Sea sickness

[Wardy]

Having still never sailed, but only a matter of a few weeks before myself and the better half move aboard our new boat; we watched a programme on the box about sailing across the atlantic. In rather tame conditions, the crew were all throwing up everywhere for the first day or so, then they settled down for the rest of the journey... or did they?
Does sea sickness stop after the initial bout, those first few days afloat?

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[SlowlyButSurely]

I wondered why they were all sick when the sea was so calm too.

Seasickness seems to affect some people more than others but it does usually go away after a while and it disappears altogether within minutes of entering a harbour. Anxiety seems to be a factor. Also, some women suffer from seasickness when taking the pill.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[copterdoctor]

Sea sickness can occur in calm weather due to the continuous rolling motion where as once sailing the boat will take on a more stable motion. In calm weather there is a greater tendency to relax and "look into the boat" then you loose a horizon reference. Keep looking out, if you have to go below divide the task into small bits (i.e. fill the kettle, go on deck, put the kettle on, go on deck etc) Many people find wrist bands work, I find most SS pills make me ill on land.
I have a friend with 30 + years sailing is a YM ocean and is sick every time he goes out!
Good luck and RELAX

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[ubuysa]

I feel queasy for the first couple of days at sea so I take Boots own brand Travel Calm Tablets for the first few days. Perhaps they are just a placaebo, or perhaps thay do actually do something, but they work and I'm now never seasick.

You know of course about the helpful effects of ginger? Ginger biscuits and ginger cake are items I usually take with me (and share of course) and I believe they help too.

And don't forget, Nelson was regularly seasick...........

Tony C.

<hr width=100% size=1>There are 10 kinds of people, those who understand binary and those who don't.

 

[Talbot]

Nelson was seasick every time he left harbour, what is good enough for him is good enough for me. I tend to be OK until I experience worse conditions, then feek queasy again, recover, until even worse conditions arrive etc.

Some people who have never been able to manage, find sea bands to be very good, and I have heard very good reports on this new electric version of the sea band.

I once spent 4 days constantly seasick between edinburgh and belfast (via the Pentland Firth). Mind you it was a force 11 and I was in a minesweeper!

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Sunnyseeker]

Nearly every one will get sick at some time or other, I will always take some form of tablet or patch, and insist that the crew do as well. I've been on a boat once when a girl was a hospital case after crossing the channel from de-hydration.
We found some spanish tablets were very good and some dutch ones with caffiene to keep you awake. The patches are great (half a patch worked for me) but they do give you a very dry mouth. I always carry these as you can slap them on someone who is already sick, they start to work in less than half an hour.
It does go away, but can come back if it gets rough after a few days of calm.
Full stomach when you leave, lay off the beer/wine, if you can as soon as you start to feel a bit rough lie down and shut your eyes, sometimes you recover.
Try different remedies as we found different tabs work for different people.
The programme last night just came a cross as a complete shambles and enough to put anyone off, my experience is much more relaxed, tidy, fun, sociable and happy. I've crossed oceans with 2, 4 and 7 people.. and it was never like that programme!

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[MarkV]

I understood that Nelson resisted leaving his ship because he would be seasick when coming back aboard.

As for me, a full stomach and greesey food works wonders where as musily for breakfast or one of the musily bars will set me off on no time, as will the smell of striking a match which I think I herd some where of as a cure!

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[dralex]

The younger guy said he wanted to sail round the world initially, but then said 3 weeks was more than enough. I suspect it was the company. I have an inherent dislike of shouty control freak skippers- they just wind everybody up.

As far as sea sickness goes, most peoples balance mechanism will get used to a regular motion, but it doesn't like change eg days of calm then rough. Some people are just unlucky and have very sensitive middle ears.

<hr width=100% size=1>Life's too short- do it now./forums/images/icons/wink.gif

 

[Benbow]

Drifting further off topic onto that skipper.

I too thought he was pretty crap. I don't think he was a control freak, the boat looked a mess, he wasn't properly in charge but just periodically shouted at people. His decisions about who should do what and when seemed utterly bizzare.

Of course it may have all been in the editing, but the manky frayed halyard ends can't have been edited in!

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Jools_of_Top_Cat]

Allowing yourself to get cold and tired is a good way to get seasick. If it is raining or that horrible drizzle will also compound the problems. If your saloon looked, sounded and smelled like that on the Atlantic attempt with the crew only getting 4 hour breaks (prolly 2-3 hours sleep) then I am not surprised it was such a sick boat.

Ways to stay non sick in deteriorating weather, do not night passage until you know the boat 110%. Hunting for things in lockers, searching through all the halyards on the mast etc. is going to make you feel like crap pretty quickly.

Do not get too hot, when going below strip off your oilies, if the weather is so bad you don't want to strip down, don't go below. You will overheat sleeping in oilskins.

Stay busy, if you are skipper and your crew start yawning, give them tasks and proper jobs, get them on the helm, cleaning etc.

Always eat well, do not if possible allow yourself to dehydrate.

Hope some of this helps....

<hr width=100% size=1>Julian

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.topcatsail.co.uk>

</A>

 

[pragmatist]

How intriguing - are you really off on a boat having never sailed ? You're presumably not in favour of dipping a toe in, then ?! What are your plans ?

Have you ever experienced travel sickness in a car, bus, plane, ferry ? If not, then you may well be lucky. But there are few people who suffer so badly they can't manage it - you may pine for a nice tree on a stable shore occasionally though - I do - especially near Start Point !

It is very individual although I agree that tiredness and extremes of heat and cold are fairly standard catalysts. Make sure you only go a short way on your first trip because if you're moving aboard you will undoubtedly be tired and probably fraught. Have a short trip, anchor or moor somewhere to finish off all those jobs and take stock.

Best of luck.

<hr width=100% size=1>a pragmatist is an optimist with a boat in the UK

 

[Violetta]

The most likely scenario

Is that you might get sick at first - for a few hours or a couple of days - but then get over it and become more or less immune - until you change boats or spend some time ashore. If you do get sick at first - stick with it and you will probably be fine after a while.

I became a close and interested observer of seasickness in all its forms when working on yachts years ago. It fell to my lot to care for many a case of the mal de mer. Very few people were NEVER sick and very few were ALWAYS sick. The vast majority followed the pattern above.

For some very seasick people there is a danger of dehydration and, if they refuse to go below, of hypothermia. The best place for a really sick person is flat on their bunk, with a bucket, NOT stuck miserably in the corner of the cockpit (unless they can contribute, in which case they should be encouraged to do so) And a bucket is the best place for the products - NOT the sea running along the lee rail, unless the sufferer is closely clipped on. Really sick people tend to be a little cavalier with their own safety.

Responsibility is a wonderful cure for seasickness. Apprehension, bewilderment, fatigue and cold all make it more likely. I still sail with a lot of beginners and occasional sailors and it seems to me that Stugeron is excellent, seabands seem to work for many and ginger really does help with nausea.

Beer and pasties in copious quantities just before departure aren't helpful. Mind you, there was many a macho holiday maker that suffered the most terrible "stomach upset" in mid-channel after a good session at the pub. Seasick??? Not them!!!!!

<hr width=100% size=1><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by Violetta on 13/08/2004 14:00 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[jimbouy]

Just to add my 2p's worth.

I would regard myself as pretty suseptable to seasickness. But I have no problem in other forms of transport.

I got back into sailing this year and here are my tips and comments.

If I expect anything other than slight seas I take a low doseage of Stugeron. 1 tablet 2 hours before sailing and then another tablet evey 10 hours or so. If it gets rough and I start to feel lightheaded i'll imediately take a tablet. This seems to work for me with out making me feel totally dependant

I don't think I have ever noticed any side effects....but more than 18 hours on a boat does mean the earth moves for me once I am assure and I can feel a little odd from this. (is this effect made worse by tablets?)

I minimise time below.... my head in a locker for more than a few mins = rainbow burp.

I scan the horizon as much as poss.

I let my body move "against" the boats motion so as i remain as upright as poss... others I have seen seem to keep rigid and roll with the boat.(I hope you understand what I mean)

A good meal before sailing is always good, but give it time to hit your stomach. A bocon roll as you set sail is not good!

Make sure you are rested and comfortable in every other way.

Taking the helm helps.

Recognise the symptoms of forth coming sickness... light headedness and belching... for example.

I am not sure what your sailing plans are but on longer trips you will get used to it.


<hr width=100% size=1> "It is a pleasure to give advice, humiliating to need it, normal to ignore it"

 

[Wardy]

It's still intriguing us!

We have given up on the housing market, selling everything we own and are set to (within the next four weeks) move onboard a Colvic watson 28'6" with our extremely limited possessions that includes more climbing/mountaineering kit than anything else.
Having always been happier outdoors and able to be free of the constraints of a house, mortgage and regular job; the boat seems the way to go. Okay, I haven't a clue when it comes to sails, yet! But I think I'll crack navigation fairly quickly, relying on the fact that the map reading is just like an inside out mountain map; GPS, bearings, resections, cocked-hats, aiming off... no real problem there, been using them for ages. Tides are a new addition but the almanac i was reccomended on this site (Reeds) tells me all I need to know. The Radio will become apparent once i get my hands on it.
All in all i consider myself to be very practical, able to turn my hands to most things... maybe not my stomach, though i have never suffered from travel sickness just a mild nausia.
Our plan is a complete lifestyle change, people being very important, we hope to enjoys others' company, make new friends, travel and climb as often as possible. It's an idea that was rejected as stupidity at first, but very quickly became exciting and... our only way to fulfill our dreams.
Small steps at first, a RYA course, learn to sail, be fully aware of what i am doing, then port to port around Britain, then... who knows?

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Hardley]

Having served on HM’s Destroyers and experienced every thing up to typhoons, I was never seasick.
But taking passage on an Aircraft Carrier, is moderate seas, oh how I wished I could die, for 3 days then I was ok again, so change of craft does effect a lot of people.
On my yacht I find I am not 100%, in moderate conditions, but when it gets up a bit I am ok.
I have found Ginger Tablets from health food shops are easy to take and help a lot, also good for carsickness.



<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[joanne2]

Hmm, getting a bit nervy now.

We are off for a days sailing at the weekend and am slightly worried about getting sea sick.

When we are on our boat (a motorboat) and going along at speed I am fine. However I am not at all good at anchor unles it is anything other that flat calm. The rocking side to side motion makes me feel really sick and we either have to move on or I have to get off in the dinghy and go ashore.

This day out will at least make my mind up as to whether to stick to motor or change over to sail.

We shall see...

Joanne

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[paulskent]

If it's any help. I can sail all day and never have a problem but put me on a motor boat and I'me gone.

I once spent a shedload of money on a deep sea fishing expedition for me and the familiy in Mauritius. They were pulling in Tuna and large exotics by the bucketload.
I was lying on the floor of the cabin with my head in a bucket..

PK.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Talbot]

Have to agree that a lot of the problem was caused by the watch system. The apparent need to always have the young man available for sail changes etc. I favour 6 hr watches at night, with 4 hr during the day, and if with 2 people in a watch, you have to shake the other watch for ANYTHING something is wrong!

I was also rather amazed that they reckoned you cannot get used to four hour watches itmay take a few days, but it is possible.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Sunnyseeker]

we met a lot of couples last year, and the best watch system was 3 on 3 off all day and all night, works fine...but my girl friend said she wasn't getting enough beauty sleep, or baths. Any longer than 3 hours on your own and you start to drop off or halusinate, one creaking rope kept talking to me!

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Talbot]

3 hrs during the day may be good, but night time it is much better to have a longer watch, preferably 6 hrs. This provides a decent sleep. The one on watch needs to have something to do and preferably something like an egg timer to prompt a routine scan of the horizon, guages, sails etc. Chores down below MUST be shared

<hr width=100% size=1>