Ways to help/avoid with seasickness

[Norfolk and Goode]

Hi Lads, I need your help

I need you advice on ways to help/avoid with seasickess when out in the boats.

I was out yesterday from Portbalintrae. The weather was fine, there was very little swell but I spent the majority of the trip either with my head over the side barfing or sitting on the liferaft with my head in my hands.
We were not even out that far!!!
This is a first for me as I've been out before even in rougher weather with no problem. I hope to be going out soon as I don't want this to put me off.

I took the precaution of taking a sealegs tablet about a hour before I went out as I normally do, but as I said it didn't work this time.

Any help would really be appreciated.

Steve

[kieran]

This is not uncommon... a small swell can be worse than a big one.

The only tip I have is that you should stand in the stern of the boat, in the middle and fish from there. The movement will be at its least effective there, although you can find yourself sucking exhaust fumes if the wind is on the wrong direction! Keep your eyes on the horizon and do not look down or close your eyes... that will only make it worse. FWIW...

[RobertMcClean]

Your breakfeast can impact this substantially. We use to take Kwells up to about a year ago but never take them anymore. Cereal and toast is all we have before hoping on board, no fry's!

[JimC]

Do not go out dying from the effects of the night before.

Eat well before travelling.

If taking tablets make sure to read the packet and take them well in advance. (you may chuck them before they have a chance to work!)

On board keep your head up. Keep looking towards the shore. This will give your brain and inner ear a reference as to why it's bobbing up and down. Do not have head down sorting tangles, traces etc.

Breath deeply. Stay where air is freshest. Avoid hot and stuffy wheel houses, smelly bait, farters etc.!

Keep busy all the time. Especially when you start to feel queasy. Hard to do but its a vicious circle: head in hands feeling sick makes you more sick.

Eat a little and often, Drink often, water is probably best, a cup of tea/coffee/soup can be soothing. Fizzy drinks can cause "the wet burp"!

Avoid overheating. Wear layers of easily removed clothing.

Avoid guys that are suffering. A chucker can cause a chain reaction! (unless you want to eat their grub, they usually don't mind)

If still suffering try the bracelets from sealegs (i think).

Finally if none of the above works for you take a few spoons of jam before you go out.

Jim.

[petekd]

Just another thing, and I agree with all the remedys here. It is possible to make yourself sick just by thinking about it. Try and put all thoughts of chucking as far away as possible, it helps! Its like those pressure-band things, I have no faith in them on a practical level but I do think they provide some form of psychological comfort. Another tip I saw, on Mythbusters I think it was, was ginger. They tried a whole host of remedies and from what I remember ginger worked the best. Some peppermint sweets I've also heard work quite well.

The best remedy of the lot though is practice....stick with it, keep going out and eventually you should get to the point where it no longer bothers you. I have NEVER, touch wood, actually been sick on a boat but there were many occasions in the past where it was a close run thing. Am now at the stage where it doesnt seem to bother me at all but I do agree that a small swell is very often a sight worse than a large one.

[coaster]

Sound advice there Jim.

The jam is new to me.

[x]

If the above don't work, the fastest way to cure it, apart from standing under a tree is make sure you hoof the whole lot up asap. Fingers down throat - make sure that if you are going to be sick, be sick on your own terms. Don't sit there dreading being sick. You will puke sooner or later, so why suffer in the meantime. Get it over with. Then SMALL sips of 7-up and ginger nut biscuits, much as you might not feel like them at the time. Soon have you sorted. As somebody mentioned, seasickness is 90% psychological and entirely curable. Once you learn that you can make yourself sick on your own terms, it's a small step to resolving to avoid the hassle, and pretty soon seasickness should be a thing of the past.

Having said that, anyone can get sick any time, no matter how good their sea legs are, and if it does happen, it's often not when it's mad rough, rather than when it's a hot day with a low, slow swell.

[JimC]

Coaster,

The jam doesn't prevent sickness it just tastes a lot better coming up! Boom, Boom

[x]

Haven't heard that one in years, Jim. I love springing ones like that on people who've thrown a whitey and have the water running off their teeth and are desperate for any sort of cure before they barf or die....

[coaster]

I thought that might be the case .
Once heard that it is the only thing that looks the same coming up as it did going down

[x]

Another tip is to wear shades if it's at all bright. Too much glare off the water will cause eyestrain and a headache from squinting - often the precursors to getting seasick.

[jd]

Another tip is to wear shades if it's at all bright..

I wear them all the time on a boat-give some level of protection from hooks too.

[bigkev]

I sailed on the Asguard as a kid, and the standing joke was they provided 5 square meals a day

3 down and two up

Aaaagh

Kev

Wondered who'd query the jam!!

[coaster]

I sailed on the Asguard as a kid,

Do you know Billy Crowley

[glengormley-gavin]

Aye - I was along with N&G and it was not a pretty sight - he looked like a straggler from the Fat Boy Slim concert on Portrush Strand on Sat night.

I have only been out on a boat fishing twice in my lifetime and several times on larger ferries etc (in really rough conditions) but I have never been sick although if I think about being sick - I will become queasy.

I firmly believe a lot of it is caused by the human mind, when I was younger and a bit more adventurous on the party front - me and the mates could always spot a 'whitey' victim (cruel I know...), a few well timed comments and questions to this person nearly always resulted in him/her blowing chunks. Just the thought of being sick normally puts people over the edge.

Too much excitement/anticipation before boarding the boat will also not help the cause.

Just don't even think about barfing next time mate - I'll still tag along with you, this time though, I'll make sure to bring some fried eggs.....

Jude

[Norfolk and Goode]

Thanks for that GG. Already looking forward to the next outing

Thanks all for your advice lads

Have taken it all onboard (excuse the pun)

Hopefully it will be a great deal more pleasurable next time


Jim, I thought the Spoonful of Jam was a cracker and am still chuckling thinking about it

[SeanP]

Another good option is a spoonful of 'Bisto'
might not cure it, but thickens it up niceley!
Sean,

[dezzer]

jim,love the jam, ,dezzer..............

[x]

Then there's this...

http://www.worldseafishing.com/news/147 ... 06-17.html

It mentions Scopolamine, drug of choice for test pilots, I hear. I'm pretty sure it'll be prescription-only here, if you can persuade your sawbones to provide it at all. I'd make some plausible excuse about a morbid fear of flying and having to take a ferry to France etc....

[Drew]

Get REALLY drunk the night before, then you don't look like a wimp in front of your mates.... Just blame the hangover when ya start up chuckin'