2 min read · Updated 1 July 2026
At sea you may be hours or days from professional help — so a boat carries a good first aid kit and the crew know the basics. Marine first aid is about preparation and self-reliance: the right kit, some training, and knowing how to call for help when a situation is beyond what you can handle aboard. It's a core part of a boat's safety readiness.
The first aid kit
Carry a well-stocked, waterproof first aid kit matched to how far you sail from help — comprehensive for offshore, more basic for inshore day sailing. Typical contents cover:
- Wound care — dressings, bandages.
- Burns and sunburn treatments.
- Seasickness and pain relief.
- Items for sprains and breaks.
- Any medications the crew personally need.
Keep everything dry, in date and easy to find in a hurry. Offshore boats carry a larger medical kit and often specialised items.
Common problems afloat
Most medical situations on a boat are minor and handled with basic first aid:
- Seasickness and the dehydration it can cause.
- Cuts and rope burns from lines and hardware.
- Bruises and knocks from a moving boat.
- Sunburn and heat effects.
- Sprains and occasionally broken bones from falls.
- Cold-related problems like hypothermia.
The wet, hard, moving environment far from a hospital makes prevention — careful movement, good kit, staying hydrated, and staying attached to the boat — especially valuable.
Calling for help
For anything serious, the two primary tools are:
- The VHF radio — to make a distress or urgency call to the coastguard, other vessels and rescue authorities, and to get medical advice by radio.
- An EPIRB or PLB — to alert search and rescue and give your position via satellite when the situation is grave.
Knowing how to make a distress call — and, if needed, arrange evacuation — is a core skill.
Training and preparation
First aid training is highly valuable for sailors, and dedicated marine or offshore first aid courses cover managing casualties far from help. For offshore and racing crews it's often required; even for casual sailing, knowing the basics and how to get advice by radio makes a real difference.
Preparing a boat means: an appropriate kit, someone aboard with first aid knowledge, knowing how to call for help, and accepting that at sea you may need to manage a situation for some time before help arrives. As ever, preventing problems — through safety gear, careful seamanship and staying protected from sun and cold — is central. For the vocabulary, see the sailing terms glossary.
This is general information, not medical advice — for training and treatment, consult qualified providers and a proper first aid course.
Frequently asked questions
- What first aid kit should a boat carry?
- A boat should carry a well-stocked, waterproof first aid kit suited to how far it sails from help — more comprehensive for offshore, more basic for inshore day sailing. Typical contents cover wound care such as dressings and bandages, treatments for burns and sunburn, seasickness and pain relief, items for sprains and breaks, and any medications the crew personally need. Offshore boats carry a larger medical kit and often specialised items, and keep everything dry, in date and easy to find in a hurry.
- What are the common injuries and illnesses on a boat?
- The most common are seasickness and the dehydration it can cause, cuts and rope burns from handling lines and hardware, bruises and knocks from a moving boat, sunburn and heat effects, sprains and occasionally broken bones from falls, and cold-related problems like hypothermia. Most are minor and handled with basic first aid, but a moving, wet, hard environment far from a hospital makes prevention — careful movement, good kit and staying attached to the boat — especially valuable.
- How do you call for help in a medical emergency at sea?
- The primary tools are the VHF radio and a distress beacon. A VHF radio lets you make a distress or urgency call to the coastguard, other vessels and rescue authorities, and get medical advice by radio, while an EPIRB or PLB alerts search and rescue and gives your position via satellite when the situation is grave. For a serious emergency you use these to summon help and, if needed, arrange evacuation, so knowing how to make a distress call is a core skill.
- Should sailors do a first aid course?
- Yes — first aid training is highly valuable for sailors, and dedicated marine or offshore first aid courses exist that cover managing casualties far from help, when professional care may be hours or days away. For offshore and racing crews such training is often required, and even for casual sailing, knowing basic first aid and how to get medical advice by radio makes a real difference. The isolation of being at sea makes crew self-reliance and preparation especially important.
- How do you prepare a boat for medical emergencies?
- Carry an appropriate first aid kit and keep it stocked, dry and accessible; make sure at least someone aboard has first aid knowledge; know how to call for help by VHF and beacon; and understand that at sea you may need to manage a situation for some time before help arrives. Preventing problems in the first place — through safety gear, careful seamanship, staying hydrated and protected from sun and cold, and staying attached to the boat — is a central part of the preparation.