The water temperature is really crucial for survival. Down here in SOCal where our water varied from the mid 40's in spring to the upper 60s-low 70s, we hit our peak water temps about this time of year. I imagine that might the case with your water as well, but I am only guessing.

What really works best for our conditions if you get in the water is either a wetsuit (something you cannot don quickly in case of an emergency) or a float coat, which is an ideal garment, especially if it has a beavertail. Unfortuantely, they are not cheap.

Enjoy your trip and take care....

That's right, THAT'S RIGHT!!! In an emergency situation you can break open the coconuts and make haupia!

My latest effort had too little starch, since I was eyeballing the amounts. As a consequence, the haupia came out a bit more gelatinous than I would have wanted. Let that be a survival lesson to all.

Da Bing, looking forward to hearing bacpacjac's story of survival and courage

So... are you sharing? I'd love the recipes. They'll go well with the haupia.

LOL!

Da Bing, looking forward to hearing bacpacjac's story of survival and courage [/quote]
Let's hope it's not THAT exciting.

If I only had the budget. Instead I'll go with non-cotton layers which will hopefully dry quickly on shore, and quicker if I can get a fire going.

Will there be mosquitoes ? Do you need bug nets and spray ?

Good idea Aussie. We'll all got spray in our tackle boxes but I added a few wiped to the emerg kit as well. Thanks for the reminder!

Bow Saw

Thanks for all the input gang. It was a fantastic weekend. The biggest drama was one of us (not me) landing a 10 pound large mouth bass. The skies were clear and the fish were biting. The only first aid we needed was for hangovers and a small puncture wound caused by the dorsal fin of a panfish. Suncreen and lip balm were prized commodities because of sun and wind burn.

We thought we lost the motor at one point and were prepping for a long paddle back when it finally started. It dipped below 0C at night and it was pretty windy a lot of the time. Hypothermia would have been a serious threat if anyone had fallen in away from the dock and an overnight on one of the little islands would not have been comfortable. We were all dressed in layers, had our thermos, travel mugs, SS water bottles and snacks. Our SOS kit had fire and water but we didn't have enough shelter if the weather had been wet. We could have made something out of the rope, duct tape, mylar blanket, heet sheet and saw in the kit, but I think I'll throw in some bivys or a small tent next time I'm up there.

After reading the thread about modular kits, I decided to take a similar approach with this project. As part of the larger emerg kit, I made an SOS kit for the boat. It is designed to be small, inconspicuous, float and ALWAYS be on board and accessible, even if the larger kit is removed or inaccessible during an accident.

In a Nalgalene, I included: Fox 40 on lanyard, signal mirror, bic lighter, fire steel and striker, waterproof matches, vaseline cotton balls, fatwood, 2 tealights, microPUR tabs, lrg ziplock bag, bandana, steel fishing leader, fishing line, small pack of hooks and weights, paracord, compass, mini first aid kit (bandaids, prep pads, polysporin and a few OTC meds), lip balm, 3AAA flashlight, chem light, small sierra saw, tea bags and jerky. I put that in an aluminium can and duct taped them together. "SOS" is written in large letters on the duct tape in permanent marker.

This kit will hopefully stay onboard now that our trip is over and will hopefully never be needed. Great ideas all. Thank you!