Ditch Bag
- Thread starter KJ
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The friendliest place on the web for anyone who enjoys boating.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
markpierce
Master and Commander
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Without life raft or dinghy, one relies on a PFD in our inland waters (SF estuary), and one might stay aware/alive for an hour or so in the 50-degree water.
OP
OP
KJ
El Capitan
For those folks that do venture outside the Gate, say to Bodega Bay, Half Moon Bay, the Farallones, or from Monterey to So Cal, as Baggiolini is currently doing, or anywhere offshore, like crossing the G Stream, I would think a life raft or dinghy would be more appropriate, in which case a ditch bag might come in handy. KJ
CPseudonym
Moderator Emeritus
Waterproof floating VHF, PLB, signaling mirror, and a water bottle in a small mesh bag by the door of our sailboat. We are not "offshore" big water cruising people and feel reasonably prepared.
We take the bag with us when out on friends boats too. Fits discretely in our day tote.
We take the bag with us when out on friends boats too. Fits discretely in our day tote.
psneeld
Guru
The absolutely most important thing about a ditch bad is having the TRAINING (either through someone or self taught) that teaches you about safety/survival at sea. Without the training and a survival plan (changes every voyage)....all the equipment in the world may not save you.
immersion suits are an inexpensive alternative to a liferaft and will keep you alive for days in pretty cold water (50s)....you just better be flexible and familiar with donning one relatively quickly.
the most important thing in ditch bags are epirbs/plbs if you cruise coastal USA, Canada, Bahamas...after that a handheld vhf, some pocket flares, water...the list increases as the distance away from potential goes up (plus thesize of the bag
).
immersion suits are an inexpensive alternative to a liferaft and will keep you alive for days in pretty cold water (50s)....you just better be flexible and familiar with donning one relatively quickly.
the most important thing in ditch bags are epirbs/plbs if you cruise coastal USA, Canada, Bahamas...after that a handheld vhf, some pocket flares, water...the list increases as the distance away from potential goes up (plus thesize of the bag
).Yes, we carry a ditch bag. The list of what's in it is too long to go into in detail here. Basically it has everything we need to attract attention day or night, communicate by VHF, navigate by GPS, compass, and basic charts, provide food and water for two or three days for us and our dog, and provide a modicum of protection from the weather. It is normally stowed on a berth in the forward cabin, but when underway we'll often bring it up into the main cabin depending on the nature of that day's run.
Keith
Guru
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Ditch bag
Red Parachute Flares
Red Hand-Held Flares, SOLAS
Orange Hand-Held Smoke Flares
Dye Marker
406 Manual EPIRB
Hand-Held VHF
Extra Battery Pack for VHF
Signal Mirror
Whistle
Horn
Waterproof Flashlight
Extra Batteries - AA
Extra Batteries – C
Chemical Lightsticks
Strobe Light
Hand Compass
Cigarette Lighter, Butane
Gallon Zip-Lock Bags
Swiss Army Knife
Leatherman Tool
Capalene/Polypropylene Underwear
Sun Block, SPF 30
Vaseline
Sunglasses
Survival Blanket
Small First Aid Kit
Copy of Passport / Driver’s License
Cash
12 Gage Flare Gun Kit
12 Gage Flares – Current
Waterproof Notebook
USCG Fishing Kit
Katydyn Water Maker
Magnifying Glass
Distress Flag, Plastic
Red Parachute Flares
Red Hand-Held Flares, SOLAS
Orange Hand-Held Smoke Flares
Dye Marker
406 Manual EPIRB
Hand-Held VHF
Extra Battery Pack for VHF
Signal Mirror
Whistle
Horn
Waterproof Flashlight
Extra Batteries - AA
Extra Batteries – C
Chemical Lightsticks
Strobe Light
Hand Compass
Cigarette Lighter, Butane
Gallon Zip-Lock Bags
Swiss Army Knife
Leatherman Tool
Capalene/Polypropylene Underwear
Sun Block, SPF 30
Vaseline
Sunglasses
Survival Blanket
Small First Aid Kit
Copy of Passport / Driver’s License
Cash
12 Gage Flare Gun Kit
12 Gage Flares – Current
Waterproof Notebook
USCG Fishing Kit
Katydyn Water Maker
Magnifying Glass
Distress Flag, Plastic
Scary
Guru
That looks like a complete list
How big is the bag that this all fits in? That Katydyn water maker. what model. I didn't see any water containers or water?
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OP
OP
KJ
El Capitan
The absolutely most important thing about a ditch bad is having the TRAINING (either through someone or self taught) that teaches you about safety/survival at sea. Without the training and a survival plan (changes every voyage)....all the equipment in the world may not save you.
immersion suits are an inexpensive alternative to a liferaft and will keep you alive for days in pretty cold water (50s)....you just better be flexible and familiar with donning one relatively quickly.
the most important thing in ditch bags are epirbs/plbs if you cruise coastal USA, Canada, Bahamas...after that a handheld vhf, some pocket flares, water...the list increases as the distance away from potential goes up (plus thesize of the bag
All very good info. However, my question remains: do you carry a ditch bag?
skipperdude
Guru
The things in Kieth's bag is what I would need for Alaska.
I would think the most important thing is an EPERB or VHF.
Most of you folks if you have to ditch help is close by.
Where I boat it could be days before I see another boat. Depending on the time of the year.
The biggest thing on my list is the EPERB and the hand held VHF. As I am generally close to land I can find all the food and water I need.
First aid kit would be nice. I can start a fire anywhere anytime.
SD
I would think the most important thing is an EPERB or VHF.
Most of you folks if you have to ditch help is close by.
Where I boat it could be days before I see another boat. Depending on the time of the year.
The biggest thing on my list is the EPERB and the hand held VHF. As I am generally close to land I can find all the food and water I need.
First aid kit would be nice. I can start a fire anywhere anytime.
SD
Giggitoni
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Yes.
Keith
Guru
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It's a little hand-held unit. I do carry some water packs, but they came from the last time I had my liferaft re-packed. Although they are expired, I think they are still fine. I had outfitted for extended offshore cruising, so that's why it's so extensive.
Scary
Guru
I'm about to put on together for next year
I'm about to put one together for next year. I like your list, I already have most if not all of the items listed, just not in one place. I have a small hand pump Katydyn Ro pump left over from my back country fun, I'm pretty sure it would work.
I'm about to put one together for next year. I like your list, I already have most if not all of the items listed, just not in one place. I have a small hand pump Katydyn Ro pump left over from my back country fun, I'm pretty sure it would work.
OP
OP
KJ
El Capitan
Very comprehensive list. What kind of container do keep it all in? Where do you stow it? Also, how much cash do keep stashed, and what the heck is a USCG fishing kit (besides the obvious)? KJ
psneeld
Guru
A 200 ton stern trawler...
KJ...yes I carry a ditch bag...but till I leave the East Coast ditch/Bahamas...much more than an EPIRB/PLB, pocket pack of skyblazer flares, a couple strobes for life vests and a flashlight or two...everything else sounds like a list from some safety at sea seminar for world cruisin'.
A couple bottled waters are usually at hand so grab them before you jump, board the whatever.
I really need to get a large mouth VERY rugged waterproof bag for my liveaboard stuff. Wallets, laptop, valuables, files, etc, etc oh and the bundles of sequentially numbered 100's...
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The food-water benefit in a ditch bag in this area is not so much for the Puget Sound/lower BC inside waters but for farther north from Desolation Sound up. Even though you are not totally isolated, if you have to abandon the boat the shoreline you will be landing on will usually be rugged, heavily forested, and steep with no easy access to any towns or communities. So you may need to stay put for awhile or take a day or three to work your way through the islands in the dinghy to where there are other people.
And there are areas along the coast where the VHS won't reach anyone on shore and there is no mobile phone coverage. This is why if we are going to be boating in these areas we carry a handheld aircraft VHF in the ditch bag. We may not be line of sight to another marine VHF but we might be to Alaska Airlines or the floatplanes, landplanes and helicopters that serve the Passage and coastal communities and outposts.
So even with help relatively close you may be on your own on shore for awhile before help arrives.
And there are areas along the coast where the VHS won't reach anyone on shore and there is no mobile phone coverage. This is why if we are going to be boating in these areas we carry a handheld aircraft VHF in the ditch bag. We may not be line of sight to another marine VHF but we might be to Alaska Airlines or the floatplanes, landplanes and helicopters that serve the Passage and coastal communities and outposts.
So even with help relatively close you may be on your own on shore for awhile before help arrives.
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OP
OP
KJ
El Capitan
If the (your) ditch bag will not fit in your valise or canister type life raft, or if you just carry a dinghy that you use quite often and didn't want to stow it in there, where do you keep it so you can get to it quickly and easily in case of an emergency, like having to ditch? KJ
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honeybadger
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- 1990 Harkers Island Trawler Typical wooden hull with a Carolina flare and no deadrise at the stern
After my friend had to ditch a boat off the coast of Mexico and had time for nothing it was 3am the the Yacht broke apart in seas, He spent 5 days in a Mexican jail with the crew as they had no id, no papers at all and no boat to prove they were transporting, So i rethought my Ditch bag added some items.Laminated copies of passport along with military id and drivers lic, Medical card and 3 days of medication , with the other items, Pistol/flares, Eperb,Vhf and AM/FM ssb hand held, extra batteries,blanket,CO2 air horn,fishing items line hooks fake bait,First aid, sunscreen,Hat, Multitool,My Dive light.Chem stick lights, Lighter,Toilet paper smashed flat in zip lock bags, the bags about 10-15 lbs and floats and is water proof i keep it under my feet if i am at the helm, on the floor under my shoes if i am sleeping i the rack,
psneeld
Guru
Of course there should be different contents for different areas...just like it would be impossible to survive in the desert with the same stuff as you have for arctic regions and vice versa.
But of course there is overlap...identical stuff you need in both areas.
Tailor to suit the needs of your boating and region.
Thinks like food, water, blankets etc..etc...often aren't really in a ditch bag. The abandon ship "emergency bill" ( a list of all people and what they are responsible for doing and bringing in the emergency)...lists exactly that...what everyone on board is responsible for bringing when abandoning ship when the skipper gives the order.
If you want all that in a ditch bag great...but realistically...who keeps a bag that big on anything less than about 65 feet? Even then? And if you do great...but it's not how the pros have done it for the last 50 years or so.
But of course there is overlap...identical stuff you need in both areas.
Tailor to suit the needs of your boating and region.
Thinks like food, water, blankets etc..etc...often aren't really in a ditch bag. The abandon ship "emergency bill" ( a list of all people and what they are responsible for doing and bringing in the emergency)...lists exactly that...what everyone on board is responsible for bringing when abandoning ship when the skipper gives the order.
If you want all that in a ditch bag great...but realistically...who keeps a bag that big on anything less than about 65 feet? Even then? And if you do great...but it's not how the pros have done it for the last 50 years or so.
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OP
OP
KJ
El Capitan
Yes, quite obvious.
Still, for venturing offshore, I would much rather have the contents of Keith's bag than yours, as I think most of us humble "non-pro" skippers here would.
KJ
There are a baziillion things that can be rationalized to put in a ditch bag, but as psneeld implies, how big and how heavy do you want the bag to be?
Where you boat will determine the bag's contents. The post-abandon-ship requirements in the ICW where the shoreline is only a few hundred yards away in most places and help is readily available if not right next to you is a different deal than the shorelines up here where help is often far away (assuming you can contact them), and the forest, heavy undergrowth, and steep slopes can make overland travel extremely difficult if not downright impossible.
So I think it's important to think seriously about the challenges abandoning ship where you boat will present and not get all caught up in cool gear that the blue-water passagemaker will need.
So we have in our bag the essentials for communicating in areas where communication can be difficult--- hence the aircraft VHF---, what we need to find and navigate to the most landing-friendly bit of shoreline in the immediate area, food and water for a few days at most (water bottles, power bars), something to help us rig shelter from the ever-present rain, some basic first aid stuff for bug and spider bites, minor cuts, and so on, and stuff to meet the dog's needs.
All this fits in a spacious but not huge bag that is easy to stow on the boat, easy to carry, and is set up to be instantly clipped to the dinghy so it won't drift away or sink should the dinghy swamp or flip.
There are lots and lots of really clever items of survival gear, much of which can be rationalized for your own ditch bag in the comfort of your armchair. But we have a rule that has served us very well not only for emergency gear like this but even for the stuff we take on a European vacaction or whatever. And that is that if we consider an item and say, "We might need that," we don't take it.
So the contents of a ditch bag are going to be different for a boater on the ICW than those of a boater in Maine/Maritime waters, or southern California, or the PNW, or SFO bay, or the Irish Sea. Some items will be common to all, but most will be unique to the challenges the boater will face in his/her own waters.
Of course an item packed in a crowded ditch bag isn't much good if you don't remember it's there. So we keep a waterproof list of the bag's contents fastened to the inside of the bag next to the zipper.
One carryover we have from the emergency equipment we carry in the float plane is a well-written and illustrated survival manual for the area we boat and fly in. So it has instructions for building various kinds of rain shelters, basic first aid info, what you can eat along our shorelines and what will kill you if you do, and so on. Moreso in a plane than in a boat, the shock of suddenly being thrust into a survival/waiting-to-be-rescued situation can lead to indecision and confusion, so having a manual along that says, "First do this, then do this, then do this," can be a real lifesaver because it can help focus one's thoughts and get the survival process underway until help arrives.
Where you boat will determine the bag's contents. The post-abandon-ship requirements in the ICW where the shoreline is only a few hundred yards away in most places and help is readily available if not right next to you is a different deal than the shorelines up here where help is often far away (assuming you can contact them), and the forest, heavy undergrowth, and steep slopes can make overland travel extremely difficult if not downright impossible.
So I think it's important to think seriously about the challenges abandoning ship where you boat will present and not get all caught up in cool gear that the blue-water passagemaker will need.
So we have in our bag the essentials for communicating in areas where communication can be difficult--- hence the aircraft VHF---, what we need to find and navigate to the most landing-friendly bit of shoreline in the immediate area, food and water for a few days at most (water bottles, power bars), something to help us rig shelter from the ever-present rain, some basic first aid stuff for bug and spider bites, minor cuts, and so on, and stuff to meet the dog's needs.
All this fits in a spacious but not huge bag that is easy to stow on the boat, easy to carry, and is set up to be instantly clipped to the dinghy so it won't drift away or sink should the dinghy swamp or flip.
There are lots and lots of really clever items of survival gear, much of which can be rationalized for your own ditch bag in the comfort of your armchair. But we have a rule that has served us very well not only for emergency gear like this but even for the stuff we take on a European vacaction or whatever. And that is that if we consider an item and say, "We might need that," we don't take it.
So the contents of a ditch bag are going to be different for a boater on the ICW than those of a boater in Maine/Maritime waters, or southern California, or the PNW, or SFO bay, or the Irish Sea. Some items will be common to all, but most will be unique to the challenges the boater will face in his/her own waters.
Of course an item packed in a crowded ditch bag isn't much good if you don't remember it's there. So we keep a waterproof list of the bag's contents fastened to the inside of the bag next to the zipper.
One carryover we have from the emergency equipment we carry in the float plane is a well-written and illustrated survival manual for the area we boat and fly in. So it has instructions for building various kinds of rain shelters, basic first aid info, what you can eat along our shorelines and what will kill you if you do, and so on. Moreso in a plane than in a boat, the shock of suddenly being thrust into a survival/waiting-to-be-rescued situation can lead to indecision and confusion, so having a manual along that says, "First do this, then do this, then do this," can be a real lifesaver because it can help focus one's thoughts and get the survival process underway until help arrives.
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psneeld
Guru
Have at it...23 years USCG recue helo pilot, 10 years Sea Tow captain, 10 years delivery captain, 10 years teaching boating safety, captains licensing and safety at sea with the top names....do whatever makes you feel comfortable...
There's a huge difference in getting rescued and survival...you have to understand the difference and know what works and doesn't.
I'm sure there are some well qualified people out there that can relate...but most of the "safety at sea" guys I taught with at trawler fests and Annapolis, etc..etc were just a bunch of amatuers that had crossed an ocean and wrote a book. They had an "experience" or two...not thousands like true pros....again do whatever makes you feel comfortable...but there is a method to ones madness while trying to be rescued versus a survival situation.
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OP
OP
KJ
El Capitan
psneeld
Guru
I said do whatever you like...but I'm just letting you know that this particular topic IS my profession/expertise...ya don't like it move on...
if you think that's sarcasm...I can't help that.
I'm not threatened by other's credentials...why are you?
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OP
OP
KJ
El Capitan
You just don't get it, do you?
A couple of weeks ago you slammed Jennifer (Pineapple Girl) for no other reason than you (and nobody else) misunderstood what she was trying to say. She's one of the nicest people on this forum and you treated her like dirt. Yeah, you really proved at lot more than your point with that one. Someone should have apologized to her for you, because you obviously didn't or don't have the courtesy to do it.
It seems that of all your vast unlimited skills, self-aggrandizing appears to be your best. Nobody is threatened by your "credentials", were just sick of hearing them.
Your manner of corresponding is very sarcastic, but I'm sure you think it's the only way you can school us lesser folks.
If you have something positive to add to a thread, then just say it like everyone else does, you can knock off all the peripheral crap.
If you can't, then please, just don't respond (at least not to my posts).
KJ
A couple of weeks ago you slammed Jennifer (Pineapple Girl) for no other reason than you (and nobody else) misunderstood what she was trying to say. She's one of the nicest people on this forum and you treated her like dirt. Yeah, you really proved at lot more than your point with that one. Someone should have apologized to her for you, because you obviously didn't or don't have the courtesy to do it.
It seems that of all your vast unlimited skills, self-aggrandizing appears to be your best. Nobody is threatened by your "credentials", were just sick of hearing them.
Your manner of corresponding is very sarcastic, but I'm sure you think it's the only way you can school us lesser folks.
If you have something positive to add to a thread, then just say it like everyone else does, you can knock off all the peripheral crap.
If you can't, then please, just don't respond (at least not to my posts).
KJ
HopCar
Guru
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Keith, why a Magnifying Glass?
ACR sells a really nice ditch bag (empty) and they often run specials where they give you one if you buy an EPIRB. They are running a special now as a mater of fact.
ACR ARTEX Summer Promotions / Cobham - Beacon Solutions
ACR sells a really nice ditch bag (empty) and they often run specials where they give you one if you buy an EPIRB. They are running a special now as a mater of fact.
ACR ARTEX Summer Promotions / Cobham - Beacon Solutions
We carry a ditch bag. It is a standard yellow ACR bag and stuffed with the same type of items mentioned previously. There is one consideration, regardless of where you boat, that had escaped our attention and did not seem to figure on ditch bag lists.
When we got our life raft serviced 3 years ago (it failed!!) the shop doing the service (LRSE) pointed out that getting into a LR is usually a very wet experience. You quite often need to swim to the raft even if it is attached to the mother ship - the concept of "stepping down" into the LR is something of a fiction. Consequently, we were advised to pack complete changes of warm clothing in the ditch bag. Especially since one of the biggest risks in that situation is hypothermia. We now carry extra clothing in a sealed thick poly bag inside the ditch bag. It also adds to the buoyancy of the ditch bag. Hopefully we shall never need either the LR or the DB but when you are a few hundred miles off shore it is nice to know they are available. One last caution about the DB. It can get kind of heavy if you are not careful. Too heavy means the admiral may not be able to handle it when the sh1T hits the fan and the captain is trying to launch the LR.
Chris
When we got our life raft serviced 3 years ago (it failed!!) the shop doing the service (LRSE) pointed out that getting into a LR is usually a very wet experience. You quite often need to swim to the raft even if it is attached to the mother ship - the concept of "stepping down" into the LR is something of a fiction. Consequently, we were advised to pack complete changes of warm clothing in the ditch bag. Especially since one of the biggest risks in that situation is hypothermia. We now carry extra clothing in a sealed thick poly bag inside the ditch bag. It also adds to the buoyancy of the ditch bag. Hopefully we shall never need either the LR or the DB but when you are a few hundred miles off shore it is nice to know they are available. One last caution about the DB. It can get kind of heavy if you are not careful. Too heavy means the admiral may not be able to handle it when the sh1T hits the fan and the captain is trying to launch the LR.
Chris
