Instruction manual

PROFICIENCY IN SURVIVAL CRAFT AND RESCUE BOATS OTHER THAN FAST
RESCUE BOATS
11
6
Watch the clouds and be ready for any chance of showers. Keep the tarpaulin
handy for catching water. If it is encrusted with dried salt, wash it in seawater.
Normally, a small amount of seawater mixed with rain will hardly be noticeable and
will not cause any physical reaction. In rough seas you cannot get uncontaminated
fresh water.
At night, secure the tarpaulin like a sunshade, and turn up its edges to collect
dew. It is also possible to collect dew along the sides of the raft using a sponge or
cloth. When it rains, drink as much as you can hold.
11.4.4 Rainwater
You may collect more water by catching rainwater. Some parts of the inflatable
life raft canopy are designed to catch water. Rainwater catchment tubes will take the
water into storage bags on the inside of the raft. The storage bags are in the raft's
equipment container. Salt spray may dry on the canopy. The salt might be washed in
with the first few ounces of rainwater. It might be very difficult to collect
uncontaminated rainwater when the seas are rough and waves are constantly being
blown onto the canopy.
The lookout should alert everyone when it rains. Use and fill all available
containers with rainwater (such as equipment accessories bag, ration packs, and
empty tin cans). After all of the containers have been filled, everyone should drink as
much of the rainwater as they can.
Water might condense on the inside canopy of the inflatable life raft. Use one
of the cellulose sponges that is provided in the raft equipment to soak up the water.
Squeeze the water out of the sponge to drink or store. Be sure to keep a sponge
clean for this purpose.
In the Arctic Sea, you can collect "old saltwater ice." It is bluish in color with
smooth, rounded corners. It is usually pure enough to eat or drink. Do not make the
mistake of eating "salt ice." "Salt ice" is gray and milky. It should not be eaten.
11.5 Action to take to maximize detectability and location of
survival craft
The importance of a good lookout cannot be overstated. Remember, when in
a life raft, you are so small and the sea is so big that it is very easy for a search ship
or plane to overlook you. An alert lookout will make the difference in survival. Once
you have sighted a rescue ship or aircraft, use the following to attract their attention:
Signaling mirrors : Read the instructions for the particular kind of signaling
mirror in your survival equipment. Do not wait until you see a rescue craft to use the
signaling mirror. When the sun is shining, flash the mirror all around the horizon. An
aircraft can spot the flash long before you would see the aircraft. The signaling mirror
may save your life. Use it as long as the sun is shining. ( Fig.11.1)
Whistles : In calm weather, your voice can be heard only a few hundred
yards away. If you keep screaming, you will become hoarse and lose your voice. A
whistle, on the other hand, can be heard up to 4 miles away in favorable weather
conditions. It can come in handy when you are floating in the water trying to attract the