USVI-On-Line

My husband is somewhat prone to sea sickness. We'd like to do a Palm Tree Charter in April, but we're a little leery about spending that much money and maybe being sick all day. Anyone have any experience with this?

Thanks.

I hear the wrist bands work well. They also have patches. Stare out at the water and look at the horizon when your moving, dont look straight down......thats when you tend to get dizzy. Good luck, enjoy

I used the wrist bands when we sailed with Capt Phil, but have never felt the need on Capt John's boat. But, like others have said, look way out at the horizon if you feel it!! Or use Dramamine as a precaution, but honestly it's a smooth ride with Capt John! And you will be having so much fun, you will forget all about sea sickness!!!!

I always use the wrist bands..those over the counter meds make me sleep for hours. Did a New Horizons 2 trip with them. Sometimes I even need them to snorkle..floating in the waves can have the same effect

Have him take Bonine. You can get it at any pharmacy. It will be right next to the Dramamine. It is somewhat similar but does not make me drowsy like Dramamine does. Take one before you go to bed and one on the way to the dock. I tend to get a bit queasy myself but started this routine a few years ago and now I never get sick.

I personally think the wrist bands are a placebo effect at best. I would not rely on them alone.

Our friend gets mild sea sickness and she had not problem on his boat. She did not want to take any meds because we had painkillers and rum drinks to think about.

Because motion sickness is my toughest enemy, I had been very hesitant about chartering a boat for a decade. After seeking insight and information here on the forum, we finally booked Palm Tree Charters for our upcoming trip. http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... ht=#216520,

I still can't help being a little worried but, at the same time, I am very much looking forward to it. Will probably take Bonine and bring wristbands (placebo or not) just in case. I'll remember to report back how it went, but that won't happen until at least June. Anyway, if I can do a boat trip with no problem, pretty much anyone can - though it depends on the conditions of the sea, of course.

I am very prone to sea sickness, too. (Plus, I'm afraid of being on water altogether.) We took Palm Tree Charters a couple of years ago and it was NOT a smooth day but, Captain Brandi knew about my "issues" and made it quite comfortable. Because it's not a mono-hull, the boat doesn't rock from side to side, which is the worst for sea sickness. Plus, he can get you where you need to go quickly, which shortens the duration of any roughness. His wit and humor made the traverse from STJ to Jost easy for me.

On the way back, the seas were like glass so we were able to truly enjoy the sights as we returned.

I don't like taking any medicines so I didn't. And, I was fine. If I can do it and enjoy it, anyone can. Trust me on this. Your husband will be fine, if you go with Palm Tree.

SCMako17 wrote:Have him take Bonine. You can get it at any pharmacy. It will be right next to the Dramamine. It is somewhat similar but does not make me drowsy like Dramamine does. Take one before you go to bed and one on the way to the dock. I tend to get a bit queasy myself but started this routine a few years ago and now I never get sick.

I personally think the wrist bands are a placebo effect at best. I would not rely on them alone.

+1 on the Bonine. If you are uncertain as to whether you get seasick, you might as well pop one before you get on. It doesn't make you drowsy, you can have a few drinks with it (Not sure I would all out booze though) and you will probably be just fine.

Certain people are intent on getting seasick and there's not much you can do. But, if you simply have a tendency for it, might as well take the precaution.

When I go fishing and the seas look somewhat rough, I usually take one. I get made fun of a bit, but I can handle the razzing. What's difficult to handle is being crawled up in a ball in the corner of the boat for the majority of the trip.

Between all of the rum chugging I do on vaca, and my natural queasy belly, I must say that the wristbands have served me WAY MORE than efficiently.
I know that I drink too much on vaca, so there's that, but whether it's mind over matter or whatever, I feel like the wristbands convince me that there will be no discomfort at sea.
YES, I look like a dorko tourist wearing them, but hey!- that's what I am! Like I mentioned, -might be "mind over matter", but it works for me.
To me, it's like being on a rollercoaster when we're zipping around in a boat; so I try to just chill & roll with it!
Good luck, and relax those shoulders!
Smiles-
MJ

I sure hope Boston Nicolle is reading this topic. If there is one thing we haven't done since hitting St. John is a ride with Capt John Brandi. I want this as a must this year.

To further convince about the bands..we got on the Cape May Ferry a day after a big storm. Once out in the ocean, people could barely walk it was so rough. I had my bands and had no problems. They have served me well on cars, plane & boats for 25 years..and you can have a drink!

I use Bonine the night before a cruise. I don't usually get seasick if it's calm, but once I got seasick from snorkeling (I had not taken a Bonine) . It was with Captain Phil. The boat ride was smooth, but we were snorkeling for a while and swimming back to the boat I started to feel queasy. It was a little embarrassing.

My wife gets sea sick watching movies sometimes. She has lived with motion sickness all her life. A drive from Cruz Bay to Coral Bay used to be sickening for her.
A few years ago, she tried the Scopalomine patches and had great success. The side effects of wearing the patch for a few days though was loss of near vision.
Now she takes Scopace, a scopalomine tablet. The advantage to it is that it only lasts 6-8 hours and no near vision loss.
Scopalomine is the same drug that the eye doctor dialates your pupils with..strange eh?
Ask your doctor for a Scopace script. It's cheap and seems to be very effective.
My wife has made many trips with Capt. John, sailed on Breath (even climbed her mast), and can even sit in the back seat to Coral Bay.