drugs can help but they do have side
effects like dehydration so, drink
plenty of fluids. To be most effective
many remedies need to be taken one
hour to one day ahead. Talk to your
doctor or pharmacist about what’s
best for your particular needs.
For those who hesitate to medicate
there are some holistic choices on the
market such as SeaBands or BioBands
which can be worn continually to
reduce symptoms. Working on the
premise of placing pressure on
acupuncture points on the inner wrist,
the bands have proven effective for
nausea and vomiting, even when due
to chemotherapy, morning sickness,
post-operative anesthetic reactions as
well as boat, plane and car travel.
Other precautions include wearing
a full-brim hat and a good pair of
sunglasses which can help ward off
heat and sunstroke. While funky
fashion frames may look cool, ensure
your sunglasses actually have UV
protection, otherwise dark lenses
merely make your eye open wider to
compensate for the reduced light,
letting in more harmful rays and triggering headaches.
If you’re concerned about boating
with your baby or youngster there are
now many great options for lifejackets
and personal flotation devices (PFDs).
With a birth date in early May our
youngest was boating by the time she
was a month old, with no effective
PFD option. I experimented with
wearing her in a front baby carrier
and donning a larger lifejacket over
the two of us – can you say way too
hot and awkward? We strapped her
car seat to the boat seat, meaning she
wasn’t going anywhere, except down
with the ship if we had a problem. In
the end we opted to put her in the
smallest jacket we could find and just
deal with the discomfort.
Today’s boating families have a
range of new options including the
Salus Bijoux baby vest, specifically
designed for infants as small as nine
pounds. The shorter vest front allows
a more comfortable sitting position.
More mesh in the body combined
with more flotation in a larger head
collar for extra support along with
easy access shoulder clip straps mean
this could be a great choice. A word
of caution, it is not Canadian Coast
Guard approved, but my thought is:
it’s a peace of mind product and better than the headaches we endured.
Now that you’ve taken care of the
kids, what about you? Let’s face it,
many adults are actually non-swim-mers, harbouring hidden fears of
water. Statistics bear out the very real
dangers. According to the Lifesaving
Society over 600 Canadians die each
year in water-related incidents.
Drowning is the third leading cause of
all accidental deaths and the leading
cause of death in recreational activities.
No one is immune to drowning and
while knowing how to
swim is not enough to
protect against
drowning, it sure
reduces the risk.
Winter is the perfect time to conquer
your fears with some basic water safety awareness training like the
Lifesaving Society’s Swim to Survive
program, or even opting for some
swimming lessons to build your skills.
Shop around for your comfort level.
Many aquatic centres have adult
focused group classes or offer private
lessons so you won’t be feeling like a
fool in the pool with eager tiny tots.
By summer you may not be ready for
the Olympics, but you will be ready to
step aboard a boat and enjoy the ride.
For added security investigate PFD
and lifejacket options – 95 per cent of
drowning victims weren’t wearing a
lifejacket. They’ve come a long way
from the bulky, uncomfortable versions you may remember. There are
even compact, inflatable options with
plenty of ‘coolness quotient’ for reluctant teens.
What if one partner is experienced
and the other is a nautical newbie? It
makes safety sense to have more than
one person on board who can com-
fortably drive the boat in an emer-
gency. Novices may wish to embark
on a power squadron course to learn
the basics first (and it wouldn’t hurt to
take your experienced partner along
for review and a refresher).
Women may want to enroll in a
privately run, hands-on, women-
only skipper’s class. Check out
the article by Carly Poole on
page 22 about Women At The
Wheel.
It may be difficult to over-
come a family member’s
reservations about boating, but
if you’re open about the con-
cerns the answers may be out
there and you can begin a new
adventure together with your
family. ●
