Mal de mer
When people are talking to us about what we have been doing
we often hear ‘I couldn’t do it, I get
sea sick’. On internet sailing forums, there are often questions from those
starting out and struggling with travel sickness, concerned that they will not
be able to continue.
Finding what works for you is half the battle. There are some very good tablets around which suited a couple of us and which we were also able to buy inFrance
and Spain
from the pharmacies. The youngest could not take these as he was under the
recommended age but we found him a herbal remedy that was very effective. Another
crew member did not like taking the tablets but found that the wrist bands
worked well. I have recently heard lots about blocking one ear as a cure for
motion sickness. We didn’t try it but an internet search will find you lots of
people recommending this.
The thing is, we did; even the great Lord Admiral Nelson used
to get sea sick. Before we left, one of our crew couldn’t even go on a roundabout
in a playground without being taken off looking an interesting shade of green.
He loved sailing on our old boat though and even after being sick then sleeping
it off would ask when we were going again.
Portishead on the Bristol Channel |
Finding what works for you is half the battle. There are some very good tablets around which suited a couple of us and which we were also able to buy in
I find that steering cures me and will spend hours happily
scanning the horizon for ships about to mow us down. One of the deckhands likes
to curl up on the bench in the cockpit and the skipper finds that lying stretched
out on the deck is the best place for him when the water gets lumpy. Finding
things for the children to do seemed to help. Sticker books, drawing, craft
activities and things which need slightly less complete focus have worked well
as have joke books and puzzle books.
Sometimes it is the preparation for a trip which makes all
the difference. Being in the cockpit can be fine but going below can push the
hardiest of stomachs to its limit. Finding meals which are easy to prepare or
come in a tin which just needs to be warmed through and a box of snack foods
kept in the cockpit all make life easier on the move. We experimented to find
what we was best to nibble on (crackers, pain au lait, ginger, small chocolate
bars, trail mix, plain crisps, fruit, cereal bars, bread sticks, rice cakes)
and discovered quite quickly what to avoid (anything too spicy, too sweet or
too rich).
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Bognor Regis - South coast of England |
On boats the problem is caused by the actual motion so even
on days when the sea is relatively calm, hitting the waves at an awkward angle
or having a current pushing against the wind can cause really unpleasant
conditions. Some areas are also more prone to turbulent water. The Gironde springs to mind as an entrance channel which went
on and on with rough water and a horrible churning motion that had us all
really green around the gills. And it is not just travelling that can be a
problem. In stormy weather it is possible to feel sea sick whilst tied up in
the harbour if the waves are bashing the side, rocking the boat constantly. Then
there was the very roll-y mooring buoy at Ile de Haout…
We all steadily adjusted during our time as cruisers and
became less likely to feel awful unless the motion was really bad. We have
travelled quite a few miles visiting people in the car over the last couple of months
and haven’t had any problems at all – hopefully that will continue. I’m not
sure that 3 years at sea is a practical solution for most children who suffer
from car sickness but it certainly seems to be effective!
Somerset |
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