Dehydration

torrid

Just sailing
I just can't take the heat any more. I drank a lot of water, but I still got cramps and charley horses. I'm pretty sure I was low on potassium.

Does anyone do anything special to boost potassium before sailing in the heat? Eat a banana, or take some sort of supplement? I suppose Gatorade would help, but it tates nasty and has too many calories.

edit - Merrily, could you fix my spelling in the title?
 
Re: Dehyration

If you can't stomach gatorade/lucazade or similar then try drinking weak squash with a pinch of salt in it. You need to replace all the electrolytes/salts etc that you sweat out as well as the water.
 
Re: Dehyration

I always understood that normal "salt" (as some sprinkle on food) contains Sodium but not much potassium and the potassium is important.

Ian
 
I always carry (or try to!) a litre bottle of water on my boat- normally I add 2 sachets of lucozade powder aswell if I'm racing.- really helps.
 

Attachments

  • IMPZZ_289b05721iwxz.jpg.png
    IMPZZ_289b05721iwxz.jpg.png
    51.2 KB · Views: 32
Do you guys always carry a bottle on board, or do you use camel packs?

Saw some kid sailing with a life jacket (PFD) with a built-in camel pack, is this generally accepted, class legal, frown upon?

I can see that having a separate one would be both uncomfortable and ackward.

I browsed the web with finding anything about these devices.

Your thoughts.

Fair winds

Ghislain
 
Do you guys always carry a bottle on board, or do you use camel packs?

Saw some kid sailing with a life jacket (PFD) with a built-in camel pack, is this generally accepted, class legal, frown upon?

I can see that having a separate one would be both uncomfortable and ackward.

I browsed the web with finding anything about these devices.

Your thoughts.

Fair winds

Ghislain

Though it isn't really used for ballast, I can't see how a Camelback could get around the rules against using water ballast on your body. A very close call in my book.

I keep water bottles secured to my mast with a bungee, and usually there is a boat on the race course handing out water. I went through 3 liters on Saturday and was still wiped out.

I definitely could have used more, but like I said I don't think it was just water. I lost a lot of electrolytes through sweating.
 
People needing to drink whilst racing (between races); what sort of temperatures are you sailing in and how long out on the water ?

Ian
 
People needing to drink whilst racing (between races); what sort of temperatures are you sailing in and how long out on the water ?

Ian

It was 95F/35C, probably out there about five hours. Extremely humid. I've actually sailed quite a bit in conditions like that, but when I was much younger.
 
I sympathize with your dehydration problems.
I'm an English bloke currently living in SE Florida and the summers here are brutal. So is spring and autumn !
I've learned the hard way that I need to drink several pints of water with proper high energy electrolites in BEFORE I go sailing. Then I drink a few bottles during & immediately after. Just plain water doesn't work , neither does Gatorade or Powerade. I use Hammer HEED high energy electrolite drink powder in my water ( you can buy it here in tubs at sports shops , bike shops etc ). It works for me , so I'll stick with it.
 
People needing to drink whilst racing (between races); what sort of temperatures are you sailing in and how long out on the water ?

Ian

Even in the middle of winter you need to drink plenty when you are out racing for the day. If I'm at an event then I will always have a minimum of a litre of water/lucazade on board and will drink lots before launching to ensure I start the day well hydrated.
 
Though it isn't really used for ballast, I can't see how a Camelback could get around the rules against using water ballast on your body. A very close call in my book.

I keep water bottles secured to my mast with a bungee, and usually there is a boat on the race course handing out water. I went through 3 liters on Saturday and was still wiped out.

I definitely could have used more, but like I said I don't think it was just water. I lost a lot of electrolytes through sweating.

Part II, 6b says:
"Competitors shall not wear or carry non floating clothing or equipment which in total weight exceeds 500 grammes dead weight except protective sailing clothing."

Therefore, if you've got water in the Camelback, it seems pretty likely that you'd be exceeding the weight limit.
 
On hot days you should water down a sports drink and drink lots of water. Sports drinks alone will dehydrate you quickly. Banana's are high in potassium but also oranges, peanuts, melons, kiwi, most dairy products... A multi-vitamin supplement might help as well. I would suggest drinking cold orange juice or any of the others with lots of water.

The problem is that once you become dehydrated its too late, so you have to keep your body fueled up and well hydrated throughout the day.
 
When weight jackets were banned back in the 90s, I have a memory of Michael Blackburn wearing a camelbak in a major regatta and getting protested by the RC and disqualified for his trouble. The precedent is probably buried in the ISAF Case book somewhere.
 
GNC sells supplement pills containing potassium and magnesium. Take a pill before heading out for the day. Much cheaper than Gatorade.
 
First, let me apologize to all here and mostly to Torrid, although I had good intention, I now realize that my question resulted in splitting this subject in two different directions....really sorry.

At the same time, I did learn, that camelbak are out and banned! :cool: and that I do need to make good drinking provisionning before going out a long outting/regatta, other than just water. Straight water/gatorage type drinks don't cut it.

Off shopping again, boy these bits of advice are costing me:D!

Thanks to all.

Ghislain
 
How, exactly, will a product specifically made for replenishing the fluids and electrolytes you lose when sweating dehydrate you? That sets off my BS alarm.

brawndo01.gif

I have no idea about the drink you propose but my car battery has electrolytes as well and here is no way I would be drinking those. Sea water is an electrolyte and many sailing and being dehydrated have a free supply of that all around them (again, not sensible to drink it). In the UK we suffer a lot from corporate mis-representation. Companies present their products as healthy but when their content is analysed it is found to be very far from the truth. e.g. recent case where a celebrity TV chef who is always campaigning about healthy eating had his own range of packaged meals. On checking the content it was found they was full of salt (at unhealthy levels). Similarly a case where an orange drink targeted at kids as healthy and fresh was sold from chiller cabinets. On investigation it was then found that the drink was full of sugar, did not need to be sold from chillers (more than enough chemical content to avoid that need) very little fruit, etc. - one child even turned orange after drinking it !! So many have become sceptical about product claims as so many then turn out to be false. So much depends of detailed content.

Ian
 
First, let me apologize to all here and mostly to Torrid, although I had good intention, I now realize that my question resulted in splitting this subject in two different directions....really sorry.

???
It's still on the subject of keeping hydrated.

I have no idea about the drink you propose but my car battery has electrolytes as well and here is no way I would be drinking those. Sea water is an electrolyte and many sailing and being dehydrated have a free supply of that all around them (again, not sensible to drink it). In the UK we suffer a lot from corporate mis-representation. Companies present their products as healthy but when their content is analysed it is found to be very far from the truth. e.g. recent case where a celebrity TV chef who is always campaigning about healthy eating had his own range of packaged meals. On checking the content it was found they was full of salt (at unhealthy levels). Similarly a case where an orange drink targeted at kids as healthy and fresh was sold from chiller cabinets. On investigation it was then found that the drink was full of sugar, did not need to be sold from chillers (more than enough chemical content to avoid that need) very little fruit, etc. - one child even turned orange after drinking it !! So many have become sceptical about product claims as so many then turn out to be false. So much depends of detailed content.

Ian

Gatorade is owned by Pepsi, and Powerade is owned by Coke. A single 16 oz. bottle has something like 230 calories. It is wise to be suspicious of a health drink from a soda company.

Stay thirsty, my friends.
 
I posted that Brawndo picture to see how many people would 'get it'... I guess the movie Idiocracy didn't make it across the pond.

As far as real-life sports drinks go, and I'm specifically thinking of Gatorade, it's not supposed to be healthy in a low calorie low salt kind of way. It's supposed to keep athletes going better and longer than they would on water alone - and it works.
 

Back
Top