Le mal de mer

[Bolo]

Ahh! "Le mal de mer" The French have such a wonderful way of saying "sea sick". Most sailors I've talked to over the years have experienced "le mal de mer" but there are exceptions, like my first mate. She has never in her life felt what it's like so she's the one I usually send below to make sandwiches or find something in a locker while we're under way. I use to feel sea sick more often but over the years it happens maybe once or twice a year and only under certain conditions like a gray sea and sky.

Guests on beard are another issue all together and that is the point of my post here. Those who are brave enough to come aboard for a sail knowing that they may get sea sick I applaud for their sense of adventure because all adventures have risks, don't they?. I do try and help them out with a few tips. No sailing on an empty or full stomach. Just a bite or two of a sandwich before going out will do. Stay hydrated before and while sailing. No one, even me, is to say the words "sea sick" or elude to the condition. The one sure way I've found to help keep a le mal de mer prone guest under control is to put them right behind the helm as soon as I get the sails up and set. I give them a few tips on how to sail, point to something on the far shore and tell them to steer for it. It seems to work every time because they concentrate on steering and not hitting anything. At least that's what one guest told me after we returned to the dock and she said that she had a great time steering too! Of course I stand right next to them to make sure they stay on course.

But I have had some guests that don't want to steer, ate a big lunch before coming on board and say something like, "I do get sea sick a lot." Then they just sit there and look around or talk to us. After awhile they can get quiet and have that far off stare....I'm sure you've seen it. A look at my first mate and a nod and we're pulling down the sails, starting the engine and heading for the dock...often much to their relief. I never make fun of their condition because it takes a bit of bravery to come aboard when you think you'll get sick and then that's it, isn't it? They talk themselves into "le mal de mer" before they leave the dock. What a shame. What have your experiences been with guests on board and "le mal de mer"?

 

[G Kiba]

I have found that when guests are involved in sailing the boat, or enjoying the scenery, or keeping a look out, they are less likely to get sick. It's when they drift off and forget where they are or go below for a length of time. For me, I can get sick making sandwiches without Dramamine w/ginger hours before lunch.

 

[Christian Williams]

I think it's waves that make people sick. In harbor or flat calm they do OK. So I take waves into account with guests and plan course according.

I am big believer in Bonine (former Antivert, by prescription) and the rest. Side effects vary by individual, mostly drowsiness.

So I promote the idea of testing several brands on a work day, then go the office and see how it feels. Now you have a seasick pill for life, and perhaps unconsciously, a bit of confidence. Get them to take it before arriving at the dock.

These are proven medications, but of course psychology is much of it. The test plan has the psych value of personal preparation, and as prevention rather than remedy.

When a guest turns green, I do a 180 and head for shelter. No other recourse. Only if never seasick himself does a skipper keep stubbornly on.

 

[peaman]

Early in my short career as a professional mariner, I was onboarded as crew on a 100+ foot motor yacht in south Florida. Soon after, we set out for New England for the Summer yachting season. Not long into that voyage, our young and energetic steward found that he was not compatible with the motions of a not-fast classic motor yacht in any but the calmest seas. In fact, he spent much of his time on the leather upholstered furniture in the grand salon, useless for all practical purposes. He had a severe case of Le Mal de mer.

Once we settled in to our summer berth, he was guided to an acupuncturist in Newport, RI who, it was said, could give him some relief. He went, and the acupuncturist inserted a needle into his ear and advised him that whenever he felt the discomfort of motion, he should touch his finger to the outer end of that needle. After a number of hours under way, and after a few weeks, the needle was removed. At the end of the Summer season, the yacht and crew returned to Florida, and the young steward showed no problems with sea sickness.

I am certainly not one to believe in mystical cures, or whatever, but this is what I saw. Maybe there is something to it.

 

[Bolo]

..the acupuncturist inserted a needle into his ear..

I’m screaming right about now.

 

[G Kiba]

Early in my short career as a professional mariner, I was onboarded as crew on a 100+ foot motor yacht in south Florida. Soon after, we set out for New England for the Summer yachting season. Not long into that voyage, our young and energetic steward found that he was not compatible with the motions of a not-fast classic motor yacht in any but the calmest seas. In fact, he spent much of his time on the leather upholstered furniture in the grand salon, useless for all practical purposes. He had a severe case of Le Mal de mer.

Once we settled in to our summer berth, he was guided to an acupuncturist in Newport, RI who, it was said, could give him some relief. He went, and the acupuncturist inserted a needle into his ear and advised him that whenever he felt the discomfort of motion, he should touch his finger to the outer end of that needle. After a number of hours under way, and after a few weeks, the needle was removed. At the end of the Summer season, the yacht and crew returned to Florida, and the young steward showed no problems with sea sickness.

I am certainly not one to believe in mystical cures, or whatever, but this is what I saw. Maybe there is something to it.

Power of the human mind. Or whatever you want to call it? Is it a placebo effect or the cleverness of some guy's idea to stick a needle where it actually matters or actually causes a placebo effect? Whatever works for you.

 

[peaman]

Is it a placebo effect or the cleverness of some guy's idea to stick a needle where it actually matters or actually causes a placebo effect?

That's the question. It seems to be well established that the discomfort comes from "confusion" in the brain relating to what you see (the relatively still boat) and how you perceive "up", which is largely sensed in the inner ear. If the needle were placed anywhere else, it would make much less sense. And then there are the wrist bands intended for motion sickness relief, so who knows?

 

[G Kiba]

I don't know when this happened, but being on a playground swing stop being fun. Just like when I get seasick. It's that up and down movement that gets me feeling ill. Give me the horizon to stare at and I'm ok. Take away the day light, I'm in trouble!

 

[Slick470]

Grant. I have had that same issue. Hop on the swings with the kids, and a few minutes later I want to go lay down somewhere.

 

[gareth harris]

There is nothing for undermining the morale of guests quite like the skipper throwing up over the rail.

It is particularly embarrassing for a skipper who is a naval officer.

And it happened whenever I sailed beyond the shelter of San Diego Bay and Pensacola Bay. The wrist bands which send an electrical tingle to the inside of the wrist work well for me. I had one guest who didn't like the sensation, and to whom I should have offered an over-the-counter pill before we sent sail since they never seem to be effective once the stomach is already in turmoil (I ended up putting her and a few others ashore while I sailed home).

Some people can get into a state where it is impossible to hold water down, which can become dangerous fairly quickly. Luckily for me pilots are berthed immediately below the flight deck which is the most stable part of the boat by design.

Gareth
Freyja E35 #241 1972

 

[Bolo]

My putting Le mal de mer prone guests behind the wheel comes from what I observed one of my daughters doing when she was driving a car. That’s it. She ALWAYS drives even though he husband is a capable and licensed driver. Put her in the passenger seat and she doesn’t last 30 minutes. This convinced me that the path to Le mal de mer isn’t through the stomach but rather the brain.

 

[RustyJones71]

I believe anxiety is big cause of the condition. Knowing your abilities gives you confidence and inner strength. Fear of the unknown or lack of experience is a factor as well. Getting plowed the night before and then spending too much time below is obviously not recommended.

 

[Bepi]

I have yet to feel any issues while sailing Roxanne. I can handle the "hobby horse" motion allowed by sail pressure, But put me on a powerboat, rolling in every direction, and the need to stay busy becomes imperative. I think its physical and mental. Physical, but can be mitigated mentally. Mental, because you can worry yourself into the physical reaction. If I don't sail for a while, and then if I'm on my boat for several days, when I return to land and go to sleep my bed seems to rock with the same motion that the boat had, is there a name for this phenomenon?

 

[RustyJones71]

I don't know if it has a name but I'm well aware of the condition. I think it is left over conditioning that your brain and inner ear implements to accommodate the repeated balancing necessary when in seas for some duration.
.

 

[bigd14]

I don't know if it has a name but I'm well aware of the condition. I think it is left over conditioning that your brain and inner ear implements to accommodate the repeated balancing necessary when in seas for some duration.
.

I get this after a couple hours on the boat. If I am on the boat for 24 hours or more it can last a day or two afterwards and can even make me feel a bit ill. I have had it as long as I can remember, even downhill skiing in middle school triggered it. Extremely annoying! But not enough to prevent me from being on the boat.

Apparently it can become chronic in which case it is called mal de debarquement. I sometimes worry about that happening.

Mal de debarquement - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Bepi]

I get this after a couple hours on the boat. If I am on the boat for 24 hours or more it can last a day or two afterwards and can even make me feel a bit ill. I have had it as long as I can remember, even downhill skiing in middle school triggered it. Extremely annoying! But not enough to prevent me from being on the boat.

Apparently it can become chronic in which case it is called mal de debarquement. I sometimes worry about that happening.

Mal de debarquement - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Thank you. For me it is not an unpleasant feeling, it's almost a bonus, because I feel like I'm sleeping on the boat even though I'm not. It only seems to happen if I have not been on the water for a while.

 

[Christian Williams]

I don't think I've ever returned from overnight on a boat without rocking like a rubber duck. Quite annoying, really. Perhaps that illuminates in reverse the necessary accommodation of the mind to the rocking of a boat, which takes a day or two, and must then upon return to land, er, dis-accommodate itself.

 

[Bolo]

After a “lively”sail I will experience rocking on land but only while taking a shower. Especially when closing my eyes to wash the shampoo from my hair. Once in awhile it’ll get so bad that I need to put my hands on the shower wall to re-establish my bearings. Opening my eyes eliminates the sensation. I’ve had this happen in a shower at a transient marina, at my home marina and two hours away at home but only during the same day that I sailed and never the next day. It never makes me queasy just a little dizzy. The mind (at least mine anyway) is a strange place.

 

[Thalassa]

Learning to sail at 15, at times we had quite a sea out there. I’ll never forget the instructor asking a fellow student who was turning green and ready to feed them fish, how many girlfriends he had had. And lo and behold, while answering, his color came back, and he turned out just fine for the rest of the sail. So yes, the mind does play a big/strange role in the ‘mal de mer’.
As a tour/whale watching boat captain for the last 25 years I’ve seen a fair share of passengers (about 5%) that experienced some level of motion sickness. Needless to say that I couldn’t use my instructor’s trick… But instead had great success with the wrist sea-bands (the elastic ones with a pressure point) and making the passenger comfortable by having them laying down and supporting the head with a cushion or a PFD. The inspiration came from observing how little kids deal with it, and by the way, none of them ever watched the horizon. This method never failed in order to ‘survive’ a 2 hour-long ‘rocky’ ocean trip. Also worth mentioning is that most of the affected passengers said that they were not feeling 100% prior to the start of the sail…