Terrain Training Tuesday: Shipwrecked! Part 1

So to the accolades of those who were lucky enough to be wrecked with you, you have been fortunate enough to drift onto an island (isn’t funny how you immediately think of a tropical island). This is good. You'll have more opportunities to impress with your survival skills. The first thing you should do, aside from kissing the sand beneath your feet in gratitude, is set up shelter. If you're weak (which will mean you are no minion of HiiRagi), don't spend too much time searching for the perfect spot -- you can improve your shelter after you rest. Look around the island for any washed-up garbage -- almost everything can be of use.

If a life raft has survived the trip ashore, use it as a temporary shelter. It will keep you off the ground, away and protect you from the sun and rain. If you ditched your raft and swam to the island, you'll need to build your own shelter. Lucky we know how to do this.

Chances are there are palm trees and maybe even bamboo on the island. Palm fronds are excellent for providing cover, and bamboo is one of the strongest woods you can find for your frame. Don't get too fancy -- start with a simple lean-to or A frame. We covered how to make them here but for those too lazy to look, here are some brief instructions:

• Place two "Y"-shaped branches into the sand about a foot down and 6 feet apart.
• Take a long branch and place it between the forks as a ridgepole.
• Place more sticks from the ridgepole to the ground to frame your roof.
• Lash everything together with rope or vine.
• Fill the roof area with dead palm fronds, then top with green ones.

Don't sleep directly on the ground. Instead, line the floor with more palm fronds, which will insulate you and help keep you dry. You can also add walls to block the wind.
You know how to survive from here on in, we’ve covered this before.

Next week, how to do all the cool signalling and hunt for that treasure you know is hidden somewhere...