Family?

[Tally Ho]

My sons GF was sick our last time out. She has been on the boat before and was Ok, but I think this was hangover-induced.

We were only out 20 minutes from the dock. I first tried to quarter the waves differently to change the boat motion. But it was apparent it wasn't going to make much difference.

I told them (son and GF) I was taking them back to the dock, and that they could take my car home. They felt bad, but certainly did not want to ruin the rest of the day for the other folks we had on board.

Greg

 

[agprice22]

You say,
"I know you want to go, and I appreciate that you feel up to it; however, I would not subject you and everyone else to what happened last time. We can arrange some other outing for you and your son. In the meantime, we will sail, and we will see you back later. It is ok that you are disappointed and hurt. I know I am doing the right thing."
I tell patients all the time: if you cannot stand others' pain, you will be controlled your whole life. You must learn to disappoint and even hurt others when you feel you are doing the right thing. We are so reactive to "you hurt my feelings," or "you made me mad," that we end up not setting good limits in order to apologize or avoid hurting others' feelings.
I can say the words above in such a caring way, with my hand on your shoulder and a hug, that you would thank me for leaving you behind!

Look, you taught your kid to ride a bike, KNOWING he would skin his knee. Why? Because the benefits of growth outweigh the pain. Take the pain, and face her disappointment.

 

[Benny17441]

You should just continue to accommodate her; she will soon stop inviting herself. The Pavlov principle works and if she gets violently sick every time and she is made to realize that others lost out on a fun outing because of her she will soon stop asking. My sailing buddy's wife always gets sick on the first day of a trip, she feels it coming on and will sit quietly in the cockpit. In the evening she will go down into the cabin and sleep and the next day she will feel fine. The funny thing is that she does not get sick on a day sail and we have not figured out the difference between a day sail and the first day of a trip.

 

[Joe]

One point of view is that your sister was unreasonable... knowing her own motion sickness history and the likelihood that she would react badly... However, another view would be that you and your other sister scheduled a family outing that your sister couldn't possibly enjoy... and feeling betrayed, the troublesome sister took advantage of your weakness and basically sabotaged the day.
Family can be an unforgiving challenge at times...

 

[jssailem]

All said she still is your sister. Maybe not your favorite but your message shows you care about her.

Open discussion of the experience and her view on what happened might be in order. That just may self regulate future events. A talk now so you don't have to talk during the excitement of the next trip to the boat.

As coping techniques go:

1. Drugs appear high on the list.
2. Keeping the individual on deck and doing something, like at the helm.
3. Standing up and looking out to the horizon sometimes helps.
4. I have a couple of the "shock them" watches on board. Still wrapped in the original boxes. Ready to try. Says it helps with pregnancy sickness. So will give a try.
5. Ginger...

And as Gunni said hydrate them. They will need it if it lasts any time.
Boats I ridden on all had skippers that felt the seasick person is responsible for cleaning up their mess as soon as they can.

Like the special bucket idea. Maybe with a rope so they can dunk it overboard.

 

[jeepbluetj]

I day sail a lot with 'friends of friends' - and I've had plenty of pukers. I used to think that they just need to deal with it, but I've figured out it kinda ruins everybody elses time too. So I'll head back at the first puke. I also put "Puke off the leeward rail" in my safety briefing as we're leaving.

Jssailem has the rest of the ideas pretty well down, they pretty much match my list:

1. Put em on the helm. It works pretty well.
2. Bonine 12 hrs before + 1 hr before.
3. Hydration, no booze.
4. The only sure cure for seasickness is to sit under a tree.

#4 is the likely solution for your sister.

 

[Kingjim91]

My wife has had good success with the wrist bands that place pressure on the inside of the wrist.
I don't know how it works, but it does.
If she forgets to put them on and then gets sick, all I can do is tell her is to puke over the leeward rail.