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SeaSick mates - what do you do?


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OK here's my stupid "what would you do" TV reality show question: your guest/mate is green and heaving. What do you do? Call the ball? Pull an Ahab?

Myself I get seasick pretty easy and keep on keeping on. So I am Cpt. Ahab and my crew is stuck on the boat until I am convinced that (A) the fishing is terrible; or (B) we are not safe.

If I had a boat full of beach bunnies my calculus may be swayed. Unless the fishing be good.

This seems to be a common issue...what's your call?

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Sometimes You've got to be careful.

 

A few years ago my father and I went out with a friend in his 23 ft penn yan.  Relatively speaking the waves weren't bad but my father started heaving so many times you couldn't count. Kept telling us he was ok and keep fishing.  A little later we boated a 28# king which he took a picture of me holding. 10 minutes later he asked me if we caught any fish? then he started asking what time it was every 30 seconds to a minute??  Long story short, something in his head had snapped due to the violence of the vomiting.  Obviously, we pulled and ran in immediately.  Drove to the hospital, Dr. said that it was Trans-global amnesia due to the stress the vomiting put on his system.  By the time we were done at the hospital he was back to normal but he still doesn't remember ANY of the fishing trip, not even taking the pictures.  The waves were maybe 2-3 ft and we were in a good sized boat.  All I can say is everyone is different when it comes to being seasick.  I have been there when I am puking my guts out but don't ever want to quit, but when my Dad started asking me what time it was every 30 seconds it scared the hell out of me. 

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Im cruel, and the only puker on my boat stayed for the whole trip...just kept giving him water, pretzels and said stay out of the cuddy, find a building on land and focus...

In 12 years of 1st matin', think only once did we run in for pukers, left'em at dock and back out we went...most people dont want to be that guy and ruin the trip for everyone else, although they sure take a lot of abuse from there buddies and will keep you laughing all day...

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I remember at 15 years of age I got a job on a salmon trawler going out of LaPush,Wa to Bristol Bay Alaska. As we cleared the mouth of the Hoh river and reached the first ocean swells they were very long diration slow 30 ft swells.I got so sick that I thaught the end was coming.The Captian said chew on ice and look accross the horizon we will return from Alaska in 4 weeks.The beef & gravy Swanson's TV Dinner just helped keep me sick as well.After two days I came around and have never been sea sick ever agian.I spent time as a recon marine putting the knees to the breeze and ran 132 ft freezer shrimp boats from Key West to Guyana S.A. through some very rough Gulf of Mexico storms as well.Some people can just put a rubber band on their wrist and they are ok. Others you wonder why they even booked a fishing charter,it can be flat like glass,not even any water movement and they are sick,usually when the fish bite is good as well.

Edited by mostlymuskies
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Sometimes You've got to be careful.

 

A few years ago my father and I went out with a friend in his 23 ft penn yan.  Relatively speaking the waves weren't bad but my father started heaving so many times you couldn't count. Kept telling us he was ok and keep fishing.  A little later we boated a 28# king which he took a picture of me holding. 10 minutes later he asked me if we caught any fish? then he started asking what time it was every 30 seconds to a minute??  Long story short, something in his head had snapped due to the violence of the vomiting.  Obviously, we pulled and ran in immediately.  Drove to the hospital, Dr. said that it was Trans-global amnesia due to the stress the vomiting put on his system.  By the time we were done at the hospital he was back to normal but he still doesn't remember ANY of the fishing trip, not even taking the pictures.  The waves were maybe 2-3 ft and we were in a good sized boat.  All I can say is everyone is different when it comes to being seasick.  I have been there when I am puking my guts out but don't ever want to quit, but when my Dad started asking me what time it was every 30 seconds it scared the hell out of me. 

 

That's pretty serious right there. I've never heard of that. Thanks for sharing that.

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My son spent two years working on survey boats in the Gulf and never lost it.

Last year we were out of Sodus for the Salmon Slam and he was hanging over the rail.  I was laughing too hard to even think about coming in.

 

I do give it up quickly if my wife starts feeling even a little queasy so I guess it all depends on who it is  

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Tell them to puke and keep fishing. We did a whole day of puking and catching fish 2 yrs ago durng the sandy shootout on captain Ricks boat the Yankee Troller. Took 2nd in tourney so it was worth it

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

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Have had it, remember it like it was yesterday, going out of Cape Canaveral after Hurricane Andrew, Summer of 92'  Would wish it on my worst enemy..... With that being said, you have to be very careful if you expect to see them back.  You might just be the only one at dock the next morning. Tournaments however different story, game on.

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Never had it happen personally either on fresh or salt water and was a little queasy only once after chugging a beer at 7 AM during a Spring  ESLO during the early eighties due to a bet regarding catching the first fish.  I have had to drive a buddy's boat while he was puking repeatedly up front but I have to admit we kept fishing until it got real bad....he still avoids Ontario on days when 2 footers are predicted (and that was about 15 or more years ago that it happened). Ginger root and ginger ale can sometimes help, Dramamine has to be taken a couple hours before going out to be effective (and then only with some people). I have seen the wrist band approach work only once to avoid puking when initiated at the first signs of discomfort.  I think it happens mostly with longer interval waves for most folks and i haven't seen it happen on any boatI've been on inthe Finger Lakes but I know it does occur (but not as frequently as on the great Lakes or the oceans.

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Well to say the especially being the captain, the first trip out every season I get sick. I think its the nerves of the "what its" but my mates all seem to count on it or we seem to have a crappy season. They have taken video and posted it as well cause its the only time anyone will ever see it all season long. They find it funny I just seem to get myself ready for the harassment that follows.

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When somebody who is supposed to be a rod man during a pro-am gets the puker thing on an almost flat lake,I like to discuss which French cheese goes best with certain types of garlic and French wine. Then of course Paul and I discuss goat cheese,olives and what stuffing goes best with certain dates. Did I mention how much I love certain mushrooms?

Edited by rolmops
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Every time someone feels like they're gonna puke, I give em a warm beer (has to be warm to be effective) and that usually does the trick. If not, I break out the wife's leftovers and if that doesn't get em puking they're not gonna. Once they puke you have 15-20 min of peace. Eventually they will be drunk enough and just pass out.

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Went on a private charter out of Long Beach Island for a 36 hour tuna trip last September. Six guys on board plus the captain and a first mate. Headed out to the Hudson canyon which is about 85 nautical miles off shore. As soon as we broke through the Barnegate inlet and out in the open water my good friend started heaving in spite of the fact that he was wearing a scopalomine patch behind his ear. The captain was less than sympathetic and said "he's going to have a long trip ahead of him"never even asked if we wanted to bring him in.

The poor guy was so sick that he never once got out of his bunk the entire trip.We made it out to the tuna grounds in five hours, fished for 24 hrs. and then steamed back to the barn for another five hours.When we got back to shore, we literally had to carry him off the boat and drive him back to pa. He said it took him four full days to recover his strength. The rest of us felt so badly for him that we actually pitched in together and paid his share of the fare which totaled close to 800.00 dollars. Needless to say, the poor slob never went offshore again

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I wear the Sea Bands every day on the water.  They work great for me.  First thing I do when getting on the boat is to

slip them on.  I've tried putting them on at the onset of sickness and they didn't help.  'Can't explain their effectiveness,

but, as long as they do the job, I don't care how or why they work.  My head and stomach trust in them and so do I. As

much as I love to fish no fish is worth the torture of seasickness.

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Mad perry you are absolutely right. After seeing someone get so violently Ill,I have a new respect for those who suffer from motion sickness. My experience to this point has been watching others (thank goodness) yet it appears once you are past the queasy stage and into the vomiting, it's too late. You simply have to let nature run it's courses .you're right, it's an awful curse.

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My son spent two years working on survey boats in the Gulf and never lost it.

Last year we were out of Sodus for the Salmon Slam and he was hanging over the rail.  I was laughing too hard to even think about coming in.

 

I do give it up quickly if my wife starts feeling even a little queasy so I guess it all depends on who it is  

 

Those were some sloppy waves last year Roy! 

 

Anyone with a "suck it up" attitude must not fish with their wives like we do haha  The Mrs. doesn't exactly react well to that line of thinking :lipssealed:

 

Theresa used to get seasick on just about every trip and then she called her doctor and got the transderm seasickness patch that goes behind her ear.  Best money we've ever spent!  They worked when absolutely nothing else did.  After a season of using them, she's pretty good now and holds up without the patches in anything under 3ft.  We recommend the patches to quite a few people, but amazingly enough very few listen and continue fighting seasickness.

 

If you get seasick or take someone else out who gets seasick, try the patches... you won't regret it.

 

Be careful with seasickness.... you've heard the couple of stories here, but cardiac arrest is also something that can happen... just ask Wayne on Green Dolphin :whew:

 

Nick

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I was prone to seasickness,but only on other peoples boats. Must be a control thing. Just knowing that if I feel queezy ,that  It  is MY decision whether or not to turn the boat around keeps the stomach in check.It's all mental( with me anyway)

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