Grab bag contents...

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gregcope

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Any good lists?

And a question / view on Combined Handheld/GPS/DSC units vs cheapy GPS and handheld?

Seems combined saves space/batteries and make things easier.

Ideas?
 
gregcope said:
Any good lists?

And a question / view on Combined Handheld/GPS/DSC units vs cheapy GPS and handheld?

Seems combined saves space/batteries and make things easier.

Ideas?
Click to expand...

I always put in some water, food, flares, hand held gps and vhf, epirb, spare pay as you go mobile fully charged in a waterproof pouch, house/car keys, passport and boat papers, credit card and some cash.

I don't have a combined vhf/gps, but I think for the grab bag it would be a good addition!

Pete
 
Here is the Royal Ocean Racing Club's list, these items are for offshore racing or, from item p onwards, for ocean racing, but it is a good starting point:

Grab Bag Recommended Contents
a) 2 red parachute and 2 red hand flares and cyalume-type chemical light sticks (red flares compliant with SOLAS)
b) watertight hand-held EPFS (Electronic Position-Fixing System) (eg GPS) in at least one of the grab bags carried by a yacht
c) SART (Search and Rescue Transponder) in at least one of the grab bags carried by a yacht
d) a combined 406MHz/121.5MHz or type "E" EPIRB (see OSR 4.19.1) in at least one of the grab bags carried by a yacht
e) water in re-sealable containers or a hand-operated desalinator plus containers for water
f) a watertight hand-held marine VHF transceiver plus a spare set of batteries
g) a watertight flashlight with spare batteries and bulb
h) dry suits or thermal protective aids or survival bags
i) second sea anchor for the liferaft (not required if the liferaft has already a spare sea anchor in its pack) (recommended standard ISO 17339) with swivel and >30m line diameter >9.5 mm
j) two safety tin openers (if appropriate)
k) first-aid kit including at least 2 tubes of sunscreen. All dressings should be capable of being effectively used in wet conditions. The first-aid kit should be clearly marked and re-sealable.
l) signalling mirror
m) high-energy food (min 10 000kJ per person recommended for Cat Zero)
n) nylon string, polythene bags, seasickness tablets (min 6 per person recommended)
o) watertight hand-held aviation VHF transceiver (if race area warrants)
p) water in re-sealable containers and a hand-operated desalinator
q) hand-held satellite telephone with waterproof cover and internal batteries
r) strobe light
s) medical supplies including any for pre-existing medical conditions of any crew member
t) spare unbreakable spectacles for any crew members needing them
u) wet notebook with captive pencil
v) powerful whistle (operated by mouth)
w) 6 red SOLAS compliant parachute flares, 3 white parachute flares, 2 orange SOLAS compliant smoke flares, cyalume-type light sticks
x) a watertight, high-powered torch (flashlight) with spare batteries and bulbs
y) watertight hand-held EPFS (Electronic Position-Fixing System) (eg GPS)
z) SART (Search and Rescue Transponder)
aa) 406MHz or type "E" EPIRB registered to the yacht (see OSR 4.19.2)
 
widgeon said:
Here is the Royal Ocean Racing Club's list, these items are for offshore racing or, from item p onwards, for ocean racing, but it is a good starting point:

Grab Bag Recommended Contents
a) 2 red parachute and 2 red hand flares and cyalume-type chemical light sticks (red flares compliant with SOLAS)
b) watertight hand-held EPFS (Electronic Position-Fixing System) (eg GPS) in at least one of the grab bags carried by a yacht
c) SART (Search and Rescue Transponder) in at least one of the grab bags carried by a yacht
d) a combined 406MHz/121.5MHz or type "E" EPIRB (see OSR 4.19.1) in at least one of the grab bags carried by a yacht
e) water in re-sealable containers or a hand-operated desalinator plus containers for water
f) a watertight hand-held marine VHF transceiver plus a spare set of batteries
g) a watertight flashlight with spare batteries and bulb
h) dry suits or thermal protective aids or survival bags
i) second sea anchor for the liferaft (not required if the liferaft has already a spare sea anchor in its pack) (recommended standard ISO 17339) with swivel and >30m line diameter >9.5 mm
j) two safety tin openers (if appropriate)
k) first-aid kit including at least 2 tubes of sunscreen. All dressings should be capable of being effectively used in wet conditions. The first-aid kit should be clearly marked and re-sealable.
l) signalling mirror
m) high-energy food (min 10 000kJ per person recommended for Cat Zero)
n) nylon string, polythene bags, seasickness tablets (min 6 per person recommended)
o) watertight hand-held aviation VHF transceiver (if race area warrants)
p) water in re-sealable containers and a hand-operated desalinator
q) hand-held satellite telephone with waterproof cover and internal batteries
r) strobe light
s) medical supplies including any for pre-existing medical conditions of any crew member
t) spare unbreakable spectacles for any crew members needing them
u) wet notebook with captive pencil
v) powerful whistle (operated by mouth)
w) 6 red SOLAS compliant parachute flares, 3 white parachute flares, 2 orange SOLAS compliant smoke flares, cyalume-type light sticks
x) a watertight, high-powered torch (flashlight) with spare batteries and bulbs
y) watertight hand-held EPFS (Electronic Position-Fixing System) (eg GPS)
z) SART (Search and Rescue Transponder)
aa) 406MHz or type "E" EPIRB registered to the yacht (see OSR 4.19.2)
Click to expand...

That's all very well, but if you had to abandon the yacht whilst crossing the channel or going around the island, the likelihood is you'd be back on dry land within an hour or so... I'd want my house keys a phone and some money!

Pete
 
oldbilbo said:
Er, two grab bags...? Inshore/offshore, or 'his 'n hers'....;)
Click to expand...

Any trip will be close to land at some point - and even if you are recovered having spent two weeks in a life raft you'd still want your house keys and access to money when you do finally get home!

I like the idea of his and hers! Make-up, curlers, spare shoes etc...

Pete
 
oldbilbo said:
Er, two grab bags...? Inshore/offshore, or 'his 'n hers'....;)
Click to expand...

I like your style, his'n'hers "grab suitcases" :D


Serioulsy though, I think of a grab bag as exactly this:- If I have to get off the boat in a big hurry and only have time to "grab and run", what do I NEED with me. Mine has water, mini flares, seasick pills, first aid kit, some hypothermia bags, epirb, handheld vhf, torch, spare batteries, cash, credit cards, keys.

If you have more time (ie. sinking slowly), then you chuck everything you can in there with you.
 
gregcope said:
And a question / view on Combined Handheld/GPS/DSC units vs cheapy GPS and handheld?
Click to expand...

A normal handheld and a separate GPS relies on you giving a voice mayday and passing your position. A DSC handheld can transmit a digital mayday, which are reputed to be readable over a longer distance than voice. So all things being equal, the DSC seems like the winner as it can still do everything the normal radio can as well.

Someone brought up the idea that separate boxes are more reliable as only one is likely to fail at any particular time. This is true, but I'd also ask what is the use of a functioning GPS in a liferaft without a working radio?

Pete
 
Grab bag

Much depends on if you anticipate abandoning ship to a life raft to another boat or just jumping into the water. For going into a liferaft or into the water surely the most important thing will be a SAR transmitter. (EPIRB) with preferably a GPS receiver so it can report exact position. They can be tracked down without the GPS but it will take longer. If you are going into a liferaft and anticipate being in the raft for some time then you might want to augment the basic kit in the raft.(food water VHF) If you don't have life raft then in cold waters you will need to think of a survival suit to go with lifejacket. a buoyant bag could hold water sweet food sun cream sea sick pills. Certainly around our shores the EPIRB has already saved many lives of people in the water in LJs.(warmer water here of course. )
If you hope to get onto another boat then yes credit cards passport etc would be valued.
good luck olewill
 
Thanks all.

We already have a his/her's which is a small rucksack (waterproof/roll top - alpkit Gordon 20lrt - very handy!) with the important but non-essential stuff like car keys/phones/iPad/wallets and would be collected given time.

I have two other grab bags;

- One is for essential stuff (if you could grab one thing only this is it).
- Second is larger and has Thermal Protection Aids + bits that would be good in the life raft.

I want to augment both with stuff but then leave them shut so I know it's ready. For example I have a handheld, but this gets lots of use, and hence I would not want to be constantly opening/closing a grab bag. This suggests buy another.

Like the RORC list. Need to go through and remove the Cat0 items as I do not presently need things like a Sat Phone or spare life raft anchor.

Any more ideas.
 
Last edited:
We carried all the things on the RORC list except the SARTs, second sea anchor, or the list starting dry suits etc. We did carry thermal blankets though for tropical waters. We also carried a Satphone, emergency calls are free so you don't need a prepaid contract and it's quicker than an EPIRB.

I don't see why you would need two SARTS and two 406 MHz EPIRBS albeit one with 121 MHz.

Obviously RORC's and our slightly different list is for ocean sailing not inshore sailing.
 
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