Provisioning

I will try to recap the steps that i have taken to provision Playmobil for this trip. Safety was an overriding concern and that was addressed first.

I purchased a 6 person life raft that is packed in a valise and stored below. This will come in handy if we need to abandon ship.  Not desirable, but essential if circumstances require it.  I also purchased an EPIRB with integral GPS that should help us if we find ourselves adrift.  New flares will be purchased later today.  The ones on the boat are out of date and it is difficult to ship or fly with incendiaries.

I purchased and had installed a Garmin  GPS that is interfaced to a new VHF that will receive AIS signals from nearby ships.  That should insure that we can 'see' what is around us. I also purchased and will install a radar reflector that should enhance our visibility to surrounding traffic.

I got two new offshore PFD's that will inflate automatically if they hit the water.  I also purchased two double tethers so that we can stay 'clipped in' when in rough water and at night.      Rules to live by are 1) stay on the boat and 2) wear floatation.  If that fails, I purchased a Lifesling harness and a 50 foot throwing rope.

Oh yes, there is the backup GPS and chart plotter. That is my new iPad that I am using to write this.  It's hard not to be a fan of Apple and their products.