How To Avoid Seasickness When Sailing

I don’t claim to be an expert on many things, but when it comes to seasickness, I am an authority. My worst experience was being seasick for 8 continuous days while pounding though the Bay of Biscay and along the coast of Portugal and Morocco towards Madeira and then Canary Islands in the stormy ocean back in 2020. Strong wind up to 40 knots and 5 meters waves floored me. I ‘spoke to god on the great white telephone’ after every meal, and could only be in a horizontal position below the deck. I lost 5kg. It is not a crash diet I would recommend to anyone.

I was very lucky to have an understanding and sympathetic crew. I did envy them. One of my crew members was absolutely fine! She could eat whatever she wanted, drink rum and wine, read and look at her phone screen. Now, in 2022 I am fine! I manage seasickness quite well and by managing it I mean that I do not get seasick in nearshore waters anymore.

How long does seasickness last?

Seasickness usually occurs in the first 12- to 24-hours of a sailing trip and dissipates once the body acclimates to the boat’s motion. It is very rare for anyone to get seasick beyond the first couple of days at sea – unless the yacht encounters rough waves.

Prevention & treatment

It is easy to prevent seasickness during your sailing vacation by following a few simple rules.

• Stay above the deck during passage. Take water, snacks, sunscreen, windbreaker with you to the cockpit, use the washroom before you leave the marina or anchorage.
• Do not use your phone if you start feeling motion sickness.
• Get well hydrated during the day. Make sure you have your water bottle in the cockpit during sailing passage.
• Eat clean and limit hard liquor consumption the night before longer sailing from one island to the other. Have a good healthy breakfast, an empty stomach can trigger sea sickness. Snack during the longer passage, salty crackers, low acid fruits like apples and pears are the best to avoid sea sickness.
• Dress according to weather conditions and do not get cold and wet, this might trigger seasickness.
• Get busy during your sailing passage. You can ask the captain how you can help or, if you want to enjoy and relax the journey, stay closer to the center of the boat and look at the horizon, you travelled all the way to enjoy this spectacular view!
• You can buy over the counter medications or patches to control the seasickness, please consider the side effects and choose medications that do not cause drowsiness and dry mouth.
• There are a number of clinical studies that suggest ginger as well as Vitamin C might reduce the nausea caused by seasickness, so enjoy that glass of grapefruit juice.

An age-old affliction

There are references to seasickness as far back as Ancient Greece. Seasickness is caused by a conflict in the inner ear where the human balance mechanism resides. Inside the cabin of a rocking boat, for example, the inner ear detects changes in both up-and-down and side-to-side acceleration and one’s body moves along with the boat. But since the cabin moves with the sailor, one’s eyes register a relatively stable scene. Confused and agitated by this perceptual incongruity, the brain responds with a cascade of stress-related hormones that can potentially lead to nausea, vomiting and vertigo.

Those, who are susceptible to motion sickness in the car, plane or on amusement park rides are more likely to suffer from seasickness, as well.  Some lucky people do not get seasickness at all, while others are stricken by it if not making conscious efforts to prevent it.

If you do get seasick, know that the recovery is a matter of time and the survival rate is 100%.

Enjoy your sailing vacation!