Seasick also means the disease of being too excited about the sea. Real men such as Ellen Macarthur are seasick ! Seasickness is the disease of thinking of no other things than of sailing, even while sitting in the office.

Sailing on the lake of Zurich - Zürichsee-Segeln

Adventures for the armchair sailor

Sunken Treasures / Schatzsuche

Seamanship / Seemannschaft

PS: what to do against motion sickness

The medical explanation of motion sickness:
1. your body has various sensors to detect where is down and where is up.
   • One sensor is inside your ear, and is based on the direction of the gravity force.
   • Another sensor is the eye, which detects the horizon. The eye will subconsciously define horizon as separation between a rather dark area with many small visual details and a rather "boring" area, with not much details to see.
   • On the boat, unfortunately you subconsciously know that the mast points up, and that the desk is horizontal (which both is not true, in a storm).
2. If the human sensors contradict to each other, some peoples brain let their body react with motion sickness.

Are you likely to get seasick ?
• If you had to vomit in cars, as a child, then you are more likely to get seasick.
• If you are in steep mountains, your eyes may subconsciously think the horizon is 45 degrees tilted. Do you panik in the mountains or on a tower, when looking down ? It is explained by a similar contradiction of sensors. However, this is not an indication for getting seasick easily.

Some symptoms of seasickness, in ascending order:
• you are tired although you have slept enough
• you feel you are close to vomit
• you vomit
• you are sure you will not survive the trip, you think it is only a question of how and when to die
• you commit suicide by jumping over board

How to avoid motion sickness ?:
• Do not believe you will get seasick.
• When sailing during one week, the first day(s) should be with light wind and (more important) with little waves.
• The combination of big waves from a past storm, but no wind anymore is difficult to support, because this way, the sail will not stabilize the boat. So better stay one more day in port (in the boat, not in the hotel room !).
• Eating:
  • Eat neither too much nor too little.
  • Eat often, avoiding too big quantities.
  • Do not make eating experiments: only eat food you know that you like it.
  • in hot weather, drink enough water.
• Wear warm cloths
• Listen to stereo music, with your ear plugs
• Go to the pharmacy and get some pills (and take them early enough!), to enjoy at least the placebo effect (stronger medicine will make you dizzy or will affect your eyes). Just in case you have no pills on board: alcohol is no substitute
• Do not go inside the boat
• If you go inside the boat, do not cook warm meals (it is good to eat a warm soup, but it is bad to cook it)
• make sure your lips are not full of salt (from sea water)
• If there are no big waves, go swimming, maybe the sickness immediately disappears, at least as long as you are in the water.
• Go inside the boat, and try to sleep in your sleeping bag while wearing a life jacket. You absolutely must close your eyes !
• While sitting on the toilet, either look out of the window, to the horizon, or close your eyes. Make sure there is fresh air.
• Do not sit as stiff as a furniture, but rather dance in the rhythm of the waves. At least move your head.
• Sit on the deck, in the cockpit. To stay at the bow (=the front part of the boat) will expose you to much heavier motion.
• Look in sailing direction, look to the horizon.
• Do not read a book
• Get a task which makes you forget your sickness. The best thing is to take the rudder / the steering wheel. This will also ensure you look to the horizon.
• If it is really really heavy (I never experienced this in all my storms), then the rest of the crew must physically force you not to jump in the water.