Why a Dedicated Coastal Kit Matters

Coastal sailing around the UK is a wonderful mix of sheltered estuaries, busy shipping lanes and exposed headlands. But help can be hours away, even when you are within sight of land. A crew member who twists an ankle on a wet foredeck, scalds a hand on a galley kettle or goes down with seasickness needs treatment aboard before you can summon the coastguard or divert to a harbour. A well-stocked first aid kit is not about preparing for disaster; it is about handling the small, miserable things quickly so they do not become big, dangerous things. Pack it once, label it clearly, and keep it somewhere you can reach without emptying a locker in a hurry.

Choose and Label Your Container

Water is the enemy of every dressing, tablet and battery aboard. Use a sturdy waterproof container – a hard dry box with a rubber seal or a heavy-duty roll-top dry bag – and mark it in large, clear letters: FIRST AID. Add a second label listing the date of the last check and the next expiry review. Store the kit in a dry, accessible place, not buried under fenders or spare warps. Many skippers keep a small grab bag for the cockpit and a larger main kit below. If you sail with children or guests, tell them where the kit lives during your safety briefing. A kit you cannot find in the dark, with wet hands, is no kit at all.

Dressings and Wound Care

Cuts and grazes are the most common injuries afloat. Rigging wire, fish hooks, shackles and galley knives all bite. Your kit should handle everything from a minor nick to a deep laceration that needs packing before a doctor sees it.

• Adhesive plasters in assorted sizes, including waterproof and fabric types.
• Sterile gauze swabs and non-adherent dressings for larger wounds.
• Self-adherent bandages and a roll of elasticated support bandage for sprains.
• Triangular bandages for slings and improvised dressings.
• Wound closure strips for clean cuts that would otherwise need stitches.
• Antiseptic wipes and saline pods for irrigation – never use fresh water from the tank on an open wound.
• Blunt-nosed scissors, tweezers, a small mirror and several pairs of nitrile gloves.

Add a few large sterile dressings and a survival blanket to your grab bag. If someone suffers a serious bleed, you need to apply direct pressure fast. Consider a haemostatic dressing if you sail long distances or in remote areas, and learn how to use it properly before you need it.

Burns, Scalds and Sun Protection

Galley stoves, kettles and exhausts cause nasty burns, often in a moving boat where cold running water is hard to find. Pack burns gel or hydrogel dressings and keep them within reach of the galley. For a burn, cool it with clean water for at least twenty minutes if you can, then apply the gel and cover loosely with cling film – not tight – before seeking medical advice. Do not burst blisters or apply butter, oil or toothpaste.

• Burns gel sachets or a small tube of hydrogel.
• A burns dressing large enough for a hand or forearm.
• High-factor sun cream, lip balm with sun protection, and after-sun lotion.
• Eye wash pods for grit, salt spray or chemical splashes.

UK coastal sailing often means pale skin under a hazy sky. Sunburn and windburn creep up on you. Keep sun cream in the cockpit, not just in the kit, and reapply every two hours.

Seasickness and Medication

Seasickness can floor the toughest sailor. It dehydrates, disorients and makes everything else harder. Carry remedies for different stages: prevention before you leave, treatment once symptoms start, and rehydration for afterwards.

• Hyoscine patches or tablets – apply or take before you cast off.
• Antihistamine tablets such as cinnarizine or promethazine for milder cases.
• Ginger sweets, biscuits or capsules as a gentler option.
• Anti-sickness suppositories if vomiting makes tablets impossible.
• Oral rehydration sachets to replace lost salts and fluids.
• Seasickness bags and a small bucket with a lid.

Check expiry dates every season. Some remedies cause drowsiness, so test them ashore before you rely on them on passage. If someone is vomiting repeatedly, keep them warm, shaded and hydrated, and consider diverting to a calm harbour.

Thermal Protection and Hypothermia

UK waters are cold year-round. A fall overboard, a long spell on a wet deck or an unexpected night at anchor can lead to hypothermia even in summer. Your kit should include layers and wraps that trap heat and keep wind and spray out.

• Foil thermal blankets – at least two, one for the casualty and one for a helper.
• A lightweight survival bag or bivvy bag.
• Spare fleece, woolly hat and gloves in a dry bag.
• Hand warmers and a small flask for warm, sweet drinks.

Treat hypothermia gently. Move the casualty below decks, remove wet clothing, wrap them in dry layers and thermal blankets, and give warm drinks only if they are fully alert. Do not rub limbs or apply direct heat. Call the coastguard for advice if symptoms are severe.

Tools, Personal Items and Regular Checks

Finish your kit with practical extras and a routine that keeps it ready.

• Pain relief: paracetamol and ibuprofen, plus any prescription medicines for regular crew.
• Personal items: asthma inhalers, adrenaline auto-injectors, angina sprays, diabetes supplies.
• Small torch, spare batteries, notepad and pencil, and a waterproof phone pouch.
• Thermometer, safety pins, and a compact first aid manual.

Check the kit at the start of every season and after every trip where you used something. Replace expired tablets, restock dressings and test the torch. Keep a laminated card inside with emergency numbers, medical conditions of regular crew, and allergies. A little preparation gives you confidence to enjoy the coast – and that is what sailing is for.