# Question about sailing and sea sickness?



## mcdoc (Apr 12, 2010)

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?


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## PCP (Dec 1, 2004)

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


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## Omatako (Sep 14, 2003)

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


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## rikhall (Feb 7, 2008)

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


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## Broomfondle (Apr 9, 2010)

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


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

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.


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## PCP (Dec 1, 2004)

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


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## vega1860 (Dec 18, 2006)

*I usually get seasick.*

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.


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## PeterSailer (Mar 20, 2010)

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...


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

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.


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## scottyt (Jul 19, 2008)

well i guess i am really lucky, as i have been seasick once, and that was a nor easter comming out of Halifax.


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## DwayneSpeer (Oct 12, 2003)

*Gravol*

If you are anywhere close to Canada get some Gravol. It is sold over the counter there and works very well even after you have started to puke.


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## jackdale (Dec 1, 2008)

DwayneSpeer said:


> If you are anywhere close to Canada get some Gravol. It is sold over the counter there and works very well even after you have started to puke.


Gravol is the brand name for dimenhydrinate. Like all motion sickness medications it does have side effects. I get drowsy, so I take one and have a nap.

I have not been able to keep it down after starting to vomit, but it is available a suppository.

You do have to sign for it with a pharmacist when you buy it - at least in Alberta. (My wife is pharmacist.)


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## jackdale (Dec 1, 2008)

Hellosailor

Excellent advise.

Some additional comments:

I buy candied ginger, ginger snaps and ginger ale before heading into conditions in which sea sickness is a problem. The ginger ale helps keep you hydrated, the ginger snaps provide some nutrition. And I happen to like the taste of gingered candy. BTW - it does help.

Sturgeron has a reputation of not making you drowsy. One crew member took one in Mexico and was out for 12 hours.

I have had no success with any of the sea bands.

Transderm V Scopolamine can affect cognitive abilities. I cannot use it because of the dry mouth side effect. It also has to go onto clean, dry skin - which can be hard to find offshore. You must also wash your hands very carefully with soap and water; it can cause blurred vision and loss of depth perception. 

Just remember that no one gets motion sick driving a car, the same can apply on a boat. If a crew member starts get the initial symptoms; yawning, etc., get them on the helm or least looking off the boat; no navigating, cooking etc..

If they are incapacitated get them below on the sole, right along the keel with the eyes closed.


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## Omatako (Sep 14, 2003)

Broomfondle said:


> 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


They haven't tested me yet  I have been sailing for three decades and nearly 30 000nm on voyages and I've never been seasick - not even once.

I believe that ginger beer is probably a reasonable mild antidote but that ginger ale is nothing more than a placebo - it has ginger flavouring but most ginger ale has no actual ginger in it at all.

At least that's the case in NZ and South Africa, maybe it's different in the US


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## jackdale (Dec 1, 2008)

Canada Dry Ginger Ale is made with ginger.


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## eMKay (Aug 18, 2007)

And so is Vernors, it's a lot more potent than Canada Dry though, not everyone likes it.


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

I love Vernors, but can't get it out in New England. 


eMKay said:


> And so is Vernors, it's a lot more potent than Canada Dry though, not everyone likes it.


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## cormeum (Aug 17, 2009)

sailingdog said:


> I love Vernors, but can't get it out in New England.


We can get it in Chicago. Potent stuff- Goose Island (local) is more palatable IMO.


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## oaklandsailor (Mar 24, 2010)

My experience: please try Bonine even though it may make you a bit drowsy at first. Frequent doses of dried ginger in pill form also worked quite well but not as long lasting as regular doses of Bonine. For the first time ever I was able to go below, cook, read, play cards etc even during a good blow. It was magical. I began the Bonine one day prior to a 500 mile voyage and as I said, it was a whole new world. For the record I've spent hundreds of hours on chop and waves in 20+ mph winds but have never been able to go below for comfort unless running smoothly downwind. I hope you'll find the relief that I did. On the next voyage I'll test whether or not a few days of "conditioning" will remove the need for the pills.

OS


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## sailguy40 (Feb 6, 2010)

mcdoc said:


> 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?


I have some family and friends which come sailing with me from time to time, only on afternoon sails, no long month expeditions. They have used some meds, I don't remember the exact name of them but I do know it worked for them. If I find out what they were I will post the name here.


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

Bonine is just one of the many brand names of meclizine, aka Cyclizine, aka Antivert, Bonine, Meni-D, Antrizine, Dramamine II. (I think Dramamine and Bonine were two different drugs back in the 80's but one was changed and they're the same now.)

Like most of those meds, it works great for 1/3 of the people who take it. Since it isn't an rx-med, it makes a good "maybe this will help" choice for day guests. But like all seasick meds--it works best if you take it a good hour before leaving the dock!


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## SJ34 (Jul 30, 2008)

hellosailor said:


> Bonine is just one of the many brand names of meclizine, aka Cyclizine, aka Antivert, Bonine, Meni-D, Antrizine, Dramamine II. (I think Dramamine and Bonine were two different drugs back in the 80's but one was changed and they're the same now.)
> 
> Dramamine II and Bonine are both meclizine, the original Dramamine is dimenhydrinate. My wife and daughter both suffer from mild seasickness at the beginning of a voyage and both prefer the generic meclizine to Dramamine because it has milder side effects, "Milder" being the operative word because they both cause varying degrees of drowsiness.
> 
> I am a sympathetic sufferer myself. I almost always feel just a little off when I'm worried about the comfort of others on board.


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

Thanks, SJ. Is Dramamine available in two "flavors" these days? Or was the original replaced by the D-II ? (Not that I like either, I'm happier with real drugs.<G>)


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## oceanscapt (Aug 1, 2009)

I've found that starting the med that works best for you a day or two before departing seems to help the newer crew. If I find you're got the "mal der mere", and you're not feeding the fish over the lee rail, I'll put you on the wheel. It seems to work, possibly because you have to concentrate on the job or because you're looking at the waves coming and may get some idea of what the boat's going to do.

One suggestion is that some folks find that the meds are too strong. Folks will cut those patches in half, put them elsewhere on their body, cut pills in half, or wear multiple remedies. I never kid or ridicule the wearer; what works for you works for you and may not for me. The strength, location, and brand should be know before departing the dock.

If you do get sick, then it's important to keep hydrated. Some folks find that ginger snaps or flat soda or ginger chews help.

And I've heard and read of folks that are sick for the entire voyage. To do that shows real commitment.


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## SJ34 (Jul 30, 2008)

HelloSailor, Dramamine is still available in the "Extra Drowsy" as well as the "New and Improved" formula. Personally, the side affects are worse than being queasy.


Oceanscapt, do you find that keeping crew occupied helps? I think that my wifes symptoms are partly psychological and keeping her busy might help. 
She never got sick until we got caught out in a couple of nasty storms a few years ago then didn't "Get back on the Horse" for a while.


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## Snboard976 (Aug 10, 2008)

I just wrote about Transderm SCOP on my blog. I had been using Dramamine for years, but I am a convert. I could do things with the Scopolamine that would have made me incredibly sea sick. Dramamine, even the less drowsy version makes me too tired to do anything.


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## oaklandsailor (Mar 24, 2010)

I must have lucked out, at least as regards Bonine. I sailed from SF Bay to San Diego and back some years ago and took a Bonine around 12 hours before pushing off. Within a few hours I was completely at ease with no symptoms of any kind and was down below cooking, reading, talking with other crew not on watch while the boat made way in blue water that was not flat calm by any means. It was fantastic and I had no problems with drowsiness. Many years ago on a race to Monterey Bay from SF I tried the Scopolamine patch and felt a very unpleasant skin irritation. Admittedly, I waited until pushing off before applying it but when things got more serious out in open water I wound up tossing everything for the last two weeks and had to crawl into a bunk to sleep for some hours before taking my place in the cockpit. We're all different and my only experience suggests that one should try a med long before actually needing it since it's much better to feel crappy at home than at the helm. 

OS


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

"took a Bonine around 12 hours before pushing off."
A brand of Meclizine. I never realized they claimed it will last 24 hours per dose!
Scop is a much more serious drug, and very few people including pharmacists and doctors are aware that it is back on the market in pill form under the brand name "Scopace". Which gives you the option of adjusting dosing and eliminates the pesky skin patch problems. Very much a drug that you need to read the notes on, and try out on land to make sure the contraindictions (like going psychotic and having a heart attack) don't hit you at sea.
But when it works, all you can say is "DRUGS!" with a big smile.


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## oaklandsailor (Mar 24, 2010)

hellosailor said:


> "took a Bonine around 12 hours before pushing off."
> A brand of Meclizine. I never realized they claimed it will last 24 hours per dose!
> Scop is a much more serious drug, and very few people including pharmacists and doctors are aware that it is back on the market in pill form under the brand name "Scopace". Which gives you the option of adjusting dosing and eliminates the pesky skin patch problems. Very much a drug that you need to read the notes on, and try out on land to make sure the contraindictions (like going psychotic and having a heart attack) don't hit you at sea.
> But when it works, all you can say is "DRUGS!" with a big smile.


Interesting about the Scopace. About the Bonine, I took one tablet each 24 hours and I was fine, aside from a morning coming back to SF in rough water when I'd just eaten a enormous breakfast of eggs, pancakes, ham, toast, 3 cops of coffee....well, you get the idea. Honestly, on my next voyage I'll start out the first three days or so with Bonine or maybe the Scope' and then discontinue altogether and go from there.

OS


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