It has been quite some time since we’ve been sick. The COVID lockdowns and isolation and mask wearing may have been a lot of things but they certainly kept the common cold at bay for us.

So when Ryan wondered off to go on an adventure I didn’t think anything of it, and when he came home sick I was a bit dismissive. And when he said he felt so horrible he wanted to take a COVID test I thought he was being melodramatic.

And then I got sick. It was a horrible head cold that was an absolute nightmare. It made me reflect on what we keep medication wise on the boat. When we lived on land I was always quite lax with regards to medications. The closest store was a pharmacy that had anything we’d ever need at a moment’s notice, and if I was too sick to go get it I could have them deliver to my door. Not so on the boat.

Being sick on the boat adds some complexity, you may find yourself with some brain fog, you may find yourself physically weak, and in a worse case situation you may not be able to get out of bed.

For this reason I’m very glad we have the anchor and chain that we have, I’ve sat through 40+ knot winds on anchor and if that were to happen when I was too sick to get out of bed I’d feel safe.

This is why it’s also important to have an ample supply of food, if you can’t get to shore because you’re sick you can’t get to the market.

And I like to keep a wide variety of medications on the boat and do my best to have enough for about a week. Which means that since there are three of us on board we need to have three weeks worth of just about everything. Most of that is easy, the challenge is pseudoephedrine which is limited in the USA.

I ended up finding several lists of what you should have in your home and have that as our base:

ALLERGIES

• Antihistamine
  Popular Brands: Claritin, Zyrtec, Allegra, Benadryl

PAIN, HEADACHES, AND FEVER

• Acetaminophen
  Popular Brand: Tylenol
• Ibuprofen / Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
  Popular Brands: Advil, Motrin
• Aspirin
  Popular Brand: Bayer

COLDS

• Decongestant (nasal or oral)
  Popular Brand: Sudafed
• Dextromethorphan (dry cough)
  Popular Brand: Delsym
• Guaifenesin (mucus cough)
  Popular Brands: Robitussin, Mucinex
• Antihistamine (sneezing and runny nose)
  Popular Brand: Benadryl

CUTS & BURNS

• Hydrogen peroxide
• Petroleum jelly
  Popular Brand: Vaseline
• Disinfectant and alcohol wipes
• Bandages & gauze pads

DIGESTIVE & STOMACH ISSUES

• Calcium carbonate tablets (acid reflux)
  Popular Brand: Tums
• Bismuth subsalicylate (indigestion, nausea, and diarrhea)
  Popular Brand: Pepto-Bismol
• Simethicone (gas and bloating)
  Popular Brand: Gas-X
• Dimenhydrinate (motion sickness and vomiting)
  Popular Brand: Dramamine
• Senna (constipation)
  Popular Brands: Dulcolax, MiraLax

ITCHES, RASHES AND OTHER SKIN IRRITATION

• Hydrocortisone cream
  Popular Brand: Cortizone 10
• Calamine lotion
• Antihistamine cream