spoke English. Today however, a new boat arrived. It's home port is Mayfield, NY on Sacandaga Reservoir. Before Tarwathie, we had a boat on Sacandaga for many years. We loved it. So today we chatted up the people onboard that boat.

Trip Pictures

Vergennes, VT
NoLL

From Western

This first picture is Dave's from the days before I joined him. He found a place on the Alaskan/Canadian border where he could drive 17 miles up a logging road to come out on a lookout far above this glacier. He was all alone, nobody else around. Dave was so enchanted that he says that is the place where he would like to spend his whole life.

From Western

Dave and I at the Meteor Crater in Arizona. Noplace else on this planet can you see a real crater in such pristine condition. 4000 feet in diameter, it boggles the mind to imagine the event that created it.

From Western

My favorite framed pose ever. Decades ago, I photographed Libby in this window at the Meteor Crater with the San Francisco Mountains behind her. Here's a shot of Libby's youngest son in the same spot. (Note the thunderstorm on the far side of the mountains.)

From Western

Here was a sign that we had intruded onto Indian land while exploring cross country. Note the elevated grave. It was in very good shape, perhaps fresh. Then we spotted a man high on a butte watching us.

A Day of Rest

Porter Bay
44 13.75 N 073 18.99 W

After doing so much, we both needed a bit of rest. Poor Libby straineda tendon in her leg while helping Jenny. Today was that day.

We made a serious error in shutting down the refrigerator during the trip. The refrigerant leaked out when it was warm. I put in two cans of R134-A today but it didn't help. We'll have to go without until we find a guy to recharge the system.

Today we also commissioned our new anchor. It is a 70 pound Luke storm anchor. I bought it used. Its role is to across us to anchor in shallow bays on Champlain where the weeds have grown so thick that a conventional anchor can't penetrate to the bottom. When we're not using it, it comes apart in three pieces for stowage.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.4.9