Hi Peter (et al.),

I notice that Ken's kit has some of the components from the Adventure Medical
Kit 3000 I suggested to you as a good starting point in the USA. I also agree
with Rick that Oxygen is a good idea but you need a trained person to advise
on administering it (ie flow control etc). If you are prepared to go that far
you could also consider a small Entonox (Nitrous Oxide and Oxygen mixed 50/50)
cylinder for pain relief which is also a great asset for shock control - less
risk than pure oxygen and it is also less of a complication to give as
compared to the morphine I recommended before. Just on my earlier morphine
recommendation I can relate on our entry into Thailand the first time when I
declared it on the customs form. The officer took one look and then got some
white-out - he wasn't interested in the complication of declared narcotics on
board. Did leave me wondering about their very strict laws and the death
penalty for the duration of our visit.

Cheers, Don

mv Kekada
SH54#33 (under construction)

Hi Georgs,

Kekada starts out as a Blaine Seeley designed trawler built by Seahorse Marine
(Bill Kimley of Diesel Duck fame) but with some design input from us. We have
chosen to increase the hull length by 2' to give an increased cockpit area,
extended the sundeck correspondingly and added a portugese bridge for a
slightly drier ride/side decks. We were very taken with the design of the hull
(which was a key aspect of the decision process along with the A/B ratio etc)
and also the quality of the fit-out and the build flexibility SHM offered. The
inclusion of a bath also has some personal history for us. We also hope to
travel the Rhine/Main/Danube so air clearance also came into the selection
process as well as dictating port and starboard side decks. The hydraulically
operated paraselle is also a factor of our ultimate destination. Our
background includes extensive cruising under sail and we were fairly sure of
what we wanted in our "old age".

We have selected twin 135hp John Deeres for propulsion. Twins provide the best
"get home" engine option for us and on paper fuel consumption at cruising
speed is almost identical to a larger single engine option. The gearbox
selection allows us to trail one if necessary to extend our range. We also
like the improved manoeuvrability afforded by twins.

Our stabilization is via a gyroscope which is powered via redundant invertors
(1000Ah battery bank and 9Kw generator). This eliminates the problems that
fins and paravanes encounter with respect to floating objects as well as
giving us the option to spin it up when at anchor.

The rest of the equipment is pretty standard stuff and is still subject to
change. There is a more detailed list on our web site at
http://www.kekada.com/OurBoats/mvKekada.htm for anyone who is interested. It
also gives our launch date and details of our "last voyage" under the "Where
is Kekada" page if you can get past the choice of yellow for our proposed
route. The picture on the home page is just a mock-up of what we expect Kekada
to look like. If there are questions about specific items I happy to explain
our reasoning behind the selection. The website also hints at the meaning
behind Kekada.

Cheers, Don

SH54#33 (under construction)