How often do you think about boat ventilation?
One of the most amazing things about owning a yacht is how little red tape there is, or even laws to follow, compared to life ashore.
The rules that do exist are generally there for good reason.
If you own a boat on inland waterways it is now mandatory to have at least one carbon monoxide alarm.
On the coastal yachts I survey, it baffles me why so many don’t have any kind of carbon monoxide alarm.
Over the last few years there have been an increasing number of fatalities reported by MAIB, for instance, from the build-up of carbon monoxide in craft.
These incidents most often occur when the crew are asleep and faulty systems are being run, such as poorly-fitted diesel heaters with the wrong type of exhaust system, generators left running and improperly ventilated, or engines with exhaust failure.
There have even been incidents where a vessel moored nearby has discharged enough fumes in a marina environment to fill someone else’s accommodation space.
It should take little convincing that if you don’t already have at least one alarm, you need to buy one and fit it properly.
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