I am embarrassed to ask, but I love sailing, and the last time I went out it felt like i was gonna die.Up every 1/2 h for 24 h after getting back on land. I really don’t want to give this up. Do you ever get “used to it” would toughing it out for a week or two help. I’ve heard of swabbies getting sick in rough weather, but I’m talkin calm seas with 3 ft. swells. Any advice or tips on seasickness would be appreciated. m
You love doing something that makes you vomit and feel like dying?
You should make a good sailor once you get over this, you can then move on to the more professional self inflicted vomiting and wishing for death.
Go see a doctor and get the good stuff. The trial and error method with the over the counter meds can be painful. EVERYONE can get motion sick, nothing to be embarrassed about.
Tengineer
keeping an eye on the horizon and laying down when it gets real bad always seemed to help.
I was off the coast of Cape Horn in some rough seas. About half the guys were sick as dogs and the other half felt A OK - 100%.
weird stuff…
I don’t know much about the prescription stuff, but I’ve seen fresh ginger root work wonders.
Spend the winter on a 90’ tug in the Gulf of Alaska, it will make you or break you. We were towing a decommisioned LNG out of Boston in ‘82, it was December and we ended up in a storm. 50+’ sea and 100+ mph winds. I was a deckhand at the time, I was so sick I ended up heaving blood and it looked like someone clobberd me in the nose, my eyes were blood shot and black. I swore I would never go to sea again. That was a long time ago. I got headaches in the Gulf of Alaska, and never sick in the Gulf of Mexico, even riding out a hurricane. Stick with it and you will get used to it.
One of the best ones I heard, was to take electrical tape and make a cross on your belly button. One guy used this and asked me if I heard of this, which I never did. I asked him if it worked and he told me yes.
For myself, I used to take Dramamine whether it was calm or rough. The only downside with that, it makes you drowsy. But I would take no mater the offshore conditions. The last time I had to take any was 1985, Hurricane Juan.
They make wristbands, and I think there is something like a watch.
And then there is the patch you put behind your ear, like a band aid.
Good luck
If you tough it out, just make sure you watch your health. Seasickness can be very serious and you can develop ulcers from the constant barfing.
Thanks ya’all. Great suggestions. It was just an inconvenience ( although a shitty one ) till the last time I went out. I usually skipper, and I took out a friend who is terminally ill - just us - he didn’t sail. In the bay i became ‘incompacitated’. If you’d seen us you’d think who the hell let these guys out on the water. I realized I put my friends health, and the boat in jepordy. It scared the shit out of me and I swore off my beloved avocation. Well, it’s been a month and I had preplanned an outing with my brothers and nephews and grandson. They’ve been before but arn’t competent. Just as i was about to break the news that it was off theyexpressed such joy at going i couldn’t do it. The hell of it is, it doesn’t happen every time. It ranges from mild to ridiculous, and the only time I put others in danger is when it’s ridiculous (like the last outing). I feel like a mother who swears off babies only to have antother next year. I even went to an ‘dizzy’ dr. who ran tests including a cat scan of my head. Tried everything over the counter(except the ginger root - I’ll get some of that,). I’ve resolved to wearing two or three of the patches simultaneously, and staying in really protected waters - San Diego Harbor). I have the cruising certificate from sailing association, know and take charts etc. Will stay close to berth. Wish me luck - and sailors prayers- . n
Take some sea sickness pills. You can find it in the life boat, find the same pills at Drug store. They are usually non prescription drugs…
Does anyone know anyone who, on a voyage, started out seasick, and overtime got over it? n
alcohol the night before worsens the seasickness, even 1 beer hurts, you can get over seasickness over time but it is no fun, i have gotten sea sick only once, been in all kinds of seas and weather, 1/2 of bottle wine the night before did me in
I sailed with a guy for a while who would get sick every time we joined the boat. He’d be sick for 2 or 3 days and then be fine. He said he loved being out there so much it was worth it to him. I got seasick once, years later, and I have to say that I would never want to do it on a regular basis. Never been seasick since, thank god.
Only been seasick once. Working for JE Graham in the GOM. 65’ standby utility boat, 50 miles out in January. I was absolutely useless for about the first week. Then we had to move gear from our rig to another one. About halfway across, I finished puking my large intestines (the small int. left days earlier), ate a steak and felt fine for the next 1 1/2 weeks. When you are sea sick, don’t drink a lot of fluid.
[QUOTE=RkyMtn Paul;39410]When you are sea sick, don’t drink a lot of fluid.[/QUOTE]
On the contrary, dehydration is a dangerous side effect of prolonged sea sickness. To avoid major problems you must take in as much fluids as you can stand.
[QUOTE=Capt_Anonymous;39413]On the contrary, dehydration is a dangerous side effect of prolonged sea sickness. To avoid major problems you must take in as much fluids as you can stand.[/QUOTE]
Capt. A is right. With all of the puking you’re probably doing you’re dehydrating your body. Even though you’re puking up the fluids you’re taking in, your body still absorbs some of it. Just force it down.
Also, try eating crackers - saltines seem to be the common one. They’ll absorb some of that acid in your stomach and help keep it somewhat calm. Definitely look at the horizon and get lots of fresh air.
I’d get sick about half the time out and when I did get sick it would last about 2-3 days. Saltine crackers was the best thing in the world for me.
There is an Italian or French liqueur called Fernet Branca that works really well too. Just a shot will do the trick. Not commonly found on commercial vessels these days though…
Motion (sea) sickness can happen to anyone. The fluids in your semicircular canals in your inner ear get out of whack for different reasons. You could have a slight ear or sinus infection you don’t know about. Or it could be the motion of the ocean. The dizzyness causes the nausea. You start getting nauseous from the stomach acids in your bile. The only way to cut down on that feeling (other than with meds) is to keep eating and drinking fluids. Crackers, bread and cereal are all good for soaking up the excess bile. You have to keep your fluid intake up because you will dehydrate as you vomit. Alcohol will irritate your stomach lining so it should be avoided, although I’ve found that a small amount can help as it is also a depressant. Stay away from greasy foods as well. And don’t accept offers of fish flavored yoghurt! Good luck.
My remedy was to use dramamine.
I only took a half a tablet when i got OFF watch. Then 12 hours later, i was rested, and had ‘enough’ of the dramamine left to get me through the next watch. Then I would have to take another half. Remembering to take the pill was as important to keep a supply of them in me. I would also take a pill a half hour before departing for sea if the weather was oiver 10’. So there was some interpretation needed by me as to when to take it.
Now years later I don’t need it anymore, so I am not sure if I just got used to it, or my body just shrugs of mal de mare!
I am NOT thoroughly convinced that the psychosomatic issues aren’t greater than any inner ear equiibrium issue. It appears to me (over the course of a 30 year career) that fear and uncertainty is a HUGE player in motion sickness. Have you tried hypnosis, or acupuncture? They may be worth a shot too.
Yes people often do get over being seasick. As a commercial fisherman on the west coast we were always getting first time sailors and about half of them (including myself as a young man) would get deathly ill their first trip or two out. Most of these guys would be fine after a few trips if they stuck with it. I’m still prone to a bit of queasiness if the weather gets really foul. I keep Dramamine with me and end up needing it a few times a year. They make a non-drowsy formula that seems to work just fine if I’m on watch. I keep both the non-drowsy and the regular with me.