Conquering the Motion: The Captain’s Guide to Seasickness

It happens to admirals and it happens to beginners. Here is how to manage it.

There is a taboo in sailing about getting seasickness (mal de mer). Many beginners think it is a sign of weakness.

At Sailing Munich, I tell my students the truth: I know seasoned professional skippers and marine scientists who still get seasick in rough weather. It is not about toughness. It is a physiological reaction. The goal is not to deny it, but to manage it so you can keep functioning on board.

The Science: Why It Happens

Seasickness is simply a disagreement between your senses. Your Inner Ear (vestibular system) feels the boat moving up, down, and sideways. However, if you are down below in the cabin, your Eyes see a stable room that is moving with you. Your brain gets confused by this mismatch. It perceives the hallucination as a neurotoxin and triggers a stress response to "expel the poison." That is why you feel nausea.

The Protocols: How to Fight Back

If you start feeling that cold sweat or headache, do not retreat to your bunk. Follow these steps immediately.

1. The Horizon Rule Stay on deck. Even if it is raining, put on your foul weather gear and get out. Look at the horizon. By fixing your eyes on a stable line, you realign your vision with what your inner ear is feeling. The fresh air alone is often enough to speed recovery.

• Warning: Avoid the cabin. The closed-in quarters magnify the sensation of movement.

2. The Green Apple Trick This is a trade secret I teach all my crews. If you feel nausea rising, eat a Green Apple (Granny Smith type) or a piece of ginger.

• Why? The acidity helps neutralize the stomach.

• The Strategy: A Green Apple often gives you a "30-minute window" of relief before you might vomit. Use this window to take your medication and drink water. (Note: It must be a green apple, not red).

3. Hydration Strategy Seasickness causes rapid dehydration, which leads to blinding headaches. You must force yourself to drink.

• Yes: Water, clear soups, apple juice, Gatorade.

• No: Coffee, milk, or acidic orange juice.

4. Medication Timing Over-the-counter medications (like Dramamine or Stugeron) work, but timing is everything. You must take them one hour before leaving the dock. Once you are already vomiting, pills are useless because your stomach cannot absorb them. Be aware that these meds can make you drowsy and dehydrated, so drink extra water.

If You Must Be Sick...

Sometimes, it happens. If you need to vomit, do not panic. It is a temporary state.

• The Golden Rule: Always check the wind direction. Go to the Leeward side (the side sheltered from the wind). If you vomit into the wind (Windward), it will blow back onto you and the crew.

• Safety: Never lean over the lifelines without holding on tightly or being clipped in. The most dangerous moment is when you are disoriented by nausea.

Do not be embarrassed. It is part of the life at sea. Manage the body, keep hydrated, and usually, after 24 hours, your brain adapts and you will feel fine for the rest of the trip.

Fair winds,

Captain Leo Cunha