Sunburnt & Sinking – A Stranded Deep Survival Diary: Day Three

Sunburnt & Sinking: A Stranded Deep Survival Diary – Day 3

Difficulty: Normal
Optional Features: Permadeath enabled (naturally)

“Hydration success, culinary failure, and the return of a long-lost knife.”

Weather / Loot / Mood

  • Weather: Warm morning sun, light breeze, suspiciously perfect for false optimism
  • Loot: Cloth (from mystery container), water still, refined knife (found in sand), shattered coconut dreams
  • Mood: Parched → euphoric → regretful → betrayed

Water Still Victory

I woke with a tongue like sandpaper and the hydration levels of a sun-bleached raisin. Today’s mission was clear: build a water still. The problem? I had no cloth — or at least, that’s what I believed.

While digging through my supplies, I remembered the sealed storage container I’d been dragging around like some clueless beach hoarder. Inside, lying there like a treasure in a castaway’s dream, was one glorious piece of cloth. Just enough for what I needed.

Moments later, I had all the parts gathered, and the still was built — my first real piece of survival infrastructure. It stood proudly in the sand, a guarantee that thirst would no longer be my most urgent problem. I almost gave it a name.

Floating Cloth and Coconut Regrets

Of course, before the still came together, my cloth had to put on a show. When I dropped it on the ground, it stood upright like it was trying to defy gravity — or audition for a magic act. Strange, yes, but soon incorporated into my new pride and joy.

With water secured, I turned my attention to food. Variety was key — crabs and coconuts had kept me alive so far, but they weren’t exactly a balanced diet. I set my sights on fish, convinced a fire spit would be my ticket to grilled seafood glory.

But first, a quick survival PSA: never eat too many coconuts. The consequences are… unpleasant. I’ll spare you the details, but let’s just say my digestive system filed an official complaint and threatened industrial action.

Island Limits & A Knife’s Return

My island had been generous, but the easy loot was running out. If I wanted to thrive — or even just eat something different — I’d have to explore further afield. I wasn’t ready for that kind of commitment, but survival doesn’t really take “maybe later” as an answer.

While gathering materials for the journey, I spotted something glinting in the sand. It was my refined knife — the same one I’d apparently dropped days ago, possibly while fleeing a crab with attitude issues. I picked it up and welcomed it back into my inventory like an old friend who’d just wandered back from the pub.

I also discovered I could make a wooden farming plot. Long-term food production sounded fantastic… until I realised I didn’t have a hoe. That idea went straight onto my “future ambitions” list, somewhere between “build a smoker” and “stop capsizing my raft.”

The Fire Spit Betrayal

Finally, the fire spit was built, my visions of sizzling fish nearly within reach. I placed my catch over the fire and… nothing. Turns out the fire spit is not the universal cooking solution I hoped for. Apparently, fish require a more advanced setup — a smoker, or perhaps a deal with the culinary gods.

So the day ended with me sipping fresh water and eating yet more crab, while the dream of grilled fish drifted out to sea like an unanchored raft. Still, progress had been made: hydration secured, knife recovered, lesson learned.

Tomorrow, I’ll brave the sea and head for another island. If I find my way back here, great. If not… well, coconuts probably taste the same everywhere.

Continue the Journey

Day 1 |
Day 2 |
Day 3 (You Are Here) |
Final Day

Sunburnt & Sinking – A Stranded Deep Survival Diary: Day Two

Sunburnt & Sinking: A Stranded Deep Survival Diary – Day 2

Difficulty: Normal
Optional Features: Permadeath enabled (naturally)

“Water is scarce, knives keep breaking, and coconuts betray me.”

Weather / Loot / Mood

  • Weather: Sunny with a calm breeze, deceptively inviting for a day of mistakes
  • Loot: Two refined knives (both broken), crude knife, potato crop, yucca fruit, several speared fish
  • Mood: Parched → resourceful → frustrated → plotting escape

Death by Dehydration and Knife-Based Regret

Day 2 started the way all my survival days seem to — fighting to stay alive with fewer resources than the average beach picnic. Water was the clear priority, so I cracked open a few coconuts to keep my hydration meter from flatlining. Just as I started to feel less like a dried-out husk and more like an actual human being… snap. My refined knife broke in my hand.

One second I had my most valuable tool, the next it was reduced to the kind of scrap metal you’d find washed up on a stormy shore. With it gone, my ability to gather resources properly took a nosedive, and I was back to square one.

Knife? Check. Brain? Debatable.

Thankfully, making a crude knife was easy enough. Unfortunately, I forgot that I could use that knife to craft another refined one. It was like having the solution in my pocket but refusing to read the instructions. In my defence, dehydration may have been quietly sabotaging my brain function.

When I finally pieced it together, I felt like the island’s least stylish blacksmith, reforging my refined knife like it was a lost relic. Feeling smug, I checked the crafting menu for new possibilities. A fire pit? Doable and quick. A water still? Perfect — except it needed cloth. And cloth, as far as I could tell, was rarer on this island than polite seagulls.

My Kingdom for a Rag

The water still became my new obsession. If I could build one, I’d solve my hydration issues for good. But without cloth, it was a dream just out of reach. I decided to prepare the other materials in advance, so all I’d need to do was slot the fabric into place once I found it.

In the process, I managed to break my second refined knife of the day. The culprit? The island’s one unyielding yucca tree, which I kept attacking like it was hiding a secret stash of loot. If anything, it only seemed to grow more smug about my failures. On the bright side, my scavenging turned up a potato crop and a yucca fruit — the makings of a future farm if I could ever get beyond the “not dying of thirst” stage of survival.

Spearfishing for Sadness

Needing a morale boost, I took to the ocean with a crude spear, ready to prove I could at least feed myself. The fish were easy enough to catch — a few quick jabs and they were mine. I strutted back to shore with my haul, already picturing a beachside fish roast.

That fantasy crumbled faster than my knives when I discovered my fire pit wasn’t suitable for cooking fish. Apparently, I needed something more advanced — a smoker, a spit, or possibly a degree in tropical culinary arts. The fish went into storage, and my dreams went up in smoke without ever lighting the fire.

As the sun set, I stared out toward the horizon. Tomorrow, I’d choose an island and head for it. Either it would have cloth, or I’d be stuck crafting a distress flag out of coconut husks, stubborn yucca bark, and pure spite.

Continue the Journey

Day 1 |
Day 2 (You Are Here) |
Day 3 |
Final Day

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑