How can you prevent feeling seasick?
I remember a crossing of the Straight of Juan de Fuca that was particularly harsh when I was eight years old. We had taken leave of the safe harbor of Port Townsend early in the morning and were greeted by calm seas for the crossing with our friends in the Catalina 27′ fleet.
No sooner were we 15 minutes out of port that the wind and swells started picking up. Within the next 15 minutes, one of the boats in front of us lost their outboard engine, the swells had increased to 20 feet if they were a foot, and I was leaning overboard relieving myself of that morning’s bowl of cornflakes while muttering “I wish I was dead, I wish I was dead”.
My sea legs developed after that day, and I have never been revisited by a bout of seasickness, but I vividly remember the feeling of nausea and helplessness as my body was rendered a useless lump on the inside of the cockpit.
Fast-forward to today, and I am faced with the unfortunate reality that my spouse suffers from seasickness (also called motion sickness) when stepping on board a sailboat. With an upcoming 4-day charter in the San Juan islands starting next week (a Beneteau 35′ through Anacortes Yacht Charters), I need to come up with an alternative to Dramamine and the wristbands/seabands, which both came up short on our last daysail to Blake Island.
Seasickness Remedies & Prevention
After a quick consultation to our family doctor (literally, my sister), she pointed me in the direction of scopolamine, a prescription drug patch which is also used to prevent post-operative nausea. Some quick research on the web also pointed me in the direction of ginger capsules or sucking on crystallised ginger. We’ll bring both along and report back to let you know which one worked (or didn’t work!).
Wikipedia also mentioned some other natural ways to find relief, including:
- Keeping your eyes directed to the horizon when possible
- Lying down on your back and closing your eyes
- Stay in a position where fresh air is blowing on your face
- Take the helm of the boat to anticipate the movement of the vessel and have something to concentrate on.
Do you have any other solutions or interesting ways to prevent feeling seasick? Please leave a comment and let us know!
