Some simple ways to fare better at sea

I first boarded a sea-faring vessel when I was 15. It was the Tirrenia, a ship which rode the crossing between Malta and Sicily regularly.

Lying down on your back in the open apparently helps ward off the nausea- Marika Azzopardi

The trip to Sicily was perfect – it was sunny and the sea was calm. The homecoming trip was not. Gale force winds hit us suddenly as Sicily disappeared on the horizon, and that was when I found out what being seasick was all about.

Practically everybody on board was sick because the winds were blowing at force seven, causing the ship to dip and lunge precariously.

My family opted to stay out on deck, as somebody suggested we were less likely to feel sick. I discovered that lying down on my back in the open helped me ward off the nausea.

The experience did not put me off sea travel, however, and ever since then I have fought the nausea with every means possible. I also researched it to find out why some people become sick with the least possible sway, while others will ride a storm unflinchingly.

Seasickness can be traumatic and it is just one form of what is known as motion sickness. Caused by a discrepancy between what our inner ears sense and what our eyes sense, motion sickness can be triggered off by any form of motion – some people get sick in a car, on a plane, or on a rollercoaster.

Many people become seasick merely by looking at the scenery from a moving boat, while others will never be sick in a car unless they try to read in one. Others will only become sick if the weather gets rough. Still others remain unaffected through the worst storms.

But are all mariners born naturally sea-hardy? It appears not. Jacqueline Spiteri, a Third Officer who has been sailing the seas for the past few years, provides an inkling about this: “I was very seasick on my ship when I first embarked and I tried them all. Not drinking water, eating only bread and dry crackers, popping seasickness pills, wearing sickness straps, trying to keep myself busy… but nothing worked.

“Eventually I got used to it after months of sailing, and now I feel nothing. It depends on the person – in the case of a particular cadet, I gave him a seasickness pill and he said it worked. But the truth is he was never really sick.”

Short of being hypnotised, there are a number of things we can try doing to sail without being sick:

• Medication – it can work if taken properly although if you are on any other medication, have any health issues or are pregnant, you should consult your doctor first. Some tablets have a long-lasting effect and may leave you feeling groggy for a full day.

So if you’re only on board a vessel for a short time, you should opt for short-term effect medication. Alternatives to tablets exist in the form of chewing gum.

You might also be able to control your sickness with half a pill – you should only ingest the least possible dose.

• Don’t drink before embarking. The less fluid in your stomach, the less likely you will feel sick.

• Travel at night so you aremore likely to fall asleep. Sleep-ing your way will avoid allseasickness.

• If you are feeling fine but somebody else is not, avoid nursing them – smells and upheaval can affect you enough to cause you to be sick with the person you were supposed to be nursing.

• Wear comfortable clothes on a boat – tight clothing can become quite uncomfortable if you’re on the verge on being sick.

• Stay in the open – fresh air on your face will help deter sickness.

• Avoid reading.

• Keep your head still and don’t walk around the boat or ship unless you really have to.

• Try acupressure wristbands or straps – these towel bands have a plastic button that is placed on an acupressure point on the inside of each wrist – the gentle pressure on the inner wrist is supposed to ward off nausea.

• Ginger biscuits – if you really must eat something, try ginger biscuits – they are also recommended to help ward off sickness.

• Eat an apple – one apple, sliced and cored, eaten skin and all, is supposed to avert nausea. For some, if ingested just as the boat or ship sets sail, this simple remedy works miracles.

• Sucking a lemon is supposed to ward off sickness.

• Eating an olive is also supposed to stop the sickness.

And so, armed with pills, wristbands, apple and knife, ginger biscuits, one lemon and a handful of olives, hat on head and sunglasses on stand-by, we should all feel fine ever after.