Grab Bags

[ccscott49]

Re: How big is this grab bag? NM

Ha Ha! About 15" diameter, 3' long, on inside, padded with kapok, so it will float, tie up neck, with flap about an extra inch all round outside. inteligently packed, (army training) stuff I use on board, day to day, packed on top! I also have a sealed flare container, but dont need it and flares in the liferaft. My cruising is not necessarily coastal, I am often 300 miles offshore, not in the med much I admit, but this bag was developed after cruising around the north/irish seas and further abroad. From my training in the oilfield and others, I wouldn't like to spend more than 1/2 an hour in a liferaft, I was throwing up in the enviromental pool in Aberdenn, waves rain, dark etc. not a pleasant experience, you should try it!

 

[Guest]

Re: How big is this grab bag? NM

If your taking to your life raft its going to be in a life or death situation and messing around with nicetys like charts is a bit accademic.

you only need a couple of things.
- Firstly Sea Sickness tablets. (you will be ill in a life raft)
- Glucose sweets. (in an abandon ship situatuion all your body's free glucose will be used up by adrenaine production and the resulting tiredness KILLS. Glucose will help against this)
- Ways of raising help, (EPIRB, VHF, Mobile phones, Signaling mirror and Whistle)
- Extra fresh water (you can survive without food but not without water)
- and the one comfort could be boiled sweets. (chocolate is not good as it dehydrates)

anything else is not actually necessary for survival. (unless ive missed an item) and survival is whats important in a life raft. It is not going to be a plesant experience.

My own experiences in a life raft was with the RAF whilst training for the BT Global Challenge. we only spent 3-4 hours in the raft at sea, not too rough and not too life threatning. but it was still one of the worst experiences of my life and i'd rather be back in the southen ocean than in a life raft in the english channel.

Dan

 

[ccscott49]

Re: How big is this grab bag? NM

You've basically said the same as me, the chart is so you have something to do, I found that it helps to concentrate the mind and helps, I spoke to a guy (2) who spent 36 hours in a raft, in the northsea and to keep up spirits, they would take there shoes and socks off wring them out and put them back on every 1//2 hour, He said it really helped, just to have something to do rather than lie there, so I included that chart and some other things. The sea sickness pills are for backup, the raft has them. Glucose sweets are a very good idea, I should have thought of that, I'll get some put in and some in the liferaft at next service, theres still plenty of room in there! There is also a difference with what would be in there if I was crossing the atlantic, rather than cruising around the UK or the meddy. I think there was an article on this subject in one of these mags.

 

[Guest]

Re: How big is this grab bag? NM

You have a good point, the biggest factor in survival in a life raft is psycology. You can have two identical rafts with two diferent mentalitys in them and one will turn out people who are fit and well whilst the other can produce nothing but bodies after a relatively short period of only a week or so. (there is a famous case of a fishing boat that went down off America)

The main thing is to keep occupied and awake. Pump up the seats, Bail it out regularly, Sing if you have too. anyting to keep you going and stop you drifting away, If you will forgive the pun.

Dan

 

[Guest]

ToMo
Thats never more true. Thats not a grab bag. You'll need Pickfords to get it off the deck<s>

 

[Mirelle]

Explanation of \"nothing\"

My answer, that I do not carry a grab bag, is based on UK/ Southern North Sea /English Channel sailing.

Better keep thye boat afloat if you can' you will be picked up fast if you cannot.

If going further, I would iindeed pack something very similar to ccscottt's grab bag.

By the way, does anyone else thing that a whistle and light attached to a life jacket is a bit of an insult, these days - what we want is an EPIRB, and the spray hood should NOT be an optional extra.

 

[Guest]

Re: Explanation of "nothing"

Perhaps the problem with EPIRB in life jacket would be an explosion in the numbers of incidents where the device is accidentally set off? I seem to remember hearing somewhere that there are lots of false call outs with EPIRBs because it's so easy to set them off. I heard one yacht apologising on the vhf for accidentally setting one off last year.

Perhaps an answer would be something small like some of the 121mhz epirbs. But they're already around. Guess it's a question of cost. And weight. I wouldn't like to have one hanging round my neck all the time. I'd probably just not wear the lifejacket. I find the ones with an integral harness uncomfortable because of the extra weight as it is.

 

[ccscott49]

Rubbish! Somebody asked a sensible question (for a change) I gave a sensible answer! If you think my grab bag is excessive, fine! What do you have in yours? Smartarse!

 

[ccscott49]

Re: Explanation of \"nothing\"

Are lifejackets with harnesses considerably heavier than without? I never noticed, about a pound if that, maybe? Not including the line and crab hooks!

 

[Guest]

Re: Explanation of "nothing"

If you leave a lifeline dangling from it, the extra is significant. Without the lifeline it's still significantly heavier, but not so bad.

The problem I find is not so much the weight as the fact that it is concentrated at the front. This pulls the lifejacket forward and increases the lifejacket's natural tendency to chafe at the back of the neck. Apart from chafe, it gives me a strangled feeling after a while, and can also help bring on seasickness. OK for a few hours, maybe, but not for a long time.

I have found that an integral harness in my oilies is (for me) a much better solution. Although it makes my oilies a fraction slower to put on, that's the only disadvantage. The weight is beautifully distributed (ie. unnoticeable), and it's a good way of making sure that you always have a harness on when the weather's bad. I find it's best used with an elastic lifeline - this is short enough that it can be left on the jacket semi-permanently, even when it's hanging up. Probably best to take the lifeline off if visiting the pub, though.

And then one can use a lighter weight lifejacket.

Using the integral harness lifejackets, I find that I end up wearing neither harness nor lifejacket.

 

[Viking]

Re: Thanks!

Thanks for the question. One of the best and most interesting on the forum for sometime. And the responses where to the point to.
More Please!

 

[bedouin]

Re: Explanation of \"nothing\"

I agree about the whistle - totally useless, I can shout louder than that. I'm not sure about the light though - I can imagine that might be useful in finding a casualty at night.

I also have a personal EPIRB(406/121), but that is a bit bulky to carry (it's not integrated into the LJ because I can only afford one). Very reassuring as a last resort but it serves a different purpose as the boat does not have the equipment to detect the signals.

On the subject of grab bags - while I don't have one as such I do have a bag that is the normal home for things like the EPIRB, HH GPS, HH VHF, HH compass and a torch. This lives by the nav station so the equipment is always to hand if required. This would also double as a grab bag if necessary.

I think one of the major advantages of carrying a grab bag would be removing the need to think when abandonning ship - thereby reducing the chance of something important being left behind

 

[Ohdrat]

I always pack an optomist in mine.. you know those jolly peeps who sing songs and tell you that a rescue is iminate