Seasickness - Jacht! Causes, Symptoms, Triggers and Prevention

[BosnBill]

My daughter-in-law gets seasick at the slightest rocking of the boat. I've never been seasick, at east I don't think so. I've never turned green, let me put it that way. We'd like her to be able to join us for overnighters with my son and grandkids so I did some diligent research on the subject so we could take some preventative measures to keep her in the game. This is what I found our about seasickness.

 

[idpnd]

Nice writeup.. The one description of sea sickness that never ceases to entertain me (Ive never had it): First you think you're going to die, then you hope you're going to die, and at last you realise you're not going to die..

 

[maybh1]

Only those who have suffered will ever know just how debilitating it can be.

My cure has been Stugeron

I don't mind the drowsiness - it gives me a feeling of calmness and being at peace

I have never been sick since I started taking them and that includes endless cruises on our boat and on cruise ships in some pretty dreadful weather

May
xx

 

[gpssti4]

Only those who have suffered will ever know just how debilitating it can be.

My cure has been Stugeron

I don't mind the drowsiness - it gives me a feeling of calmness and being at peace

I have never been sick since I started taking them and that includes endless cruises on our boat and on cruise ships in some pretty dreadful weather

May
xx

I agree, Stugeron worked well for me too.

 

[Firefly625]

I have in the dim & distant past suffered from sea sickness. My cure was to fall asleep, even if that was in the corner of the cockpit in a F8, it was a kind of specialiality of mine that I could fall asleep anywhere!

However, pleased to say have not suffered for many many years, but put me on a long run or broad reach with an following Atlantic swell for a couple of days and I doubt I would last more than an hour..

I have heard a lot of recommendations of these;

http://www.purpleturtle.co.uk/acatalog/Relief_Band_for_Travel_Sickness_and_Nausea.html

They are not cheap, but I understand it is a case of you get what you pay for, best thing to do is to keep your eyes open the next time you are around a marina, if you see someone wearing one ask them what they think. Hopefully someone here will have first hand experience of them..

 

[Trundlebug]

I've heard good things about those wrist bands too, although I don't have them and haven't any experience of them.

My personal experience is that it helps to have a full stomach; I've found I'm far more likely to feel seasick on an empty stomach than a full one.

So if the going starts to get a bit rough, have a good hearty snack (or even a full blown meal if you can) preparation of which should be all part of your passage planning.

The last thing you want is to be spending any time down below in the galley when the boat's thrashing about, you'll have only minutes in there before you start to feel ill.

Keeping warm is also helpful, and definitely keeping an eye either on the horizon or at least looking generally outside the boat.

 

[Searush]

Triggers include (beside wobbly waves)

Anxiety
Hunger
Cold

Things that help (beside sitting on a beach)

Nibble a ginger biscuit, or three
Wear plenty of layers & good waterproofs
Give them something to do that involves looking at the horizon (helming is good, but looking for bouys, landmarks, wildlife, etc will do)

Early signs to watch out for, crew go quiet, slump & look down - distract them & get them involved asap! Find out which triggers are relevant & solve them!

 

[Bilgediver]

My daughter-in-law gets seasick at the slightest rocking of the boat. I've never been seasick, at east I don't think so. I've never turned green, let me put it that way. We'd like her to be able to join us for overnighters with my son and grandkids so I did some diligent research on the subject so we could take some preventative measures to keep her in the game. This is what I found our about seasickness.

It is surprising how many folk can get relief by chewing either slices of fresh ginger or crystalised ginger which does not produce drowsieness. Might work for your family. I see someone else suggests ginger biscuits.

 

[the_branflake]

My Mrs suffers from many forms of motion sickness. We've not had this boat very long and so far so good with the wrist bands.

The trigger list posted by Searush is spot on for her.

The top one for her is getting hungry. Have lots of little bits on board that you can open quickly and start to eat. Maybe avoid chocolate but its different for each person.

 

[AndieMac]

Triggers include (beside wobbly waves)

Anxiety
Hunger
Cold

Things that help (beside sitting on a beach)

Nibble a ginger biscuit, or three
Wear plenty of layers & good waterproofs
Give them something to do that involves looking at the horizon (helming is good, but looking for bouys, landmarks, wildlife, etc will do)

Early signs to watch out for, crew go quiet, slump & look down - distract them & get them involved asap! Find out which triggers are relevant & solve them!

Totally agree SR.

I've heard that the natural ginger, Blackmore's product "Travel Calm" rates well if drowsiness is an issue.

 

[guernseyman]

I have in the dim & distant past suffered from sea sickness. My cure was to fall asleep, even if that was in the corner of the cockpit in a F8, it was a kind of specialiality of mine that I could fall asleep anywhere!

Although it is apparently possible to be sick while sleeping, in practice sleep appears to be an effective preventative. As I discovered many years ago on a rough crossing, waking up to find I was imminently going to retch, immediately closing my eyes, going back to sleep, without the retching.

 

[Scubadoo]

Pepsi (not coke) and not Diet, I know it may seem odd, but seems to work almost every time for my wife when it gets bad out there. We always have a few cans on standby and is a good instant fix, works well in the car too.