MEN AGAINST THE SEA 
Drinking Water at Sea 
Drinkable water will be your most essential need. If your 
emergency craft is equipped with a still or chemical apparatus 
for removing salt from sea water, learn in advance how to as- 
semble and operate it. There will probably be some water in 
the craft, and you should rig gear to catch rain water. Use the 
sea anchor, boat or sail cover, or any piece of canvas. Try to 
estimate how long you may be adrift apd ration your water 
accordingly. A man needs about a pint a day to keep fit, but 
he can survive on two to eight ounces. A man in good health 
can live from 8 to 12 days without water. Water will go farther 
if you hold it in your mouth a long time — rinse, gargle, and 
swallow. If you have no water, do not eat, since digestion uses 
up body moisture. 
Preserving the water already in the body is almost as impor- 
tant as having water to drink. To avoid excessive perspiration, 
refrain from unnecessary exertion. If it is warm, remove (but 
do not discard) all clothing except headgear, shirt, trousers, and 
socks, which are necessary to prevent sunburn. Rig an awning 
which will protect you from the sun but which will not interrupt 
any breeze. Keep your clothing wet with sea water, so that the 
evaporation will cool the body, but discontinue this if you feel 
chilly. Rinse clothing in the sea at least once a day to prevent 
accumulation of salt. Dry it in the late afternoon to prevent 
over-cooling at night. In cool weather keep your clothing dry. 
In the Arctic and Antarctic, pools of water from ice melted 
in the sun and ice on floes over a year old are drinkable if not 
made brackish by salt water spray. (For more details on this, 
see section on water in The Arctic.) Your water ration should 
