Egg timer for staying awake all night long and not being run over by the Queen Mary

I have a regular kitchen timer but I sleep the sleep of the dead and it's innocuous sound does me no good to turn off and turn over to go back to sleep. So I went on the hunt for a real noise shattering device and found this.

Now this thing doesn't look like much but boy oh boy, does it demand respect! It starts out with some minuscule beeps and ends up with an ear piercing squawk, so if you don't get to it quickly, you will be sorry. So I have been practicing and last Saturday I went through the entire night waking up every hour for a little bit and then going back to sleep. I need to get it down to 20 minute intervals so I have a ways to go but it looks possible. The idea is that ships take around 20 minutes going at 15 knots from below the horizon to get to you. I plan on having AIS too which should alert them to my presence, but I would rather be proactive. Actually, the whole idea of a disturbed sleep really irritates me. I love my sleep almost as much as I like to eat and with the possible combination of seasickness and sleep deprivation, you have to wonder why on earth anyone would choose to go sailing.

Fishing anyone?.................My first aid kit

I needed a first aid kit and looked all over for a ready made one and in the end decided to make my own. I went to the container store and looked at all the different types and ended up with a large plastic tackle box. I like that it is fairly water tight and being transparent, you can see at a glance that it is a first aid kit.

I guess everyone is different, so I tailored the contents to what my medical history has been. Tums, aspirin, throat lozenges, band aids, swimmer's ear, iodine, scissors, needle and thread, sun burn cream, thermometer, safety pins, Lidocaine, athlete's foot, ibuprofen, Tylenol, isopropyl alcohol, and bandages. I need to pick up some prescription medicine from the doctor including seasickness medication, and antibiotics. I will keep it around me and add to it as I see fit.

preparing to visit

Next week I am heading down to the boat to spend another week working on her. Even though I haven't been down there since May, I have not been idle. Besides collecting stuff I have finally got her documented after 4 months with the 7% Florida sales tax paid.

I have also been studying for my Ham exams in preparation for communicating on SSB High frequency radio for voice and email. I have passed my Technicians license and am at present studying for the very tough General class. My call sign is KK4RWL

I ordered an anchor light and tricolor from Bebi Electronics in Fiji and converted my Guest Masthead light over which also has a strobe light.

Also some special spider spray to hopefully kill all the recluse spiders on the boat.

I am hoping to replace my compass on the boat with this new one. The one on the boat doesn't work and you can't see through the glass.

Next is a marine outdoor speaker that has an ear piercing alarm on it that I plan on mounting to the mast near the spreaders.

Next a couple of self tailing winches.

And as well, a head sail, some sheets of lexan, coax cable, some rigging parts and lots more.

I'll have my work cut out for me when I get there, but this time I am not going to bust my gut trying to accomplish everything.