Lost at Sea

[Guest The Architect]

I'm sure most of you have heard of the "Lost at Sea" scenario before. Where you're adrift on a large private yacht in say, the South Pacific, and a fire breaks out and destroys much of the yacht and its contents. The yacht is now slowly sinking. Your exact location is unclear because of the destruction of critical navigational equipment and also because you and the crew were distracted whilst trying to bring the fire under control; in other words, put it out.

 

The best estimate is that you

Edited March 19, 2007 by The Architect

[Purgatorio]

I'm sure most of you have heard of the "Lost at Sea" scenario before. Where you're adrift on a large private yacht in say, the South Pacific, and a fire breaks out and destroys much of the yacht and its contents. The yacht is now slowly sinking. Your exact location is unclear because of the destruction of critical navigational equipment and also because you and the crew were distracted whilst trying to bring the fire under control; in other words, put it out.

 

The best estimate is that you

Edited March 19, 2007 by Purgatorio

[Guest The Architect]

 

I agree with all of the above and at your ways to kill the others.

Edited March 19, 2007 by The Architect

[Gorth]

Fishing kit, didn't see that, well that would be very important. How are you going to eat them? You would have to dry them, and not with salt that will just make you dehydrate.

Soak them in the Bundaberg rum (sort of like, use it as a marinade?)...

 

I'm sure most of you have heard of the "Lost at Sea" scenario before. Where you're adrift on a large private yacht in say, the South Pacific, and a fire breaks out and destroys much of the yacht and its contents. The yacht is now slowly sinking. Your exact location is unclear because of the destruction of critical navigational equipment and also because you and the crew were distracted whilst trying to bring the fire under control; in other words, put it out.

 

The best estimate is that you

[astr0creep]

I would just obey whatever orders Locke would bark at me.

He knows survival!

[LadyCrimson]

Survivorman spent a few days in a sea lifeboat during one of his shows (on Science Channel) once - watching that was interesting. Maybe you could write to people with shows like that and ask them for opinions or further experts to ask?

 

In terms of your list, I'd be most concerned with stuff that might be useful not only on the boat but on land, since even with the distances involved that would certainly be my goal.

 

water - imperative since the sea is salty and it might not rain - and if it does rain, the empty bottles could be used to catch more water.

mirror - signalling, shards are sharp for possible cutting, could be used to start a fire (matches can get wet)

fishing kit - food source, metal hooks and line could be useful for other things

seatcushion - could be torn up and used as padding under clothes, or w/the stuffing taken out, as a pack of sorts

sextant - if I knew how to use one, important. If I didn't, it's trash - although the metal might be useful

army rations - I'm assuming it'd be more compact than the mars bars, more nutritionally complete, and possibly better bait for fish or other animals

nylon rope - always useful; you could always use it to drag someone behind the boat as bait...harhar

rum - antiseptic properties, possible fire starter

mosquito netting - for catching food possibly, or a strainer, or whatever. It's light, so I'd take it.

-------------------------------------------------

transistor radio - in a serious survival situation, I suspect it would be useless except for parts

the petrol - useless weight. Maybe a tiny bottle for firestarting if you reach land, but 10 liters?

maps of the ocean - useful for trying to figure out where you are intially, but trying to navigate to a specific spot in the open ocean in a lifeboat is a pretty good laugh. Still, they're light, so maybe.

the plastic - possibly useful for many things, but you could live without it

the mars bars - eh, if weight isn't a big issue for a couple days, or the group is large, I'd keep them and eat them first, when the fact they have almost no nutritional value vs. energy gained vs. "sugar crash", isn't as important.

shark repellent - I suppose it wouldn't be bad to have, but I'd doubt its real effectiveness and it wouldn't be a priority.

[Walsingham]

The petrol can be used to signal an aircraft provided you have the strength to hoy it over the side and light it. I guess.

 

I don't trust these any more since I participated in one where we had crashed in Northern Canada, fifteen people, five weeks before we were supposed to be coming back from our research station. The official solution was to spend five weeks in a snowdrift living on a gallon of maple syrup and whatever we could kill using a .44 magnum revolver containing six rounds. My objections to this orthodox solution of staying put were:

 

1) Bears

 

2) Hunger

 

3) Restlessness

 

It being my observation that after the first week we would have certainly run out of food, have attracted a bear, and people would try to trek to safety (about 30km away). My alternative was to admit this was going to happen and to strike out on the 30 klicks while our strength was still good. I also observed that we had sufficient tools and raw materials to make a portage raft or two that would cut the distance considerably by allowing us to cross lakes.

 

I got slated by the immediate exercise supervisor but passed the selection.

[LadyCrimson]

I've always thought the "stay put" advice as being over-rated. It would really depend on the situation.

 

Side note: darn, did I actually say a mirror could start a fire? I must have been asleep. Unless it's a bowl shaped mirror. Or a coke can polished with a bar of chocolate.

[Walsingham]

I've always thought the "stay put" advice as being over-rated. It would really depend on the situation.

 

Side note: darn, did I actually say a mirror could start a fire? I must have been asleep. Unless it's a bowl shaped mirror. Or a coke can polished with a bar of chocolate.

 

I should have been more clear by stressing the fac tthat no-one would come looking for us for weeks. If you expect an immediate search then staying put is certainly wise. Unless you crash at teh bottom of a ravine or something. Problem solving with limited resources is rarely a question of repeating some paper formula.

[Omelette]

Now, say you

[Guest The Architect]

Thanks for the replies folks.

 

But what a fool I am. You see, I

Edited March 21, 2007 by The Architect

[LadyCrimson]

I'd be interested in his rationale for the petrol, particuarly over water.

The liferaft has no motor, right?

[Gorth]

From the PDF file....

 

2 Gallon can of oil/pertrol mixture:

 

Critical for signalling. The mixture will float and could be ignited with one the 5 pound notes and a match (there is more explanation in the text as to what you've got in your combined pocketses). WHat the experts don't say is how you get away from the this conflagration or what to do if the wind should push the life raft into the flames!

[LadyCrimson]

Ah...signal fire on the water. I suppose that's clever, except, as you pointed out, how to avoid the flames in your very meltable rubber raft. I guess you paddle like mad as soon as you toss the match.

[Walsingham]

The petrol can be used to signal an aircraft provided you have the strength to hoy it over the side and light it. I guess.

 

I thank you.

 

EDIT: the petrol can also be used to demonstrate objection to world aggression.

[LadyCrimson]

I thank you.

Hahaha.

I have a horrible short-term memory. I'd completely forgotten you'd written that already.

[metadigital]

Three points:

1. Without water you will die VERY quickly.
   
2. A mirror is both lightweight and useful to signal (but only during the day). Petrol would be necessary for nocturnal signalling, but how many search parties are active during the dark?
   
3. You would eat the fish raw.
   

[SteveThaiBinh]

I'm sure most of you have heard of the "Lost at Sea" scenario before.

Sort of. I know this activity as 'the N.A.S.A. game' - you and your team of astronauts are stranded on the moon a hundred miles from your moonbase and you have twenty items which you have to rank in order of usefulness for your survival (oxygen=useful, matches not so much). This variation looks interesting too - I might try it out with my students.

[metadigital]

You are going to lose your students at sea?