The yacht-based edition of Culinary Academy puts you in a working galley on a sailing yacht for a week. Cooking below deck while the yacht is moving is the hardest seasickness territory there is. Prepare for it.
Before you fly: pack a sea-stomach kit
If you have ever been carsick, airsick, or queasy on a boat before, plan ahead:
Anti-nausea tablets: over-the-counter options like dimenhydrinate (Dramamine), meclizine (Bonine), or cinnarizine (Stugeron) work well. Take the first dose before you board the yacht, not after symptoms start. Some options can make you drowsy, so try them at home first if you have never used them.
Acupressure wristbands (Sea-Bands or similar): drug-free, reusable, a useful backup.
Ginger chews, ginger tea, or ginger tablets: takes the edge off mild queasiness.
Refillable water bottle: dehydration makes seasickness worse, especially in the heat.
If you take a prescription anti-nausea medication (for example scopolamine patches), bring more than you think you will need and keep it in your carry-on.
What's onboard
Each yacht has a basic first-aid kit, but it is not a pharmacy. Don't count on finding seasickness tablets onboard. Bring your own.
Pharmacies in the destination towns generally stock common motion-sickness medication, but opening hours and stock availability vary, so packing ahead is by far the easier route.
What helps when you're cooking through it
Keep your eye line up periodically. Step on deck for two minutes between tasks if you can.
Eat regularly. Skipping meals makes it worse.
Hydrate: small sips, often.
Tell your instructor early. Seasickness is a normal first-day issue, not a sign of failure. The instructor can adjust your role for the first morning.
Disclosing in advance
If you have a known propensity to seasickness, flag it on your medical disclosure form before you arrive. We can plan around it (start you on cold prep stations on the first day, for example) rather than discovering it during service. See our medical, dietary, and accessibility disclosure article for what to share.
If you are coming for the yacht-based edition and seasickness is a real concern, the land-based edition at Fort George (Vis Island, Croatia) is an alternative. Same curriculum, same standards, in a stable kitchen on land.