Seasickness

[gadangit]

Crew seasickness seems to be more of a problem here on the gulf coast of Texas than other places. At least it seems to be. Does anyone else have that opinion?

We had 3 of 5 people on the boat feeding the fish racing up from Freeport to Galveston, basically neutering the boat. They all had patches under their ear, but not put on until about an hour before leaving the dock.

I am not typically afflicted unless sent below to a hot humid saloon and it always subsides when I get back up top. And then it is only a vague feeling of being unwell, nothing close to what I see in others. So I don't know what to do or how to help avoid the crew getting sick.

Any tips or recommendations would be great.

As a side, we were three Ericson's abreast coming out of the Galveston jetties on the race down, E39 and two E38s. I believe we were covering three decades, the 70s, 80s and 90s. Pretty cool.

Chris

 

[Rick R.]

Gulf Waves and Seasickness

Chris,
The Gulf seems to affect folks differently. The shallow water causes short period waves and often confused seas over here by Penscaola. In fact, the crossings I've done from Mobile to The Keys, Pensacola to Venice have all had their share of confused seas.

Sailing in the Carribean or Atlantic, you just don't get the short period waves. They're more rollers. Some of the seas we have encountered in the Sir France's Drake channel in the BVI were huge but manageable because it is so deep.

As far as seasickness goes, I've heard focus on the horizon, avoid greasy foods before a rough sea, use mind control (refuse to belive you will get seasick), stay busy while onboard. My buddy who has done two Atlantic crossings swears by Ginger Snaps!

I have spent my entire life on the water and thankfully have never been seasick.

Rick

PS Three Ericsons exiting Galveston ....cool! We should plan a Gulf Ericson rendevious.

 

[mkollerjr]

I don't tend to get seasick, but I've heard the following may work:

1. Give the sick person the helm so they have something to focus on besides being sick.
2. Sucking on hard candy, such as Jolly Ranchers.
3. Chewing on gum.
4. A small amount of alcohol (slows down the eye/inner ear feedback loop).
5. Staying outside.
6. Re greasy food: last year going up the Washington coast in 10-15 foot seas, the large bucket of cold greasy KFC was the first thing to get eaten. Boy it tasted good out there! But, I could see how a greasy hamburger may cause some unpleasant stomach feelings.
7. Orange juice and top ramen is always easy to get down.

Mark

 

[Tom Metzger]

I am a believer in throwing a sick person off of the boat. Nothing gets the crew sick faster than being around someone who is seasick.

Beyond that, keep something in your stomach; do not get hungry. A person who feels well should be the one to go below for snacks. Plan ahead... have snacks on deck. Crackers, bread, old KFC, anything.

 

[Christian Williams]

Half the people I take sailing are prone to seasickness. It depends on conditions, mood, and many factors.

I believe the only solution is to say, on leaving the dock, "if anyone starts feeling uncomfortable, we will return immediately. We're just out for a good time, and we can have that in the slip, too."

I will quietly turn around a half mile outside the breakwater if anybody signals to me that one of us is getting sick. I make no mention aloud, I just begin a very gentle turn. Often guests don't even realize we're heading back, and that the "sailing part" was rather shorter than they expected.

My thinking is that illness humiliates the victim, who is advised to come topsides, stare at the horizon, eat ginger, wear a wristband, etc. Everyone on board is aware of the discomfort, no matter how heroically the victim tries to hide it, and the undertone is pity. If the skipper carries on in hopes the illness will subside (it won't), then the rest of the group is required to have a good time at the expense of someone else, which puts them in a moral universe I don;t associate with yachting.

Some folks get benefit from Dramamine and its competitors, others find no benefit at all, and a good number are put in a walking coma (no matter what the label says about non-drowsy).

Non-boating folks invited on destination trips, say, whale-watching, which around here is a commitment to a full half day on the water, sometimes ask about seasickness.

I recommend that they pick a product, starting with my favorite (Bonine/Meclizine), and try it out on a work day. In other words, confirm in advance the absense of bothersome side effects. Now they have a seasick pill for life, to take one hour before dock departure. It's good psychologically, even if the pill has no actual anti-vertigo effect.

Nobody has puked on my boats is 30 years using this approach. The trick is to turn back immediately and without anybody knowing why you did it. And not to announce "we are going sailing for four hours" or "Let's sail out to the island and have lunch." Rather, to "go for a sail and see what happens."

This approach may not appeal to everyone. But I believe that if I can get seasick, anybody can, and it is one miserable condition to be in.

Regarding sick race crews: if you get seasick, you are not a race crew.

 

[Pat O'Connell]

Seasickness Testimonial

Hi Respected Sailors

Christian has got it 100% correct! That is a scheme that will always work. My Dads #1 rule of sailing was "be nice to the crew."
Married the love of my life 39 years ago. 40 years ago she was dating a wonderful fellow who worked hard, knew what he was doing and was very lucky $$$ fellow with a nice Pearson. I had a 20 ft O'Day that bobbed in the swell like a cork. Anytime I noticed a slight, little, discomfort I would slide into the harbor and we would get some sun on the beach. Then I would hear stories about getting sick during a Pearson race and just having to "tough it out." After we were married I asked why I was so lucky? "I just started having more fun with you." 40 years of fun this November!
Wifes seasickness has gone away for years.... It works Christian!

Pat O'Connell
1981 E28+

 

[Rick R.]

Nothing gets the crew sick faster than being around someone who is seasick

How true!

On a deep sea fishing trip out of Destin, FL a snowbird from Ohio noticed one of my sons feeling a little seasick. She went on to tell me how she always took Dramamine and how it worked for her. She even offered to give one to my then 10 year old. I declined.

A few minutes after she shared her wonderful cure, I got to experience the scrambled eggs she had eaten for breakfast as a piece blew in the wind and landed on my hand. Ughhhh!

Can you say "chain-reaction"?

 

[Tom Metzger]

" Only a sailor knows why a dog sticks his head out the window of a moving car."

Ah yes; to keep it off of the captain's head.

 

[davisr]

Lots of food, lots of water, especially the latter. In my experience, on a multi-day passage, most people, including those prone to seasickness, can adapt, as long as they resist the urge not to drink water when they need to drink water. On a day-sail, however, as Christian said, some people are just not going to adapt, and no amount of TLC is going to get them up to speed in a several hour period.

Roscoe

 

[Rick R.]

Ah yes; to keep it off of the captain's head.

That would be car sick Tom....:0

 

[Joliba]

Don't Be Discouraged

I agree with Roscoe and Christian. During short rough weather sails in the Great Lakes or on the ocean I have been seasick.(For those of you who are not susceptible, believe me, it is quite miserable.) The only way to keep guests happy is to return to the harbor. Remaining on deck, steering, staying hydrated and all the measures that others have mentioned are helpful. However, on longer ocean passages, I find that for me, after about three days, the seasickness completely goes away without any medication. On a passage between Mexico and the Marquesas last month, I took meclizine during the first few days. This worked fabulously and I had no seasickness at all. After a few days I stopped using the meclizine and remained fine. At times it was fairly rough with unpleasant motion. The meclizine produced no noticeable adverse effects. Some people use Stugerone, another medicine (not available in the US.) My wife who is very prone to seasickness tried meclizine for the first time recently. She said that it was like a miracle drug. For the first time in many years she was not sick. Although much of this is anecdotal, premedicating is certainly an option worth trying.
Mike Jacker

 

[gadangit]

I agree with Roscoe and Christian. During short rough weather sails in the Great Lakes or on the ocean I have been seasick.(For those of you who are not susceptible, believe me, it is quite miserable.) The only way to keep guests happy is to return to the harbor. Remaining on deck, steering, staying hydrated and all the measures that others have mentioned are helpful. However, on longer ocean passages, I find that for me, after about three days, the seasickness completely goes away without any medication. On a passage between Mexico and the Marquesas last month, I took meclizine during the first few days. This worked fabulously and I had no seasickness at all. After a few days I stopped using the meclizine and remained fine. At times it was fairly rough with unpleasant motion. The meclizine produced no noticeable adverse effects. Some people use Stugerone, another medicine (not available in the US.) My wife who is very prone to seasickness tried meclizine for the first time recently. She said that it was like a miracle drug. For the first time in many years she was not sick. Although much of this is anecdotal, premedicating is certainly an option worth trying.
Mike Jacker

Excellent reply, thanks for the personal account. Lisa just got a prescription for Meclizine, she has pinned her hopes on that.

Galveston Bay is just a great big lake, no more than 10' deep outside of the ship channel. I've never had anyone get sick. The Gulf of Mexico is another story. All the regattas have epic stories of losing seasoned crew to seasickness and now it happened to me. Something about that washing machine motion.

Thanks again Mike.

Chris

 

[Christian Williams]

Bonine is meclizine over-the-counter (same as prescription Antivert). If a prescribed dosage is larger than the OTC tablets, just take more tablets.

 

[e38 owner]

I agree. I don't feel so hot from time to time. When using the patches an hour before is not enough. Night before is better. Once you don't feel well it is to late

 

[gadangit]

Bonine is meclizine over-the-counter (same as prescription Antivert). If a prescribed dosage is larger than the OTC tablets, just take more tablets.

Good to know!

 

[ilnadi]

the admiral has vertigo and gets easily seasick. Her solution is "steer or sleep". If she steers she is OK, if the sleeps she is OK. Otherwise it depends on conditions.

I grew up on/near the sea and nothing made me seasick until I started diving off North Carolina. A few long boat rides at the edge of the gulfstream did me in, especially if I was working with students (attention inside the boat). I always went for the "don't fight it, get it over with" approach. If I got seasick I found the downwind rail and fed the fishes (granted, if you get underwater after this it works better). Then drink a bunch of water and move on.

I agree with "don't stress your passengers", the trick is to communicate this approach without sounding uncaring; I'm sure it does not work for everybody.

 

[Randy Rutledge]

I have a friend that gets seasick very easily, she and her boyfriend sail frequently and she has no problem if she takes a ginger extract tablet daily. I have always had guest start on their remedy the night before the trip.

 

[Emerald]

Don't forget to hand out a Sharpie and point at the bucket that their name will be forever emblazoned on. Always found making it a memorable event helps keep the whiners quiet :0

 

[gadangit]

Follow Up to Seasickness

We helped deliver a J-44 from Rye, NY to Annapolis last week. Pretty cool going down the East River next to Manhattan.

The wind was on the nose and we had a slightly confused sea somewhat similar to the gulf. Lisa was on Meclizine the entire time and managed to keep herself together. I am pretty sure she would have fed some fish otherwise. It did make her drowzy, so she was taking some very uncharacteristic naps, but there isn't much else to do while bashing along.

I also think by the end of the second day she was adjusting and was starting to look better.

Thanks for all the replies, it was helpful to read other "remedies."

Chris