Ouzo makes it mark

Over the course of the weekend, we spent some time reviewing our safety equipment and strategies, and having read the MAIB report into Ouzo, decided that a few things were needed...So today I have ordered a few bits...A Hydrostatic release for the liferaft... Ouzo seems to have sunk quickly.... a release may have saved their lives... secondly, we saw a container last year in the North sea... another hint.....A light to clip into the bracket below the lifebuoy.... the clips exist, but no light.... in the dark, would be an essentialA set of wooden bungs for the seacocks... one of the 'mixed size' packs.... no doubt there won't be enough of the right size, but that I can deal with later, but its a good startA new stern light... the old one has a pretty badly crazed lense, and no doubt the light is quite diffused, and lacking in range.... I also ordered one with a 25W bulb, as opposed to the standard 10W... we have enough battery power to cope... the side light lenses seem pretty good... but I may well put 25W bulbs in them too.... I tend to use the lower lights rather than the tricolour....Crutch straps for all four of the adult lifejackets (the kids already have them on theirs).... again Ouzo suggested that they would make a big differenceWhat I didn't order (but will be doing) are:White anti-collision flares (could only find handhelds - which may do, but would prefer something a bit more serious!)... I also want a set of clips to be able to mount them close to hand.... in the mean time, i'll be ensuring that the million candle powet searchlight/torch is kept charged for shining on the sails, and at bridges as a last resortA danbouy light... couldn't find one that worked in the way I wanted ( a string on the backstay that switches it on when pulled through being thrown over the side) (and on that subject, the danbuoy currently has the flag tied up with string.... that I must fix urgently... it couldn't be deployed in a rush)Lifejacket lights and sprayhoods... less concerned about the sprayhoods.... not a priority for our sailing area, but lifejacket lights would be nice, but at £24.95 each, a little expensive for 6 of them... I'll shop aroundAlso on the list is a throwing line of some kind.... a MOBY time device.... i'm running out of pushpit rail room rapidly!On a less safety oriented front, we also reviewed our galley arranagements, and agreed that some stuff needed moving from cupboard to elsewhere, so have ordered nice teak stowage units for mugs, wine glasses and tumblers... and because I couldn't resist it, a matching spice rack cum general storage shelf with a built in kitchen roll holder.... they'll all mount on the bulkhead in the galley, and should look very smart!