If you're going to be taking off for a trip in your yacht, you want to make sure that your lifeboat is ready for action at all times. You never know when you'll need to make an emergency exit from your yacht. Should that moment arrive, you need to have all your gear already stowed away on your lifeboat. This readiness should include a fully-stocked first aid kit. In an emergency situation, you might not have enough time to grab the one you have onboard your yacht. To make sure you're prepared for the emergency, here are four items you need to have packed away in your lifeboat first aid kit.

Emergency Blankets

If you're forced to board your lifeboat in an emergency, you have no way of knowing when help will arrive. If you've boarded your lifeboat in a storm, or during the winter, you'll need a way to keep warm while you wait for rescue. To make sure you and your passengers don't suffer from exposure while you wait for rescue, equip your first aid kit with several emergency blankets. Not only will the blankets keep you and your passengers warm, the reflective material will make you more visible to rescuers. 

Satellite Cell Phone

If you don't have a satellite phone in your first aid kit, you need to put one there as soon as possible, even if you already have one onboard your yacht. You might not have time to grab the one you have on board, which means you'll be without communication once you board your lifeboat. However, if you have a satellite phone in the first aid kit you have onboard your lifeboat, you'll be able to communicate with rescuers. 

Antiseptic Wash

If you haven't packed a supply of antiseptic wash in your first aid kit, now's the time to take care of that. If any of your passengers suffer injuries during the escape, you'll need to tend to those wounds once you're onboard the lifeboat. Cuts will need to be washed and disinfected before applying fresh bandages. The best way to avoid infections is to carry a supply of antiseptic wash or wipes in your first aid kit. Be sure resupply your kit each time you leave for the open water. 

Fresh Water

Finally, if your first aid kit doesn't include at least one bottle of fresh water, you need to make some changes, including fresh water that will allow you to flush open wounds and keep yourselves hydrated while you wait for rescue.

If you would rather not make your own, contact suppliers of already-made lifeboat first aid kits.