When I tell people that I'm getting ready to sail a boat to Mexico, Central America and hopefully beyond, the first thing most people say is "aren't you afraid?", and I respond back "what should I be afraid of?", most of the time their response is either pirates (I'm not going to Africa) or the boat sinking. If you are a regular blog follower you already know of many of my backup plans...but just to recap; Si Bon has an onboard bilge pump that pumps 400 gallons per hour (GPH) of water out of the boat, I can also turn my generator into a pump that will pump an additional 120+ GPH, and just for the hell of it I recently purchased a portable pump that is rated at 3700 GPH (yes 3700 GPH). I also have three different types of emergency plugs to stop the incoming water and 2 VHF radios and a HAM radio to call for help.
All that said, if the boat sinks you need a back up for that also....this weekend I picked up my Revere 6 person life raft (pic), which was one of the things on "the list". A life raft is a survival capsule of sorts, it has tubes for buoyancy and a drogue for stability, it has a First Aid kit and signaling devices, it has some emergency rations and it has a canopy to protect you from the elements. In addition to my life raft I also have a ditch bag (pic) with more emergency items and an EPIRB (pic) which will lead Search and Rescue to us. Now all I need to do is figure out what to do should any pirates decide to make the long trip from Africa to Central America to highjack me...and yes I am afraid, everytime I drive up Interstate 8 I'm afraid some asshole, in a hurry to get home to sit on his fat ass, is going clock me at 85 MPH and put an end to my cruising dreams.
Due to a faulty part put in on Friday I'm still in Sun Harbor Marina...and getting use to marina life again.