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seasickness

Philpott

Philpott

Cal 2-27 Dura Mater
Every time I go offshore I throw up. Afterwards I feel fine, but it's an icky feeling and it enervates me until the oatmeal comes up and over the leeward side. I've tried bonine and dramamine and scopalomine patches. I've tried all three at once. Nothing works. So I broke down and bought a Reliefband. In the spirit of the SSS I will self monitor and report back.
 
Philpott said:
Every time I go offshore I throw up. Afterwards I feel fine, but it's an icky feeling and it enervates me until the oatmeal comes up and over the leeward side. I've tried bonine and dramamine and scopalomine patches. I've tried all three at once. Nothing works. So I broke down and bought a Reliefband. In the spirit of the SSS I will self monitor and report back.
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Raw ginger held in the mouth?
Ginger ale?
Presumably you are looking forward at the horizon? My understanding is the seasickness comes from your brain getting confused signals from the inner ear and eyes.
Hope you get relief!
 
Jackie, unfortunately some macho sailors will deny seasickness exists but I agree it is real. Even after 4 years in the Navy I have had bouts in heavy seas. It is far from pleasant but I personally have endured and overcome with the mindset that my competitors are going through the same seas conditions!

I personally have not had good luck with any of the traditional seasickness meds which seem to make it worse for me, but I did hear a fascinating lecture at the 2012? “Safety at Sea” seminar by the doctor of the CA States Golden Bear.

If I remember right (open to clarification because I do not remember the details) he basically said before each sail they had the new crew members take seasickness meds 12Hrs before departure. Normally this reflected an approximate 20-30%% sea sickness rate. However, on one trip the departure was delayed due to engine problems, and since the crew had already taken meds +/- 48 hours before the rate dropped by half!

Again, I do not remember the details but the point is prevention in advance may be an BIG advantage….Hope this helps….Rick/Lightspeed
 
Lightspeed said:
If I remember right (open to clarification because I do not remember the details) he basically said before each sail they had the new crew members take seasickness meds 12Hrs before departure. Normally this reflected an approximate 20-30%% sea sickness rate. However, on one trip the departure was delayed due to engine problems, and since the crew had already taken meds +/- 48 hours before the rate dropped by half!
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Makes sense in my experience. Me and the usual crew take at least 1 bonine tablet starting 1-2 days before departure and then once a day on a trip. Works for us.
 
Thanks, everyone, for your feedback. I've tried the ginger candy - anyone who wants some is welcome - just ask next time you see me, it's aboard Dura Mater. It tastes good, lots of sugar, but has not helped me with seasickness. Bonine is better than dramamine because I don't get sleepy (not a good thing for a singlehander). I'll report back after the Farallones race regarding the Reliefband. Skip knows someone who tried it, for whom it didn't work. Maybe I'll have the lucky wrist.
 
Bonine 24 hours ahead, then one more the day of and don't eat anything the morning of departure, especially coffee or OJ (i.e., anything acidic). Large greasy hamburgers should be verboten, too, if you depart in the evening. That's what seems to work for me now. Every one (and every ocean) though is different. It might also help if you're steering the boat, or maybe standing at/near the helm.

I almost got queasy in the bay today with 30 knots beating into the waves coming from Vallejo. Had made a big breakfast of sausage, bacon, eggs, pancakes, coffee and OJ -- the worst of the worst for me.

You just gotta keep going offshore to figure it out ;)
 
The good news is that most people get better as they get older (there had to be something 'better' about getting older). I've struggled with it most of my life altho I have pretty much outgrown it now. Single most important thing is to get the medicine that suits you best into your body at least 12 hours before departure. I've seen patches work beautifully for some but for me it's like taking acid (but costs more). When single handing I wouldn't be too worried about the drowsy aspect because altho it's unpleasant, if you're like me, you're so tuned up, that sleep is not really an issue. I took some Spanish anti motion pills in the Canary Islands once on the beginning of an Atlantic crossing. After a couple of hours I realized my crew and I were having far too much fun. Apparently they add a little speed to counter act the drowsiness factor. If you have the option, lying absolutely flat (no pillow) on your back helps most people. Sitting under an oak tree works well too as Dr Johnson said. Good luck, it's a bitch but a short term bitch and often helpful for weight loss.
 
I have used wristbands and they worked for me. That, along with staying on the helm, no greasy food, limited coffee and having a ginger chew help me best. In the recent BAMA doublehanded Farralones I used scopolamine patch and that didn't work at all and the side effects of being uncoordinated and having metallic taste in my mouth were unpleasant. Those using bonine and dramimine should know the active ingredient is generically available as Meclizine HCl. It is sold over the counter at drugstores and cost is about $10 for 100 tablets. Has the same side effect of drowsiness.
 
I fortunately haven't had to deal with this yet (haven't been far out the gate yet and all my other sailing was on the placid waters of the east coast), but almost looking forward to it! Then I'll be a genuine ocean-going sailor.
In any case, during one of the Strictly Sail seminars -- " are you prepared to go offshore? ", or something like that -- either the speaker or an audience member (can't remember) swore by this formula which he uses when taking new sailors offshore:
moderate dinner, then for breakfast the morning of your ocean adventure: 1 entire sleeve of saltine crackers and a liter(?) of water. No more, no less. Must finish it before you're allowed on the boat. He tells the crew to meet him at the best breakfast place in the city, and that he's picking up the tab (to prevent cheaters from filling up on greasy stuff beforehand). Then they all stand outside in their foulies eating saltines and watch jealously as people enjoy their omelettes and pancakes.
Use at own risk.
 
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I've often seen people hurling over the side while wearing one of those Scope patches. Just sayin'.

That said, heavy greasy food seems to be the worst. I used to fill the kids up on donuts in the car on the way to the boat, or a big breakfast at Ole's , but that is not really the best thing if the person is marginal for motion sickness in the first place. The crackers and water idea seems good. I can never get my sick crew to drink ginger beer or anything, a lot of people don't like the taste.
 
Pseudoephedrine and Promethazine, compounded for NASA. Different half lives, so may have to repeat the pseudoephedrine sooner. Promethazine alone will make you drowsy. Scopalamine patch worked for me and my nephew on last Long Pac, but I had drowsiness and visual hallucinations (could have been from the concussion when I was tossed across the cockpit I suppose). As a medical student many years ago at Duke, a local physician was famous for loading up patients in labor on Scopalamine and sending them to Duke to deliver while acting very bizzare. YMMV.
 
We use all forms of ginger: candied, chocolate covered (back at Trader Joes), hand made 3 ginger molasses cookies, ginger ale (Canada dry is our favorite, some like Vernors). Not those Chewy Candies.
 
I found a little bag of ginger cookies in Rags' cockpit the morning of our Pacific Cup start. I think Bea had something to do with that.
 
Keep in mind when looking towards the horizon that the goal is to look towards the approaching waves. One of the reasons you get sick more often down below is your body and mind are not in sync. Your body feels motion your mind isn't seeing. By looking at the oncoming waves your mind gets in sync with motion your body feels moments later.
 
I noticed that Skip remained silent on the whole seasickness issue, until one day he mentioned that he, too, had tried the wristband. It was fine until it got wet, when he felt his wrist getting electrocuted. Ah. Fine until it gets wet. That explains its success last week when I wore it aboard the Sanctuary Cruise out of Moss Landing. We motored out to a pod of 9 whales. They swam and blew and dove all around our boat, and then they dove under it. They kept coming back. I think they liked us! Then we were in the middle of hundreds of dolphins! It was very very cool. The wristwatch worked fine. I also took bonine for days beforehand, and the wind was only about 7 knots. This was not a randomized study or anything. hahaha. I'll try it again on the way to Drakes Bay. Oh, dear Neptune, please give us wind.
 
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