Hippocampus
Guru
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2020
- Messages
- 4,181
- Location
- Plymouth
- Vessel Name
- Hippocampus
- Vessel Make
- Nordic Tug 42
Hate to do this but will hit you with some neurology. Both NASA and the USN as well as others have studied this over the years. Basically to give gross summaries.
Everyone can get motion sick. EVERYONE. Threshold may vary but it’s everyone.
Most people fall into one of two groups. Those who are more sensitive to low frequency motion or those more sensitive to high frequency.
So some will get sick on a deep V drifting in chop while fishing or a multi hull underway (high) and others on a ship or heavily ballasted mono (low).
Motion sickness involves all sensory systems. Smell, taste, proprioception, sacules/otoliths (gravity) and semicircular canals (angular acceleration). Inability to resolve conflict between sensory inputs leads to motion sickness.
Complex motions (corkscrewing) are more prone to produce sickness than simple motions ( beating through chop).
Anything that decrease conflict will decrease sickness. Using legs to decrease motion, looking at a fixed horizon, lying down on your back with eyes closed. Looking in direction of forward motion, absence of smells, drugs that decrease central histamine, anticholinergics increase norepinephrine/dopamine in brain stem etc.
Seasickness is serious and can lead to death via electrolyte disturbance, Mallory Weiss tears, dehydration etc.
Ocean going boats should carry multiple remedies but any remedy that maybe used should be tried by crew before passage as side effects are idiosyncratic. We carry patches, ginger, stugeron, compazine suppositories etc.
Choice of boat should reflect susceptibility of expected crew. i.e. mono/multi, light/heavy, chined/soft bilges, FD/semi.
In tens of thousands of blue water miles I’ve missed my watch twice. Once while upside down in a sling working on repairing a stay between ala and ama on a tri going at speed (15-20kts). Combination of cold, wet, focusing on tools and task, and exhaustion got me. Slept my watch then back into rotation. Second time was working on engine in a force 8-9.
Bilge water got on hot engine and there was an exhaust leak at mixing elbow. Smell was terrible. No light, no horizon, awkward positions to prevent getting burnt, poor ventilation. Was sick when I crawled out. Captain took me off watch although I was ok after an hour or two standing outside facing the wind and chewing on candied ginger.
As captain it’s key you monitor your crew. Are they sleeping enough?. Eating and drinking enough?. Are they yawning/sleepy or showing other signs of early motion sickness.? Boats are lost not due boat problems but due to the crew being unable to function. Motion sickness is the common reason.
Everyone can get motion sick. EVERYONE. Threshold may vary but it’s everyone.
Most people fall into one of two groups. Those who are more sensitive to low frequency motion or those more sensitive to high frequency.
So some will get sick on a deep V drifting in chop while fishing or a multi hull underway (high) and others on a ship or heavily ballasted mono (low).
Motion sickness involves all sensory systems. Smell, taste, proprioception, sacules/otoliths (gravity) and semicircular canals (angular acceleration). Inability to resolve conflict between sensory inputs leads to motion sickness.
Complex motions (corkscrewing) are more prone to produce sickness than simple motions ( beating through chop).
Anything that decrease conflict will decrease sickness. Using legs to decrease motion, looking at a fixed horizon, lying down on your back with eyes closed. Looking in direction of forward motion, absence of smells, drugs that decrease central histamine, anticholinergics increase norepinephrine/dopamine in brain stem etc.
Seasickness is serious and can lead to death via electrolyte disturbance, Mallory Weiss tears, dehydration etc.
Ocean going boats should carry multiple remedies but any remedy that maybe used should be tried by crew before passage as side effects are idiosyncratic. We carry patches, ginger, stugeron, compazine suppositories etc.
Choice of boat should reflect susceptibility of expected crew. i.e. mono/multi, light/heavy, chined/soft bilges, FD/semi.
In tens of thousands of blue water miles I’ve missed my watch twice. Once while upside down in a sling working on repairing a stay between ala and ama on a tri going at speed (15-20kts). Combination of cold, wet, focusing on tools and task, and exhaustion got me. Slept my watch then back into rotation. Second time was working on engine in a force 8-9.
Bilge water got on hot engine and there was an exhaust leak at mixing elbow. Smell was terrible. No light, no horizon, awkward positions to prevent getting burnt, poor ventilation. Was sick when I crawled out. Captain took me off watch although I was ok after an hour or two standing outside facing the wind and chewing on candied ginger.
As captain it’s key you monitor your crew. Are they sleeping enough?. Eating and drinking enough?. Are they yawning/sleepy or showing other signs of early motion sickness.? Boats are lost not due boat problems but due to the crew being unable to function. Motion sickness is the common reason.