An invaluable morning spent at Ocean Safety's site in Southampton - well worth the drive down (and thanks to Jon Lister for his impeccable driving!). We'd booked to attend the Open Weekend and have our Life Raft inspected when we were at the Southampton Boat Show last year. Although we've done the Sea Safety course and practised climbing in and out of liferafts etc, it was really reassuring to see the inside of our EV Life Raft and has left us feeling secure about its capability. Many thanks to Sam, who unpacked Jon's Life Raft, for the valuable knowledge he imparted to us all.
An added bonus of the visit was the opportunity to let off a white collision flare in a controlled environment - far better to think about which hand to hold the flare in and which hand to pull the tab when speed was not of the essence! Claire will now be holding the flare in her left hand (pathetically weak wrist) and pulling with her right and we will both wear gloves! In fact a suitable pair have now been put in with our flare pack.
A quick trip to Force 4 to purchase a jacket for Claire, a new shackle for James and a whizz around Deacon's boatyard to check the 2nd hand boats and make sure we still have the best boat in the whole wide world rounded off a thoroughly enjoyable trip.