In the old days a sailor who fell asleep on watch might be wakened by blowing the grampus. That is, by having a bucket of cold water thrown over him. Today, nobody would dream of tossing a bucket of water around below deck because it might reach the electrical system and cause it to fail. In fact, a boat s electrical system is the most common item to fail.
Electrical failure takes many forms.
It can be a light that simply doesn t go on. It might be a radio with a lot of static. It could be a wire in contact with a metal part of the engine. You may not even notice the failure until the electrical current has dissolved your bronze propeller and the strut. If you are reasonably competent and can understand a simple wiring diagram, you probably can.