![]() ![]() Stay attached to the vessel in the event that you need to vomit Saltines, ginger ale and Coca Cola may help settle your stomach Try hydrating slowly with an electrolyte solution such as Gatorade or Pedialyte Try to focus on the horizon and if possible and appropriate take the helmĭo not try to read or attempt close visual work If you are not taking any seasick medications, start immediately Let your watch captain know you feel sick and inform them of any other personal illness ![]() Go topside and hook your safety harness tether to the boat Try to remain topside as much as possible when not getting rest for the first 24 hoursĪdhere to a strict watch schedule and get plenty of sleep when off watch Start your choice of medication the night before sailingĮat easily digestible foods the night before sailing and for the first 24 hours Trial seasickness remedies before going offshore checking for side effects The illness may be recurrent during a voyage, although most people will adapt to conditions after 36 to 72 hours at sea.īe honest about your personal threshold to get sick It is also very difficult to predict who will and will not become ill. Victims might also feel a sense of impending doom.Īlthough thresholds vary from person to person, given the right circumstances, everyone is susceptible. Symptoms of motion sickness include apathy, inability to focus, cold sweats, anorexia, excess salivation, yawning, belching, headache, pale complexion, and finally, nausea and severe vomiting. Victims might also feel a sense of impending doom. Continued seasickness may lead to severe dehydration, an inability to function, and, if untreated, possible death. When one crewmember becomes seasick, the likelihood of others on board developing the illness increases. Additional factors that contribute to seasickness include lack of sleep, anxiety, poor hydration, foods difficult to digest, certain smells, and learned behavior. Motion sickness can also affect an individual in the absence of motion, as may occur while viewing an action packed video game. Add the smell of diesel fuel and the rest is readily predictable. ![]() Our brain senses a motion (the vessel’s movement) but the associated visual cues are absent. An excellent example is when sailors have to spend time in the bilge, say, while repairing an engine. This is precipitated when we are unable to anticipate or line up visual cues with a particular, or perceived, motion. This sickness occurs when our visual cues are mismatched with what our brain perceives. Nobody is completely immune to motion sickness. Seasickness can create a danger not only for the victim but for the rest of the crew, too. In the 2012 race, seasickness precipitated evacuation of a crewmember from a competing boat, and another vessel on the return trip was also abandoned with seasickness playing a major role in the event. Make no mistake about it, seasickness can be life-threatening. While preparation for the Newport Bermuda Race usually is detailed and labor intensive, there is one problem that sailors do not seem to take as seriously as they should Potential problems include such scenarios as dismasting, blown sails, failed through-hulls, sinking, losing one’s rudder, and man overboard situations. Race participants and organizers spend considerable time preparing for events that are unlikely to happen but that (should they occur) could be catastrophic. Seasickness may present in a full range of stages, ranging from slight queasiness to severe nausea and vomiting, so it is likely that mild cases were not formally logged and that some of the cases occurred without any thought toward preventative measures.Īs a community, we pride ourselves in taking safety seriously. I suspect that this number significantly underestimates the actual incidence of this illness. ![]() The medical reports submitted by crews after recent Newport Bermuda Races usually include more than 50 cases of seasickness. The Bermuda Race’s medical chair (a race skipper) describes the causes, prevention, and treatment of this all-too-common and potentially dangerous condition. ![]()
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