Our last ETS liferaft test revealed as much variation and skill among VOLUNTEER participants, including many professionals as the various rafts themselves. Your equipment may very well be open whaleboats on manual davits, a MK 1 Kapok lifejacket and rations of canned water, compressed cornflake bars and candy in the infamous; green,red,yellow,orange along with a TRACON fishing kit, 3 icarus flares, a smoke bomb, grey anglehead flashlight and camillus utility folder. That was still issue on my old cutter in the late 1970s- and mighty glad we were to have that ( and add to it.) Then again, you could have state of the art gear and still find yourself in a FUBAR situation. On a historical note: much of the modern, post R.M.S. Titanic effort to upgrade liferafts was a rather reclusive member of the R.A.F named Aircraftman Shaw- AKA T.E. Lawrence. Fun fact to ponder while sending out the battleship in the bath tonight if Duckie gets to aggressive. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />