The affliction that dare not speak its name

[Danny Jo]

Horatio Nelson is reported to have suffered from it, every time he went to sea. Many others are afflicted, but won't admit to what is surely the curse of the casual sailor. Denial seems to be de rigeur, involving such euphemisms as:

- It's taking me longer than usual to get my sea legs

- It's a bit lumpy out here - what say we call it a day and try again tomorrow?

- Not up to much today, I'm afraid - hell of a night last night / I'm not sure that last night's curry agrees with me

- If it's alright with you I'll nip below for forty winks

- Yes, I know it's my turn to make the tea - I'm just waiting 'til we're out of these overfalls

My standard excuse is that the Irish sea North of Anglesey is shallow, with an uneven bottom, so that the tides rushing to and fro make the sea lumpy. (Out of six passages to Port St Mary, for example, I have tested the acid resistance of the topside paintwork no less than three times.) However, this explanation clearly wouldn't wash on a recent trip from Troon to Campbeltown, so I've learnt to just throw up and shut up.

One thing I have noticed, though, is that I am only ever afflicted when I have taken a well known remedy (let's call it Geronstu - to avoid embarrassing potential sponsors, you understand). This does not of course prove that Geronstu is making me puke, because the comparison is likely to be subject to selection bias, with apologies for the statistical jargon. But on Freestyle's recent great northern expedition (which, on account of running out of crew, only got as far as Inveraray) I noticed that after Geronstu days, I needed only a third of my regular dose of ethanol to achieve a state of, er, mental equilibrium. Moreover the following day found me more inclined than usual to say "I don't like the sound of that small craft warning". So I locked the stuff away and found it wasn't so hard to cope without the autopilot, just so long as I didn't spend too long playing, sorry practicing, RYA yachtmaster navigation techniques. (Marvellous things, these handheld GPS sets.) Only trouble is, if the skipper hogs the wheel all day, the crew get increasingly restive and start demanding complicated things like soup.

My apologies if this subject has been aired recently, but any advice would be appreciated.

Mark
PS On rereading, I spot an ambiguity. The "stuff" referred to above is Geronstu, not whisky.

 

[26ft_bathtub]

I tried to read the post thoroughly, but due to an overimbibication of the stuff--by which I mean whisky, not Geronstu--I can't. However, from what I can tell, you only get seasick when you take a popular seasickness remedy.

A solution does pop to mind.

 

[notyet]

My father in law once told me that raspberry jam is really good for seasickness. "Why is that?" asked I. "Because it tastes as good coming up as it does going down" says he.

 

[guernseyman]

There are two kinds of mal de mer. The one where you recover after throwing up. And the one where you don't.
If you suffer from the first then obviously it is best to get on with it. If you suffer from the second the cure is to do your boating on canals.

 

[Twister_Ken]

As someone who used to have no problems, but now does occasionally, I'm coming to the conclusion that getting on with and getting over it is the best solution. Trying to fight it makes it last longer, not get better.

 

[mireland]

Firstly if you love sailing then 'going inland' is no solution. I have tried all the seasick pills such as Stugeron, Meclazine etc. They DO NOT WORK unless they have had AT LEAST 2.5 hours to start working. If you take them too late you will start to feel sleepy. This IMHO is NOT THE PILLS but rather the seasickness setting in. Further to this, dosage is related to body mass and in my opinion which is NOT MEDICAL the dose on the package is insufficient for those of us who are rather larger. Find out the correct dose for your body mass. An apparently well designed study I have read shows that Scopalamine patch PLUS 0.3 mg or 0.6mg oral Scopalamine is effective in providing sufficient blood levels of the drug and in the majority of patients offers significant relief.

If it does not solve the problem buy a Relief band and use it as well as the Scopalamine This electronic device has not removed all feelings of queesiness but has stopped me throwing up even in large quartering seas.

As a scientist I have grave reservations about homepathic remedies. I have no concerns about their safety but being in infinite dilutions it seems unlikely that they have any effect. However Cocculus 30C has completely removed my seasickness. Placebo it may be but I care not. I believe Cocculus does not work for all but there are other seasick remedies that are good. Consult a Homeopath to find one that works for you. It will cost a few bob but if it works your sailing will be a million times more rewarding and you will feel it money very well worth spending.

Eat crystallised ginger often during your passage and load yourself with ginger supplement in the days before your passage. This too helps.



Finally may I suggest the following.....

1. Setting off on your trip when tired is a poor idea, especially early morning. Try to start at a sensible time following a really good nights sleep.

2. Eat a bowl of Ready Brek for breakfast or before departing. It glues your stomach up so far as I can see!


Dealing with seasickness needs an attack on several fronts but take heart from someone who suffers badly. It can be cured!

 

[BAtoo]

In my experiance Seasckness & its remiides are a bit of a black art. The efficacy & side-effects of each type vary from person to person; Stugerin makes me v sleepy & my son hyper-excitable - good combination - but it's effective in each of us.
I agree with Mireland about normal doses for an adult - you get half the dose if you are twice the weight & so posibly half the effect - but if you try to compensate by taking more & something goes wrong then you are on your own - I am sure the drug company will have a simple way out - exceeded reccommended dose!!
Last trip accross N Sea I felt fairly sick on way over & it wasnt v rough at all; last few days before coming home felt sick (& was sick) from a rouge mussle so kept to simple food for last 2 days; took 1 stugeron as we left & for first time wore the elastiated wrist bands - was absolutely fine; ate 4 times incldng bacon butty !!
Friends tell me scopolmine patches are good but give them dry mouth.
Hope these comments help!!
Nice breakfast topic!!!

 

[Danny Jo]

[ QUOTE ]
Eat a bowl of Ready Brek for breakfast or before departing. It glues your stomach up so far as I can see!

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, I have tried it (or porridge made with oat meal, to be precise) and thought it stayed down like glue. A bit of orange juice came up, with the same effect as the aforementioned raspberry jam.

Thanks to you and others for some very useful tips.

What I should have added to my earlier post was an observation about the unexpectedness of seasickness when on medication. I wonder if I'm better off without it, because I get more warning (feelings of queeziness) so can do something about it.

To the comments about tiredness, I suspect one should add one about the effect of the previous night's alcohol intake. My worst episode of seasickness occurred nearly forty years ago on the Windsor Castle while working as a crew steward (I had to clean the bar and the bogs for the rest of the crew) the morning after overindulging in rum.

Regarding the canal sailing, what bothers me most about my own seasickness episodes is the effect it has on the other members of the crew, and their confidence in me.

Mark

 

[Blueboatman]

Re: The boats motion that dare not speak its name

Surprised that in this brief thread no one has considered the type of boat...
Makes an enormous difference and yup an awb will heave your stomach sideways and all over the place as it bounces across the waves with crew perched up in the air.
My own preference for narrow,low freeboard boats with reasonable keel depth and area(boring,luddite,backwards looking etc etc) has always meant the actual sailing is a joy,moving around dead easy,getting a good rest in a berth that is located pretty close to the lateral,longitudinal and vertical axes of the boats motion taken fro granted...
You pays your money and you sails your boat.

 

[allangray3]

The Skipper of a Trawler cured me of seasickness whilst on a Pleasure trip with my Uncle may years ago, and have not suffered again in over 38 years. Take one large Orange and spike it libraly with Cloves then place near stove to get nice and warm for an hour, Simply Peel and Eat. you'll be sick once more and never again. Sounds daft but it worked for me.

 

[sheppard]

I get seasick if its anything more than a slight sea. As a marine biologist this is embarassing as well as difficult if I have work to do.

I have discovered Scopoderm patches. Wonderful things. You need to apply them at least 3 hours before a sea trip but they stay on for 3 days. It is the same drug as most pills (Hyoscine hydrobromide) but released into the body slowly in a much lower sustained dose. They work well for me but give me an incurably dry mouth!

 

[Deleted member 478]

Ginger. Lots of it. And then regularly tuck a thin sliver under your tongue.

 

[Danny Jo]

Re: The boats motion that dare not speak its name

This was indeed one of my considerations in choosing a boat. Freestyle looks like a plastic AWB, but wood epoxy construction with a near vertical stem and fine entry angle. Some 45% of her 7.5 tons is in the keel, a "Collins tandem keel" which has about 60% of its weight in the wing on the lower end. http://www.westboundadventures.co.uk/gallery/yacht/aai
This limits pitching and rolling but does not of course abolish it. Others have described her as "long-legged".

I did think about a long keeler, but compromised so as to be able to (a)sail 60 miles in 12 hours and (b) get in and out of marina berths.

Mark

 

[Slow_boat]

I don't get seasick on small boats but I'm scared that, one day, I might!

The only sure fire cure for sea sickness is to sit under a tree.

 

[Marmalade]

I find

1. never get hungry

2. never get full up (esp with lardy stuff)

3. Take dose of remedy and keep it topped up

4. I'm a chucker - but once I've done the lee-rail dance I feel fine

5. Would be interested to know about the wristband thing (electronic) at £100 ish they're a bit pricey for snake oil but if they really work...

 

[Gordonmc]

I found what is v. good for mal de mer is to wake up with a hangover induced by much Laphriog, have a heart breakfast of haddock n' chips, then take a N. sea trip.
Guaranteed to take effect by about Rattray Head.
About what is good for curing the mal de mer? ... havn't a clue. Mebbe ginger.

 

[krayz1]

I am new to posting sent a post but don't know where it went. The electronic wrist band works, but the problem with them is if you move around working at normal sailing functions it moves off the pressure point on your wrist and the sea sickness comes back. If you stay fairly still it does work. When I get seasick I stay sick for a considerable time after I have come ashore, but with the wrist band I am relieved straight away.

 

[Sailfree]

The 1st thing is to accept it affects many and its no embarrassment. That should remove any anxiety that I think assists the seasickness.

2nd thing is to be aware that it may catch you out but taking the helm, looking at the horizon reduces the risk.

Being aware of it I find reduces the likelyhood but when feeling prone to it I will not go below.

With the above regime I have only ever suffered twice in 8 yrs but sympathise with those that do and really admire those that love sailing so much they accept they will suffer for their pleasures!