Liferaft and Grab Bag contents

[StellaGirl]

As pre my previous post I have just finished reading a book about someone that was stuck in a liferaft for 76 days in the Atlantic, and it made me think.
What would be the things you would put in your grab bag and liferaft for such a situation?

 

[pragmatist]

When we had the liferaft serviced we came away with a whole list - which of course I've subsequently lost !

Fishing gear ...

 

[jimi]

Epirb, water, biscuits, kite

 

[StephenSails]

A 406MHZ GPS EPIRB, Waterproof VHF Radio with spare battery. SART. Flares, Water Maker, food, sea sickness tabs, fishing kit, some reading material.

 

[boatmike]

Case of Glenmorangie
Natasha Kaplinski
SAS survival handbook
Pork Scratchings
Fray Bentos Pies
Large oven
Case of Glenmorangie
Woolly socks (for Natasha)
Hi-Fi
Billie Holiday CD's
Short wave Radio (to call for help when Glenmorangie gone or Natasha gets too frisky)
Should last 76 days.........

 

[boatmike]

Ive been telling ye tae go fly yer kite fer a laing time Jimi. But I woudna thought ye'd be playing with it alone in a raft we Stella Girl......

 

[Kristal]

"The Grab Bag Book", which my partner purchased with a degree of morbid earnest, included a whacking great list - the one I found rather disturbing (paraphrased from memory) was "Don't forget your digital camera to show your friends pictures of your experience."

I have to say that I can't imagine I'd want any lasting reminders of losing my boat and being tossed on the rolling main in a raft...

/<

 

[Kristal]

Oh.. and fags. Our grab bag has a tupperware box with four packets of Lucky Strike (two full strength, two lights) and a good supply of cheap lighters. I can't imagine anything worse than being adrift without a snout...

 

[GazzaUK]

Ooh, good one....the fag supply would be vital....

 

[Santana379]

Based on one friend's experience - if you need reading glasses, then have a pair in the liferaft or grab bag. It's not so much for the crossword puzzles as the instructions on the survival gear.

Francis Fletcher

 

[boatmike]

Excellent! You could show them all your piccies when you get back. This ones the sea, this is the sea from a different angle, this in me being sick, this is a different bit of the sea......

 

[boatmike]

Prefer the Glenmorangie. After a few glasses I see many things that are invisible when sober.....

 

[npf1]

and wonder what the forum's Amercan readers make of having a 'fag' as an essential liferaft accessory!!!

 

[Roberto]

there was a number of interesting comments in this thread

 

[ParaHandy]

if manufactured by Oban B&Q, the liferaft will be supplied with flatpack garden furniture eg tables and chairs plus a remote which detachs the patio at the rear of the boat and a price promise assuring you of your money back if the raft could have ben purchased cheaper elsewhere and a technical help-line should you run into difficulties .....

 

[Talbot]

My come-in-handy reference lists this:

"The ORC recommends that a "grab bag" accompanies each liferaft. The following contents are recommended and should be appropriately packed and waterproofed (packing should be openable by wet fingers without tools):

spare sea anchor (drogue) and line for the liferaft
two safety tin openers
waterproof hand-held VHF transceiver
waterproof hand-held GPS
EPIRB for 406MHz ("GPIRB" type, or INMARSAT "E" -which is also of the "GPIRB" type- recommended)
a first aid kit
one plastic drinking vessel graduated in 10, 20 and 50 cubic cm
two or more "cyalume" sticks
two watertight floating flashlights or torches
one daylight signalling mirror and one signalling whistle
at least two red parachute flares and three red hand flares
non-thirst provoking rations and barley sugar or equivalent
watertight receptacles containing fresh water (at least half a litre per person)
nylon string, polythene bags, seasickness tablets
an SART (Search and Rescue Transponder beacon) is worth considering. This device creates a distinctive "distress" signal on commercial ships 9GHz radar screens."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The ditch kit should contain items that allow survival from the moment the raft is jettisoned to potentially a period of several months. The short-term concerns, calculated in minutes and hours, deal with injuries sustained during abandon-ship procedures, hypothermia, and the ability to keep the raft afloat. Signaling devices can be useful immediately or long-term; they represent the capacity to signal one’s presence to potential rescuers. Medium-term survival, calculated over a few days, depends on the ability to collect water. Finally, long-term survival, measured in days to months, is based on the potential to gather food.

A. Short-Term Survival (Minutes to Hours)

1) Thermal protective aids such as space blankets or survival bags that consist of compact aluminized sheets of heat-reflective material shaped into a suit or a mummy-bag.
2) Chemical heat packs, either four six-hour units or two 20-hour units per crew, to warm crew
3) Self-inflating foam pad or air mattress, especially if the raft has no insulated double floor, for cushioning and added insulation
4) Wool and rubber work gloves and watch cap
5) Minimal first-aid kit including instruction manual, sterile bandages, sutures, seasickness medication (tablets, suppositories, or injectables), pain killers, aspirin for heart attacks, surgeon’s tape, antibiotics, enema sack for rehydration, sun screen, burn cream, petroleum jelly (also for lubricating metal), and inflatable splints.
6) Repair kit with small tubes of silicon seal that cures under water or similar “good goop.” For inflatables, include a spare air pump, clamps (assorted sizes of cymbal type), heavy needles and sail twine, spare canopy and raft material, and glue patches. For rigid dinghies, include underwater epoxy and glass and fabric for making and repairing the canopy 200 feet of 3/16-inch line and 100 feet of 1/4-inch line, duct tape, spare line for lashings, securing items, and improvising.
7) Tools: sheath knife, multitool or Swiss Army knife, several flat blades, file, sharpening stone, tube of oil.
8) Two 1/8- by 8- by 12-inch marine-plywood cutting boards to protect the raft floor from puncture; one can be marked and used as a sextant
9) Two sponges
10) Plastic sacks and ties
11) Lights: small diving flashlights, chemical light sticks
12) Reflective tape attached to the outside of raft

B. Short to Medium-Term Survival (Hours to Days)

1) Secondary EPIRB
2) Waterproof handheld VHF
3) Six SOLAS-approved parachute flares or 12 non-SOLAS parachutes, three handheld red flares, and two orange smoke flares. Metal flare guns may be prone to rust, so carry oil
4) Signaling mirror
5) Navigation kit: survival manual, pencils, pads of paper, waterproofed pilot chart for the ocean traveled, compass, waterproof watch, plastic protractor
6) Parafoil signaling kite that’s compact and light and may be flown in moderate winds, providing some propulsion and extending visibility, even at night (e.g., the Sky-Alert Rescue Kite by Davis Instruments, 510-732-9229)
7) Backup improved Icelandic-style sea anchor (many models are available) that’s a tapered cone with mesh or straps around bridle to prevent fouling, with a strong swivel and rode

C. Medium-Term Survival (Days to Weeks)

1) Reverse-osmosis watermaker equivalent to Survivor 06 (Survivor 35 is preferred for a crew of six or more)
2) Water in pouches or cans; 16 ounces per person for immediate use
3) Transparent biking bottle with secure cap to help rationing
4) Other bags and plastic sheets for water collection
5) Siphon/enema tubing to transfer water between containers or help survivors absorb water rectally
6) Dried fruit and chocolate

D. Long-Term Survival (Weeks to Months)

1) Survival ship’s biscuits
2) Multiple vitamins
3) Fishing kit: small trident and handle, large gaff or Hawaiian sling, 200 feet of 50-pound test (natural cod line shrinks as it dries, good for small lashings), 20 feet of heavy-wire leader, hooks from trout-size to 4-inch, various jigs and lures, sinkers
4) Small plankton net or stockings with stiff metal ring to keep waist open to troll at night (you may be able to live off plankton, but beware of jellyfish)

E. Miscellaneous

1) Photocopies of all essential crew documents, including passports and boat documentation to aid you when reaching land. (It’s advisable to file additional copies ashore along with a list of safety equipment and a float plan.)
2) Shore survival items in case you land in an uninhabited area: waterproof matches, flint, wire saw.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

That should give you enough to consider!

 

[Roberto]

"one plastic drinking vessel graduated in 10, 20 and 50 cubic cm"


this is the most frightening imho

 

[FullCircle]

Crikey you need a 50ft liferaft just to carry that lot. If I look down the list, it weighs more than my unmanageable liferaft does now.

 

[Ships_Cat]

Nothing, as long as the raft has the standard Category 1 pack.

Just remember to take your 406 EPIRB with you into the raft and you will be rescued within a day in most parts of the world. Even here in the Pacific most get rescued before they even get into the raft.

If you turn out to be really out of luck cos no one wants to rescue you because of bad breath or BO or something, then just remember that Bombard drifted across the Atlantic as a survival experiment in a 15 foot raft. He set out with no food or water and with little knowledge of seamanship or navigation - it took him 65 days to cover the 2,750 miles. Remembering that will keep you in a positive state of mind - most who die do so long before anything in a grab bag would start to prove useful.

John

 

[Mirelle]

Nothing at all

I'm very fond of my boat, and I have no plans to lose her.