Sailing specific first aid kit contents?

[ChrisJHC]

If you want to be able to handle just about anything, have a look at the Australian Sailing “Special Regulations for Racing Boats”.
This lists out their recommendations for various types of sailing from offshore to sheltered waters.

Also consider two kits - one that contains “go-to” stuff such as Panadol, Neurofen, Bandaids etc and the other that contains your more serious stuff.
Tell any crew that they’re free to use the go-to kit at any time whereas you need to be advised when the serious kit is used.
That way you normally only have to check the day to day kit for refills.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by LittleWing77

@Jedi - I seem to remember that you have a particularly good first aid kit onboard. (In fact, Jedi seems to have particularly good everything onboard.) Care to repeat your list for our enquring member?

Thank you

I don’t have a current list because we have made many additions recently. But here is a link to a previous discussion: https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ml#post2088019

I have some remarks:

- a good medical bag isn’t cheap but even the most expensive items become cheap when they save a life

- start with a standardized “first responder” kit. I leave all that out my lists

- commercially available kits are too much hospital oriented instead of expedition oriented. A good example is the bandages. Even though they work in the hands of professionals in hospitals, on a boat in bad weather far away from help, you will succeed with a battle dressing where the standard bandages fail. Yes, much more expensive…

- we have gone up to four antibiotics. I believe they are described in that thread listed above as well.

- for Covid: add plenty self tests that are very cheap now. Then add the I-MASK+ components. Test very early as these (controversial) treatment regimes only work in the early phase.

- I have added chest valves, breathing tubes, tourniquets etc. to my list. Check what kit police cars carry. Many of these are designed for things like bullet or stab wounds, but also work for accidents. Try to get your kit to fix the basics like stop any bleeding, allow breathing etc.

- find out how to stack pain killers. when Ibuprofen isn’t enough, you can add paracetamol, aspirin, naproxen etc. instead of opioids… up to a certain level of course.

- There’s always a lot of controversy over my recommendation for superglue to close wounds. Yes, it’s much better to keep them open, clean and bandage regularly etc. That said, when you need to save boat and crew, you may not have time for that and the superglue option is instant. Just be prepared to have it opened back up after the emergency is handled.
We also carry staples and sutures, as well as the civilian wound closure products.

[sail sfbay]

Buy them locally here:

https://firstaidkitsaustralia.com.au...-first-aid-kit

https://austboating.com.au/products/...irst-aid-kits/

[BigBeakie]

I'm with you on preferring superglue instead of trying to suture. I would also highly recommend a wound healing gel such as Solosite or similar, after some personal experience using it on a fairly large deep gouge in my arm. Amazing stuff.
On a boat, preventing wound infection is key, so the technique with Solosite is to 1. Stop bleeding with pressure, which may take awhile, 2. Thoroughly clean wound and irrigate with sterile water, 3. Pack wound generously with Solosite gel, 4. Sterilize skin immediately around wound with Betadine or similar, 5. Cover wound with WATERPROOF adhesive dressing. 6. Monitor for signs of infection around wound, > puffy, red, visible blood vessels on surrounding skin surface etc. If no signs of infection, just leave the wound to heal for several days, up to a week, before changing dressing.
If wound was very dirty, or from animal bite, consider treating prophylactically with antibiotic for Anarobic bacteria species like Clostridia sp. (ex. gangrene)

[Stellar1970Cat]

Originally Posted by Tetepare

You tried to free zippers with boiling water, then burned your foot with same boiling water?

Yes because I can not feel my feet. I was paralysed waist down on a paragliding accident and my nerves have not fully recovered yet.
So I did hold the kettle away from my feet but water on the floor ended into my feet and must have been still hot as it made blisters to my feel. Only realissd this couple hours later!

[Stellar1970Cat]

Originally Posted by GreenWave

In a pinch you can use chap stick or spray your zippers with oil, dry lube, etc.

I used silicone spray made for that purpose after freeing the zippers with hot water. The bag got a new lease of life.

[Stellar1970Cat]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

A Darwin Award contender !!

Walking paraplegic who can not yet feel hot on feet. I should always wear shoes.

[Stellar1970Cat]

Originally Posted by medevicerep

For burns- Silver ointment. This can be purchased at most pharmacies.



For wounds, sterile saline for wound cleaning. You don't want to waste fresh water on it and sterile saline is the same ph as your body so there will be less pain while cleaning it. Follow up with quick clot bandages if the bleeding is hard to stop with just pressure. Follow up with a battle dressing, the best are called Israeli Battle Dressings that you can pick up on Amazon. These are awesome.

I actually used NZ manuka honey for my blisters. Almost made to the GP but their appointment would have been after a weekend. So I bought more wound dressing pads from pharmacy and self medicated. Much better now and almost healed.

[Stellar1970Cat]

Originally Posted by Bundyon

Stellar, We run a sailing program for Veterans, so for us, we needed a top of the line first aid kit c/w an AED. We turned to Tacmed, a company that was started by a rtd SAS Medic and now supply world wide to Defence, Police, Rescue organisarions etc.
Our kit came in an ip67 waterproof case and sits right next to our companionway for quick access. Make no mistake, this is a top quality first aid kit, not cheap but amongst the very best. Contact Michael Brewer , Tacmed 0499772395. Their Head office is in Coffs Harbour NSW. They are very helpful & will design a kit best suited to your needs
S.V. Mystic - Sailing for Veterans/EMS
https://t.me/TAPCoffsHarbour/184[/IMG]

I guess I am a veteran too? I did Finnish Army and later did UN Peacekeeping in Golan Heights in Finnish battallion. The money I earned there, I spent in six months traveling in Australia as a tourist. Later immigrated and I am still here.
I did a detour to NZ and had my paragliding accident which got me paralysed partially. But I am sailing single handed and living on my cat now.
I look into this, thanks

[JPA Cate]

Keep the burn ointment in the fridge. It is soothing when it goes on, cold.

Keep a small bottle of vinegar in the dinghy, and keep it topped off. You are not usually too far from the dinghy when you get stung. If you wait till you get back to the boat, more of the nematocysts shall have gone off and stung you. Use the vinegar generously. Do not pee on it or use ammonia, because it will make all the nematocysts fire off!

(However, urine is supposed to work on sea urchin spines; and also water as hot as the patient can stand, seems to dissolve them.

If you're going offshore, having inflatable splints seems prudent. We also carry instant ice and a triangle bandage. Butterfly bandaids are great for cuts. And for abrasions, "fixomull" have a number of products you put on a wound after cleaning it, then leave on till it is healed.

Actually something like an old fashioned doctor's bag, but locking, is not a bad idea. Customs will be interested in the drugs you carry. Other things for the medical kit are malaria prophylaxis tablets (if appropriate to area). I think the physical prophylaxis against mozzies is more important and better in many ways than the medicine, but it is a personal preference. We made a cockpit enclosure of bed net, soaked in pyrethrins, and I kept an outfit, similarly treated, for going ashore in the late afternoon. Some countries do not want you to use larium for prophylaxis, they want it to stay good for their people, for treatment, and if you help the mozzies become larium resistant, some of their people will die from malaria. There also have been problems for scuba divers using larium.

I would buy the necessaries from the discount pharmacy (you'll need prescriptions, so if you know a sailing doctor, discuss what you should have with them), and then buy a good sealing plastic tub to keep it all dry and controlled in one spot. Obviously, everyone aboard should know where it is, but you don't need a $60 box with a red cross on it. If you carry elastic bandages (as for sprains), you can also use them to secure non-stick pads on big wounds.

A book many cruisers took out of the US was "Where There Is No Doctor"; however, I believe any Army First Aid book will cover (besides wounds and their care) most things we will encounter as cruisers. Most cruisers will be relatively near emergency medical care, but if you are going far afield, you need to consider what to do, and when, and how to communicate about it, if needed.

Ann

[slipaway]

How much do you want to spend? There are any number of commercially available first aid kids at every price point aimed at marine uses. If you want to make your own there are lists everywhere online (and posted here) of recommended contents. The real questions are more: how long will you be underway? How far from medical help will you be? How many people might be onboard that may require medical assistance? What level of emergency medical/first aid experience do you have? More then one first aid kit may be necessary... as a day and coastal cruiser I maintain a small "bandaid box" for the little cuts and scrapes; as an emergency medical provider, my boat also has a "trauma kit" for the large and potentially life threatening traumas (think bleeding) and finally have a more complete medical/first aid kit that I've never needed (thankfully) to use. And perhaps the best "first aid kit" anyone can maintain is the knowledge needed- taking a training course is time well spent. I like to recommend the wilderness classes since when out on a boat it's tough to "call 911!"

[sck5]

Quikclot!! Works like a charm. Prepackaged waterproof and weighs next to nothing and takes up very little space. Best way to stop bleeding ever invented!

[Moana Bella]

Don't forget some of the simple stuff such as Calamine lotion for mozzie bites, aloe vera for sunburn, snake bite bandage, and you need antihistamine such as Phenergan for hayfever, allergic reactions, bites, stings and jellyfish (also good for sea sickness).
Its a good idea to put vinegar into a spray bottle for ease of application on stings.

[JBsurfin]

Originally Posted by Stellar1970Cat

I am in Queensland in Australia so stinger remedies would be needed in it?
Are there locally available first aid kits suitable for sailing.
Chandleries probably have some but I have not been to one recently.
Currently nurning b8g blisters on my foot as I was pouring boiling water on jammed zippers on my day backpack. I managed to free the zippers but got a huge blister on my foot by accidentally spilling nhot water over it. So my current first aid kit is running out of big wound dressings.
By the way, I use manuka honey on blisters due to it"s healing properties.

I use manuka honey on blisters due to it"s healing properties. That's what it was developed for.. And I've used it for scar reduction on a few injuries'. Worked well, can hardly see them.

[joelhemington]

Originally Posted by sepharad

Scissors
Waterproof Surgical tape
ABD pads (large)
Antibiotic Ointment
Tegaderm Pads (Large)
Ibuprofen
Hydrogen Peroxide
Sterile gauze patches
Benadryl
Sturgeron
Antifungal ointment
long tweezers.
A stitching kit
Sun Block

5 roll gauze

5 chemical cold packs



For a start

And don't forget the Neosporin if you plan to be doing anything around coral heads. Ammonia works well on Man O' War stings (some just use urine) but I don't believe that anything will work with some of those other jellyfish you have. Apparently, Man O' War's are not really jellyfish but a conglomeration of different organisms all working together which to me is a disturbing thought.