I went on a club sail today, on one of their boats. Got ill in spite of wearing Sea Bands, which have always helped in the past. This will be the second time in seven sails this season, the common factor being more chop (just 2-3') than wind (~6 knots). Once we got moving faster due to the iron wind, I felt much better. I've been perfectly fine in rougher water, but with much more wind. My windsurfing has never caused problems, but has always been on smaller lakes with smaller waves and no chop. While all my Sunfish sailing has been on Lake Michigan, those boats are small enough to move with the water, making for less confusion between inner ear and vision.
When I feel fine, I want to sail all over the Great Lakes, when I'm ill, I wonder why I choose to do this. I've never tried Dramamine nor Bonine, preferring to avoid drugs if possible. It is frequently possible, but by the time I know it is not, it's too late for the drugs to help. I'm beginning to wonder if I should just take the stuff as a matter of course, or at least when the conditions seem to warrant it - hard to know before you go. I've read all the usual stuff, like tke the helm or keep busy, look at the horizon or buildings, and to those things I have added moving at the waist to keep my head more or less level instead of moving with the boat. Certainly helps, but sometimes not enough.
Is seasickness just the driver in a weeding-out process, leaving those less prone to enjoy sailing while the rest take up more stationary activities?