Jill Dening wrote:
>
> I felt sick for a short while, then suddenly it hit me, I threw up very
> neatly over the side, and immediately felt wonderful. I didn't regard the
> seasickness as much of an issue. Just a bit more than blowing my nose.
Nah, Jill. You weren't sea-sick. Just a mild indisposition.
Late '50s I was holidaying at Noosa. Brother of a bloke I worked with had a
fishing boat. He said to me, "I had a party booked for tomorrow but I've
cancelled - it's too rough. I'll be going out to do a bit of fishing
myself, if you'd like to come along." Stupid of me, but I accepted!
I was fine while the boat was going out but when we got over the reef and
stopped to fish, with the boat just wallowing in the swell ... I lasted just
long enough to rig a line but threw up before I could throw the line out.
After an hour or so, the boatman took pity on me (wasn't catching much any
way) and said we'll go back in. The boat got under way and in minutes I had
perked up - that is to say, I felt OK again. But worse was to come:
As I say, the sea was a bit rough and between waves we bottomed on the Noosa
bar. My mate whipped the boat around and said, "Sorry Syd. We'll have to
wait a couple of hours until there's more water over the bar. We might as
well go and fish for a while."
(Repeat of Syd's previous performance, except of course by then I had
nothing left to throw up. Feels rather worse, if anything.)
The ordeal eventually ended. We're over the bar and chuffing up the river.
"Well Syd," said the boatman, "Now you know what sea-sickness is like. Not
many people have died from it. But an awful lot have wished they could!"
I now strictly apply Syd's two anti-sea-sickness principles:
1. Never ever go on boat trips on open water.
2. If 1. is impossible to apply, take the pills, starting well ahead of
boarding, according to the directions.
Final comment: To avoid sea-sickness, a friend who took an Antarctic tour,
carried out exercises for some weeks before departure. I don't know what
they were nor whether they were successful, but she is an Anaesthetist and
may be presumed to have had access to the best specialist medical advice.
Probably not worth it for a relatively short pelagic trip, but perhaps worth
considering for anyone going to twitch Antarctic penguins.
Good chundering!
Syd
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