One of my dock neighbors asked if I was going to get fender covers. I replied that I didn't think so, yet another maintenance item. He said that over time he noticed gel coat rubbing off his boat onto the fenders, so he went ahead with the covers. 

Well, that was enough for me! Bought the covers on Amazon. Had a little washing project before putting them on. I'm SO GLAD I had an air compressor in the build! And I really like this small line, but it's leaking so that's another thing to look into. 

Gotta say they do look way better. Now to keep them out of the water, right? And I'll wash them three times a year like the directions say, right?

After taking my first boater safety course I knew I would be taking  more, and outfitting Mahalo with a substantial first aid kit. 

We first determined that this storage area under the salon settee would be perfect. It only takes about 5 seconds to open it up. Although I put the defibrillator there just for this picture, it is in an even more accessible spot in the salon. 

Conversing with our son who is an EMT we began with a purchased kit from Amazon. It came in a big bag with a million pockets. In a real emergency with all the stress, it would be difficult to figure out where something is that we need. 

After we got the kit, we took his recommendations of items to add, which we did. 

Then last year my brother, the surgeon, came on board for a week. One morning we pulled everything out. His suggestion was to separate them by the kind of treatment required. I.e. burns, bleeding, fractures/sprains, general sea sickness, this kind of thing.  So we have the bins and boxes organized that way now.

And he suggested about 25 additional items. We acquired those. My brother suggested various meds we ought to have, but he can't prescribe them because he's not a WA resident. I went to my own GP with the list and was ready for the discussion that these aren't for personal use (!), unless medically necessary. He was understanding and helpful. 

I know I should have a complete list of everything in there, hopefully I'll get to that. 

Debbie and I took a CPR/AED class, along with several first aid classes, that were boating oriented. We have also been briefed on how to work with the CG and other first responders in a medical emergency.  Did you know the CG has a flight surgeon at the ready 24/7? If you can get VHF to your local CG, they will set up a relay with the flight surgeon.

Of course I hope we don't have to use any of these items, but hopefully we are ready if that time comes.