Bulleye:
Seasickness and its treatment is so individual a thing; it''s hard to generalize...but here goes.
Longer at-sea times will likely invite more opportunity for seasickness simply due to exposure (wind/sea changes over time). Moreover, fatigue is one contributor and you''ll find the worst of both world''s during the first few days of a passage: fatigue sets in but the body may need longer to adapt to the motion. But...then again, you may experience no susceptibility.
I''m going to mention this ''remedy'' simply because I don''t see it discussed often and have quite a bit of experience with it now. I''m referring to the Relief Bands now being sold by WM among others. (This is intended to generate an adjustable electrical impulse on the underside of your wrist, supposedly at a sensitive point that influences nausea, what the Chinese have called the ''nei kuan'' point).
This was recommended to us by fellow GA pilots originally (pilots of small planes can rival sailors for experiencing motion sickness and crushed recreational plans after a big investment in their vessel!) and we initially bought one to test while on the Chesapeake. In one blow, my wife became ill, put on the new Relief Band, and felt immensely better in 10 mins. She was amazed. Then it was my turn to begin feeling badly, she passed over the band, and I was subsequently doing chart work at the nav table feeling fine. We were pretty impressed.
Then they came out with the replaceable battery model, which we took with us when leaving for the Caribbean. We (essentially, just my wife; I''ve used it only one add''l time) used them for 1.5 years. FWIW here are our conclusions about remedies & Relief Bands:
1. Nothing works in an absolute fashion and, after much reviewing of NASA research, a lot of careful trials with various drugs and ginger-type stuff, we consider ourselves pretty knowledgeable about what does/doesn''t work *for us*. (The NASA research proved conslusively that treatment of spatial disorientation is not linear, meaning we each react uniquely to the various drugs used).
2. Despite #1, the most widely effective pharmaceutical treatment (often used on school ships but with a Doc prescribing it via
SSB) is the ''NASA Cocktail'' originally discovered by accident by NASA - a 25 mg dosage of Promethazine and Ephidrine.
3. The Relief Bands aren''t a guaranteed fix and it''s a financial leap of faith to buy one, hoping it will work. Despite that, we recommend them because they worked well for us (my wife is quite susceptible to seasickness) and because they do not interfere with any other type of treatment you might be considering (patch, drug, homeopathic, breathing exercises, etc.). Besides, given the investment in our boats and the importance in actually being able to enjoy being at sea, surely a trial run with a non-replacement type Relief Band isn''t THAT much of a leap.
One last thought: Consider carrying a suppository (either OTC drug of choice or Promethazine with Doc''s prescription) as once you begin throwing up, you''ll be unable to treat yourself symptomatically.
Good luck and have some fun out there while the rest of us are working on our boats!
Jack