jay_merrill
Vice Admiral
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2007
- Messages
- 5,653
Re: Don't leave the dock without...
I often wonder how much the average boater knows about wilderness survival. My guess is that most know little or nothing about it, and think the topic is of no interest to them.
Actually, it can be extrememly important. By way of an example, I was involved in a SAR here in Louisiana in December of '07, in which two young women survived a boating accident in very cold water temperatures, as well as vey cold air temperatures. They had been in a small john boat with two men (both died), which sank, due to high waves. The women were wearing PFDs and made it to shore, where they survived for 2-1/2 days in temperatures in the 30s. They were able to do this because one of the women had been a Girl Scout and knew how to preserve body heat by huddling with the other woman in a bed of leaves. Without this knowledge, it is highly likely that both would have perished from hypothermia.
As seen in this situation, knowing how to survive can make all the difference in the world in doing just that - surviving.
Survival Tip: If you are stuck in the wilderness and are having trouble starting a fire in the rain, start with finding "standing dead wood." Rotten wood that has been on the ground for some time is not suitable. Once you find the standing dead wood, select suitable pieces (you may have to break some limbs) and pick one out to make "tinder" of. This is accomplished by "whittling" into the wood until dry, interior wood is found. If you happen to have an axe or some kind of a saw, you can split or cut the log open and start from the interior, making the task easier. Whittle out enough to get a good fire going so that a wet log can be put into the fire with out extinguishing it. Once that log has steamed the water out and has begun to burn well, you will be able to use other pieces of wet wood to keep it going.
I often wonder how much the average boater knows about wilderness survival. My guess is that most know little or nothing about it, and think the topic is of no interest to them.
Actually, it can be extrememly important. By way of an example, I was involved in a SAR here in Louisiana in December of '07, in which two young women survived a boating accident in very cold water temperatures, as well as vey cold air temperatures. They had been in a small john boat with two men (both died), which sank, due to high waves. The women were wearing PFDs and made it to shore, where they survived for 2-1/2 days in temperatures in the 30s. They were able to do this because one of the women had been a Girl Scout and knew how to preserve body heat by huddling with the other woman in a bed of leaves. Without this knowledge, it is highly likely that both would have perished from hypothermia.
As seen in this situation, knowing how to survive can make all the difference in the world in doing just that - surviving.
Survival Tip: If you are stuck in the wilderness and are having trouble starting a fire in the rain, start with finding "standing dead wood." Rotten wood that has been on the ground for some time is not suitable. Once you find the standing dead wood, select suitable pieces (you may have to break some limbs) and pick one out to make "tinder" of. This is accomplished by "whittling" into the wood until dry, interior wood is found. If you happen to have an axe or some kind of a saw, you can split or cut the log open and start from the interior, making the task easier. Whittle out enough to get a good fire going so that a wet log can be put into the fire with out extinguishing it. Once that log has steamed the water out and has begun to burn well, you will be able to use other pieces of wet wood to keep it going.
