Abandon Ship

BEFORE THE UNTHINKABLE HAPPENS, MAKE SURE YOUR DITCH BAG IS UP TO SNUFF.

- Bob Arrington

In an ideal world you would never leave your boat, unless you were stepping onto a pier or into a tender, but the prudent boater has a plan to vacate the boat in less-than-ideal conditions. A ditch bag, or abandon ship bag, has long been an important piece of equipment for boaters making extended offshore passages. However, a ditch bag should be carried aboard any boat venturing into open water, even when your intended course is close to shore or in a large coastal body of water like the Chesapeake Bay or Long Island Sound. There are cases of boaters abandoning their vessels close to shore, only to be carried away by wind and current.

Ditch bag manufacturers provide a comprehensive list of items to pack in that carry-on, so this column is not intended to repeat that information; rather, it’s to encourage you to think about how you would use a ditch bag and to set it up with those thoughts in mind.