sea-travel-specific illnesses such as scurvy that sailors often suffered

Sven was 75 years old at the time, almost 76, and he's now 78. His teeth had come in a state where they needed more then regular dental care. For sailing solo in a small boat for more then 6 months to over a year non stop his molars had become a risk for the journey while underway, perhaps even somewhere in the southern ocean. So rather than give up this kind of sailing he choose to give up his teeth. So a hard core sailor he is to me.

 

I assume he was fitted dentures, sounds old enough for them. Just gotta make sure they don't go overboard, presumably.

 

Probably cheap grog turned a lot of alcoholics into seamen. Press gangs and all that...

 

Alcoholism is not a sea-travel-specific illness. In fact, is not an illness.

 

It is a condition, whether medical or mental, that was much exploited by press gangs. I guess it all depends on how one defines illness.

 

I've read a few times of depression and insanity and suicide becoming an issue. Single handers on long voyages, an empty boat is found, the logs and diarys left on board telling the story.

 

I think Joshua Slocum had delusions of a Leprechaun or something that would appear and talk with him.

 

How about over exhaustion...is that an illness? I guess it's more a condition that can lead to illness.

 

Fatigue is a potential killer for all solo sailors in protracted extreme severe weather, by no longer being able to come up with the right actions and to execute them properly right away in the continuing severe circumstances.

 

Donald Crowhurst is an example of one who became insane during a solo race, which together with his other problems eventually killed him.

 

Deep Water is a 2006 documentary based on what happened to Donald Crowhurst in the 1968 - '69 Sunday Times Golden Globe Race, heartbreaking, here some photos of Donald in the event . .

​

 

Just reading down through the thread...
No one mentioned skin cancer, it's a big long term risk on pleasure boats.

edit
Also, suppose in "former times" too.

 

Especially is a risk for the ruddy complected.

 

A complex subject of course, but the fair-skinned do get the scaly keratosis type of skin cancer much more readily, as well as some more serious types like the squamous cell carcinoma, but the deadly Melanoma is by no means restricted to people who sunburn readily. I expect Florida has a similar frequency to my native Queensland, being climatically very similar. Being on the water greatly magnifies the effects of sun, due to reflection, seemingly. It is very difficult for people of European ancestry not to show the affects of sunny climates, especially with a bit of age. People living in high latitudes can look fresh as a daisy at 5o, where their counterparts of similar genetics living in the tropics start looking very weather-beaten.

 

Thankfully I am teetotal.