The test group included both bracelet-type remedies and pills. From left: BioBand, which features an adjustable strap, Sea-Band (our favorite), Bonine, whose active ingredient (meclizine hydrochloride) put Lee Beall to sleep, ginger tablets, and Dramamine (dimen- hydrinate). At center and in the foreground is the $45 ReliefBand and its accompanying tube of gel.

It was back in 1995-96 that we last discussed seasickness in Practical Sailor. Reviewing the sometimes acrid letters and responses that flowed forth and back around the issue, we've reconfirmed our clear understanding that there's no clear understanding on this issue, and we won't be making any ironclad recommendations here.

There are different remedies that work for different people. At one end of the scale, there's ginger in various forms from tablets to ale—very mild, and amazingly effective for generations of sailors. Some sailors, that is. At the other end there's transdermal scopalamine, sold under the brand name Transderm Scop. It's a circular flat patch that releases the drug into…