Now that the ocean is our home, it’s even more critical that Peter and I have the supplies we need in the event of an emergency. This is similar to carrying emergency supplies in your car and stocking up in your home if you live where “The Big One” could tremble the earth so much it knocks out all roads, power and water at any minute; or if you live where a snow storm could leave you trapped inside a car or home; or if you live where a hurricane or tornado could demolish your town.
There are increasing numbers of Doomsday Preppers around the world today that fear a disaster of epic proportions could render them completely on their own. TV shows have depicted some of the extremes these preppers have gone to ensuring their safety and survival.
For others, it’s a less of an obsession but rather a desire for a ‘Plan B’ type of scenario that inspires them to always be prepared for anything to happen.
Peter’s uncle Dan and his wife Terry own a compound in the desert primarily for off-roading and weekend fun. They also know in the back of their minds that they have somewhere safe to go that is fully stocked up with supplies and survival gear in the event that the economy crashes beyond repair and chaos breaks out in the masses.
Two of our favorite TV shows before leaving our little home in San Diego were SurvivorMan and Dual Survival. Both of these shows are of course based on survival and they really get us thinking about whether or not we would have the know-how to truly survive in the wilderness. These guys demonstrate that it’s not as easy as it looks to survive in less-than-ideal conditions when it comes to extreme cold, heat, wind, shelter, food, hydration, finding help, medical issues, and know-how. We believe it is just as important to actually get out and tests your skills before you need to use them. Could you really make a fire with wet kindling or no kindling? Do you know how to use a magnesium stick? Could you catch fish without a fishing pole? Would you actually know how to use a water purifier if you were dying of thirst? Do you know what to do if you’re bitten by a snake or poisonous insect? Would you know how to signal for help without a radio?
It seems so basic to know how to survive, but when you really think about it, could you?? Going from life on land to living on a boat brings a whole new meaning to SIMPLE LIVING. It’s about sustaining life and getting by with the skills and tools available to us.
One of the first projects Peter and I tackled after moving aboard was to build a thorough Ditch Bag and Medical Kit with everything we could think of and get our hands on. It was near the top of our priority list as we began outfitting the boat, knowing it MUST be done before we left the protection of Charlotte Harbor.
Wonder what kind of survival tools we have on board?
DITCH BAG:
We assembled our Ditch Bag with the idea that we need to be able to survive and find help if something ever happened to the boat, if we were swept out to sea in the dinghy or stranded on an island somewhere. Our Ditch Bag is essentially a dry-bag with all of the basic survival gear we might need in the event of an emergency. Although one time the Ditch Bag was accidentally left on the big boat instead of taken out in the dinghy during a diving expedition, we have made it a policy to always bring the Ditch Bag when we take the dinghy anywhere. Even if it’s just for a quick potty run to shore with the dogs, anything could happen. Two items we’d like to include but have not yet purchased are a handheld GPS and a handheld VHF radio.
