One day as I prepared to take passengers out on a whale watching excursion in Sitka Sound in Alaska, I opened the bow void hatch as part of a routine checklist and was surprised to see that the void was filled with 50 or 60 gallons of sea water. After pumping the seawater out of the void I was happy to see that the vessel handled much better. Water had been leaking in from the rain because of a worn out seal. Undetected sea water in a void is a very serious thing and can lead to disaster. I checked my voids more often after that incident.
Several years ago I was checking the Coast Guard safety alerts and I found the following.
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Several years ago on a christian radio station I heard a Pastor talk about Watertight Integrity and personal integrity and it really impressed me. The following poem was born from that radio program but quite a few years later.
Proverbs 12:22
Lying lips are abomination to the Lord:
but they that deal truly are his delight.
May we keep our hatches dogged tight and our bilges dry is my prayer . . . . .
