Sea sick

[POH]

Is it advisable to take some sort of anti sea sickness medication, it will be our first time on along sea journey and not been good sailors I thought it might be a good idea to ask those who do the same journey on a regular basis.

 

[Revolvor]

Where are you going?

 

[faraway]

I get travel sick including sea sick. Pills did not work for me, but the wrist pressure bands did

Anti Nausea / Motion Sickness Travel Wrist Bands. Ideal For Holiday And Travel Amazon product ASIN B005EXKK4O
Also remember to try and be somewhere you can get a bit of fresh air and keep your gaze on the horizon.

 

[POH]

Where are you going?

Santander

 

[poppycamper]

Stugeron Tablets for

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[MattR]

I get travel sick including sea sick. Pills did not work for me, but the wrist pressure bands did

Anti Nausea / Motion Sickness Travel Wrist Bands. Ideal For Holiday And Travel Amazon product ASIN B005EXKK4O
Also remember to try and be somewhere you can get a bit of fresh air and keep your gaze on the horizon.

Wrist pads work for me too - I used to SCUBA dive and used them when out on boats and even when bobbing about on the surface.

 

[Spriddler]

It's not the same for everyone and I've never suffered from seasickness but from my 30 years as a yachting instructor/examiner and charter skipper (often with a crew of non-sailing holidaymakers).......

Take Stugeron (well beforehand as per the instructions) or wear wrist pressure bands.
Keep warm.
Avoid coffee.
No alcohol.
No fried food.
Stay as far as possible in the centreline of the ship midway between bow and stern (less pitching and rolling).
Don't read.
Eating ginger biscuits can help some.
If you go outside wrap up and stand on the windward breezy side to avoid diesel smell/smoke. Most people will stand on the leeward (sheltered) side but that's where engine/diesel/smoke/cooking smells and fumes (and fag smokers) will be drawn and hang around. Wrap up because even if feeling flushed and hot you're likely to chill on a breezy deck, even on a warm day.

(Sailor's unhelpful joke: If you're really hungry stick to strawberry sandwiches as they taste the same coming up as they do going down ).

 

[HKF]

It's not the same for everyone and I've never suffered from seasickness but from my 30 years as a yachting instructor and charter skipper.......

Take Stugeron (well beforehand as per the instructions) or wear wrist pressure bands.
Keep warm.
Avoid coffee.
No alcohol.
No fried food.
Stay as far as possible in the centreline of the ship midway between bow and stern (less pitching and rolling).
Don't read.
Eating ginger biscuits can help some.
If you go outside stand on the windward side to avoid diesel smell/smoke.

(Sailor's tip: If you're really hungry stick to strawberry sandwiches as they taste the same coming up as they did going down ).

As someone who is sick regularly, I'm afraid I cannot recommend bread at all. It sticks together and come back in lumps. Same for chips...one of the worst things to throw up, as the big re-formed lumps can hurt even if they come up very quickly after eating them!!

If you do eat anything, make sure you have some Gaviscon (or equivalent) after eating. Then, if you are sick, it won't be so acidic.

I'm sorry this isn't a 'nice' post for some but I hope it helps the OP a little.

 

[Spriddler]

As someone who is sick regularly, I'm afraid I cannot recommend bread at all. It sticks together and come back in lumps.

My strawberry sandwiches tip was intended as a jest. (I've edited that bit of text and removed the giggle to clarify, just in case anyone took it seriously).

 

[HKF]

My strawberry sandwiches tip was intended as a jest. (I'll edit to clarify in case anyone took it seriously)

Sorry, I didn't realise it was just jest But I didn't want anyone to feel worse than they might otherwise do. What you said, though, is partially true. In fact, most food tastes the same coming up just after you've eaten it. It's only when it's been down a while that it starts to tastes awful and become very acidic. Incidentally, for anyone who's interested, never brush your teeth after being sick as you literally rub acid into your enamel!! Better to swill with some Gaviscon. It gets rid of the taste and neutralises the acid

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[DBK]

I'm a bad sailor and have given up on the Santander route and go through France now. Our dog prefers the shorter crossing too.

Some trips were fine but some were rough and I felt equally rough. I enjoy the crossing otherwise, we saw Sperm whales on one and dolphins are regularly spotted.

 

[EuroTrotters]

Santander

Nautamine

 

[Tea Bag]

Hi
Another vote for........ Stugeron.......... Recommended to me by a Sea Kayacker at Plymouth sound...... Talking to a mate about them and he said.." The Dr recommended them to him for his dizzy spells "
Flying out to the Azores soon for a Whale watching boat trip....... " Stugeron " is already packed.
Tea Bag. On record as having said. " I would sooner WALK back to the UK than sail " i am that bad a sailor.

 

[DBK]

In fact, most food tastes the same coming up just after you've eaten it.

It used to be said certain beers tasted better on the return journey.

 

[two]

Don't anti-travel sickness tablets make you drowsy?
Make sure you can sleep it off before travelling.

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[Happy Jim]

18 pints of lager, you’ll still throw up but can at least blame the drunkenness - you’re welcome

 

[POH]

18 pints of lager, you’ll still throw up but can at least blame the drunkenness - you’re welcome

Sounds like a plan

 

[Spriddler]

Don't anti-travel sickness tablets make you drowsy?
Make sure you can sleep it off before travelling.

They do to some in various degrees.
On long passages with my family I gave my wife and 5 yr old son a whole tablet (and our dog half a tablet in a piece of Frankfurter) and all three would cuddle up together and doze, possibly partly through boredom.

 

[L' Hobo]

I was in the Merchant Navy for a number of years and I was never seasick. I honestly think, a lot of it is in the mind (psychological)
I say 'a lot' because some people with ear infection and other illnesses, might suffer but I really do think that IF you expect to get seasick, you will be!

I think most sailors do not get seasick because they are working and their minds are on other thing but if you do suffer, stay in the middle of the ship, not near the bow or stern!

When I was a self-employed Coach driver (before I had my own company) and doing regular continental work, a boss of another company used to come across the water twice a year with his coaches, and would join his drivers in the Ferry's 'drivers room'.

He suffered badly from seasickness and as he sat at a table with his 8-10 drivers, they would start to sway back and forth in unison.
He would start swearing, leave his food and scramble out on deck to be sick.

All this was before we left the dock!

As I say, a lot is in the mind!

 

[Gaston aires]

When people puked up sea fishing we used to call it ground baiting the Goodwin’s

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[POH]

I'm a bad sailor and have given up on the Santander route and go through France now. Our dog prefers the shorter crossing too.

Some trips were fine but some were rough and I felt equally rough. I enjoy the crossing otherwise, we saw Sperm whales on one and dolphins are regularly spotted.

Trouble is it will be dark board at 5 ish might get to see some of the milky way ( not the chocolate bar) that might go down and up very quickly

 

[John Barrett]

That's odd, I thought that BF boats had stabilisers!

 

[Spriddler]

Trouble is it will be dark board at 5 ish might get to see some of the milky way ( not the chocolate bar) that might go down and up very quickly

Looking at distant objects (the stars and horizon) doesn't seem to be particularly troublesome. Obviously in rough weather the horizon is unlikely to be sufficiently distant but you wouldn't be allowed on an outside deck in rough weather and if it's fairly calm you'll feel O.K. anyway.
(And the Milky Way will be O.K. as it'll be more or less overhead so it won't go up and down much. )

 

[L' Hobo]

That's odd, I thought that BF boats had stabilisers!

They do but the Bay can get bloody rough!

 

[Fontie]

Only way I would travel the bay of puke (Biscay) is with a sleeping tablet I wouldn't want to to it again awake never ever.

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[dash300]

I would also endorse Stugeron as one family member goes green before we have even left the marina and takes it well in advance and makes it to Alderney from Plymouth now without to0 much of a problem. We also keep sachets Dioralyte on board for those who need replacement electrolites after a bout of sea sickness.

​

 

[POH]

They do but the Bay can get bloody rough!

Thanks just what I wanted to hear!!!!!!

 

[Spriddler]

I've sailed across Biscay many many times in all seasons and in all sizes of yacht from my own 27 footer and as an officer on the square rigged sail training ship Sir Winston Churchill with a crew of 51 totally inexperienced lads and lassies aged from 16 to 20.
Stories that one hears, although I don't doubt their veracity, are a bit like those of dentists, driving test examiners and in TripAdvisor reviews - you generally only hear about bad experiences.
You'll be fine.

 

[L' Hobo]

Thanks just what I wanted to hear!!!!!!

Or it can be like a mill pond! (Is that better?)

 

[carolyn]

It’s not psychological, that’s like telling women who get severe morning sickness that it’s psychological and I can remember standing next to an ancient Consultant as a student who reckoned it was and reckoned the best treatment was making sure you used a big needle for their drip and having a few goes to make sure they wouldn’t come back complaining! Try telling that to the likes of the Duchess of Cambridge.

Anyway yes, it’s real and I’m lucky and don’t get it but if it’s a long crossing and forecast to be rough I will take a Kwells just in case which contains cinnarizine whick is the same as Stugeron. It does make you a bit drowsy but if you take it 2 hours before the crossing leaves it lasts for 6-8 hours. I’d pay for a cabin if it’s a day crossing as then you at least have your own loo. I can’t think of anything worse than feeling queasy and then needing a wee and hearing people puking. I think I’d join in anyway.

I’m a big baby about being sick so to be honest if I wasn’t much of a traveller it would to Eurotunnel for me.

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