Our worst nightmares were realized early last Saturday morning, February 22, 2014, when we were awoken at 1am by smoke and flames aboard Due West.
We feel VERY lucky to be alive and to have boat insurance that will cover most of the damage.
Here is a link to the article we wrote for
ThreeSheetsNW.com. We wanted to share our story with other boaters, in the hopes that someone else will learn from our experience, and not have a fire aboard their boat.
PLEASE buy and install a smoke alarm if you don't have one aboard.
The battery-operated "home" version will work. However, they are not intended for use in the marine environment, and the salt air can corrode the wiring inside, rendering them useless, or making them go off when there is no smoke or fire. Fisheries Supply and West Marine sell a smoke alarm built for the marine environment. It's a bit more expensive, but still a very cheap life insurance policy.
We are heartened by the outpouring of love and support from family, friends and acquaintances alike: offers of places to stay, clothing, meals, and help in cleaning up the damage. THANK YOU ALL! We hope to be living back aboard by early to mid-April, continuing on with our long list of projects, and staying on track for our upcoming cruise.