Next Friday we are leaving for another sailing trip – this time for two weeks, sailing around Malata, Gozo and heading to Sicily to sail there and then back to Malta. This particular trip is very important to me, as for the first time since we have obtained our skipper licences we will be tested in our skills and knowledge. Next year plan is to charter a boat and sail as skippers – take my sister and few friends for a trip around Greece and show them how exciting and beautiful sailing is. Well, that is the plan. Although there might be one little disturbing thing for them to experience as well – the joy of seasickness!
My personal experience tells me that dealing with seasickness without any help, just going through with it all the way, is so far the best approach. However I am tempted to try something else, as holding a “pumice stone” in my stomach and throwing up during the first 10 hours of sailing does not sound very attractive.
Recently I have joined a fantastic group on Facebook – Med Sailing – and asked people there what do they do to prevent the seasickness. The response was overwhelming! And I am really grateful for all the advice given! I hope no one will mind if I list what I have learnt, with a hope that someone else will find it useful!
- Some people are lucky and they are able to sleep the first symptoms off. Not without pills though! Stugeron seasickness tablets plus sleeping for 30 minutes seems to be working for some! Apparently metaclopramide tablet before an expected rough sailing trip and NOT going down (do not lose the sign of the horizon!) works for some as well. However, if you are taking pills for you seasickness, please, try them on few days before, so you are not surprised by the side effects!
- Take the helm – well, busy yourself so you do not have the time to even think the seasickness is on its way. Well, I did try that, but to be honest my seasickness has its own mind and showed up regardless.
- Perhaps monohulls are not for you? Some people sail on the catamarans and they do not get seasick at all! I have never sailed on a cat before, but would not mind trying to see the difference. However monohulls are what we are going for in the future so this advise will not be of any use to us.
- No alcohol drinking the night before, make sure you are rested well and do not drink any coffee during the day! Have a great breakfast, but apparently no pineapple and no oily food for a breakfast, drink plenty of water during the passage and eat biscuits! Salty crackers and plain crisps are favorite! Ginger once are apparently good for a seasickness as well – I must say I tried ginger sweets but they did not work, so I would not advise them here.
- You can try pressure point wrist bands! I am really curious about this one and I am tempted to try them! They call Sea bands and according to some they do work.
- You can as well apply gentle pressure to the P6 pressure points located approx 3 finger widths below the wrist, or pop a small button or stone under your watch strap. If you can’t find the pressure point, knock the inner wrists together gently, until the nausea subsides.
- Ginger Root capsules may help. Start taking them few days before sailing. A 1000 mg a day has the best effects, that’s two 500 mg capsules. As I said before, the ginger sweets did not work for me, but this might be something different!
- Sailors’ Secret Premium Ginger – and ginger again! This has so many good reviews on Amazon that I am really tempted! Even though I know that ginger sweets did not work for me – perhaps this will, since they are tablets, not sweets???
- Scopolamine patches for longer trips…lasts for 3 days….doesn’t make you drowsy….usually after 3 days you get over the seasickness.
- Fresh root ginger boiled in honey and water – let it cool a bit and down the juices – drink it for a week every day before leaving port. It tastes bad, but apparently it does work!
- And the simplest advise ever – just sit under the tree 🙂
Well, I am not sure which one I would like to try… But I want to try something! A lot of people mention ginger – even though I tried the ginger sweets I still want to believe that ginger might help. For this reason number 7 and 8 might make to the top of my list of testing seasickness remedies before our next sailing trip 🙂 I am still not quite sure about Sea bands… Perhaps next time?
Wind Travelers 
Seasickness: Have been at sea off and on [commercially] for about 40 years and thankfully never been seasick, I have however seen any number of sailors succumb. My wife does tend to get sick quite quickly but these are the things I’ve noticed make a big difference:
Stay warm and dry – because the opposite doesn’t help!
Plan ahead to avoid anxiety – getting worried is a big part of feeling unwell, especially for those who feel a little nervous at all the things going on around them of which they understand very little. Kwels travel tablets are actually an anti histamine and work with many as histamine is generated by anxiety and causes nausea.
Yep, Ginger biscuits work – apparently 6 biscuits equal one Kwels
If you are going to take Stugeron or similar then start it at least a day before sailing and then keep it topped up irrespective of how you feel [although watch for tiredness]. It is of no use if you take it after you start feeling unwell!
The various bands aimed at pressure points have also had good results.
I’ve known folk who have been at sea for years and never been sick but changed boats and were then ill. It’s also often the case even with those that don’t suffer at sea to get queasy on the first day or two back after a break ashore.
The good news is that I’ve yet to come across anyone who doesn’t get over even the worst attack in just a few days. And don’t ever consider it a ‘weakness’, it happens to all of us at some point, just not yet in my case 🙂
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Hi Jeremy! Thank you so much for this! So many good advises here! I tend to think that my body adjust after 10 to 12 hours, and the seasickness does not come back – I feel great after that! So perhaps this is what I should stick with? On the other side trying something to avoid it completely would be soooo nice! Well, I really need to make up my mind soon as our trip is round the corner 🙂
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