Longship Company, Ltd.
3 - Equipment to Bring
 Ship’s Manual
Page 12 Longship Company — Ship’s Manual Chapter 3 — Equipment, § 1

3.1 Basic Necessities
 
  • Life Vest (PFD) — Required by the Coast Guard. If you don’t own one, the captain must make sure there are enough company-owned vests for all Crewmembers who don’t have one of their own. (Classy folks own their own, giving them another surface to decorate.) If you are bringing children, and do not have properly–sized vests for them, please contact us in advance to insure that we do.

  • Rowing Gloves — Cotton Painter’s gloves or gardening gloves. The type with plastic dots on them are particularly good, as are those with open fingertips (sold as “sailing” and “driving” gloves), for tying knots. The main consideration is that they not be bulky and/or limit grip.

  • Water — A canteen if you have one, or disposable or reusable water bottles. Two–liter soda bottles — either with soda or refilled with water — since we have bags designed to hold them (see below). Figure on drinking a gallon on a full-day trip in hot weather. It’s better to have more water along than you plan to drink, since it has other uses as well.

  • Sunscreen Lotion, hat, sunglasses - Only you are familiar with how you react to sunlight, so it’s up to you to decide what precautions to take.

    Remember: we may get stuck out longer than planned, and there is no shelter on the ship, no trees to provide shade, and water on all sides to reflect even more sunlight onto you.

  • Food (on voyages longer than an hour or so) — Things which won’t spoil without refrigeration: fruit, hard cheeses, hard salami, bread, etc.

  • Towel — A towel is the most massively useful object a Viking can carry. You can wrap it around an oar loom for additional padding. You can fold it into a pad and sit on it. You can hide from the sun underneath it. You can soak it with water and hide from the sun underneath it, and — if it still seems clean enough — you can dry yourself off with it. A Viking should always know where his towel is.

  • Knapsack or duffel bag (waterproof if possible) — To keep everything together. A popular way to stow knapsacks is to fasten the shoulder straps around a thwart, suspending the bag beneath the thwart. Placing items that would be damaged by water — e.g. phones, cameras — in a watertight bag, or packing them in waterproof protection like zip–lock™ bags, is highly recommended. A limited number of under–thwart bags, specifically designed for the ship, (“Bork Bags”) are usually available. (See § 4.1)

  • Knife (and/or pocket multi-tool) — Generally useful for a lot of things. Choose one for its practicality, not just because it’s flashy. If you have a pocket knife with a lanyard hole or shackle, a three foot lanyard to your belt would be useful to prevent it from falling overboard, or into the bilge, if you fumble it.

  • Clothing — One more layer of clothing than you think is needed. This is a good practice not only in cold weather but also in warm/hot weather. A sudden rain shower can drench your clothes, and if accompanied by winds and/or a temperature drop, leave you shivering. And while sunscreen is good, if you find yourself sunburning, covering up exposed skin is the surest and best way to prevent further skin damage.

 

 

Chapter 3 — Equipment, § 1 Longship Company — Ship’s Manual Page 13

Water Bottles and Bottle Bags (These are Longship Company equipment, but may be supplemented by your own.)

    Some vessels run on gasoline, or diesel, or wind power. Under oars, we run on water, especially in the hot months; but even in the cool months we must guard against dehydration. We have experimented with wooden water barrels and other historically correct containers; but for safety and convenience we have developed a discreet system utilizing modern two–liter plastic soft drink bottles and cloth bags (“bottle bags”) to hold them. These are arrayed along the gunnel at the rowing benches to provide liquid refreshment for the oarsmen on–the–go. The bags are also designed not to be “obnoxiously” modern, and to blend in to the normal “clutter” of the ship so that they do not catch the eye in photographs or casual visitors when we’re on exhibit. For “historically accurate” filming situations, of course, the bags and especially the bottles are either hidden or stowed off–camera.

    Care and Sanitation

    Filling and Emptying:
    Bottles are usually filled at dockside each voyage and stowed in their bags before being properly stowed on the ship. The water quality is always better from the spigot at the head of the pier, rather than run through the length of the hose. (You’re less likely to find insects and arachnids in your bottle that way.) At the end of the voyage, after making sure that everybody has drunk their fill, the bottles should be emptied and stored UPSIDE DOWN in their bags with the CAPS OFF of the bottles so that the bottles will drain and dry out. A dry bottle is far less likely to harbor any active bacteria or other infectious agents, so it is important that the bottles be allowed to dry out between voyages.

    Personal Bottles:
    If you have a cold or other transmittable infection, or if you have lowered immunity, it would be wise to bring your own personal bottle(s) and mark them for your use. You may want to keep them near you as you change watches. You may also prefer to have your own personal canteen or metal or plastic bottle of juice or sports drink instead of using the common bottles.

    “Tractor” Bottles:
    In the summer, some folks prefer to take their personal bottles, fill them ¾ full, and put them in the freezer; then top them off before the voyage for instant ice water. On hot days these may keep ice all day, and (if kept in the shade or under the right conditions) sometimes for a couple of days. Note that overfilled bottles can split when frozen and that frozen bottles tend to have a shorter lifespan.

    Marking Bottles:
    It is important to mark bottles for both the ship’s and your personal inventory with the month and year that you put it into use (permanent felt–tipped markers will suffice) and to change inventory often. This gives a guide to judge the age and probable condition of the bottles as the cruising season progresses.

    Please recycle ♻ all plastic bottles when they have done their duty. There is usually a recycle bag or pile near the Ship Shed and barn.

 

Page 14 Longship Company — Ship’s Manual Chapter 3 — Equipment, § 2

 

3.2 Necessities for extended voyages
 
In addition to the above, the following are needed for overnight voyages:

  • Rain Poncho (or other nautical foul weather gear) — Better safe than sorry soggy. A poncho can also be used with blankets (see below).

  • Complete change of clothes — For when you get wet anyway.

  • Heavy Sweater — It gets cold at night.

  • Toothbrush, washcloth, toilet paper, etc. — For the sake of your fellow crewmen.

  • Quilt and/or Blanket — These dry more quickly than sleeping bags.

  • $20 - $40 — For incidental expenses and dock fees.

  • Insect Repellent

  • Flashlight — Preferably with a red filter (for preserving night vision) and waterproof.

  • Extra rowing gloves — For when you drop the first pair in the bilge. Also, there’s usually someone who needs to borrow a pair.
3.3 Options
 

  • Trash bag — You’d be surprised how much trash we can produce during a voyage.

  • Camera

  • Pad to sit on — The rowing benches are hard.

  • Bathing suit — In case you feel like swimming, or if you find yourself swimming whether you want to or not.
3.4 Food/Provisions
 
3.4.1 Edibles
 

  • Extra Water

  • Sports drinks or soft drinks in cans or plastic (not glass) bottles

 

Chapter 3 — Equipment, § 4 Longship Company — Ship’s Manual Page 15

  • Bread (Rolls or homemade is better than sliced loaf.)

  • Crackers & snacks

  • Canned meat or corned beef

  • Hard cheese

  • Instant tea or coffee

  • Thermos jugs with hot tea & honey, hot chocolate, soup or stew

  • Summer sausage or hard salami

 

3.4.2 Utensils
 

  • Can opener

  • Eating utensils

  • Bota (wineskin; handy for “no touch” imbibing)

  • Waterproof matches

  • Soup pot (1 per 2 - 3 bodies, if overnight shore stops are planned)

3.5 Clothing
 

The boat is open, so you won’t be protected from the weather, and there are usually no convenient trees or hills to break the wind. Assume that whatever the weather is, it’s going to be more so on the boat. Be prepared for out–of–season weather. It can be hot in November or bone–chilling in August.
 
3.5.1 Cold Weather
 

Layer your clothing so you can remove outer layers while rowing, and replace them while resting. Remember: wool will keep you warm even when it’s wet.

3.5.2 Hot weather
 
Long loose clothing is usually preferable, for protection from the sun. Hats, visors or other headgear are also useful. A sweater, sweatshirt or light jacket is useful for evening cool.

 

Page 16 Longship Company — Ship’s Manual Chapter 3 — Equipment, § 6

3.6 What not to bring
 
Paper bags, cardboard or glass containers, potato chips (These get wet or break, and can clog the bilge pumps.) heirlooms, expensive watches, any book you respect (Bring a disreputable book, such as this one.)

3.7 Cold–weather gear
 
Cool/cold weather emergency gear should include reflective Mylar™ emergency blankets (unaffected by getting wet) and exothermic chemical “hand warmer” heat packets, packed and secured in such a way that they will stay with the ship even in event of a capsize. The danger of hypothermia is also why individual crew members should bring at least one additional layer of clothing packed in a water–proof bag.

Expect everything to get wet. It may not, but assume that it will.

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