From Cruising to Survival

[ssullivan]

Originally Posted by slomotion

Here’s a tip - In an emergency rum is a pretty good heater: Because of our cruising grounds, we did not need a heater - actually we had reverse cycle AC/Heat, but it would only run on shore power. So of course, 3 weeks into the trip we got caught anchored in the Abacos in the winter when a norther came through and the overnight temperature dropped into the 50s - not exactly life-threatening. My wife was wrapped in blankets on the settee and I thought it would be kind of funny to point out that we probably wouldn’t be trapped in the pack ice. She gave me that single raised eyebrow thing that most people can’t do. I decided I better go topside and check the anchor for about an hour. If I hadn’t taken a bottle of rum with me, I probably would have frozen to death.

I'm hoping that I'm being a square here and that this is just a joke. If so, please ingore the rest of this.

If you are ever trapped in cold weather (where a potential for hypothermia exists), the last thing you want to do is drink alcohol. Not only does it not allow you to feel the effects of the cold, but it actually contributes to a worsening of any hypothermia condition you might have. Non-alcoholic drinks are the only think you should drink in cold conditions.

I saw the grin between the lines. However, I can attest to the fact that potatoes are a good thing to have on board in cold weather. A baked potato will work as a hand warmer, and make a great snack. I am a big fan of things that serve more than one purpose.

[slomotion]

Well, it was true, but YES - it was a joke. I went to college in New Hampshire and I have hiked and camped in the White Mountains in winter. 40 below is cold - alcohol will only help if you're going to die anyway. 50 above is not cold - but it's pretty good rum weather, especially when you're getting the cold shoulder treatment.

[S/V Elusive]

Originally Posted by Kai Nui

A baked potato will work as a hand warmer, and make a great snack. I am a big fan of things that serve more than one purpose.

Especially if eating is one of them??

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by slomotion

Well, it was true, but YES - it was a joke. I went to college in New Hampshire and I have hiked and camped in the White Mountains in winter. 40 below is cold - alcohol will only help if you're going to die anyway. 50 above is not cold - but it's pretty good rum weather, especially when you're getting the cold shoulder treatment.

If you are hypothermic, alchohol can kill you. It increases the circulation to the bodies extremeties, which will allow an inflow of cold blood into the heart. Whatever you do, don't give a hypothermia patient alchohol.

Point taken. And, Yes, If one purpose of the item is a food source, I consider it a good investment to have aboard

[sluissa]

I hear boiled eggs work similarly to the potatoes.

[Kanani]

We had 3-100g water tanks. I can't remember too many times that we had to get shore water. We had a rain catcher rigged up that could take on 100g per hour in a good tropical rain. If we were down to one tank, we would take rain water from our awning (after it rained for long enough to clean it off). We've taken on 200g in under an hour.

I have always advocated keeping enough rice, packaged dried food, canned food, canned milk, powdered milk and canned butter on board to last 3 months (minimum, while cruising). We usually had enough for 6 months (and rotated it). We also always had sprouts growing and we always made our own yogurt (from powdered milk).

Good planning can keep you from having to go into "Survival mode". From what I have observed over the years is, that most people that get extracted from their vessel have done so due to a lack of planning and panic.

In most cases, a vessel can be severely damaged and the skipper could have made it to land and just felt too overwhelmed with dispair to try.

In a recent case that I saw, the vessel had been rolled, lost her mizzen mast and 70% of the main mast. He was 300 miles off-shore. If you can only make 1/2kt....24-hours a day, that's less than 30 days to make 300 miles. That should not be a reason to abandon ship IMO.

People get mentally overwhelmed because of a lack of facing the fact that these things can happen and having a plan to deal with it.

One more time, I will say....never leave home without a parachute sea anchor. In most cases that I have seen, a $600 sea anchor (or whatever they cost these days) would make the difference between being able to get things under control on your own and having to abandon ship. That is the #1 best survival tool that any sailor could own. IMHO....far more important than a liferaft (that'll get me some flack). There are very few stories of survival in a liferaft.

[useDaGreyMatter]

Wow finally people who think like I do!!!!!!!!!!!

Great!!

[skipmac]

Hi Steve,

If you are really preparing for TEOTWAWKI you might want to rethink steel. I've owned a steel boat and really appreciate the strength of the material but without access to technology derived paint the life span is finite.

Fiberglass on the other hand is not as strong, would not withstand a grounding like steel, but theoretically could last a couple of lifetimes without loss of structural integrity. Might have to scrub the bottom weekly to keep the critters off without bottom paint but the hull won't turn into fiberglass oxide.

[hpeer]

Originally Posted by skipmac

Hi Steve,

If you are really preparing for TEOTWAWKI you might want to rethink steel. I've owned a steel boat and really appreciate the strength of the material but without access to technology derived paint the life span is finite.

Fiberglass on the other hand is not as strong, would not withstand a grounding like steel, but theoretically could last a couple of lifetimes without loss of structural integrity. Might have to scrub the bottom weekly to keep the critters off without bottom paint but the hull won't turn into fiberglass oxide.

Having two steel boats I appreciate this post.

However, if you go to yachtworld you will find some number of 100+ year old boats. Surely for the first 70 or 80 years they did not have the technology that we have today.

I don't know what they did, but it must have been pretty good.

Tar smeared all over the bottom perhaps??????

Anyone know?

65' Paviljoentjalk 1897 82,434 S U S D ST Groningen, Netherlands 72' TjalkPerfect For Live ... 1896 230,815 S U S D ST enkhuizen, Netherlands 104' Steam Tug Schooner 189... 1895 4,099,500 S U S D ST Roma, Italy 30' Société Promotrice Yac... 1879 41,217 S U S D ST Bresr, France

[hummingway]

Originally Posted by hpeer

Having two steel boats I appreciate this post.

However, if you go to yachtworld you will find some number of 100+ year old boats. Surely for the first 70 or 80 years they did not have the technology that we have today.

I don't know what they did, but it must have been pretty good.

Tar smeared all over the bottom perhaps??????

Anyone know?

65' Paviljoentjalk 1897 82,434 S U S D ST Groningen, Netherlands 72' TjalkPerfect For Live ... 1896 230,815 S U S D ST enkhuizen, Netherlands 104' Steam Tug Schooner 189... 1895 4,099,500 S U S D ST Roma, Italy 30' Société Promotrice Yac... 1879 41,217 S U S D ST Bresr, France

This webpage says that pitch or bitumen based tars with preference given to pitch for new metal:
Bottom Blacking - coal tar - bitumen - epoxy - hull coatings

[hpeer]

Thanks Hummingway.