Fires at Sea

There's a cruise liner off the coast of Mexico just south of California that had a fire on board. She's dead in the water and being towed to Ensenada. I've been in or around several fires and have developed a healthy fear of them. Luckily, no one was hurt in any of the fires, some big and some small, that I've been around, but I did loose most of my possessions in one of them. I drove up to a warehouse, saw smoke, called 911, and watched while my stuff burned. Other than some half burned clothes, I'm not even sure what went up. Guess I didn't really need any of it in the long run.

Anyway, back to fires at sea. I've made a concerted effort to remove as many fire hazards as possible on board my boat. I do have a small outboard, and a small gas container, but that'll stay on deck. The only other fuels I'll be carrying will be diesel, kerosene, and alcohol. They'll all burn, but aren't super flammable like gas and won't build up in the bilge like propane. I do have a bunch of paints and solvents, but I'll try to store them in a safe manner.

Boat watch:

Several of the long bolts used to mount the turning blocks are badly rusted and need to be replaced. Hopefully, I'll be able to get them from Gill this morning, and mount the turning blocks today as planned. It should be a really good day.

Zoe watch:

It warmed up enough to take off her fleece last night. And this morning, after I opened up the forecastle -- there's a privacy partition I can close to block it off so I don't have to heat it at night -- she went up there and curled up on the cold sole, so I think she likes the cold more than I. We'll go for a walk as soon as I finish my coffee, sans fleece.