Dealing with Seasickness

Amongst the many great things about sailing in the British Virgin Islands is that many people who are prone to seasickness or motion sickness often don't experience this truly horrible malady here! Because the BVI provides the shelter of the Sir Francis Drake Channel, our seas are often quite calm, so sailing from point A to point B can be very pleasant.

Recognizing the Symptoms:

One of the very first signs of the onset of seasickness is that the unfortunate crew member afflicted with this nasty illness will experience a general malaise or drowsiness which is often combined with dizziness. This may be followed shortly thereafter by a slight headache or sometimes eye ache and the undeniable feeling of nausea. Then all at once, the cold sweats and pallor will hit you, often followed by violent and uncontrollable vomiting.

I always thought it was just a saying that someone would "turn green" when sick ... until I actually saw somebody turn green from seasickness. It was really quite a remarkable sight!

Why some people become seasick while others don't is a mystery to me. It has to do with the inner ear (equilibrium) and visual signals sent to one's brain. Each individual's ability to adjust to motion aboard any moving vehicle, boat or plane varies.

However, for those who do experience seasickness or for those who are worried about the possibility, following are a few precautions you may want to try.

Precautions and Prevention of seasickness:

• Stay above decks as much as possible until you get your sea legs*. Going below decks even for a minute can bring on immediate symptoms of seasickness.
• Do not try to read a book, play computer games or do anything which requires that you focus your eyes within a short distance. Try to focus on the distant horizon. Visual signals to the brain are a large part of the problem. Concentrate on minimizing the perception of motion by focusing on the horizon.
• For children who are prone to motion sickness, it is best to keep them busy, facing forward and out in the fresh air.
• Do not drink any alcoholic beverages or eat spicy foods unless and until you know you have your sea legs firmly under you. A bland diet is the best medicine for a queasy stomach!
• Do not get overheated and try to stay in the cockpit out of the direct sun.
• One of the best preventions for seasickness is to drive the yacht!

Tips from my Mom:

When I was a child, I suffered from severe car sickness, though I was only ever seasick once. That was during an offshore sailing race on the way to Anegada. However, I suspect I was only sick because one of the crew who was seated next to and upwind from me (on the rail) managed to launch his lunch squarely in my face! I immediately lost my lunch as well. It was not a pleasant race after that!

For any car trip in excess of about 15 minutes, my mother always fed me saltine crackers and a glass of Canada Dry Ginger Ale just before getting in the car. Ginger Ale was my mother's solution to almost any stomach malady and it really does help!

My mother knew many things about natural remedies for all sorts of maladies and while writing this page, I read in a medical journal that ginger is a recommended remedy for seasickness! My mom was one smart cookie!

Remedies for Seasickness:

There aren't any remedies! There are only preventative measures. Once someone is seasick, the only thing which will stop their misery is to get off the boat and onto dry land.

There are however preventative antihistamine medications such as Dramamine and others which only your doctor can prescribe, patches which are worn behind the ear and also require a prescription. Some say that Sea-Bands work for them, though I have some doubts about this one as I bought some for a friend and they didn't work at all. Of course, you may also want to try my mom's cure all and drink Ginger Ale or take some ginger!

If anyone in your crew is prone to seasickness, you may want to consider chartering a catamaran or powercat instead of a monohull yacht. The additional beam of a catamaran hull provides greater stability and less side to side motion which can exacerbate the symptoms of motion sickness.

*Sea Legs: Having the ability to cope with the motion of a yacht, boat or ship while underway without becoming seasick. This can sometimes take several days at sea.

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