food for life raft

[livbysea]

Originally Posted by Suijin

Are you sailing TO the BVIs (and from where), or IN the BVIs?

If the former, and from up north, you're going to be out of (easy) range of the USCG, which is essentially 350 miles offshore. It could take awhile for someone to reach you. So it does make sense to fill a bag with food, batteries, and medical supplies, beyond the immediate ditch bag. A few 5 gallon blue jerry cans of water in the lazarette is a good idea as well.

If you're just sailing IN the BVIs...a much smaller kit is adequate.

Either way you want the most compact food you can assemble. Getting stuff into a life raft in emergency conditions is not a sure thing and can be almost impossible in some circumstances.

hi,

We are sailing TO BVI from Virginia - then sailing in the region - and eventually plan to island hop our way back to Maine, beginning in late April. So, yes, we will be far offshore. THANKS!

[Wotname]

It depends on what you want to achieve with your "ditch bag" but if you are interested in staying alive for as many days as possible in a liferaft then this is all you need to know.

Originally Posted by barnakiel

WATER. You need just WATER.

Neither fats nor proteins. These both require plenty of water to digest.

What you want is WATER at max. You are not going to lift weighs while in the raft so your calories intake is irrelevant. You just need sugars for you brain and heart to go ticking.

If you say have 10 pounds of space in the raft, take 9.5 pounds of water, chuck in some energy gels or power bars and you are fine for a week.

Cheers,
b.

I researched ditch bag rations back in the early 80's. I contacted liferaft companies, ration providers, emergency hunger relief organisations, food manufacturers, emergency outdoor medics and so on. The message was clear, to stay alive you need WATER. Fat and protein increases the water requirement and should be avoided unless you have ample water; even so, they don't help you stay alive unless you are talking months (many months).

The most suitable food to provide energy requirements is glucose; note glucose not sugar. Common sugar is about 50% glucose and the remainder is sucrose. While sucrose does provide energy, pure glucose was considered better although the reasons escape me ATM.

Back then, life rafts were packed with water and glucose tablets/bars. Medical grade glucose is (was?) available as powder and tablets and food grade glucose was available in the form of Barley Sugar sweets (although these probably are mostly common sugar the days).

Bulk glucose is available at all good home brewing outlets.

I accept medical knowledge might have increased in the last 30+ years but find out what current commercial life rafts are packed with. Also note, I am not medically trained

[Jdege]

Take sugar is sucrose, half glycogen and half fructose.
Glucose goes straight into the bloodstream. Fructose is processed in the liver on very much the way alcohol is.

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by livbysea

hi,

We are sailing TO BVI from Virginia - then sailing in the region - and eventually plan to island hop our way back to Maine, beginning in late April. So, yes, we will be far offshore. THANKS!

Salty Dawg or Caribbean 1500?

I would focus on what you can compactly pack and transfer to a raft. I would not worry about balanced meals lol.

Seriously, if you need to pop the life raft, getting yourself safely into it is going to be an ordeal. Getting anything else onto it successfully is gravy. Plan accordingly and have a plan.

[livbysea]

Originally Posted by Wotname

It depends on what you want to achieve with your "ditch bag" but if you are interested in staying alive for as many days as possible in a liferaft then this is all you need to know.








I researched ditch bag rations back in the early 80's. I contacted liferaft companies, ration providers, emergency hunger relief organisations, food manufacturers, emergency outdoor medics and so on. The message was clear, to stay alive you need WATER. Fat and protein increases the water requirement and should be avoided unless you have ample water; even so, they don't help you stay alive unless you are talking months (many months).

The most suitable food to provide energy requirements is glucose; note glucose not sugar. Common sugar is about 50% glucose and the remainder is sucrose. While sucrose does provide energy, pure glucose was considered better although the reasons escape me ATM.

Back then, life rafts were packed with water and glucose tablets/bars. Medical grade glucose is (was?) available as powder and tablets and food grade glucose was available in the form of Barley Sugar sweets (although these probably are mostly common sugar the days).

Bulk glucose is available at all good home brewing outlets.

I accept medical knowledge might have increased in the last 30+ years but find out what current commercial life rafts are packed with. Also note, I am not medically trained

hi,

Interestingly, our new Viking offshore raft includes no rations - but the ARC 1500 has suggestions and expects us to supplement if the pack with the raft does not include all item - so have been reading (and reviewing answers to this forum) to learn about current "best practices." It seems there are divergent views with regard to food/protein - but unsurprisingly, agreement on water.

[livbysea]

Originally Posted by Suijin

Salty Dawg or Caribbean 1500?

I would focus on what you can compactly pack and transfer to a raft. I would not worry about balanced meals lol.

Seriously, if you need to pop the life raft, getting yourself safely into it is going to be an ordeal. Getting anything else onto it successfully is gravy. Plan accordingly and have a plan.

hi

agreed - getting to the life raft - with the ditch bag, would certainly be a challenge - and keeping it simple is a priority.

[Wotname]

The expected time one is in liferaft has been shortened dramatically over the past 25 years. GPS, SARTS, AIS, 406 beacons, sat phones etc etc and so on have reduced SAR times considerably.

Maybe this is driving ration selection ?????

[livbysea]

Originally Posted by Wotname

The expected time one is in liferaft has been shortened dramatically over the past 25 years. GPS, SARTS, AIS, 406 beacons, sat phones etc etc and so on have reduced SAR times considerably.

Maybe this is driving ration selection ?????

I imagine yes - and while we hope never to benefit from our investments in safety equipment, we want to be as prepared as possible - It's fascinating to hear the range of views - and to assess them in light of other research. we're certainly happy that technology can make such adventures safer.

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by Wotname

The expected time one is in liferaft has been shortened dramatically over the past 25 years. GPS, SARTS, AIS, 406 beacons, sat phones etc etc and so on have reduced SAR times considerably.

Maybe this is driving ration selection ?????

These days life rafts fall into three categories; coastal, offshore, and ocean. Many people buy the "offshore" thinking well, I'll be offshore, that's what I need. And in this day and age that probably true. Ocean level is probably the only one with food and water (and a much higher price tag.), and preferable if you're more than 500 miles out.

For the ARC 1500, the USCG monitors the fleet fairly closely and even when you're outside of helicopter rescue range at most you're probably not more than 72 hours from being picked up. The "blind spot" is after you make the turn south from Bermuda and are halfway to Virgin Gorda. You're pretty well out there at that point.

[livbysea]

72 hours is certainly fast - and would not require much food - though certainly water would be essential.. I suspect that the 72 hours would seem like an eternity if circumstances force one into a life raft.....

[AJ_n_Audrey]

A point made by Reese Palley in his book, Call of the Ancient Mariner, is you have to be able to lift the life raft. My Avon 4 person raft is like 66 pounds, and I can barely lift it. Not having rations in the raft may be a plus, especially if you can put them in the ditch bag. And again, separate 5 gal water jug(s) are the way to go, but figure out a way to secure them to the life-raft tether, because if you need them, it may be at night or in rough conditions where tossing them "near" the raft is not good enough.

[InTheDish]

These guys deliver!

https://www.allenbrothers.com/allen-...se-steaks.html

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by InTheDish

These guys deliver!

https://www.allenbrothers.com/allen-...se-steaks.html

This and a couple of frosty ales per person is all ya need

[livbysea]

Originally Posted by AJ_n_Audrey

A point made by Reese Palley in his book, Call of the Ancient Mariner, is you have to be able to lift the life raft. My Avon 4 person raft is like 66 pounds, and I can barely lift it. Not having rations in the raft may be a plus, especially if you can put them in the ditch bag. And again, separate 5 gal water jug(s) are the way to go, but figure out a way to secure them to the life-raft tether, because if you need them, it may be at night or in rough conditions where tossing them "near" the raft is not good enough.

hi,

our raft is new and sealed - so includes the safety equipment that Viking sells with the raft - we cannot add to it without having to have it repacked, etc. So, we need to include other essentials in our ditch bag. And yes, the raft is heavy - two of us can handle it - not sure one could.... we are finalizing ditch bag - but agree circumstances that force one into a raft usually mean very challenging conditions!

[livbysea]

Originally Posted by Wotname

This and a couple of frosty ales per person is all ya need

or a good cabernet.....