Sea sickness remedies

[pcatterall]

I haven't seen this one for ages so I will give it a whirl ( but with a twist).
I always keep quells on board for my use and crew. I am not prone to sea sickness but will take them sometimes as a precautionary measure ( also ginger biscuits seem to work)
But is it worth having other stuff in the medical box ( a non sick crew is very useful!) It would be no great expense to have bands goggles or other 'cures' to hand for crew who may benefit from them.
Could some expert pollster create a poll asking people which of the main 'cures' ( and possibly some exotic ones) Tablets, aqua puncture bands, those watch thingies, goggles, ginger, others. never sick, nothing works!

 

[chinita]

Sea sickness, cause and remedies along with why our streets are not full of dead birds every morning, are two of the great mysteries to me.

 

[elton]

I find the best remedy is to throw up violently, downwind, over the side, then all is well. Nothing else works.

 

[SvenH]

I have a personal theory that training ones balance may help.

 

[prv]

I have:

Stugeron as basic day-to-day remedy (for guests, not me).

A bottle of some other drug (can't remember which) from an MCA cat C pack.

A pack of Buccastem tabs for heavy-duty treatment. These are little dissolving patches you stick to the gum inside your top lip. They diffuse the medicine through the skin, and don't get spewed out. I guess individual receptiveness may vary, but I've seen a couple of miracle cures when these were given to people on ocean passages - from looking like death and vomiting every few minutes, to sitting at the table in a crowded rolling messroom asking for seconds of chicken stew and carrots.

Pete

 

[chewi]

i used to be barman on a daytripping boat from Bournemouth.
So many customers had bizarre formulae passed down through families, and they believed them,

all involved alcohol, all ended up either rinsed overboatd or pumped from the bilges.

the stench in the bar was untenable.

I went on deck if it got rough.

 

[pvb]

Stugeron works.

Ginger biscuits don't (ask my wife!).

 

[Poignard]

Sit under a tree

 

[cliff]

Sit under a tree

Aye, the ONLY sure cure - go sit below a tree.

 

[Sneaky Pete]

Gingerbread

 

[chewi]

avoid those pink wafer biscuits.
my daughter made a lovely job spraying them into the cockpit!

 

[pvb]

avoid those pink wafer biscuits.
my daughter made a lovely job spraying them into the cockpit!

You admit to having pink wafer biscuits on your boat???

 

[Seajet]

Stugeron seems the most reliable from my observation, but beware it can make some people really seriously drowsy; my crew took one as a precaution once and he was almost comatose, so try them first in a situation where being asleep won't endanger the boat...

For people suffering, the bottles of mineral water with a teat to suck are really useful, have plenty to allow for wastage over the side.

After a long period of sickness Dioralyte sachets do a good job of replacing the body's lost electrolytes; sachets of 4 from chemists about £4.00; one dissolves a sachet in a tumbler of water, they taste pleasant too.

 

[[70521]]

I use Stem Ginger once in a blue moon.

 

[DipperToo]

There was a thread here last year about using a single silicone ear plug. £3 at Boots or £19 for a 'kit' http://www.purpleturtle.co.uk/acatalog/Lapponia_Anti-Motion_Sickness_Ear_Plug.html

Snake oil remedy or has anyone actually tried it?

 

[chewi]

You admit to having pink wafer biscuits on your boat???

part of a picnic for a girl of maybe 8yrs old.
never again!

 

[Heckler]

Stugeron works.

Ginger biscuits don't (ask my wife!).

Plus one!
Stu

 

[Gwylan]

I haven't seen this one for ages so I will give it a whirl ( but with a twist).
I always keep quells on board for my use and crew. I am not prone to sea sickness but will take them sometimes as a precautionary measure ( also ginger biscuits seem to work)
But is it worth having other stuff in the medical box ( a non sick crew is very useful!) It would be no great expense to have bands goggles or other 'cures' to hand for crew who may benefit from them.
Could some expert pollster create a poll asking people which of the main 'cures' ( and possibly some exotic ones) Tablets, aqua puncture bands, those watch thingies, goggles, ginger, others. never sick, nothing works!

I find the first long trip of the season is purgatory. Eventually get over it and move on, but the interim is a bit unpleasant.
Still find cooking or consuming a big meal a bit of a challenge if there is too much motion.

Keep warm, well fed and manage nervous, anxious crew.

Tried heaving to, just meant more of the crew heaved up. Did make getting buckets of water, to clear up,easier though.

Find it hard to be magnanamous and do the 'don't worry, you just puked over my new sailing jacket. It'll just remind me of you evertime I put it on!' or 'no, don't worry, we'll hose it all down when we arrive' and 'that's fine, you don't feel too good, you get some sleep I'll do the next watch as well as the last one you puked your way through'.

Then there is the thought about the fact I am not feeling great too, would quite like a brew or a visit to the heads. Also I know that when we get around the next headland we are really going to get the wind on the nose and the possible alternatives are even further away.
Will they remember that I told them tha buying a cheap plane ticket for tomorrow morning might be a bit of a gamble, when we arrive tomorrow afternoon?

 

[Zagato]

Keep people on the tiller looking out to the horizon. Moving about and bending over sets me off instantly. On the first day out especially. When last out as soon as I tried letting out a reef even in Chi harbour on a calm day with a bit of rocking I broke out in a sweat and knew what was coming but just tied the whole mainsail up quickly and recovered by coming home on jib & mizzen. That mizzen is my saviour!

Stugeron works for me up to a point but not on the first day in rolling situations, I can go from feeling fine to throwing up literally within 10 minutes. The biggest trick I have found is to slowly get used to the sailing motion. Sail in an estuary on the first day and the second and third days will be much better but I'm still easily susceptible which is why I can't do proper sea passages single handed as it it's too dangerous and I will now be doing very short hops and camping in esturaies, lakes, rives etc.

Age also seems to help when your balance senses are less acute. Most people suffer from sea sickness, the majority of people I speak to don't go anywhere near boats - thankfully.

 

[onesea]

part of a picnic for a girl of maybe 8yrs old.
never again!

Take all the fun out will equip my boat with them for next time daughter is afloat, also Mars milk is great as it tastes the same coming back up .

5 Remedies for you:
1) Food anything (I think ginger biscuits help but every one is different), plenty off. It is much nicer to throw something up :ambivalence:
2) Be active with something to do or lie down.
3) Drink lots of water tea soup, pot noodles
4) One Foam ear plug in one ear,
5) A Camera*

# I have not had really had chance to see if it works, but had reports of some improvement. The trial victims did not like walking round with one in, they felt self conscious. So by reckoning where not really feeling sea sick and results not conclusive.

* I did a trip with some friends one started being sick, I told them the next one that was sick I would take photos. They looked at camera looked at me and got on with something, a few felt queezy but none actually sick a few hours later it was all forgotten.