From the things I should have done months ago department:

Shibumi is equipped with an Emergency Position Indicator Radio Beacon, known as EPRIRB. The yellow beacon (seen on the right) is designed to send a signal to a constellation of satellites if its base gets submerged while the top of the bouyant transmitter floats on the surface. We like to think that if we had a problem while offshore, authorities would be notified immediately and help would be rapidly dispatched.

Last April, while we were on a rather rough ocean passage (follow this link), a plastic fitting in the beacon’s spring loaded housing gave way. Fortunately, I noticed the break and grabbed the EPIRB just before the powerful arm released. If the arm would have let go with the beacon in place the unit would have been launched from the boat’s deck and propelled into the Atlantic Ocean. That would have set into motion a needless overnight international search and rescue operation. Since then I have stowed the beacon safely below in Shibumi’s aft-cabin. This morning while going through the ship’s systems I realized that I have not had the broken fitting repaired. That has now been added to this week’s to-do list.