trekkingthesea: SEA SICKNESS AND COMPLETE MADNESS

BY JEN :
Most normal people consider the crew of Sea Trek III to be very optimistic or mad when they find out that both Glenn and I get sea sick.
As a child I had to sit in the front of the car between my parents because I was a reliable vomiter. I spent long car trips clutching an old green plastic salad bowl and was firmly draped in a striped beach towel for hours on end. I've never felt really good about car travel, buses on mountain passes, reading road maps or swinging on chaotic fun equipment. I told Glenn this right from the beginning of our "sailing dream."
Glenn is a water baby, and has been surfing for 49 years now. He gets restless if he travels west of Parramatta. He has always been fascinated by water games and the power of sails. Imagine his surprise when he discovered that when sailing as the sun goes down, his food comes up. The nausea and illness continue to escalate until land fall.
We've both tried various medications, most of which had us sleeping like twins. This is a helming nightmare. I favoured the concept of Ginger drops under my tongue but the taste is horrible. We have invested in a new technology in the form of nerve impulse wrist bands but we have yet to try them.
So today was a real product testing.

E.T's SEA SICK REMEDY

This medication is made by a compounding pharmacist called BOVA, and contains: Scopolamine, caffeine, ginger and other things. Glenn took one while in dock and reported no drowsiness. A notable unwanted side effect was his desire to do numerous handyman tasks on board. He was so frightened by this that he insisted that I be the first to put the ET's to the real test today. I actually stayed in the cockpit, and felt well. The trip was 5 hours, and by then I was beginning to feel the need for another dose. I'd call this a success because it is the first time that I have not been below and unwell. I used the binoculars, read things, considered doing a cross word and planned my next major project.

MY LIFE VEST

I am not a water baby. I grew up in a country town, that didn't have a river. (Something I'll never understand). It took me years to learn to swim at the Olympic pool. That's why I invested in The Deck Vest. It's amazing. What a shame that it's features are zippered away from view: It has a light on a stalk so that rescuers can see me, a clear face shield so that I don't inhale sea spray and drown while waiting for them to reach me and a special knife that will free me from tangles if I am submerged. I have no intension of needing any of these. It's just to reassure my adult children, and my aged mother, and aunties, and sisters and good friends, and also Glenn. And it fits perfectly over the seductive curves of my body.

GLENN DRESSED SENSIBLY

Glenn's vest is so boring and he has to self inflate it. He doesn't feel that he needs any special features. He knows that if he falls in the ocean that he can get back on board. He is a strong swimmer. That's why he has been in the "drink" a number of times. Even a strong tribal current can not dampen his frantic splashing and screams for assistance....."Did you hear that noise Bruce? I wonder where Glenn is".

THINGS BREAK CONTINUALLY ON PASSAGES

I wondered why the Boom Break line seemed loose and under performing. I have an annoying knack of observing inconvenient breakages. But this one was easily fixed and I'll attend to another round of replacements when we next dock. The exotic location for the next mending spree will be Newcastle. Rope bags will also multiply when I next have access to electricity.