Got an opportunity to go on a Croatian island hopping holiday next year. its always been a dream of mine but the mrs is apprehensive about her sea sickness.
its still a fair layout, more than the standard two weeks all inclusive resort it would be replacing, so obviously we'd both hate it if she felt ill the whole time!
ANy advice on how to get over it in advance?
I used to do a lot of sailing and the first few days of the year were pretty rough, but I never got really sea sickness - after a few days the worst would be over. A few boat trips beforehand should help your Mrs get used to the motion. Been on trips where we’d wrap someone in a sail and lash them to the rigging on a rough passage to stop them rolling about the deck or get washed over the side - storm force 8 in 30 foot seas 🤮🤮🤮
If you're looking for medication to take just in case stugeron is the drug of choice for many traveling between Aberdeen and Lerwick on the ferry (12-14 hours). Has always worked for my wife.
Ginger is apparently extremely effective.
My wife is ginger and has tried ginger and other alternative things, but only the drugs worked for her.
They give these out free offshore when on floating production vessels. They ask if seasick affected, then hand you these
Dont know how well they work, as i dont get seasick
I used to work on boats and I think the wrist band things help
stugeron, but start taking them a day before you get on the boat, for two reasons
1. they initially make you very sleepy, but you get over that after 12-24 hours
2. you dont want to feel sea sick then start taking them.
But if she knows she gets sea sick then maybe a sailing holiday isnt the best idea?
I was 5 miles off Hartlepool on a charter fishing boat a few weeks ago & it was a bit lumpy.
Kwells from the chemist worked for me. Ive tried ginger but all I could taste was ginger flavoured puke.
Jam & bread's good. Doesn't stop you puking but it tastes better when it comes back up.
HTH.
But if she knows she gets sea sick then maybe a sailing holiday isnt the best idea?
Is it a sailing holiday? Could be we are talking about an island hopping holiday using ferries. That is a thing too.
Seasickness is a funny thing. On yachts I always got rough on day one of the season then find after that. But when working in the med (in the sailing industry, so on boats every day) I used to have to take a ferry from time to time and felt rough every time.
If you go, and it is ferries not yachts/cruises so you have some control over the timing, alway go for the morning departures. The med gets lots of thermal winds (meltemi style) which pick up through the day. Mornings are often flatter.
no its definitely a sailing holiday! staying onboard a 10 berth catamaran.
Avoid the sea at any cost. Anytime anything bad happens, someone will chip in with, "Well, worse things have happened at sea." Thing is, the reason this is so annoying is that they're right. Terrible, terrible things happen at sea. Stay away.
The bands and stugeron people have mentioned do help, but most people leave it too late (i.e. until they feel rough to start). The next step up is a patch worn behind the ear (like a mini nicorette patch), they are available from pharmacy, not cheap but last 72 hrs and do work (with added advantage of not needing to swallow or keep tablets down whilst feeling awful). Again, put it on before you even get to the boat.
Once you start to feel dodgy its a spiral. Usually if you feel rough you don't want to eat or drink. Being dehydrated makes you feel worse. You want to lie down - but being below deck is bad as you can't see the horizon. At least in the med you probably won't be also trying to keep warm/dry. Ginger biscuits (and ginger beer/ale (some people mix with lime cordial) if you like it) are good for minor symptoms - but they won't stop a vulnerable person getting sick, they just mean those who are normally OK can endure more, or those who are vulnerable and have taken precautions can last a bit longer. Worth being aware that finding ginger nuts on the continent is much harder (and more expensive) than you might expect.
Mate of mines wife gets really bad sea sickness, we went to Ibiza on the car ferry, 3 hours, she clipped a clothes peg on her ear when it got rough. Swore it worked, she wasn't sick.
No body suggested the ultimate in embarrassing eyewear?
https://en.boardingglasses.com/
I actually have a pair, inflicted on me by a seafaring mate, to be honest I could really tell if they work or not...
I know a lot about this. I get motion sickness watching re-runs of the Onedin Line. I have to sit at the front of the bus/car/taxi even on ten minute journeys and watch the road, no talking etc.
If you want a nice holiday please don't do this to your Mrs. There is NOTHING you can do to prevent it. Some things that may make it less unpleasant for her:
Get the good meds - something with Dramamine - take them every 24 hours for a few days to build it up in her system, then every 3-4 during the journey. She can't drive of course!
Eat well, it goes better on a full stomach. Nice liquidy smooth food for less pain on the way back up.
Edit - all the clothes pegs ( I haven't heard that one!) wrist bands etc just rely on the placebo effect and gullibility they really don't work!
Baggy comfortable clothing.
Fresh air - if you can get outside or near an open window that is better.
If you can sit, you need to be right at the front and looking forward.
When it gets really bad send her outside to lie on the deck groaning with a bag or bowl to vom in.
But I repeat, this will be miserable if she gets motion sickness and just don't do it.
Ginger is also an old wives tale - you might as well get some homeopathic tablets.
If your wife suffers from sea sickness there is nothing you can do to get her used to it. Stugeron as already suggested does help to relieve the effects.
Dovebiker do you know Bob?
We lashed a customer to a mast on a trip out to St Kilda who was seasick and refused to come off deck. Huge swell running. We spanked her with a divers flipper when we dropped anchor then untied her. Happy days.
Ask your wife to eat a meal before boarding if your going to puke better to have something to puke than dry heaving for a while which will ruin you. No idea on cures thankfully never suffered.
stugeron
Yes, this has worked a trick for me in the past and I get terrible sea/motion sickness.
I've never used it for more than 24 hrs though. Not sure what the medical advice is for that.
OK, this is from a seafarer who STILL gets seasick after 30+years at sea:
Very little you can do in advance I'm afraid.
Avoid dairy and meat, they are the worst to puke back up, and sit in the stomach longest getting digested. Sipping cold water is good. Lemon and ginger tea is great also.
Try lying down somewhere dark and remove the confusing stimuli that triggers your body into thinking its got food poisoning. Basically, ears are telling your brain its moving, but eyes say everything is still. On a small boat, being on deck CAN help, but doesn't work for everyone.
1-2 days and you will be over it.
The best medication for me has been Postafen (Meclozine hydrochloride), Stugeron works on the seasickness, but leaves me very groggy and sleepy. Postafen is brilliant, but can leave you unable to sleep. I'd rather be awake than all dopey.
The smaller the boat, the worse it will be for the first 24hrs, but you get used to it quicker. Bigger boats (30m+ and ships), it'll be less severe, but take longer to get over it.
Only proven cure for sea sickness is to sit under a tree :o)
I've worked at sea most of my life and never been affected but, for those that are the wee patches that you stick behind your ear seem to work very well. Your pharmacist should be able to sort you out.
Seadog +1. I used to work offshore on boats a lot and over time (days) I definitely got better in that it'd take rougher and rougher seas to get sick (although the North Sea in February was still pretty memorable).
I've not been to sea for years and so suspect I'd be back to square 1 now. Try to work out on the vessel roughly where the center of gravity is to reduce movement. I also found that looking at the horizons worked well for me and strangely sometimes big swells were better as everything was clearly moving....
Top tip: Make sure you know the orientation of the ship relative to the wind / swell before choosing which side of the vessel you're going to vomit off...
