Keeping all safetyequipment updated is also a big part of todays refit every year both in terms of job and costs.

Margins for change of batteries,repack of liferafts,change of lifewestdevices,repack of DAN-bouys etc have tightened and the safetyindustry must be bringing in loads of money.

This year it was time for battery change on our ACR-Epirb (according to tests battery will last 10 years) which was five years ago. Trying to find an agent in Europe was impossible and in the U.S the ACR- company told me the model we have is to old (14 years old) and subsequently we had to buy a new one. This happens regularly that safetyequipment is outdated and spareparts unavailable.

Last time was our well working liferaft where repacking in Norway had the same price as replacing with a new from Sweden and the well working original was stabbed in it`s pontoons and thrown away. Not only is it a waist of money for boatowners,but a way of lifestyle that can not possibly be a way forward in a world with limited resources.

Nevertheles, a new Mc Murdo epirb is installed and registered with MRCC in Gothenburgh.

The old ACR one will be kept in our grabbag out at sea.