Events that lead to abandoning ship happen quickly. Most ditch kits are stowed out of the way. Within seconds, they have to be found and deployed. Once in the water, most don’t provide any buoyancy. Life Cell Marine Safety’s Yachtsman model will float off its included mounting bracket, stores 474 cu. in. of user-supplied emergency gear and provides flotation assistance for four adults. David Brodie knows firsthand the benefits of being prepared with a Life Cell. Outrunning approaching weather, he and three friends were returning to port near New South Wales, Australia. During a difficult bar crossing, a rogue wave caught the boat’s stern, swamped it and killed the engine; a second crashing wave flipped it. Throwing his Life Cell into the water, the four were able to stay together and swim to a nearby vessel. www.lifecellmarine.com