Boater's Survival Kit

It never crosses your mind until it's too late. Like the day you wake up floating in a life raft at sea; miles from anywhere baking in the beaming sun. Then you remember that you should have packed some sunscreen in your survival kit. A few days later you will think of a hundred other things you should have packed in your Ditch Bag. Through the unending days and nights you will have plenty of time to contemplate that day you so hurriedly threw a few very basic survival items into a bag and tossed it aside without further thought.

Undoubtedly, how you got into this situation will play over and over in your mind... It had been a great day of sailing. The weather was just right, you were on course, dinner was perfect, charts were checked and the autopilot set before for ducking below for a quick nap. Suddenly, as you were slipping into unconsciousness, your thrown from your bunk and water is gushing in from everywhere. Before you could collect your senses your up to your waist in sea water as you rush for the hatch. The last thing you recall is releasing the life raft and ditch bag. As your raft is activated and springs to life, you watch your boat slide beneath the sea, leaving you alone and stranded. Suddenly you are thankful for purchasing that EPIRB last year, hopefully it will work.

No one likes to think about this scenario happening to them but it could vary well happen to any of us. Partially submerged 20ft long steel shipping containers lost at sea, floating aimlessly until they sink. No one plans on hitting one, but it happens, and could leave you in a survival situation that could last for days or months. Question is, are you prepared?

The best insurance a sailor can have is self reliance and that starts ashore before ever leaving dock. Ditch Bags have many names (survival kit, abandon ship bag, grab bag, flee bag, bug out bag) but they all serve one purpose; a means of increasing your rate of survival should you loose your vessel at sea. Many think such a scenario will not ever happen to them and don't even pack such an important piece of boat gear. Others pack only the basics and really don't spend much time thinking about the items. Some purchase a prepacked marine survival kit and never question the contents or quality. Then there are those who understand the true unpredictable nature of the sea and put thought and preparation into their kit, shifting the odds of survival and rescue to their favor.

Whether you purchase a kit or pack one yourself, you should go over the condition of every item when you perform your vessel inspection. Along with checking fire extinguishers and first aid kits, go through your ditch bag and make sure it's up to date. Check flares, matches and other dated perishable items to ensure they are in order. For those who haven't given such a kit much thought, maybe you should. It could save your life or the life of a loved one.

So how much should one spend and what should be included in a ditch bag? That's a topic open for discussion in many forums, however only you can set the value of your own life and decide what expense to put into such a kit. Most life raft survival kits are cheap and ill equipped at best. My personal thoughts are content and quality does matter. Having the right tools at hand will greatly increase your chances of seeing loved ones again. Think about necessities of day to day life and the items you use on-board and then try to reduce those items to a survival kit.

Start with the dry box or bag to put items into. It should be either red, orange, or yellow and have red reflective tape on it so it can be easy located with a flashlight at night. I prefer the bag due to it being less rigid and easier to pack. A large dry bag of at least 20 in length with a tether or lanyard is perfect, and should be clearly marked as to what it is. A quality dry bag should also be buoyant and able to support it's contents without sinking.

The whole idea of a ditch bag is to be prepared to survive lost at sea long enough to get rescued. Planning the contents of your survival gear bag is key and expense should not be considered something to skimp on. Now, what should go into the ditch bag?

- 406MHz EPIRB (a necessity above all else is the Coast Guard being able to find you) be sure it is registered and has a good battery

- Hand held VHF

- Extra batteries for all devices

- Signal mirror
- Signal flares - 15) SOLAS parachute flares, 10) Hand held flares, 5) Smoke flares. Pack in vacuum sealed bag with date visible. Practice use of each flare and be familiar with each design and it's hazards.

- Rescue flotation streamer these are available in various lengths, the longer the better. This will attach to the raft and increase your visibility from the air as it trails behind.

- Rescue whistle

- Survival knife

- Medium size needle nose pliers

- Compass

- Diver's flashlight x 2 the LED bulb style is recommended

- Headband LED light great for hands free rigging at night

- Glow sticks

- Dive mask

- Fire starter kit

- Magnifying glass

- Sewing kit include 3 stainless needles and 2 spools of heavy wax thread

- Binoculars

- Fishing kit to include: 400 ft. 15lb. mono filament line, 50) size 6 barbed hooks, 12) wire leaders, 20) assorted small weights, 10) silver spoon lures, 2) hand held kite string winders, 1) container of pellet bait, 1) compact folding hand spear

- Diver's non-slip gloves

- 150 ft. of small diameter nylon cord

- 10) 1 gal. zip-lock freezer bags

- 10) heavy duty lawn trash bags

- Duct tape high quality grade

- 5) Bungee cords

- 5) Carabiners

- 5) Wrist lanyards

- Waterproof notebook, pen & pencil

- Marine survival manual

- Small Bible

- Cutting board

- Several packs of chop sticks

- Collapsible 1 gal. bucket

- Waterproof SPF 50 sunscreen

- Zinc oxide tube

- 2 liters fresh water per person reusable plastic bottles

- Reverse osmosis manual desalinization pump

- 3 days rations per person

- Sea sickness pills and wrist bands

- Cap or hat per person

- Compact fleece wrap per person

- Compact emergency blanket per person

- Compact tooth brush & tooth paste per person

- 1 sealed package of 150 count sanitary wipes

- First-aid kit

- Personal medications should be kept by person in ready to ditch manner at all times

- Wallet and ID on you at all times


Hopefully you will never need these items, however on the water you should always expect the best and plan for the worst.