The Dreaded Boat Safety Certificate

Now what is there to be afraid of where a Boat Safety Certificate is concerned?

Well, everything, particularly when you think the boat is most likely to fail. After all, when we bought the boat our surveyor gave dire warning about all the faults found and as to work that HAD to be done in order not to FAIL the BSC examination.

What should I do? Should I have the fire extinguishers overhauled first - or should I remove the wiring from the engine room that was running alongside the copper piping - or should I install wooden clamps on all the batteries - or - why not call in the local inspector a month or two before the deadline date and get him to tell me what needed to be done?

Chris arrived on the duly appointed day and I freely confess that we spent an enjoyable, stress free time together turning the boat upside down. We checked gas pipes, water pipes, fuel pipes, exhaust pipes, gas alarms, fire extinguishers, fire blankets, ventilation - it felt as if we checked everything, even the kitchen sink. Mind you, that was only when washing up the coffee cups. And the result? A request to rectify some minor points, arrange a quick re-check and all would be OK. Whew!

One thing I had to do was to lag the exhaust pipe on the generator. Now, the exaust pipe is tucked neatly out of harms way under the rear deck and the only way to reach it is by crawling under the counter and grabbing hold of it. Also, when the generator's running the sound is deafening and the last place you would want to be is under the counter trying to grab hold of the exhaust pipe. Still, I had fun doing the job and I think it looks great.

Another area that did cause concern was that there was no access to the fuel cut off for the generator. Luckily Polgara is old enough that I set to work with saw, sander, glue and hammer to make a proper door with mahogany decorative edging. Once again I had fun - and that's what owning Polgara's all about.