Create an On Board First Aid Kit
A boat is no place to suffer an injury. When you’re out on the water, you don’t have quick access to emergency medical care, and you likely don’t have a fully-stocked medicine cabinet like at home. That’s why it’s important to have a good first aid kit onboard so you can quickly help yourself or others. Here’s what should be in it.
- A first aid instruction book to guide you in an emergency
- Basics like adhesive bandages, antiseptic wipes, antibiotic cream and aspirin
- Medication for stomach ailments like motion sickness, diarrhea and indigestion
- Anti-itch lotion or cream
- Chemical ice packs
- Medical tools such as tweezers, scissors, gloves and cotton swabs
- Clean towels to stop bleeding or wrap ice
- Bottled water to rinse wounds
- Butterfly bandages to close open wounds
- Splint material to stabilize a broken bone
- Bandages to wrap a wrist or ankle
- Eye drops in case you get a substance in your eye
- Burn cream or ointment