A surprise bag is a hot topic when it comes to long-distance cruising. We all agree that it is something we have to have but never want to use. Not preparing it before you go is a risk most of us don’t want to take. If for some reason you have to abandon ship, not having it ready and at hand can be disastrous.

So how do you make sure you have everything you need in one small airtight container?

I have 3 small airtight containers and a few other items to grab but then there are four of us who would have to get on the life raft if something happened to our yacht and having kids on board means I’m not prepared to leave the dock without a game full of surprise bags.

You might say your liferaft comes with a packed lifesaving kit, but keep in mind that a liferaft is designed to last 3 days for the number of people it is rated for. So if you have a 6 person life raft, there are enough rations for 6 people for 3 days inside. Also, are you really sure what’s in that life raft package? Are you sure the water hasn’t gotten dirty?

With that in mind, here’s what I think you really need to pack in your personal grab bag.

tote bag 1:

This goodie bag is for teams. In mine I have:
1 x waterproof flashlight
1 x Flashlight Spare Battery Set
1x diving knife
1 x Manual Fishing Tackle Set [including some thick hand line, a makeshift reel, a pair of good fishing gloves, 3 x lures, 8 x hooks, 4 x sinkers]
1 canister smoke flare
4 red parachute flares.
4 handheld smoke flares.
1 sound signal.
1 police whistle
1 mirror reflector
1x hand compass
1x handheld GPS
1 set of spare battery for GPS
8 emergency blankets. [space blankets – I have 2 per person]
1 x roll up sail tape
1 x Bicycle Puncture Repair Kit
1 x 2m x 2m plastic sheet [this can function as rain catchment, shade as well as a makeshift sail if necessary.]
1 small notebook kit containing: 2 pencils, 1 pencil sharpener, 1 eraser, 1 notebook
1 small basic medical kit containing: 10 plasters, 1 200 ml disinfectant, 2 bandages, 1 tube of antibacterial ointment, 1 box of analgesics, suntan lotion, aftersun, motion sickness tablets, Immodium[anti diarrhea]10 x Rehydrate sachets

Handbag n° 2 and 3
This bag contains our rations. This list will depend on your food preferences, but here are the essentials:

1 can opener
1 x spoon or teaspoon for each person on board
1 sharp knife
1 large package of glucose-rich candy
2 x packages of gingerbread cookies [ they help for motion sickness too]

canned food
I chose them as follows:
High in protein:
10 x canned meat. [1 per 4 people per day for 10 days] corned beef or picnic ham work well.
Baked beans would work too, but my picky family wouldn’t touch them anyway!
5 x canned tuna [1 per 4 people per day for 5 days]
5 x canned chicken [1 per 4 people per day for 5 days]
5 x Canned Vienna [1 per 4 people per day for 5 days]
Vegetables:
10 x cans of sweet corn [1 per 4 people per day for 10 days]
5 canned peas. [1 per 4 people per day for 5 days]
The vegetables are packed in a liquid that can supply the shortage of drinking water
Glucose:
5 x cans of peaches [1 per 4 people for 5 days] The syrup they are stored in can be used as a glucose additive to water or on its own if water becomes a problem.
2 x cans of cream [this is also glucose rich and can substitute liquids]

These tins fit perfectly, with a little packing skill, into airtight 2 x 10kg buckets.
The other things ready to go and stacked next to the tote bags are 2 x 5L water bottles and a double action hand pump.

Remember that the only item you want to take from inside the boat if everything goes wrong is your satellite phone, if you have one!

When we depart for an offshore passage, we strap all of these items, as well as our life raft, to our dinghy that can be easily deployed from the davit system at the rear of the cabin. That way we have our boat, complete with 2 sets of oars. [unfortunately no motor]some spare rope and the above items to keep us going until we are rescued or find a way to brace ourselves.