Fire Blankets

by John February 19, 2010
A one-time-use-only fire blanket and fire extinguisher on Polaris, an aluminum expedition sailboat.

Fire blankets are a great idea, particularly to smother a grease flare-up in the galley without the mess of a dry powder extinguisher, and we have long carried one on Morgan’s Cloud; however, it was bulky and ugly and so was relegated to a locker up forward, much reducing its effectiveness in a fire where [...]

Spinlock Lifejacket

by Phyllis January 21, 2011
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One of the many things that attracted John and I to each other is that we are both gimped. John has one leg shorter than the other and a slight scoliosis and I have congenitally flat feet and knock-knees. John walks like a duck and I walk like a penguin. It is a match made [...]

Stuff that Works–Liferaft Service

by John March 11, 2011
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We are really careful about getting our liferaft serviced each year.  So back in the fall we contacted Raymond Harvey at Air-Sea Safety and Survival Inc, here in Charleston, South Carolina, where we are spending the winter.

Great First Aid Course For Offshore Voyagers

by John May 27, 2011
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What does spending four days in the woods of Nova Scotia getting eaten alive by black flies have to do with offshore voyaging? Well I have to admit I was asking myself the same question, particularly at ten o’clock at night when faced with a horrible lake motor boat accident: One compound fracture, one head [...]

Jonbuoy—Stuff That Works (We Hope)

by Phyllis March 4, 2012
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The winter we spent in London England living on Morgan’s Cloud at St Katharine Haven next to Tower Bridge, was wonderful. We walked all over the city and soaked up the history and culture. And the pubs…wow!