A blind bag is a hot topic when it comes to long-distance cruising. We all agree that it’s something we have to have but never want to use. Not preparing it before you go is a risk most of us don’t want to take. If for some reason you have to abandon ship, not having it ready and on hand can be disastrous.
So how do you make sure you have everything you need in one little airtight container?
I have 3 small airtight containers and a few other items to grab but then there are four of us who would need to get on the life raft if anything were to happen to our yacht and having kids on board means I’m not prepared to leave the dock without a game full of surprise bags.
You might say your life raft comes with life-saving kit packaged, but keep in mind that a life raft is designed to last 3 days for the number of people it’s rated for. So if you have a 6 person life raft, there are enough rations for 6 people for 3 days inside. Also, are you really sure what’s in that life raft package? Are you sure the water hasn’t gotten dirty?
With that in mind, here’s what I think you really need to pack in your personal grab bag.
tote bag 1:
This grab bag is for teams. In mine I have:
1 x waterproof flashlight
1 x Set of Spare Flashlight Batteries
1x diving knife
1 x Hand Fishing Tackle Set [including some thick hand line, a makeshift reel, a pair of good fishing gloves, 3 x lures, 8 x hooks, 4 x sinkers]
1 canister smoke flare
4 red parachute flares.
4 handheld smoke flares.
1 sound signal.
1 police whistle.
1 mirror reflector.
1x hand compass
1x Handheld GPS
1 set of spare battery for GPS
8 emergency blankets. [space blankets – I have 2 per person]
1 x Rolling Sail Tape
1 x Bicycle Puncture Repair Kit
1 x 2m x 2m plastic sheet [this can function as rain catchment, shade as well as a makeshift sail if necessary.]
1 small notebook kit containing: 2 pencils, 1 sharpener, 1 eraser, 1 notebook
1 small basic medical kit containing: 10 plasters, 1 200 ml disinfectant, 2 bandages, 1 tube of antibacterial ointment, 1 box of analgesics, sunscreen, aftersun, motion sickness pills, Immodium[anti diarrhea]10 x Rehydrate sachets
Hand bag n° 2 and 3
This bag contains our rations. This list will depend on your dietary preferences, but here are the essentials:
1 can opener.
1 x spoon or teaspoon for each person on board
1 sharp knife.
1 large package of high-glucose candy
2 x packets of gingerbread cookies [ they help for motion sickness too]
canned food
I chose them as follows:
High in protein:
10 x canned meat. [1 per 4 people per day for 10 days] corned beef or picnic ham work well.
Baked beans would work too, but my picky family wouldn’t touch them anyway!
5 x canned tuna [1 per 4 people per day for 5 days]
5 x canned chicken [1 per 4 people per day for 5 days]
5 x Wieners in a can [1 per 4 people per day for 5 days]
Vegetables:
10 x cans of sweet corn [1 per 4 people per day for 10 days]
5 canned peas. [1 per 4 people per day for 5 days]
Vegetables are packed in a liquid that can make up for the shortage of drinking water
Glucose:
5 x cans of peaches [1 per 4 people for 5 days] The syrup they are stored in can be used as a glucose additive to water or on its own if water becomes a problem.
2 x cans of cream [this is also glucose rich and can substitute liquids]
These tins fit perfectly, with a bit of packing skill, into 2 x 10kg airtight pails.
The other things ready to go and stacked next to the tote bags are 2 5L water bottles and a double action hand pump.
Remember that the only item you want to take from the inside of the boat if everything goes wrong is your satellite phone, if you have one!
When we set out for a passage at sea, we tie all these items, as well as our life raft, to our dinghy which can be easily deployed from the davit system at the rear of the cabin. That way we have our boat, complete with 2 sets of oars. [unfortunately no motor]some spare rope and the above items to keep us going until we are rescued or find a way to prop ourselves up.
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