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20. April 202222. March 2024

Grap bag

A long-distance sailing boat sank in the summer of 2019 in the Pacific Ocean. The crew had to send a mayday and go into the life raft, but were fortunately rescued by other sailors in the area. Their story of the wreck and their preparations for, what should never happen, but happened anyway, have inspired us (and surely many others) to look at our own safety. In Denmark, we have never had a life raft, we have usually sailed close to the coast and in busy waters and not considered it necessary. As at this time we were on our way to the Mediterranean, which we had intended to cross over a longer distance, we agreed that we must have a life raft. We also talked through the situation and found out that in addition to the life raft we should have a packed grap bag.

When buying a life raft, you must decide whether it must be approved for coastal use or for ocean use (e.g. across the Atlantic). The raft can basically be packed with various things for use in an emergency. E.g. emergency flares, knife, seasickness tablets. It is also possible to order it packed with equipment of your choice. But regardless of what is packed inside, there will be a need for extra things to take with you on the go. Therefore, a bag/container is packed and ready for being brought to the lift raft, a so-called grap bag.

We searched the web to get inspiration for what such a bag should contain. From this we made our list.

The list is OUR best bet on what WE think should be in the bag, it is NOT an approved list and it is only FOR INSPIRATION

The list is intended for Mediterranean cruises, where we will not be more than a day’s sailing away from land. If you are going across the Atlantic, it certainly makes other demands.

Quantities for 2 adults	In grab bag	Life raft	Packs on the go
First aid and medicine
sea sickness pills	x
first aid equipment plaster + gauze	x
painkillers paracetamol + ibuprofen	x
sunscreen	x
vaseline	x
thermal blankets	x
Basic survival
Orange soda with sugar 4 x 1/3 l	x
water 6 x 1/2 l	x
2 bags of dried fruit and nuts	x
hand pump		x
ladle		x
sponge 2		x
dishcloth	x
repair clamps		x
duct tape + tape that can stick wet	x
knife	x	x
wet wipes	x
plastic bags, preferably zip	x
Equipment to rescue aid
portable WHF with fresh batteries	x
extra batteries	x
flashlight with wind-up	x
the good flashlight			x
SOS light	x
whistle		x
emergency flares 3 hand-held + 2 parachutes		x
torch with equipment to transmit Morse code
mirror	x
card with rescue signals		x
throwing line with ring		x
paddles		x
Equipment to help afterwards
photocopy of boat documents incl. insurance papers	x
copy of passports	x
passports			x
wallet with Danish kroner and euros and credit card	x
our wallets with credit cards etc.			x
Navigation help
pencil and paper	x
compass	x
phones with gps and map			x
battery bank			x
Personal equipment
reservebriller	x
solbriller	x
Kasketter			x
Nøgler til det derhjemme	x

8. June 202021. March 2024

Life jackets for children

The parents had bought new life jackets for our grandchildren. We certainly had our own children’s old life jackets on board, but they were 25 years old, so they were probably worn out.

However, the children were a little unsafe in the water, and gradually we began to suspect that it might be because the vests did not behave as we thought. So we had the oldest child test the newly purchased life jacket.

We have the expectation that lifejackets for children must turn the child over on its back so that the head is above water and the child can breathe. That’s the whole idea of the child wearing a life jacket when we sail or they play on the boat bridge.

The approved vest of a recognized brand could NOT turn the child!

The 25-year-old HH vest we had on board, on the other hand, could. It must be said that the also 25-year-old, yellow vest, which the other child is wearing, could NOT turn the child around, quite the opposite! And that we have used for our own children !!!

The parents later complained to the shop where the vests were bought. However, they got nothing out of it, the vests were approved to a standard that does NOT require the child to be turned.

So pay attention to the following standards:

50 N – Swim-ming west

For experienced swimmers near the coast and only with nearby assistance. Not safe in case of unconsciousness.

100 N – Lifejackets

For use in coastal and protected waters. Only limited safety in case of unconsciousness.

These vests are recommended for children! And some of them probably also turn the child around…

150 N – Life jackets.

For use in all waters. Full safety in the event of unconsciousness, however limited safety if heavy, waterproof sailing clothing is worn.

6. November 201916. March 2024

Cappuccino on board

The only thing I really have missed from life ashore is my lovely espresso machine and its fantastic cappuccino.

Unfortunately, the limited kitchen space does not provide room for a large coffee machine. We also don’t always have enough power to be able to supply it.

Here, almost five years after moving aboard, I have found a solution that both takes little room and, to my taste, makes a good Cappuccino.

First I tried a regular cheap electric milk frother. But I couldn’t adjust the amount of foam and got way too much.

Then I have had a Bialetti Mukka Expresso cappuccino pot for several years. At first I used it with coffee beans, but it wasn’t great. Then I removed the coffee filter and mixed instant coffee into the milk. It has worked well for a few years, but it often happened that it foamed over before I could react. It broke recently and was sold out all around. So I went in search of another solution.

There are two secrets behind a good Cappuccino.

A good expresso

A milk frother that can make a rich hot milk, with an appropriate amount of foam.

A good espresso instant coffee is not quite as good as freshly made espresso made from freshly ground beans, but absolutely usable and easy.

Milk froth does not necessarily require a steam nozzle, the Bialetti milk frother shown in the picture does it almost as well with the help of a gas burner and manual power. Before foaming, I mix in instant coffee and a little sugar.

And on top of that, it is easy to deal with and easy to clean.

13. January 201921. March 2024

Double glazed windows II

The windows in the main cabin had begun to leak, and the plexiglass cracked, so it was about time for new windows.

We agreed that we wanted windows with real glass.

The additional price for buying double-glazed windows rather than single-layer glass is about 1/3, so when it is a houseboat, the saving in energy consumption covers this additional price for double-glazed windows. And we get rid of condensation and trouble with inner panes.

The double glazed windows are also this time made to order by Topwindows

Before

After

Before we had two windows with fixed portholes that opened inwards.

We had them replaced by two windows that open outwards. In addition to the fact that they can stand tight when it rains, it also has the advantage that the incidence of light has increased and visibility is better.

On the other hand, we must of course be careful if they are open when we pass by.

22. April 201821. March 2024

Double glazed windows/inner frames

Do your windows also run on condensation when the summers humidity is high or the temperature drops outside? Ours no longer does.

Inner panes

In our wheelhouse there are a total of 13 windows with an area of 3-4 m². Over several years, we have tried with inner panes made of 4 mm lexan.

The insulation performance of these inner panes has been excellent, but we had quite a few problems with mist between the panes. To absorb the moisture (dew) between the panes, we placed a small bag with silica stones.

We have had two types of inner panes:

Panes that were screwed to the frame with a sealing strip between them. In these panes, the silica stones had to be dried approx. every second week.
Panes that were fixed using magnetic strips. These panes were more leaky than the panes with sealing strips. In these panes, the silica stones had to be dried once a week. In addition, we had quite a few problems getting the glue on the magnetic strips to hold.

The bags with the silica stone are dried in the microwave on the lowest setting. (15 minutes for 15 bags of 7g.

Both types of inner panes went beyond the aluminum frame, so we avoided moisture on the frame.

Double glazed windows

We now have replaced the windows in the wheelhouse with double-glazed windows, which are fixed in a frame made of PVC. The frame is relatively thick and insulates exceptionally well. Expensive (well over DKK 60,000) for 13 windows, of which the front 4 are in 8 mm toughened glass on the outside and the rest in 6 mm toughened glass on the outside. All are in 4 mm toughened glass inside. But really good. We have enjoyed a winter with no moisture on windows or frames, and good heating comfort. In addition, we also had a window made that can be opened, which we already have benefited from many times.

For the small windows in the boat, we continue with lexan inner panes (now screwed on). Since these windows are significantly smaller, the moisture problem here is not quite so big.

The double glazed windows were made to order from a Dutch company: Topwindows