Liferaft rations?

[geem]

We recently had our liferaft serviced. We got a tour of our inflated Liferaft and a full explanation of all aspects of it. Very informative and useful. As part of the servicing we get to keep the kit out of the raft that soon expires. One of the things was the food rations. Our Plastimo raft is French. I expected the French to have better food. Tonight we had a gathering on the beach. About 20 sailors. I asked if anybody had been in a lifersft for real. Nobody had. "Well, do you want to sample the food rations out of the Liferaft so you know what it's like?"
Everybody had apiece of the biscuit you are expected to survive on. Unanimously. They are absolutely terrible. They taste and look like sand! If anybody is doing a serious passage, I suggest you pack some edible food in the grab bag. You really don't won't to eat sand

 

[penfold]

Highly calorific and digestible sand; they really are horrible though, there's a good reason everyone is supposed to take a stugeron as soon as they board the raft.

 

[Roberto]

I was told in Canada Arctic they advise people to take dog tinned food as emergency rations, the rationale being it's edible but so disgusting that it will last much longer than some gourmet dishes which will likely be swallowed away in half an hour.

ps I have eaten a number of emergency rations, including Russian Army, rather than "sandy" I'd say they taste like fat, like chewing a piece of butter mixed with pork fat and some sort of grainy additive. If it's for survival, then be it

 

[Sandy]

But in a real life or death situation they will taste like the nectar of the gods.

 

[Neeves]

The idea of a life raft is that it is temporary accomodation only - pack an EPIRB in the raft rather than extra rations. You should then be rescued before you worry about starvation (just remember that the best way to remove excess weight is simple - don't eat ). In terms of search and rescue most, if not all, of the world's oceans are covered by pretty efficient organisations who will be overhead within hours of you firing up an EPIRB and a large commercial vessel will be in sight a few hours later - directed to your location. Starvation is not your problem.

If you don't have an EPIRB with you - your chance of anyone noticing your absence and having any real idea where you might be is not significant. Prioritise the EPIRB.

My father spent 3 days in a life raft - the one thing he did not complain of was hunger. Hypothermia turned out to be the big issue.

Jonathan

 

[Roberto]

A funny story. We once met a boat who had assisted a swimmer in his attempt to swim across the Atlantic from Dakar to Brazil, they had used emergency rations as food (sic) and as they had arrived at destination they decided to donate all the remaining rations to a local charity. A car arrives and they begin to transfer the packages, the charity lady grabs one, looks very puzzled and asks "is this edible?"
It was all written in cyrillic alphabet, they were rations form the Russian Army

 

[geem]

The idea of a life raft is that it is temporary accomodation only - pack an EPIRB in the raft rather than extra rations. You should then be rescued before you worry about starvation (just remember that the best way to remove excess weight is simple - don't eat ). In terms of search and rescue most, if not all, of the world's oceans are covered by pretty efficient organisations who will be overhead within hours of you firing up an EPIRB and a large commercial vessel will be in sight a few hours later - directed to your location. Starvation is not your problem.

If you don't have an EPIRB with you - your chance of anyone noticing your absence and having any real idea where you might be is not significant. Prioritise the EPIRB.

My father spent 3 days in a life raft - the one thing he did not complain of was hunger. Hypothermia turned out to be the big issue.

Jonathan

Liferafts used to have inflatable floors. This was good insulation again cold but fish spines popped the floors. We were told that fish soon accumulate under a raft. Modern rafts have a none insulated floor but from a thick material to resist spines. Apparently it can be quite a jolt when fish bump the raft. Our Plastimo transocean >24hr raft has a foil blanket type floor. Next to useless for jolts.
We were told to try and step in to the raft dry if possible. One of the biggest problems with rafts is the chafe on your wet salty skin on the ever moving raft. A grab bag with towel and a change of clothes may also be another move achievable idea.

 

[Neeves]

Liferafts used to have inflatable floors. This was good insulation again cold but fish spines popped the floors. We were told that fish soon accumulate under a raft. Modern rafts have a none insulated floor but from a thick material to resist spines. Apparently it can be quite a jolt when fish bump the raft. Our Plastimo transocean >24hr raft has a foil blanket type floor. Next to useless for jolts.
We were told to try and step in to the raft dry if possible. One of the biggest problems with rafts is the chafe on your wet salty skin on the ever moving raft. A grab bag with towel and a change of clothes may also be another move achievable idea.

Interesting - and the dry clothes would be a good idea. The scenarios for which a raft might be used often involve bad weather and a dry raft plus dry occupants seem unlikely. From memory rafts have a sponge to mop them out - how useful they, the sponge, are no idea - like most who own a raft we have never used one in anger.

Jonathan

 

[geem]

Interesting - and the dry clothes would be a good idea. The scenarios for which a raft might be used often involve bad weather and a dry raft plus dry occupants seem unlikely. From memory rafts have a sponge to mop them out - how useful they, the sponge, are no idea - like most who own a raft we have never used one in anger.

Jonathan

We were told in our very comprehensive raft tutorial that it was super important to get the raft dry. Two sponges and a baler in ours. If you are in the Caribbean then drying your clothes is possible if the seas are not too rough.

 

[Zing]

The typical 70kg slim person with 10% body fat carries enough ’food’ rations for 3 -4 weeks. Liferaft rations will add only a day or two to that if you are lucky, so a bit pointless. A fishing line will be 100x more useful than biscuits.

 

[KeelsonGraham]

Food is not your priority in a liferaft. You can easily survive 3 weeks without food. Protection from the elements, location devices and water are the priority, in that order.

 

[HissyFit]

The typical 70kg slim person with 10% body fat carries enough ’food’ rations for 3 -4 weeks. Liferaft rations will add only a day or two to that if you are lucky, so a bit pointless. A fishing line will be 100x more useful than biscuits.

Ahh, the aroma of raw fish guts in close confines. I think I'll be taking the starvation option.

 

[Neeves]

The typical 70kg slim person with 10% body fat carries enough ’food’ rations for 3 -4 weeks. Liferaft rations will add only a day or two to that if you are lucky, so a bit pointless. A fishing line will be 100x more useful than biscuits.

Do you mean a typical person is 70kg or typically an unusually slim person of 70kg has 10% body fat.....

Jonathan

 

[Poignard]

We used to get some rectangular hard biscuits issued in the RN if, for any reason, bread was not available. I think they were wrapped in foil. They weren't so hard that they needed softening in liquid like the old hardtack, and they were quite pleasant with butter and jam.

 

[penfold]

They sound a bit like army compo ration biscuits. Plenty of fibre.

 

[jamie N]

I was working with a Spider ADS suit, when the pilot on a dive got snarled up with something around a wellhead. It was a problem, but while it was being resolved he amused himself by resorting to the emergency rations.
Emergency rations when there's only 72 hours of life support FFS. He reckoned that the food "wasn't too bad", however he was a Brummie, so I'd not give it a Michelin star based on that.

 

[MisterBaxter]

I've read that you should avoid protein in a survival situation as your body uses more water in processing it than other types of food. No idea if it's true but if so it would argue for sugars or fats...

 

[Stemar]

I don't know about the water issue with protein, but survival manuals do warn about eating protein if you've no fat to go with it. What you need in a survival situation isn't a balanced diet, you can catch up with the stuff you don't get later, it's useful calories, which means fat and complex carbs.

 

[38mess]

Steve Callahan's book is a great read. He was shipwrecked in the Atlantic and spent 75 days adrift in his life raft.
He had no food and very little water at the start.

 

[bikedaft]

I was working with a Spider ADS suit, when the pilot on a dive got snarled up with something around a wellhead. It was a problem, but while it was being resolved he amused himself by resorting to the emergency rations.
Emergency rations when there's only 72 hours of life support FFS. He reckoned that the food "wasn't too bad", however he was a Brummie, so I'd not give it a Michelin star based on that.
View attachment 147938

i would try very hard not to eat anything in case i needed a no 2...