Question about sailing and sea sickness?

[mcdoc]

If I get sea sickness and I want to go on a month long sailing expedition what can I do? Will my body adjust after a few days? I know there are medications you can take but will they still be effective the whole time I am out at sea?

[PCP]

Yes. Many fishermen get seasick on the first days of a voyage as well as some good sailors. Normally the brain adapts to the new situation in about 3 days (if you sail all the time).

There are a thread about seasickness. Just put the word on the search engine to find it. You will find a lot of information about it.

Regards

Paulo

[Omatako]

It's actually quite rare for anyone to stay seasick for longer than 3 days and quite common for people to stay seasick for up to 3 days. I know voyagers who have 100,000 miles on their logbooks but the lady still gets sick for 3 days every time they leave a harbour.

My advice is medicate for a day maybe two then slowly absorb the seasickness until it goes. It will go unless you're a chronic sufferer - but you would know that because you would be car sick, air sick, the works. If you are all of these then the prognosis may not be that good . . . . . . . . I also happen to know one person who was sick for weeks until he got back on land. He got seasick on his surfboard waiting for the next set

[rikhall]

You have some good advice so far:

1 - Do a search in teh Forums - lots has been posted
2 - Some people seldom get sick
3 - Some people always get sick

Our friends who cruised for 7 years, she got sick on the ocean crossings. Got sick and stayed sick - the whole way accross.

So - do a search and check the Forum for all of the posts (and there are really good ones)

Rik

[Broomfondle]

NASA did some tests. Anyone can be seasick. The key factor is acceleration which means smaller vessels and choppier (not necessarily bigger) seas make things worse.
This site has some sound advice. seasickness.co.uk

[sailingdog]

One thing that will help is avoiding alcohol for a couple days before casting off as well as avoiding greasy foods and taking the anti-nausea meds several hours BEFORE leaving the dock.

[PCP]

I don't get seasick, but when I sail with a crew (my family ), if the sea is really rough, they get seasick.

We have tried all sorts of things and nothing really completely effective except this:

Cool Tools: ReliefBand

It worked very well with my kids (no problem at all) and produced a huge local allergy on my wife .

Here you have a quite complete description of all the seasickness "treatments":

Cures for sea, car, and other forms of motion sickness

Regards

Paulo

[vega1860]

As did Admiral Lord Nelson so we are in good company. I have been seasick so many times I consider myself something of an authority on the subject.

Here is a good article about seasickness (Shameless self promotion).

My latest bout with seasickness, sailing from Hawaii to the Pacific Northwest, lasted twenty one days. I attribute this to exhaustion caused by a month of 18 hour days getting the boat ready. Normally, my symptoms go away in 24 to 72 hours.

[PeterSailer]

If you want to try new medication, make sure you try it before you leave the dock to make sure you are not allergic or anything like that...

[hellosailor]

Well, two or three days of real "puke your guts out" seasickness CAN actually kill you as the heaving physically can cause damage and bleeding out. There are some things that are not worth trying to brave out, especially since the longer you try, the further away from help you will be.

I would suggest that the only rational way to deal with seasickness is to read up on the more effective remedies and their drawbacks, then start trying them. First, in the comfort of your own home to see if there are any adverse side effects. Many of the meds will make you drowsy, some have serious side effects in some users. Take the med Satruday morning, see how you feel by Saturday night. Worst comes to worst, it is easier to get help or comfort while you are at home.

Then start trying them out on a boat, to see what stops the seasickness. It will vary with each person. For me?

Ginger. Powdered gingered or ginger candy, etc. It increases the capillary blood flow, which oxygenates the body, which can be enough to stop mild cases.

OTC meds like Bonine and Meclazine...put me to sleep and don't do much else.

Scopalamine. Serious side effects for some users, Rx only, but stops it totally for me.

Compazine, I haven't tried. Similar class of drugs.

Sturgeron (Cinazine?) has many admirers, I found it worthless. Available OTC in the UK and Canada, not legal in the US.

Wrist bands--if the button is positioned just right, work when conditions aren't bad.

Relief band--the electronic one--works very nicely, but it can feel like there's a rat chewing at your wrist if you've got to turn it up. Still, no drugs, FDA approved for morning sickness, no rx necessary, but about $100 to start and again, the exact positioning is critical.

The only way to find out what works for you--is to try them out. Odds are that something will work for you, and after your body acclimates (48 hours?) to the motion, you'll be able to stop using it, or use something mild. The more often you are on the water, the easier it gets.

Especially if you are well-rested, haven't smoked or had alcohol, and avoid the triggers like diesel fumes and reading once you are aboard.