Article by Tor Pinney                                                                                                                           Back to Outfitting Checklist List

                  

THE CRUISING SAILBOAT’S ABANDON SHIP SURVIVAL KIT
© 2011 Tor Pinney All Rights Reserved

Adapted from my book, “Ready for Sea! – How to
Outfit the Modern Cruising Sailboat” (Sheridan House)

 

Should you ever have to abandon ship, the completeness of the survival kit you take with you could mean the difference between life and death. Pack your survival gear in a heavy duty plastic river-rafting bag or strong duffel bag and store the bag, together with two 5-gallon jugs of water, in a readily accessible location, such as a cockpit locker. Tie a brass or strong plastic whistle to the outside of the bag. The pack and jugs should float (fasten a life preserver to the pack and leave some air in the water jugs) and should have secured to each of them 30 feet of brightly colored polypropylene line as lanyards. Refill the water jugs with fresh water before each offshore passage, and be sure to inspect and upgrade the entire kit thoroughly at least once a year.

Packed Loosely in Bag

• (1) Recovery Engineering hand operated water desalinator with instruction manual

• (2) compact solar stills

• Collapsible 10-inch radar reflector and/or parafoil kite reflector

• (1) gallon jug of water

• 6-foot square piece of Dacron cloth

• (1) square foot 1/4-inch plywood for a cutting board

• (2) 1-gallon foldable water jugs

• (2) paddles

• Raft sea anchor

• Raft patching kit

• Raft pump plus one spare pump (or repair parts)

• Hand bearing compass

• Fishing trident and broom handle

• Double-banded spear gun with extra stainless steel tips

• Fish gaff (with point well protected)

• Clean sponge (for collecting condensation)

• (2) light rain suits

• Sea soap

• Sharpening stone

• Two sprouting jars (for sprouting seeds and beans)

Tightly Sealed in Double-Seal Freezer Bags or Plastic Containers

• EPIRB, 406 MHz

• Hand-held VHF with batteries packed separately

• Flares: (6) hand-launched parachute, (6) hand-held red, (4) hand-held white, (2) orange smoke, (1) Very pistol with (12) red parachute and (6) red meteor flares, and/or Solas flares

• Plastic sextant

• Nautical Almanac

• (12) high-energy food bars

• (20) packages and cans of food

• Large container of honey

• Large, sealed bag of dried fruit

• Assorted seeds and beans for sprouting (mung, alfalfa, etc.)

• (1) dozen zip-lock bags, large & small

• (1) dozen zip-lock freezer bags, large & small

• (2) Small can openers

• (2) spoons, 2 forks

• Waterproof flashlight with batteries packed separately

• Spare flashlight batteries

• (2) butane lighters and several books of waterproof matches

• Pads of paper & 4 pencils

• Photocopy of passports $50 cash

• Duplicate credit card

• Small container underwater epoxy

• Tube of silicone sealant and/or bedding compound

• Plastic bags

• Duct tape

• Pliers

• Screw driver

• (1) bottle multi-vitamin pills including vitamin C

• Small medical kit

• (2) rolls surgical gauze

• Lots of seasick pills

• Large bottle sun-block cream

• Jar of Vaseline petroleum jelly

• (3) sizes Dacron sail thread, 200 feet of each

• (6) stainless steel sail needles

• Rigging knife on lanyard

• Fish fillet knife in sheath

• 1X2-ft. ¼" plywood for cutting board

• 100 feet each of 1/8-inch and 1/4-inch line

• (12) fishhooks, 1/2- to 1-inch, single and three-pronged

• (2) spools 80-lb. test fishing line

• 20 feet leader line

• 10 feet of 1/16-inch stainless steel seizing wire

• (1) wire saw

• (1) signal mirror

• Rubber sandals (for rocky landfalls)

• (2) white towels

• (2) pair nylon stockings (for collecting plankton)

• Small scale chart of ocean in which you are sailing

• Wizard protractor

• Tooth brush

• Dental floss

• (2) Space Blankets

• (2) long sleeved shirts and two sweaters

• (2) sets polypropylene long underwear

• (6) pocket-sized chemical heaters (from a camping store)

• Survival manuals

~ End ~

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