SURVIVING FIRE

Without insurance, you could kiss your assets goodbye

- CAPT. RICKY WHEELER

Usually, boating experiences invoke the most positive thoughts. The memories of our best catch, great times with friends and family, or perhaps we might be overcome by a feeling of freedom and relaxation that comes only from being on the water. All of our normal worries and fears get buried because the positivity of a day offshore often trumps them. Just another reason why we love it-a temporary respite from the day-to-day.

However, serious issues can be lurking around every corner, especially on a boat. And being prepared is just something that is baked into the boating equation. As captains, we need to be able to keep an issue from becoming a disaster, and I have two major fears when it comes to boats: lightning strikes and electrical fire. While neither is completely within my control, I can-and should always be prepared for the worst.

THE STORY

One of my worst fears was realized on December 6, 2021, at 2 a.m., when my shore-power cord caught my boat, Euphoria, on fire in the Bahamas. Fortunately, my mate woke up to the smell of smoke and yelled, "Ricky, fire!" We both hurled ourselves up the companionway stairs into the salon to see flames in the aft starboard corner of the cockpit. For some reason, the boat's smoke detectors never went off, which was strange to me because it sure seemed like there was plenty of smoke in the salon to trigger the alarm; and later, the smoke detectors tested perfectly.