Ditch Bag Essentials for Boaters

As boatowners, boat/yacht insurance provides piece of mind. We all know Murphy is there waiting to wreak havoc on us boaters. To minimize the chance of a problem aboard your boat, planning and prevention is the key to having a pleasant experience with family and friends. Whether for an afternoon cruise or on a passage at sea for several days. In addition to having good maintenance and operating plans, and filing a float plan before departing on a passage, it is imperative to have a Ditch Bag ready to grab should you have to abandon ship. Whale strikes seem to be more common holing boats or breaking/bending rudder posts and prop shafts. The resulting odd shaped holes in the boat from striking underwater objects are often difficult to plug with traditional wood plugs. We recommend keeping several inexpensive wax toilet rings aboard to mold into the hole to temporarily get ahead of the leak.

Below, we share our list of what to include in a Ditch Bag, in addition to those items that you consider necessary:

Ditch Bag

1. Operating EPIRB, registered to your yacht.
2. Handheld VHF radio (waterproof or in sealed bag, with extra batteries).
3. Sea anchor with line.
4. Manual inflation pump for your inflatbable dinghy or liferaft.
5. Selection of flares (parachutes and portables) and smoke signals.
6. Strobe light.
7. Flashlight or headlamp and batteries.
8. Whistle.
9. Signal mirror.
10. Handheld GPS with spare batteries.
11. Small pair of binoculars (to confirm detection of a ship or plane before using flares).
12. Sponges and bucket.
13. Patch kit for inflatable boat or life raft (or emergency clamps).
14. Water (sealed individually or in collapsible containers): at least 2 gallons per person.
15. Emergency food rations and can openers (if needed).
16. Energy bars.
17. Prescription drugs.
18. Medicines/remedies for motion sickness.
19. First aid kit.
20. Multipurpose tool with knife.
21. Waterproof matches.
22. Heavy-duty gloves.
23. Adhesive tape.
24. Simple fishing tackle (line, lures, hooks).
25. Floating polypropylene line.
26. Waterproof sunscreen and zinc oxide.
27. Ziploc bags (gallon size).
28. Paper and pen in Ziploc bag.
29. Prescription glasses and spare polarized sunglasses.
30. Laminated copies of passports or licenses.
31. Cash ($100 in small bills).
32. Copy of yacht documents (including insurance).

This is a long list, so multiple ditch bags are likely necessary to manage size and weight.

Contact Novamar Insurance and we will gladly review your current insurance policy or if you do not have one, we will design a policy for you.

For more information and other blog topics you can visit our websites.
Novamar Insurance Mexico
Novamar Insurance USA

México - 322-297-6440
México - 800 627 46 37
USA / CANADA - 949-274-4111