Determined to hurl ...

Seasickness ... it's a maddening, lowering thing. And I get dreadfully seasick. Salmon fishing outside the mouth of the Columbia River, I was fine crossing the bar. I was fine as we motored Southwest a mile or two. We shut off the main and turned on the kicker motor to troll in the calmest seas you'd ever want to find. I'll bet the swells were 6". That's right, six damn inches.

We dropped out of gear and I started to throw up.

Most of you who've been to sea can picture this. There went breakfast ... and I kept going, and kept going till I was limply slumped over the port-side rail. My fishing companions started calling me "Rose of the Titanic." You know, pale face, stringy hair and all. I didn't really care at the time.

My husband is one of those irritating people who gets seasick, hurls once or twice and is good for a couple hours. No big deal. I usually out-fish him. I out-hurl him too. 

It made me so angry and so humiliated. For the life of me, I couldn't get my head off the rail. I kept telling myself, "Mind over matter, mind over matter." I saw my rod tip jerk; fish on. I raised up to reach for the rod and started throwing up all over again. "Just be tough and gut it out," I told myself. Whatever.

I suppose I did gut it out one way or another. The only thought that kept me sane was knowing we had to return over the bar at the next slack tide. We wouldn't be out there forever.When we finally switched on the main engine and we headed toward the bar, I lifted my head. No vomit. I sat up and didn't feel too bad.

What seasickness precautions did I take, you ask? Oh, you know, Dramamine, ginger tablets (my great-aunt swears by it), Seabands .. all of it. I now swear allegiance to the patch, though I hate how dopey it makes me feel, and I hate how it makes close-up things blurry for days. But I sure hate being seasick a lot more.

I've heard that most people get over being seasick after a few days at sea. I've never had the chance to find out. It's a pretty frightening proposition ... what if I didn't get over it? But I'd sure try it if I could. Hell yeah.