As space on a boat is very limited, only
bring with you the very
important. The following are a must; towel,
sun block lotion, sun glasses, sun hat or cap, motion sickness
pills.
What can I do to avoid
sea sickness?
1. Get plenty of rest before
you go out on the water. Weariness and exhaustion can make you
more susceptible to other things that can bring on motion
sickness. Do your gear preparation early the day before and
take care of other business well before a proper bed
time.
2. Do not eat greasy or
acidic foods for several hours before your sailing adventure.
This includes having coffee also. You don't want to have a lot
of acid or heavy, slow to digest foods rolling around in your
stomach while you are rolling around on the sea. Heavy, greasy
foods like bacon and eggs, sausage, waffles or pancakes with
syrup, alone or combined with acidic juices like orange juice,
can wreak havoc on your system and end up recycled as lunch
for fishes. Consider less acidic fruits (apples, bananas,
pears, grapes, melons, etc.), breads (muffins, croissants,
rolls), cereals and grains as alternatives. Milk, water, apple
juice, cranberry juice and other low acid beverages are
gentler alternatives to orange juice or grapefruit
juice.Caffeinated beverages (including soft drinks) should be
avoided as they are diuretics (make you urinate) which
accelerates dehydration. The gas in carbonated beverages has
negative responses in some, avoid them also.
3. Do not skip eating before
sailing. An empty stomach can be almost as bad as one with the
wrong types of food in it. Give your stomach acids something
to work on other than your well-being. Give your stomach time
to begin digesting you meal. Get up a little earlier if you
must to eat relax and an hour or more before going out on the
water. Don't overeat and get bloated either. Easy
does it.
4. Drink plenty of water.
Even partial dehydration lowers your body's resistance to the
stressful factors caused by the boat ride. Take lots of water
with you and drink often.
5. Do not drink
alcoholic beverages for several hours. Alcohol tends to
dehydrate the body. Its other symptoms are not desirable
either. Alcohol can prevent the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) stage
of sleep, the one in which you dream and your brain rests. You
may feel tired and not alert from just a few drinks, two
qualities not conducive to safe boating. If you do plan on
drinking, make every third drink a glass of water. It will
reduce dehydration and your chances for a hangover.
6. Avoid gasoline or diesel
fumes. They can put you over the edge literally and
figuratively. Stay out of direct sunlight as much as possible.
Avoid becoming overheated and dehydrated.
7. Again, if possible, avoid
the cabin and other enclosed spaces. Sometimes, a breezy spot
in the sun may be preferable to a shady spot in a stuffy
cabin. The open air and ability to look out over the
horizon are often more important than being in a shady spot,
which can be stuffy and enclosed, limiting your view of the
horizon and perhaps making you more prone to motion sickness.
There will be less motion
towards the center of the boat, both horizontally and
vertically, and it will increase with the height of the
waves. Avoid the upper decks as the higher you go, the
more you will experience swaying back and forth.
Horizontally, you want to be amidships, towards the center,
rather that at the bow or stern. The more sensitive to
motion sickness you are, the closer you need to be towards the
center, which is the calmest part of the boat.
8. If you are beginning to
feel a bit queasy, stand up and look out over the horizon.
Despite what you might think, sitting or laying down is the
worst thing you can do at this point. Don't do it. This is a
critical moment. You will get much worse even faster and may
reach a point of no return if you make the wrong choice. Soda
crackers seem to help some people by calming their stomachs
and reducing nausea.
