Scopolamine is a powerful drug - smaller people can't take the whole
patch and cut it into quarters - stick on the bit and cover it over
with adhesive tape. My daughter (105 lbs) has to do this or her pupils
dilate for 2 days. I use 1/2 patch (225 lbs) Our Dr. says the
patches are better on your chest or underarm. They make you very very
dry mouthed.


TransDermScop are the scopolamine patches that you put behind your
ear to prevent seasickness. They do take a doctor's perscription but
that is very easy to get. They are wonderful. I would not sail
without them.

They were taken off the market briefly because some people were
getting double vision. It turned out that folks were handling the
patches and not washing their hands afterwards. (After all, they do
work by going throught the skin.) Then they would rub their eyes,
getting the scopolomine into their eyes.

The patches are put on an hour or more before you depart. They work
for several days. By that time your body will have adjusted to the
sea motion. They make you a little dry mouthed but they do not put
you to sleep as many of the other medications do.

By all means do get good seasickness medicine and let everyone test it
on themselves a week before departing. If someone reacts poorly to
the mediicine, they will have time to get a substitute medicine.
Seasickness is not just an extreme discomfort. It can render you and
your crew dangerously ineffective at the worst possible time.

Rent an EPIRB and a liferaft. Then GO !! If you wait until
everything is perfect you will never get out there. Don't be cowed by
thoughts of liability. Just fully inform your crew well in advance
what they are getting into. Adults have a right to make choices and
take risks. As long as they understand that you do not have a certain
piece of equipment, they have assumed the risk. Sailors have been
sailing for a long time without most of the equipment you named.
Occasionally they died; but the statistics say that the chances are
very slim. You are probably safer sailing than staying home. Also,
these days the risks (assuming that you have a reasonably well found
vessel and some experienced crew), are more running into a container
or being run down by a large ship.

And do go out 200 miles. There is something psychological about doing
that. Sure, you might die, but, then again, you might live -- really
live.

Lee Huddleston
s/v Truelove
lying Sea Gate Marina
Beaufort, NC

"santacruz" wrote in message
...
Scopolamine is a powerful drug - smaller people can't take the whole
patch and cut it into quarters - stick on the bit and cover it over
with adhesive tape. My daughter (105 lbs) has to do this or her pupils
dilate for 2 days. I use 1/2 patch (225 lbs) Our Dr. says the
patches are better on your chest or underarm. They make you very very
dry mouthed.

I've had some good and bad reactions to Scop. I didn't like the bad
reactions so have switched to Bonine. Regardless of the medication
you use, it's best to try it while on land so you can see if there are
any side effects. You don't want to learn about those for the
first time when you're at sea.

Matt

I would like to second these comments.
I am 5'6" and 140 pounds. On my first offshore hop I decided to use one of
these patches. I also ate a very light supper before our overnight passage.
As soon as I stuck the patch behind my ear I was dizzy, had a very dry mouth
and I think some blurred vision. Don't recall how long this persisted but
it was not pleasant. For the return passage I didn't use anything and was
fine. I wouldn't use TransDerm again. Probably try to get some Stugeron as
I've read it is quite effective.

"Matt/Meribeth Pedersen" wrote in message
ink.net...

"santacruz" wrote in message
...
Scopolamine is a powerful drug - smaller people can't take the whole
patch and cut it into quarters - stick on the bit and cover it over
with adhesive tape. My daughter (105 lbs) has to do this or her pupils
dilate for 2 days. I use 1/2 patch (225 lbs) Our Dr. says the
patches are better on your chest or underarm. They make you very very
dry mouthed.

I've had some good and bad reactions to Scop. I didn't like the bad
reactions so have switched to Bonine. Regardless of the medication
you use, it's best to try it while on land so you can see if there are
any side effects. You don't want to learn about those for the
first time when you're at sea.

Matt

" wrote:

Need some advice on safety equipment for sailing a little offshore. Our
plan is to charter a boat and sail out of New York for about 200 miles than
come back. The idea is to gain some offshore experience but without taking
too much risk.

There will be six of us, three experienced coastal sailors and three
beginners. I have done a little racing offshore (Newport to Bermuda) and
some limited heavy weather sailing but that's it.

The 42' boat will be fairly well equipped with a lifesling, harnesses
etc. but without a few essential items: liferaft, SSB radio, EPIRB, 2nd
VHF. Can we manage without these? We intend to be at sea for only 4-5 days,
so we should have a fairly good idea about the weather but things can
always change.

You can (should) rent a liferaft and an EPIRB. A SSB would be nice
but plenty of people do without. You could buy a hand held VHF in
case you needed the life raft, otherwise the VHF will be of limited
use.

I expect the biggest problem to be seasickness and fatigue among the
beginners. Any advice on managing that?

I'd advise that the beginners go out ordinary sailing for a couple of
trips, or at least one to determine if they need to be worried about
seasickness. Each person is different. I sometimes feel queasy with
tension, but rarely ever get actively motion sick. Bob eats saltines.
He's less stoic about seasickness nowadays so I know that when he eats
saltines he's feeling queasy.

Some of the remedies for seasickness work for some people and some
don't.

grandma Rosalie

Why are you doing this?
What do you expect the beginners to get out of it?
What do you three experienced coastal sailors hope to get from it
other than a chance to charter a boat?
What are the sexes of the beginners?
And what relationship do they have to you?


IMHO these are the questions to ask before you ask about equipment.
Of course maybe I missed a post where you said all this stuff, as I've
been coastal sailing.


Are they all women? If you three experienced guys are hoping to
indoctrinate your wives into blue water sailing, I think that's the
wrong way to go about it.

Are you are trying to be an instructor-- I'm also kind of wary about
how well this will work.

" wrote:

Need some advice on safety equipment for sailing a little offshore. Our
plan is to charter a boat and sail out of New York for about 200 miles than
come back. The idea is to gain some offshore experience but without taking
too much risk.

There will be six of us, three experienced coastal sailors and three
beginners. I have done a little racing offshore (Newport to Bermuda) and
some limited heavy weather sailing but that's it.

The 42' boat will be fairly well equipped with a lifesling, harnesses
etc. but without a few essential items: liferaft, SSB radio, EPIRB, 2nd
VHF. Can we manage without these? We intend to be at sea for only 4-5 days,
so we should have a fairly good idea about the weather but things can
always change.

I expect the biggest problem to be seasickness and fatigue among the
beginners. Any advice on managing that?

Regards,
Sail

grandma Rosalie

I agree. Why go offshore 200 miles unless you are planning for and
Atlantic or Pacific crossing.
In a trip from Ft. Lauderdale to Trinadad & Tobago, the maximum you will
be from land is about 42 miles. Ft. Lauderdale to Bimini, Bahamas 41
miles, Turks & Caicos to Dominican Republic is 83 miles, Mona Passage 80
miles (depending on departure and landfall points), Anguilla Passage,
Virgin Gorda,BVI to St Martin 83 miles, Grenada to Trinidad, 73 miles.
So on a trip of about 1600 miles through the Bahamas, Turks & Caicos,
Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico. USVI, BVI, Leeward and Windward islands
and Trinidad & Tobago, the greatest distance only 42 miles (half the
total miles).
If you want to continue to South America, it's only 30 miles from T & T
to Venezuela.
Kelton
s/v Isle Escape

Rosalie B. wrote:
Why are you doing this?
What do you expect the beginners to get out of it?
What do you three experienced coastal sailors hope to get from it
other than a chance to charter a boat?
What are the sexes of the beginners?
And what relationship do they have to you?


IMHO these are the questions to ask before you ask about equipment.
Of course maybe I missed a post where you said all this stuff, as I've
been coastal sailing.


Are they all women? If you three experienced guys are hoping to
indoctrinate your wives into blue water sailing, I think that's the
wrong way to go about it.

Are you are trying to be an instructor-- I'm also kind of wary about
how well this will work.

" wrote:


Need some advice on safety equipment for sailing a little offshore. Our
plan is to charter a boat and sail out of New York for about 200 miles than
come back. The idea is to gain some offshore experience but without taking
too much risk.

There will be six of us, three experienced coastal sailors and three
beginners. I have done a little racing offshore (Newport to Bermuda) and
some limited heavy weather sailing but that's it.

The 42' boat will be fairly well equipped with a lifesling, harnesses
etc. but without a few essential items: liferaft, SSB radio, EPIRB, 2nd
VHF. Can we manage without these? We intend to be at sea for only 4-5 days,
so we should have a fairly good idea about the weather but things can
always change.

I expect the biggest problem to be seasickness and fatigue among the
beginners. Any advice on managing that?

Regards,
Sail


grandma Rosalie

" wrote in
Need some advice on safety equipment for sailing a little offshore.
Our plan is to charter a boat and sail out of New York for about 200
miles than come back. The idea is to gain some offshore experience
but without taking too much risk.

Rosalie B. wrote:
Why are you doing this?
What do you expect the beginners to get out of it?
What do you three experienced coastal sailors hope to get from it
other than a chance to charter a boat?
What are the sexes of the beginners?
And what relationship do they have to you?

"Bob La Londe" wrote in
I agree. Why go offshore 200 miles unless you are planning for and
Atlantic or Pacific crossing.


Thank you all for the pieces of advice. It is much appreciated. I think it
will be seven of us now and we shall rent a liferaft and an EPIRB as all of
you suggest. It is not that expensive and we'll all feel much safer this
way. I have shared the unabridged thread with my crew so that they
understand all the issues involved.

Let me give some answers to the folks who wanted to know:

Why do it? I think Lee Huddleston summarized it nicely... 200 miles is
magical... If the weather turns bad we'll just go 25 miles off the coast
then go up and down... we'll set clear expectation on what to do when and
be flexible and considerate ... The liability we understand and are
willing to accept... the beginners have sailed before, they just do not
have enough experience, say, to keep a night watch. They want the
adventure, we (the experienced) are just tired of coastal crusing...
eventually we want to cross an ocean...(anyone want to rent a boat for a
month, delivery may be?) we are all good friends and have wanted to do it
for some time. I'll keep you posted on the progress.

Thank you all and good luck sailing.

Sail

Rental liferafts and ERPIRBs at

http://www.liferaftrental.com