Hi All,

Pantaenius have come back to say that lack of a flame failure device would be acceptable providing the rest of the gas installation is sound and suggesting fixing a gas detector would be a good idea. As it happens I have already bought a gas detector as it was one of the things on their list. What I have also bought, which may be of interest to other owners, is an Osculati dedicated gas bottle container. This will take my Campingaz 907 bottle plus regulator and has connections for gas output and drain tube to a skin fitting.

I found it at Force4 and a tad cheaper on Ebay but preferred Force4 in case of having to send it back and they answered a query as the stated dimensions did not seem to tally with my bottle. I just need to be able to get to the boat to plumb this in and do some other winter maintenance and hopefully I can do a self-survey which will pass. It seems a bit of a stretch to call the one hour journey to the boat "essential travel" so hoping there might be some easing of the rules while I still have time in hand before any renewal. Maybe some other boat owners are seeing this differently.

I do take Keith's point about the value of the boat looking at what you can realistically sell one for. In my case the motor sails and electronics are all relatively new  so at prevailing prices the hull and rig would be in for nothing. Crazy and where else could you get something that sails anywhere near as well.

I will just feel more comfortable with insurance. Four or five boats have broken their moorings in the same creek in the last year. It has not happened so far but there is the chance a boat adrift dragging some of its mooring tackle could become entangled with another resulting in the wreck of both. The moorings tend to break at the bottom where owners not as young as they once were are disinclined to go because of the soft mud. It is a filthy and potentially dangerous job without the right precautions but a lot of the moorings were laid many years ago. Mine was self laid and I check or replace from buoy to sinker every year but I am still fit enough to do it and the location is more easily accessible than some.

I would be very upset to find my pride and joy wrecked because somebody else had a mooring failure and then have to rely on their insurance or chalk it up to experience.

Hi All,
Maybe I should clarify my position.  I would have preferred to obtain comprehensive insurance BUT in effect it is not available to me.  We are unfortunate to have the neighbours referred to earlier BUT as a club we are extremely fortunate in other ways.  
We are situated on a wide open bay with a firm clean sandy bottom.  Apart from a fishing boat all the boats except two (which have not moved in years) Are owned by club members, several of which live overlooking the moorings.  All the boats and owners details are known to all members, an active "boat watch" is effective.  Some owners have comprehensive insurance, but only as a result of renewing with the same insurer for many years and usually before "the problem" occurred.  I was fortunate that Y 24 accepted me.  We have lost several members recently because they could not obtain comprehensive insurance.
As regards the worry that another boat might "wipe out my boat",  the local authority insist on £3000000 third party insurance and require evidence annually.  We as a club also request evidence of insurance.
In a worst case scenario, the small claims court limit is £5000 and easy and inexpensive to access.
Sorry to go on a bit too much, Excelsior is the only lift keeler on the bay and out sails all the twin/bilge keelers in the club.
Kindest regards,
Keith