OVER THE COUNTER SOLUTIONS According to Capt. George Gozdz, a former nurse and current Mercury Marine Pro Staff guide, a basic first-aid kit belongs aboard every boat regardless of whether you run it inshore, offshore or anywhere else. A good start is a store-bought kit intended for marine use. Most kits meant for use aboard boats are packed in a container that is watertight or at least water-resistant, which helps keep essential supplies dry and clean. Along with the basics, such as bandages, basic medication and cold compresses, the American Red Cross also recommends that all first-aid kits include: • Cloth tape • Antibiotic ointment and antiseptic wipes • An emergency blanket • A breathing barrier (used for protection during CPR) • Non-latex gloves If you go to your local marine store, you’ll find pre-packaged first aid kits ranging in price from $20-to-$300 or more, depending on the size, equipment and add-ons in the kit. These are offered by Orion, Seachoice, Top Safety, U.S. Government surplus military first aid boxes and others. Most first aid kits list the components on the back label, so it’s easy to ascertain which one fits both your needs and budget. • Hydrocortisone ointment • Scissors • Sterile gauze pads • A thermometer • Tweezers • A first-aid instruction booklet
One of the most interesting“dual purpose”prepackaged solutions for your emergency medical needs when out on the water is from Uncharted with their First Aid Plus kit, which is a combination medical kit and gear repair/survival package that’s assembled in a waterproof 600D tarpaulin pouch that zippers up tight and keeps the organized individual storage compartments dry on the inside. No more soggy bandages, tape or gauze patches! This is available from a variety of outlets with a list price of $139, but you can frequently get it on sale for less. I keep an“upgraded”version of this on my boat, but more on what that means in the following section
REQUISITE ADD-ONS Over the course of five decades of boating, sport fishing and taking charter folks out on the briny, I have seen many interesting and tragic events. Accordingly, I have added a few additional items to my ever-changing emergency medical kit, detailed below: •Cyanoacrylate adhesive (a.k.a. super glue and its many variants) •Sterile sutures •Tourniquet •Advil/Tyleno •Wound Clot •Sunblock and lip balm Bottom line, if you don’t have a medical kit onboard, either make one up or buy a pre-packaged one ASAP. If you do have one, be sure it has the right stuff inside and is stored in a waterproof case that’s always close at hand. Be safe out there.
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