You know that old chestnut about what you’d take with you to a desert island? Which books, which friends, which food…? Last week we had to actually make that decision about our boat’s life raft.
We’re getting ready to leave Darwin in September and sail to Hobart. Preparation has been going on for a while, but we’re getting closer to the pointy end of the countdown. Most of the big jobs are done, and now we’re getting down to the tin tacks. We put the life raft in for its regular service, and when the raft was ready to be packed away, the technician called us in to have a look at it. With sinking hearts anticipating an expensive replacement, we slunk into the chandlery only to find that he just wanted to make sure we knew what to expect if we had to deploy it.
It’s a sobering thing, looking inside your life raft. It looked big enough in the workshop, but you know how small it’s going to be out in the ocean. The techie walked us through what was inside, how the inflation worked, how to right it if it deployed upside down (!!), and asked if there was anything else we’d like to put in before he sealed it back inside its box.
An interesting question – what would you take if your life depended on it? My mind raced. Lots of water! Food! A squad of Navy Seals! But when the raft is packed up it’s a very small, heavy package, so the Navy guys were out. There was already a good selection of emergency gear in there – water, torches, batteries, small first aid kit and so on. In the end we decided to revisit our Grab Bag, that bag of essentials that off-shore yachties have stowed somewhere within easy reach in an “abandon boat” situation.
When we’re on passage, the Grab Bag holds things like the handheld VHF radio, EPIRB, a sharp knife (in a sheath), a cutting board (so you don’t jab a hole in your life raft), first aid gear; basic fishing gear (but no cooking gear…), long-life foods such as canned food, chocolate and dried fruit, sunscreen, sea-sickness tablets and spare batteries for the torches. And flares, repair kit for the inflatable, spare rope and so on. A 25 litre plastic jerry of fresh water sits beside the grab bag as well.
I added a few more things, including spare glasses (sun and reading), a couple of hats, and more chocolate. And finally, a pack of playing cards (I’d done some internet research and cards were recommended as a good way to keep up morale). Feeling very pleased with my endeavours to keep us alive, I asked my husband to look it over, which he did.
He turned to me with a serious expression on his face. “You’ve left out the most important thing.”
I looked at my list again – all the crucial things were there, weren’t they?
He shook his head. ‘You forgot the Wasabi and the tamari for all the raw fish!”
I sincerely hope I never see the inside of that life raft again. Outside of a service workshop, that is!
Wonderful post Jo! All the very best with your journey in September
May the seas be calm and the winds just as you need them! Safe travels…
Thanks Brenda, we’re looking forward to it! Fortunately Goodreads is mobile
More than a little jealous of your upcoming adventure, Jo. Look forward to catching up somewhere on the water!
We had a similar debate about grab bags sailing south out of Cairns last year. Turned out I couldn’t lift it by the time I’d finished packing it so we ended up with 2 grab bags. There’s a slight chance I’d over-packed
And I’m with you – I hope never to be stepping up into our life raft…
Stepping UP is right – it will take a lot to get me off this boat and into a life raft! I think our grab bag is going to be the same by the time I’ve organised it… We’ll keep in touch about finding you down the east coast!
Grab bags are wonderful things. They’re yellow and float and ours carries the wallet to the nearest waterside eatery.
Looking forward to seeing you in Pittwater for some rafting up, relaxation and rest.
Helen
I love that image, Helen! very important to keep the wallet floating. Looking forward to seeing you in a few months down there!
Jo forget the wasabi and grab that bottle of wine! X
The wine! Of course! This grab bag is getting heavier by the minute… thanks Jenny!
We wish you a very pleasant seatrip and sincerely do hope you don’t ever need to use the life raft. Stay healthy and enjoy life! Keep us posted!
Thanks Jaap and Maria! I wish we were going as far as your home port but Holland’s just a bit out of the way this year. We will keep in touch! XX
Hallo Lex and Jo, have a wonderful trip….Cocky always used to tell me to make sure you step UP into your liferaft and of course, take the rum with you! Phil and I just had four weeks in Croatia, two of them on a Jenneau 41 with the Hamiltons. What a great sailing ground. Take care, Toots
The rum’s not too far from the grab bag… And Croatia! That must’ve been wonderful! Hope you took lots of photos, Toots. It was lovely seeing you in Darwin earlier on – stay safe yourselves and keep in touch XX
All the best Jo & Lex
Safe travels and may the wind always be at your backs. Jo, you probably already know – but I think Kathmandu (Casuarina) sells waterproof playing cards. 
Love and best wishes from the Francis’ xo
Hi Dani – I’ll definitely check out the waterproof playing cards. I just hope we never actually need their waterproof capabilities! My approach is like insurance: the more elaborate the preparations, the more likely we are never to use it! XX
I’d left my seriously tired inflatable with it’s new 5hp Merc tied to steps near the Manly (Sydney) ferry wharf at 11:30 pm for an emergency dash by taxi 15km into the maelstrom that is ‘Suburban Sydney’. The ‘mission’, to save my 40 y/0 daughter, was likely to end in horror.
At about 6 (ish?) I arrived seriously bloodied, my best blazer (from the machine of a tailoring Guru in New Delhi) saved from damage but my bestest ever white Van Heusen shirt not so lucky, to find my remote tank and also the internal tank modified with internal water. The oars had recently been relieved of the ding but on the floor was an emergency half oar. In the new mode the wind, nature made sure, was on the nose. I got as far as the swimming pool net but there not a single hope in hell of me paddling 100 meters into the wind. Pretty bruised and dripping (not salt water) I clung to the net, my previously torn shoulder tendons/muscles killing me……what to do? Totally worn out and hurting I noticed Nic Doigs inflatable on the beach and virtually down wind. Doig was possibly still legless from an earlier meeting at his usual haunt and so it was soughta safe to borrow his spotless white ‘Pacific’ rower but the discolouration problems etc put stealing NICs ding on the back shelf.
No option but to hang on to the net now. All the sane people ( I’m a Vietnam Vet and not ….) were in bed, no point in covertly looking for life savers and hollering was out of the question despite TRAMONTANA & other vessels bieng only a few metres away. Blowing only ten knots but alive holding on was heaven.
From weary ears and eyes I caught LEX in his Phuket (gigantic) inflatable steering my way. A miracle to be certain, NO YACHTSPERSON is out of bed at 6 ish.
LEX, looking like my imaginations ‘brain surgeon’ and spoken ditto, was here for me! UNBELIEVABLE!
HERO got me safe and sound and headed off back to bed.
I’m guessing that it was some hours later that my crashedness was disturbed by serious bellows….ahoy blue thunder! ahoy blue thunder!
Searched for my dressing gown among the power tools and cut bulkheads and bread makers etc and crawled and climbed into the cockpit……not a person in sight and now, clearly, insanity has gotten a firmer grip. Not good! (read not good
Glad Lex was able to help you, Brian. Lucky I had a look out the hatch when I woke early that morning and noticed someone trying to paddle with one oar against the wind! Lex to the rescue!