Avoiding Seasickness

I read with great interest Harry Nelson’s article on seasickness (“Avoiding Seasickness Can Be a Balancing Act,” Sept. 8). I once spent half a year working as a steward’s assistant on Swedish and Norwegian freighters and I learned how to fight seasickness from the pros: Scandinavian seamen.

I learned to stay off the deck and not even look out the windows. Watching the horizon move up and down will make you seasick in minutes. Stay close to the center of the ship and as far down as possible.

Most important is diet. Do not drink tea or any other liquids. Tea and fruit juices contain acid, which is murder on your stomach. And liquor is “poison.” If you’re really thirsty, take a small sip of water, swish it around in your mouth, let a few drops trickle down your throat and spit the rest out.

But you must keep eating. An empty stomach is a guarantee of seasickness, and it won’t end if you are empty. Eat dry, bland food only. On Scandinavian ships, they carry a flat bread called knackerbrod, similar to rye crisp. It saved my life.

After my stint as a seaman, I traveled as a passenger on a large passenger ship from Southampton to New York. And I watched helplessly as British tourists sat in deck chairs all day, guzzling tea and watching the horizon bob up and down. They were sick the whole trip: nine miserable days. I was sick one day because I had followed the advice of the best sailors in the world.

SHERYL BUSTERNO

Victorville