1. You have salvaged a rubber life craft and a box of matches.
Lost at Sea…
You group chartered a yacht for the trip of a lifetime across the Ocean!
Unfortunately a fierce fire breaks out on the ship. Much of the yacht is destroyed and is slowly sinking.
Your location is unclear because all navigational and radio equipment has been damaged in the fire. You assume that you are hundreds of miles from land.
You have salvaged a rubber life craft and a box of matches.
Prior to abandoning ship, you must choose 5 of the following items to salvage…

2. Your Options… 9. A small transistor radio 1. A sextant
2. A shaving mirror
3. A quantity of mosquito netting
4. A 25 liter container of water
5. A case of army rations
6. Maps of the Atlantic Ocean
7. A floating seat cushion
8. A 10 liter can of oil/petrol mixture
9. A small transistor radio
square feet of clear plastic sheeting
11. A can of shark repellent
12. One bottle of 160 proof rum
feet of nylon rope
14. 2 boxes of chocolate bars
15. An ocean fishing kit & pole

3. What the Professionals Say…
Coast Guard Ranking
Item
Reasoning
#15
A Sextant
Useless without the relevant tables and chronometer
#14
Mosquito Netting
There are NO mosquitoes in the middle of the ocean
#13
Maps
Worthless without navigation equipment
#12
Transistor radio
You would be out of range of any radio station
#11
160 Proof Rum
Could be used as an antiseptic, otherwise of little value. Very dangerous if drunk, as it would severely dehydrate
#10
Shark Repellent
To repel sharks, of course! #9
Floating seat cushion
Useful as a life preserver if someone fell overboard. #8
15ft Nylon rope
Could be used to lash people/equipment together. A variety of uses, but none are high on the list for survival #7
Fishing Pole
Ranked lower than chocolate as there is no guarantee for fish. Could be used as a tent pole. #6
Chocolate
Reserve food supply

4. The Top 5 “Must Haves” Item Reasoning
Coast Guard Ranking
Item
Reasoning #5
Plastic Sheeting
Used to collect rain water and shelter from wind/waves #4
Army rations
Basic food intake #3
25L of water
Vital to resotre fluids. 25L will supply water rations for several days #2
10L can of oil/gasoline mixture
2nd most critical item for signaling. The mixture will float on water and can be ignited using matches. #1
A Shaving mirror
Absolutely critical. The most power communication tool. In sunlight, a simple mirror can generate 5-7 million candle power of light. The reflected sunbeam can even be seen beyond the horizon.