It's the worst thing that can happen short of sinking. And it worries us all, as folks on the Forum have been showing lately. So what do you do if the awful moment happens and you're caught out on the water? Nothing nice if you haven't thought about the possibility.
Essential protection
If nothing else, you have GOT to have some kind of fire protection on board. Fires happen fast at sea - and there's nowhere to run. If all you do is call for help, you could long be history before it gets there. A yacht has too much to burn that you can sit and wait for the professionals. Besides, you have to think of safety for everyone else on board. What are you going to do?
Plan first
Start planning now, before you go anywhere near the harbour. What equipment have you got? When was it last checked? Is it legal? Do you know it's going to work? What's your back-up? Shouldn't you practice some kind of drill? Do you and everyone else on board know where the fire equipment is and how to use it? What have you got on board that's inflammable and is it stored safely? Does your medical kit have stuff for burns?
Maritime Incident Response Group
Hard questions, but any fire at sea is serious. Especially as you're largely on your own resources. Yes, there are emergency teams that can help. You may have seen them in action on the Cypriot-flagged Calypso cruise liner that was immobilised by an engine fire in the middle of the English Channel recently. They are the newly-formed Maritime Incident Response Group, specialist fire fighters from the country's top experts who deployed by helicopter after the Calypso sent out a distress signal some 10 minutes after the blaze started at 3.47am.
Time is vital
Imagine that, in the dark before dawn - everyone asleep and ten minutes before your fire is out of control enough to send a Mayday. And then how long will it be before the MIRG team is scrambled, the helicopter is readied, and actually flies out to get to you? Remember, all that time the fire is going, getting a hold, becoming more dangerous by the second.
Quicker than the fire team
It got so bad on the Calypso that they almost abandoned ship. Four hours they fought the blaze, with the passengers at boat stations. French and British lifeboats were sent, merchant ships stood by while the fire crews were in the air. By the time their chopper landed them on deck, the fire was out - the engine room smothered by CO2 so nothing could burn, which is standard procedure. All over bar the shouting.
And if it hadn't been? Chances are, after four hours, that the MIRG team would have arrived to a substantial blaze, with all the odds heavily against them for putting it out.
