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Vic Smith

On Sun, 22 Mar 2009 12:00:41 -0500, wrote:

On Sat, 21 Mar 2009 20:16:22 -0700 (PDT), wf3h
wrote:

saw an article in the newest (print) version of 'scientific
american'...there's active research underway regarding an alternative
theory of why people get seasick

the conventional explanation has to do with a disparity between what
the inner ear senses and what the eye sees.

however, there is a growing body of evidence from psychologists
showing that the movement of the body is responsible for seasickness,
and that by standing with your feet about 1.5 feet apart you can
significantly reduce seasickness by increasing the body's stability.

The salty old guys I knew in the Coast Guard taught me to keep my head
still. Try to avoid having your head move around that much. If you are
above deck look at the horizon and use that to stabilize yourself. It
is a similar skill to walking with a full cup of coffee and not
spilling it.
When you are below deck it is a tougher skill to master but that cup
of coffee is still a stable "horizon" to get you in the zone.
Maybe that is why you always see sailors with those huge Navy coffee
cups.
Some guys never get the hang of it and they carry buckets.

I really feel for boaters who still get seasick.
Just seems to me from Navy experience that the vast majority of people
get past it. Personally, it never affected me.
But maybe because I got carsick a couple times when I was a kid.
Built up some immunity.
Except for the new guys hanging over the rails shortly after leaving
port, I never knew a sailor who suffered from seasickness.
Not to say most everybody didn't get a bit queasy when knocked around
for a few days in heavy seas.

--Vic