Juy 2022: When Progress Seems Slow . . . There is ALWAYS something to do

Preparation provides a much needed cushion against Murphy's Law. "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." In taking care of patients, one of the ways we prepared for this was to prepare for the way things should go and then prepare for the top three ways that it could go. And when applied to sailing, we add practice, practice, practice. Those practice items include man overboard drills, evasive maneuvers to avoid collision, equipment failures and other adrenaline producing events.

Developing a First Aid Kit is part of this preparation process and critical for being away from civilization for extended periods of time. The kit may change depending on the cruise. We are planning an ocean crossing and our kit needed a revision from our coastal cruising version.

A document of the final contents will be included here: See Bottom of page for downloadable list. This will include only non-pharmaceutical items. A separate list on the second tab of the download will have pharmaceutical items. This list is should be adjusted based on your crew's needs, countries to be visited and time at sea.

It is highly recommended that at least one member of the crew have some first aid training. There are some great classes out there that can be discovered through a web search. Those organizations, especially those that are specialized for the cruising environment, will have resources to acquire what is recommended for the First Aid Kit.

The kit should reflect what the crew is comfortable handling. It does no good to have a suture kit if no one is comfortable suturing a laceration. As as far as that goes, practice never hurts either. As moments that require medical attention tend to be tension creating moments, a few drills can go a long way to making these moments less stressful.

Having a reference guide on board for those heart racing moments may assist cooler heads to prevail. "The Comprehensive Guide to Marine Medicine" is a cruisers stand-by. In conjunction with first aid training and a little practice the crew has a foundation to begin to handle minor medical issues.

Some cruisers go a step further in obtaining tele-medicine support at sea. Depending on the experience and health of the crew this is another option. Or there is always medical school . . . . 12 years later you will be ready for your cruise.

Keeping items in the kit fresh and viable, especially medications that will likely be submitted to humid environments, a regular review of the kit is recommended. At least annually and prior to off-shore trips. Preparation doesn't end after putting the kit together. One more item that needs regular maintenance -- add the First Aid Kit to the list!

Boat decisions to come . . . lots of decisions.

First Aid Kit contents list here:

First Aid Content list.xlsx

Download XLSX • 12KB