I will be boating a lot this summer and I want to be safe. I also want to take you guys with me. So in preparation, read this and let me know if you have any questions.
This is a list of the most important things to remember if you are shipwrecked. The list comes from Yan Martel’s prize-winning novel Life of Pi.
1. Always read instructions carefully
2. Do not drink urine. Or sea water. Or bird blood
3. Do not eat jellyfish. Or fish that have spikes. Or fish that have parrot like beaks. Of that puff up like balloons.
4. Pressing the eyes of fish will paralyse them
5. The body can be heroic in battle; if a castaway is injured, beware of well-meaning but ill-founded medical treatment. Ignorance is the worst doctor, while rest and sleep are the best nurses.
6. Put your feet up at least 5 minutes every hour
7. Unnecessary exertion should be avoided. But an idle mind tends to sing, so the mind should be kept occupies with whatever light distraction may suggest itself. Playing card games, twenty questions, and I spy are excellent distractions.
8. Green water is shallower than blue water
9. Beware of far-off clouds that look like mountains. Look for green. Ultimately, a foot is the only good judge of land.
10. Do not go swimming. It wastes energy. Besides, a survival craft may drift faster than you can swim. Not to mention the danger of sea life. If you are hot, wet your clothes instead.
Those are great tips! I’ll remember those next time I’m on my yacht. 😛
I am totally paranoid now to get on a boat. I am superstious so now that i’ve read those I am Destined to be stuck out in the middle of the water somewhere some day only because I read those….so thanks in advance for saving my life. You forgot to list anything about sharks…what about sharks!??! Maybe they’re not in my water abandonment….maybe that means it’ll happen in a lake…or a pool, although I still am a little nervous about the drain thingy at the bottom of pools…I swear a shark could burst out of there any second. It must be a lake then. Pretty much the only thing we’ve determined in this last paragraph is that I’m a crazy person.
You are the best, I can’t believe how funny you are. I will take the tips and apply them for sure… I bet if you are prego their are extra tips so I should look into that! You are great!
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