Lost at Sea Exercise

Lost at Sea Exercise – Leadership & Team Building Lost at Sea Scenario Your team has chartered a yacht. None of you have any sailing experience. You hired a skipper & two-person crew. As you sail through the Southern Pacific Ocean, a fire breaks out & much of the yacht & its contents are destroyed. The yacht is sinking. Your location is unclear because navigational & radio equipment have been damaged. The skipper & crew have been lost to the fire. Your best guess is that you are approximately 1,000 km southwest of the nearest landfall.You and your friends have managed to save the following items: ( A shaving mirror [pic] (A quantity of mosquito netting [pic] ( A 19 liter can of water [pic] (A case of army rations [pic] (Maps of the Pacific Ocean [pic] (A floating seat cushion [pic] (A 7. 5 liter can of oil / petroleum mixture [pic] (A small transistor radio [pic] (186 square decimeters of Opaque plastic sheeting[pic] (Shark repellent [pic] (1. 1 liters of 160 per cent proof ru m [pic] (4. 5 meters of nylon rope [pic] (2 boxes of chocolate bars [pic] (A fishing kit [pic] pic]Also, you have salvaged a rubber life raft. In your team’s pants pockets there’s 1 package of cigarettes, 3 boxes of matches & 3 $20 bills. [pic] YOUR CHANCES OF SURVIVAL WILL DEPEND UPON YOUR ABILILTY TO RANK THE 14 ITEMS IN THEIR ORDER OF IMPORTANCE. GOOD LUCK! [pic] Lost at Sea Exercise Instructions Part 1 Participants should divide into teams of 5 and then be given 10 minutes to individually rank the 14 items. Part 2 Team members should then confer for an additional 10 minutes and decide on the team’s priority ranking of the 14 items.Part 3 Team members should then compare their individual rankings with those determined by the group as a whole, and discuss why the scores differ, if applicable. Or, if individuals would re-rank items based on the group discussion, what changed their minds? How where they influenced by the group? Lost at Sea Suggested Answers / Ra tionale According to the experts (United States Coastguard), the basic supplies needed when a person is stranded mid-ocean are articles to attract attention and articles to aid survival until rescue arrives.Without signaling devices, there is almost no chance of being spotted and ultimately rescued. Furthermore, most rescues occur within the first 36 hours and a person can survive with only a minimum of food and water during that period. So, the following is the order of ranking the items in their importance to your survival: 1. The shaving mirror would be critical for signaling. 2. The oil / petroleum mixture would also be critical for signaling. The mixture will float on water & could be ignited with the paper currency & a match. 3. The water would be necessary to replenish fluids lost through perspiration. . One case of army rations would provide basic food intake. 5. The opaque plastic sheet could be used to collect rain water and provide shelter from the elements. 6. The chocol ate bars could provide reserve food supply. 7. The fishing kit is ranked lower than the chocolate since ‘a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush’, and there is no guarantee that you will catch any fish. 8. The nylon rope could be used to secure people or equipment to prevent them from being washed overboard. 9. The floating seat cushion is a life preserver if someone fell overboard. 10.Shark repellent 11. The 160 per cent proof rum contains 80% alcohol, which is enough to be used as an antiseptic for any injuries; otherwise, it is of little value. It will cause dehydration if ingested. 12. The small transistor radio would be of no use without a transmitter. You would also be out of range of any radio station. 13. Maps of the Pacific Ocean would be worthless without navigation equipment. 14. The mosquito netting would not be necessary, as there are NO mosquitoes in the mid-Pacific Ocean, and the fishing kit would be more effective for catching fish.