Why You Should Have One Too

Read this and then get one!

We were abruptly woken this morning at 6.15 am by a screeching sound. I was a little disorientated for a minute and thought it was my alarm going off too early and then realised it was too loud.

We then both suddenly woke up properly as we realised it was the carbon monoxide alarm. John rushed to check the Morso, I rushed to see if I could turn the noise off - thinking about the other boats hearing it and their occupants being rudely woken. The noise continued and we both then threw open portholes to let in fresh air.

It was only a few seconds but it seemed like hours - particularly as it started again just as we settled back into bed.

We think that probably the stove was burning badly as John had had trouble with it the previous evening. Anyway if it had not gone off we could have been dead. A salutary lesson.

So if you haven't got one get one - they are quite cheap from DIY stores, ours is a "Kidde". I am not kidde-ing (!), you don't need an expensive pretty alarm if your life is at stake!

Whilst you are there if you haven't already get two or three smoke alarms depending on the size of your boat. There are also some cheap ones around recommended for boats. We have 2 made by "Fireangel" and we know they work too!

Today, as follow up to this incident, John re-cemented the joins of the stove and flu and cleaned the CO alarm as recommended in the instructions.

PS I went to work with a headache - possibly the CO effect together with the loud alarm and have been really out of sorts all day.