Can’t find this elsewhere so (1) do you have a ditch bag and (2) what does it contain? I’m moving from inland to offshore and am curious what others consider “must have.”
Thanks!
I’m gonna step out on a limb here. What is a ditch bag?
Like a ditch bag you’d take when abandoning ship, the only thing i’d associate with a ditch bag?? or like a must-have bag of stuff to have onboard?
I’m assuming you’re talking about a bag you grab when the vessel is going down. I’ve only packed one once, and that was going through a hurricane on the mighty Geysir. Even then, I didn’t have a bunch of stuff, a few waters and snacks, long sleeve shirt and hat.
I packed that because we had liferafts and were more exposed to the elements vs being in a lifeboat.
Right. A water tight bag with bits and pieces that would make survival and recovery more successful. For example, a personal EPRIB, VHF, extra flares, signal mirror, water, that sort of thing. I have a great bag and use it for deliveries but am reconsidering the contents. Wondered if anyone had a list or ideas.
I guess whatever makes you feel good. Not trying to be a smart ass. Not something I’m overly concerned with. I started out with nothin and I still have most of it left. If I were inclined to have a ditch bag a ziplock with car keys, wallet and cellphone. Things will be a little different than what you’re used to on inland vessels, wether OSV’s or ocean going tugs. Not sure what you meant by offshore. On OSV’s we will be missed fairly quickly. With our proximity to land I’m not concerned with being in the water long if it comes to that. If you’re at your emergency station and the vessel goes down you might not have time to retrieve the bag. You might have to go straight from fighting a fire to hopping over the side.
The shit always hits the fan about 0200. What are you calling “offshore” ?? Just keep your license, wallet, small stuff handy in a zip loc. You going back, into a burning / sinking tugboat, to get your “water, flares and super boyscout 3000” kit just may get a boat named after you.
If you are sinking you aren’t going to worry about your CG Paperwork. The new style MMD doesn’t wash well as a friend of mine told me after he washed his by mistake. Hopefully the companies insurance will cover your costs to replace your gear. When I worked union it was in our agreement about the remuneration in the event of shipwreck or loss of personal gear. Like Fraqrat says in the GOM it is a real busy place with lots of help nearby so you probably won’t be floating around too long.
If it’s any consolation, the Coast Guard will replace free of charge a credential lost in a marine casualty.
That said, I’d keep a ziplock bag with wallet and car keys, and medication. You can stick that inside your gumby suit after you put it on.
Gumby suit?!?!? HA!
I’ve been carrying a signal mirror with me for years. That’s about it though.
Freaking Yankees and all their safety mumbojumobo nonsense.
Hell in the GOM if you have ATT the CG is just a phone call away.
I do feel sorry for the 100 ton guys who have still have chum baskets on their boats. The CG really needs to step up and get rid of them.
Also anything lost thats not used for work, IE all your personal stuff, is covered under your home owners policy.
[QUOTE=Jemplayer;103892]Freaking Yankees and all their safety mumbojumobo nonsense.
Hell in the GOM if you have ATT the CG is just a phone call away.
I do feel sorry for the 100 ton guys who have still have chum baskets on their boats. The CG really needs to step up and get rid of them.
Also anything lost thats not used for work, IE all your personal stuff, is covered under your home owners policy.[/QUOTE]
ATT works in the GoM? Shit, I can’t get it to work in Virginia. On land.
I know, right?? Should be a POKEY suit. Gumby is green! (and he looks a little, you know, swishy- if you get muh drift) 
[QUOTE=seadog6608;103891]I’ve been carrying a signal mirror with me for years. That’s about it though.[/QUOTE]
I prefer my Green Hornet Signal ring, myself.
AT&T is the dominant carrier here in the gulf. With AT&T you can gain access to off network towers on the platforms occasionally. Sometimes there is a charge involved but loopholes do exist to bypass those charges.
I heard that they’re doing away with the floats.
I keep a ziplock with a pack of smokes & a lighter.
Nothing but the essentials!
Aboard ship in the gulf, I never had a ditch bag but always carried a knife and a flashlight and, if the weather got bad, I’d carry a waterproof VHF on deck. Like the others said, you won’t be floating long in the gulf but it can be tricky to find a person at night (hence the flashlight) and, of course, no one is going to look for you if they don’t know you are missing (hence the VHF).
On my sailboat I do have a ditch bag when venturing out into the pacific. It has a waterproof VHF with long-life lithium-ion batteries, plb, light sticks, personal strobe light, whistles, trauma kit, spare knife, leatherman, emergency blankets, inflatable pfd, waterproof flashlight, matches, signaling kit (flares, smoke and mirror), local chart and a few other essentials that I can’t remember offhand. If the weather is bad I wear a life jacket (with harness) and clip on the VHF (if I’m close to shore or other ships) and/or a plb (if I’m over 10nm from shore).
I know a few people who have lost the ship from under them and the USCG (and training schools) are both good about replacing documents… So I’ve never worried much about them. I do, however, scan all my documents so that, if they are lost, I will know what needs to be replaced.
So the short answer is… I’d take a waterproof handheld VHF (or plb if you are running far offshore) just in case. Icom makes really small ones that are reliable.