Seasickness....Help required please!

[Sybarite]

Re: Kill or cure

A few years ago I took a catamaran down to Gibraltar. One of the crew members was literally green and flat out for the first three days. We were seriously concerned for him. However after these first days he began to improve despite early season gales off Portugal.

You know what he did though as soon as he got back home?

He went out and bought a catamaran !

John

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[billmacfarlane]

Re: I mean this, but expect heckling!

An old pal of mine and a very experienced sailor always got sick for the first 24 hours, then gradually came to.He also found that when he was starting to feel better eating food actually helped him. On our last boat a lightish type , my wife was a bit prone to seasickness but a first night at anchor at the start of a cruise gave her her sealegs. There must be a motion factor involved in seasickness as on our present boat my wife hasn't suffered from a minutes seasickness. Your partner has tried all the conventional cures but has she tried thinks like ginger and wrist pressure pads? I don't know about the pads but ginger in the form of oil or pills sometimes gives relief.

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[maris]

A skipper on a fishing boat I worked on years ago insisted tomato soup was the best thing out for seasickness. I could never make up my mind whether it had an ingredient which worked, or if it was just keeping up energy and fluid levels.
My oldest daughter sufered from car sickness, travel bands worked for her, ginger did'nt.

Donnie

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[TheBoatman]

Seasickness is a terrible thing and I can only wish your partner luck.
For me, I find sea legs tablets the best but here's the rub, I drink a bottle of that french beer the really fizzy stuff thats about 3%, makes you burp like mad which seems to relieve the worst symtoms. Don't ask me why but other fizzy drinks don't work, its only the beer that does.
Even if she doesn't like beer give it a try, sip it in small doses. It might take more than 1, but don't go beyond 3 as sleep is induced by the beer and drugs, she may fall asleep but I bet she wont be sick<s>

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[Jools_of_Top_Cat]

skippers, the best thing you can do for your crew if feeling sea sickness (luckily I have only ever had it once, terrible, did not throw up, anchored angling in large swell, I feel for those who get it every trip)

Tanya my partner does get it; I have noticed a few things recently, she will be fine quite often until she reaslises that she forgot to take the travel sick pill before setting off, then starts to feel groggy, interesting!

Anyhow to my point, when you are out in the boat and notice you crew starting symptoms, first is yawning, will happen every time, they will yawn long before feeling ill, give them a job, put them on the helm, keep them busy, try not to mention why. 90% I really think this will work. Put the radio on too or music, generally keep the mind on other things.

Something else that helps IMHO, try to learn to stop attempting to keep upright, move with the boat, if she rocks to port you rock to port, so if a camera was filming you close up it would look like you were not moving, practice this, I really think it works. When I was on the lifeboat the seats had harnesses, on bad days you would strap yourself in tight, worked wonders.

Just a couple of thoughts. Why do drivers never get car sick?

<hr width=100% size=1><font color=blue> Julian </font color=blue>

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

 

[Little_Russel]

'Kwells' have always worked well for us. Also taking the helm seems to work for some. All the best. Don't forget that Nelson was very sea-sick!

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[snowleopard]

causes of seasickness

the cause of seasickness is the balance organs in the ear telling the brain a different story from the eyes. if you are looking at part of the boat, the eyes tell the brain everything is still so you get a disagreement. if you are looking at the horizon the eyes tell the same story as the ears.

therefore to reduce sickness you need to be upstairs looking out or downstairs lying down with eyes shut. that's why chartwork is so bad and cooking (with added smells) the worst.

that's why drivers don't get car sick but kids playing with their toys in the back do.

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[DeeGee]

I have suffered from s/s for the last few years. I have tried seabands, ginger (biscuits/stem/tablets), stugeron, scopalamine patches - helming and doing things, keeping my eyes on a fixed point on the horizon.

I now accept that I can ameliorate the effects by NOT filling stomach with slushy stuff, better mashed potatoes than tomato soup, no alchohol for about 24hrs, no spicy food, not too much sugary stuff. Then, when I get sick, I tend not to bring up the food, but just sort of squeeze the liquid out of it, as I keep bringing up 'thick water'. I lie down as much as possible, but have to keep getting up as my mate is a great helm but lousy navigator, and can't do things like reefing.

I start to feel better after about 18hrs, and by about 20hrs, start to be able to eat - solids, not slush.

Sometimes on passage, I start to think about how much I could get for the boat, and how nice it would be to buy a camper-van and go touring on solid ground!! But I recover my senses with the recovery of stomach.

NB I sailed up to about age 60 with never a qualm, and laughed at the poor sods hanging over buckets. I don't laugh any more!

<hr width=100% size=1>Black Sugar - the sweetest of all

 

[Spacewaist]

£99 Wrist watch

SWMBO suffers quite badly now; it is getting more debilitating, the older she gets.

We havent found any remedy which is effective (other than a painful 48 hours at sea). Her favourite is raw ginger.

I bought the wrist watch for Xmas - it certainly reduces the severity, she can keep going for longer, but sadly at Easter succumbed on day 3 (days 1 & 2 having been relatively gentle down wind legs) after about four hours thrashing to windward along the south coast (in a NE 6 but not much of a sea). Jury's out, but seems better than any drug - but is not the solution.

For my part, I must have a breeze on my face. A can of cold lager settles a the stomach in a trice. Must be fizzy - fizzy water does work, but not as well.



<hr width=100% size=1>A pontification from the Panjandrum of orotund bloviation AD2003

 

[phanakapan]

Re: £99 Wrist watch

It certainly seems like sickness is a combination of physical and mental things- I suffer less strongly if I'm the skipper;- too much to think about- also I suffer less if I'm not anxious- after all, fear affects the stomach (sick with worry). Without wishing to be sexist, I notice that it's often women who seem to be affected more- is there maybe a correlation between this and the "fact" that often in sailing partnerships it's the man who's the skipper? I'm probably generalising far too much- I just know I feel better if I've made the passage plan, I feel in control, got a good idea of where I am, where I'm going and roughly how long it'll take, and that I know I have to stay alert enough to make sensible decisions if things change. It also helps if I'm not too ladylike- a series of really good burps, farts and pre-emptive vomits does wonders (so delicate!)

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[duncan]

As an avid sufferer(?) who had benn forced to look to solutions in many of my pursuits (try rally navigation at night to bring it on!) I would endorse everything above and be so bold as to highlight the key issues raised by AndrewB and Jules(Julian) under the category of avoidance - make her skip and mean it!!!! - suggest that in addition to avoiding late nights, early starts and excess booze and curry you ensure that she is well hydrated, comfortable and not aprehensive; chinese the night before can be a good source of ginger, starting the tablets as far as a day ahead helps (and avoids some of the fatigue issues) and being well hydrated is critical. A passage plan direct to La Rochelle is a no no - set out with her in control of agreed decision points however might get you there in a one'er, As mentioned some drugs affect people differently form others - try them. On treatment I would add the following warmish flat lemonade and her favorite 'dryish' biscuit. Ultimately the key to recovery will be hydration again but that is easier to say here that puking into a bucket.
Last, adn I think interesting point, she is not alone - more people suffer than most believe...........
If you (she) cannot enjoy it - work around it.

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[Abigail]

Re: Abigail,

Just hot water - when those b---ds who are not throwing up make some tea, then just have yours without any teabag, hot water or anything. I've found this better than even non-caffeine herbal teas.

<hr width=100% size=1>Sarah&Pip

 

[Abigail]

Re: Abigail,

Just hot water - when those b---ds who are not throwing up make some tea, then just have yours without any teabag, coffee or anything. I've found this better than even non-caffeine herbal teas.

<hr width=100% size=1>Sarah&Pip

 

[temptress]

Best cure I've found is to Sit under a large tree in a field somewhere.....

Joking aside on longer passages say over 4 days at sea most poeple who suffer from seasickness get over it and find that their tollerance is much better after. That is they can have a spell ashore and go back to sea without feeling seasick or at least not as bad as usual. the more time you spend at sea the more accustomed you appear to get to it. Some unlucky people never get over it!

I have been sailing with a friend for 15 years of so who gets very bad bouts usually the firsrt overnight passage each year then he's all right untill he stops sailing for a prolonged period and it all starts again.

Good luck
Kevin


<hr width=100% size=1>Temptress of Down
Southsea Marina
Hants
UK

 

[tome]

On the other hand

I used to get pretty sick of the sea towards the end of a 6 week trip when I worked as a professional navigator!

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[temptress]

Re: On the other hand

different sort of sick me thinks?

LOL

Kevin

<hr width=100% size=1>Temptress of Down
Southsea Marina
Hants
UK

 

[Roberto]

Thanks Abigail, will try(nm)

nm

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