Wednesday 16 July 2014

Preparation for Cat 6 Safety Inspection

Hi everyone,
This week we've been getting our act together in preparation for our Category 6 safety inspection.  Cat 6 is hardly onerous - the boat was equipped to Cat 3 when we were in NSW - but some work is required.  We haven't raced for several years so there were a set of items needing attention...

  • Replaced gas system to meet WA regulations
  • Replaced Dyneema rope lifelines with 4mm s/s wire
  • Replaced out of date drugs in the First Aid kit
  • Replaced out of date flares
  • Replaced out of date fire extinguishers
  • Inspected and serviced all life jackets, including 48 hour inflation test
  • Replaced batteries in all personal torches
  • Tested EPIRB
  • Wrote boat name on various new loose equipment
  • Checked heavy equipment tie-downs
  • Fitted lanyards to buckets
  • Searched unsuccessfully for our Distress V Sheet - will have to buy a new one
Not a trivial list!

Other work this week included making and fitting a new outboard motor bracket.  The old one was plywood and needed revarnishing every year.  That didn't happen so it was rotting.  The new one is made from a couple of plastic kitchen chopping boards...

New outboard motor bracket at left
The bracket also mounts the gas regulator and cut-off solenoid.

Finally, Precision Shipwrights in Phuket has added Zen Again to its web site Show Cases.  See it here.  Nice photos.  Precision certainly did a great job, and provided good support following our problem with the mast brackets.

3 comments:

  1. I believe the white plastic chopping boards are polypropylene which degrades quickly in us. Might find the polyethylene board (coloured) lasts longer.
    Also, does cat 6 prohibit dyneema lifelines? I've had them a couple of years now and I'd never go back to ss.

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    Replies
    1. "Degrades quickly in us" should have been: ... In UV!

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  2. Hi Rob,
    The board will be in the shade most of the time once I fix the outboard (that's another story) and put it aboard. Nothing last forever!

    You'll have to go back to wire if you want to race - even twilights! Only alternative is all aboard wearing lifejackets.
    Cheers,
    Mike.

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