Finding Your Sea Legs on a Sailing Trip

Seasickness is common and usually eases as your body adjusts. How to choose your spot on board, use the horizon, and prepare before you sail.

The first afternoon on deck can be the gentlest part of a trip: wind on your face, the hull creaking, islands sliding slowly past. For some people it also brings a creeping queasiness. Seasickness is common, it does not mean anything is wrong with you, and much of it can be eased by where you sit, what you look at and how you look after yourself on board.

Why the sea unsettles you

Health services describe motion sickness as a mismatch. Your inner ear senses the roll and pitch of the boat, while your eyes, fixed on a cabin wall or a phone, report that nothing is moving. The result can be dizziness, sweating, pale skin, headache, nausea or vomiting.

Anyone can feel it, though some people are more prone than others. According to MedlinePlus, from the US National Library of Medicine, it is more common in children and pregnant women, and the CDC adds people with a history of migraine. The reassuring part is that the body adapts. Australia's healthdirect says that if you are traveling by sea, you will likely adapt after a couple of days of exposure to the motion, and the CDC calls this habituation the most effective countermeasure, more effective than any medication.

Find the quiet part of the boat

Motion is not spread evenly across a vessel. The NHS advises sitting in the middle of a boat to reduce motion, and the CDC recommends avoiding areas of maximum motion such as the bow. In practice, settle amidships rather than at the front while the boat is under way.

Fresh air helps too, according to both the NHS and the CDC, so time on deck usually feels better than time in a closed cabin. When booking, the Cleveland Clinic suggests a cabin on a lower level, closer to the water, if you can. On a phinisi, ask the crew which cabins and deck spaces feel steadiest, and when the route crosses more open water, so you can settle into a good spot before the passage starts.

Give your eyes the horizon

The simplest fix is to show your eyes what your inner ear already feels. The NHS, the CDC and healthdirect all suggest looking at the horizon.

All three advise against reading on the move, the NHS and healthdirect add screens, and the NHS adds watching moving objects such as waves to the list. Save the novel and the photo editing for the anchorage. The CDC also says avoiding head movements helps, so sit back with your head supported.

If the horizon is out of reach, lie down, close your eyes and breathe slowly. The CDC says lying down may work mainly by reducing head movement, and that breathing at a steady, regular pace can help.

Eat light, drink water, sleep well

The hours before departure matter. The NHS recommends avoiding heavy meals, spicy food and alcohol shortly before and during travel. The Cleveland Clinic suggests a light meal that includes low-fat, bland, starchy foods, and says an empty stomach probably won't help. The CDC lists alcohol and smoking as things that increase motion sickness, worth remembering when sunset drinks appear on the first evening.

Keep water within reach. The Cleveland Clinic advises drinking plenty of water before travel, and a warm tropical deck makes regular sips sensible anyway. It also warns that excessive vomiting can cause dehydration, so take ongoing symptoms seriously rather than waiting them out.

Sleep matters too. The CDC notes that sleep deprivation can worsen symptoms, so a late night before an early boarding is a poor trade.

Remedies to discuss before you travel

The right remedy depends on your age, your health and any other medicines you take, so talk to a pharmacist or doctor before the trip rather than improvising on board. The NHS lists tablets, patches and acupressure bands among the options a pharmacist can recommend. The medicines healthdirect names are antihistamines and hyoscine, also known as scopolamine. Worth knowing before that conversation:

• The CDC says medicines work best taken before you set off, not after symptoms begin. Ask how far ahead.
• Drowsiness is the most common side effect, and the CDC also mentions dry mouth. If you plan to dive, say so when you ask for advice, tell your dive guide what you have taken and follow their guidance.
• Newer non-drowsy antihistamines do not help with motion sickness, according to the CDC and the Cleveland Clinic.
• Healthdirect says getting advice is especially important for children, during pregnancy and if you take other medicines. The NHS and the CDC also note that hyoscine may not be suitable for people with glaucoma.
• The NHS suggests trying ginger and says acupressure bands do not work for everyone. The CDC calls the evidence for ginger weak and says bands did no better than a placebo in laboratory trials, though placebo effects can be strong, so something that helps you may still be worth using.

If it comes on anyway

Act at the first cold sweat or hint of nausea. Move to the middle of the boat, get into the fresh air and find the horizon. Sip water. If sitting up feels worse, lie down and close your eyes. Tell the crew how you feel, so they can point you to the steadiest place to sit.

Usually it eases as the body adjusts. The Cleveland Clinic advises talking to a healthcare provider if nausea or vomiting persists, if you notice signs of dehydration, or if symptoms appear when you are not moving. With a little preparation, seasickness can stay a short chapter at the start of the trip, and the slow rhythm of the boat soon starts to feel familiar.