Seasickness

beancounter

beancounter

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Sorry to raise such a cheerful subject.

The wekend before last, an otherwise great weekend sailing was slightly spoiled by me being as sick as the proverbial on the Sunday morning (it was a bit lively in the Solent at the time). My digestive system is obviously a tad on the fragile side, as I've felt unwell on other occasions. However, on a prolonged sail (a week's sailing course) things have got better after a day or so. Other than a flotilla, I've done no sailing since the course in May. So, my question is, is it the length of time afloat or the frequency of getting afloat which is more likely to affect one's resistance to "mal de mer?

And a second question - are there better preventatives than Stugeron?

cheers

John

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the system takes 24-48 hours to adjust to motion (for most people). it takes from 1 to 7 days to 'forget' after sailing so if you only go at weekends it will get you every time.

stugeron is one of the best cures. in some countries they use up to 5x the standard uk dose so it's pretty safe to take 2 of our tablets before setting out. you may be affected by drowsiness so beware. others swear by ginger. scopolamine (scopaderm patches) is effective but requires a prescription and can mess with your head so not for skippers.

most people find acupressure bands useless but some swear by them

motion sickness is caused by your eyes & balance organs telling your brain different stories so if you are looking at anything which is moving with the boat you will have problems. either get on deck and look at the horizon or lie down with eyes closed.

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I'm pretty impervious, but on my first long sail this year in boisterous conditions, I felt half-way ill. Since then I've been bullet-proof (touch wood). Which leads me to conclude that acclimitisation is what counts. Sail more often!

BTW, I always feel better at sea if warm, dry, rested and well (but not copiously) fed. So pay attention to sleep, clothing and nourishment.

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.writeforweb.com/twister1>Let's Twist Again</A>
 
I think some people are just more susceptible to it than others. There also seems to be a wide variation of cures, some seem to work well for some, others work well for others. Late night pre-passage drinking is probably a somewhat under-rated cause(!), as is food which is not normal for you. So unless you have a big fry up many mornings, best not to before going out on a boat. I've found that eating well, but not too well, helps a lot. The most helpful thing for me though is to take the helm, standing up and looking ahead. It seems to sort the middle ear thing out very quickly. Diesel fumes are a particular prompt for me but for a friend , its tobacco smoke.

Sturgeron seems to work OK for me (but needs to be taken well before going out) whereas the Boots stuff (as I found on a trip from Cherbourg) completely knocked me out for two hours.


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An old merchant navy seaman advised me to put cotton wool in my ears if the going gets a bit rough, but before you start feeling ill.

I thought he was having a go at me and didn't bother. I am lucky that I don't get to feel ill too often. However, one day when things started to kick up a bit I tried the cotton wool. It worked! I didn't feel queasy at all. But then, I may not have in any case.

After that event, when things start to get a bit exciting, I bung my ears up with cotton wool. Works for me.

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Eric Tabarly was always sick the first day he went out and so you are in good company.

Luckily I haven't been sea sick since the age of 4 when we crossed the N. Atlantic in a mid-winter storm and the ship's back was broken when we arrived -in ice - at Montreal.

However where I could be sick would be in a film theatre where I'm watching a roller coaster ride. So I believe that it is mainly connected with the anomaly between what the eye sees and what the inner ear senses. That's why it is better to be on deck and focusing on the long distance.

A sailing doctor acquaintance recommends eating apples. They provide moisture and are easily digested.

John

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Used to use Stugeron but found it stopped working. I just went to sleep then woke & threw up. Now I use Avomine. Works most of the time but can also put you to sleep.

I've tried sea bands & they seemed to work - no idea why though.

The best cure I've found is to drive the boat & stay on deck. This seems to work for SWMO as well.

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Frequency of sailing certainly helps reduce impact. Before going for the cross channel or better it's worth taking one or two shorter trips just to get used to it all.

Auntie Pat, who taught the theory (the purpose of a bowsprit-and the sole purpose- is to allow marinas to charge for a longer boat) reckoned there were 3 witches out to get you:
- cold,
- hunger &
- tiredness.
You could cope with any 1 but 2 or more increased likelihood of seasickness.

Better by far than Stugeron is to sit under a tree. Works every time.

Hope this helps

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I only ever get half way there in the sickness stakes too, and only early in the season when it's cold. I'm sure acclimatisation matters too. Sometimes when I get off a boat after a week I feel a bit land-sick - wobbly when I walk. No whisky involved.

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I do somef sea time on bigger ships on and off (up to 2 months per year) and the more sea time, the less queasy I feel in ruff conditions so I'd concur that practice makes perfect. Two days at sea cures most people, not much help for a weekend's sail. The symptoms of hunger and incipient maldemer are the same, so when in doubt, eat. It either cures you or gives you something to throw up.
Whether other cures work seems to be highly personal - even ginger, which SWMBO now says makes her feel seasick in the kitchen at home, by association, having tried it and thrown it up on the boat. (Overboard actually, she's quite well trained now.) Sea bands are either miracle cures or things that bruise your wrists while you honk over the side. If you're only mildly susceptible, travel sickness pills (kwells, etc.) help.
Stick with it and one day you will suddenly realise you haven't felt ill, and the world (well the boat, at least) will feel like a different place.


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I'm not usually subject to seasicknees, but got queasy last year in F9-10. Eating seemed to be an instant cure for me, though curiously my offer to make sandwiches for the rest of the crew was met with some of the most insulting laguage I've heard on a boat!

Seriously - keep warm and keep your stomach full and you'll certainly do better than if you're cold and hungry.

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Agree with most of the comments above ... get more sea time; keep warm; well fed; rested, etc.
But if you or your crew do get ill try an old cure used by commercial Divers, try a glass of water with crushed ice, drink including the ice & you will at least get a few hours respite, it will also help to keep up your fluid level. Obviously in the UK you don't tend to carry ice but it is a good practice to get into as it is a great healer, also goes well in whisky.


poter

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Keep warm, keep some food and drink in your stomach (but not too much) and keep yourself busy. ie. helming or lookout. If you go below get your head down, close your eyes and try to take a nap. I've been seasick a couple of times when crewing in my early days of sailing, but never as skipper (too much to think about maybe). I always take two Stugeron, two hours before any passage in open water and never been ill. I sometimes think that I only take them as a lucky charm, but they don't knock me out, or have any other obvious adverse effects, so why not.

I would agree with others that acclimatization is the best cure. Get a prescription from the docs, pick up your NHS issue Najad from the pharmacy and go sailing!

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Usually feel queasy for first 2 days, sometimes less. However after a night passage with me heeeaving, I thought I'd lseriously look for a cure and not rely on the stiff upper lip.
Boots own brand is different chemicals than stugeron and seemed a bit more effective for me.
What really works is one of those vibrating wrist watch things - effectiveness varies from person to person and they're pricy.

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As one who gets seasick in a puddle, I find it takes 2--3 days but then I'm okay. Stugeron works best for me but I agree that you have to experiement to find what's the most effective for you.

Key issue is managing yourself when you feel sick. You can't gaze at the horizon with the tiller beside you for that long! This is especially true if you're the skipper. If you can (ie conditions/crew allow) go below, lie flat (ie no pillow) and try to sleep. You may throw up on the way down, but you'll wake up feeling much better than if you'd stayed on deck through out. I also find plain hot water really good. Cold water (let alone with ice in it!!) makes my stomach clench, and sometimes cramp which is really horrid if you're nauseous. Hot water goes down and stays down and is comforting. You can put ginger in it if (like me) you hate the raw stuff.

And everyone is soooo right about warmth, tiredness and trying to eat something. Ricecakes and dried fruit are v good in moments of nausea too.

Best of all - keep sailing

<hr width=100% size=1>Sarah&Pip
 
To add to the wealth of the usual info on this topic - there was some research done, and briefly reported, on the effect of listening to music (of your choice, as I remember, no particular ilk) whilst sailing.

I think you put your personal stereo on, not desperately loud, and just keep it on for as long as you are upstanding. You can turn it off to take a sleep break, then put it back on again when standing up.

I have meant to try it, but haven't. If you try it, please report back.
:-))

<hr width=100% size=1>Black Sugar - the sweetest of all
 
Another thing I read, which was most interesting, was in a medical journal regarding 'pain diversion'. The principle is well known... your mind cannot concentrate on two lots of pain at once. So, if you have a stomach ache, try dropping something heavy on your foot. However, the diverting pain (ouch, my foot) can be replaced by concentrated mental activity. This, apparently, is behind the techniques for resisting torture. So, if you can absorb your brain in some activity, then it will be too busy to worry about the discrepancy betweein eye-perception and caledonian canals. I actually know someone who can sit and read! She is v single-minded though, and shuts everything out when she is reading, I can't do that.

This translates into helming and navigation as diverting activity, but beware doing nav and looking downward - this exaggerates the discrepancy, and as soon as you cease the mental activity - the brain locks back in - in Spades!!

<hr width=100% size=1>Black Sugar - the sweetest of all
 
Doesn't really apply to small boats but ...

My mum was subject to seasickness so Dad used to find the bar closest to the centre of the ferry and ensure a generous supply of Cap'n Morgans was administered applying the principle "if you anethsetise the sense of balance it won't know your afloat". She was never seasick but did seem to have acquired sea-legs when walking ashore :-)

Possibly just the Cap'n Morgans will suffice?

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