Many sailors have little clue to what their lifesaving pod might contain. Candy? A chess set? Whisky sour mix and a few nips of Jim Beam?
Life raft survival kits used by the recreational yachting community can generally be divided into five categories based, in part, on the distance in miles the yacht will be sailing from shore. Types of emergency survival packs include ISO Pack I, ISO Pack II, SOLAS B Pack, Offshore Pack (Type E), and Coastal Pack.
Other kits such as the SOLAS A Pack, which would also carry food provisions, are not part of the lineup since they were assembled for commercial vessels operating 50 or more miles from shore.
Some basic equipment is contained in all five recreational yachting packages, so these items are excluded from the accompanying PS contents chart.
These basic items include paddles, sea anchor with line, bailer, sponge, bellows or pump, instructions for survival, table of life-saving signals, water bags, leak stoppers, rescue quoit and line, and buoyant safety knife.
Additional equipment such as sunscreen, fishing gear, food rations, radar reflectors, and smoke signals depend on the type of recreational life raft survival package as shown in the chart.
For a more detailed analysis of life raft safety gear, see the May 2007 issue of Practical Sailor.
