You can have the shiniest yacht moored in the most fabulous location and you can pose on deck P Diddy-style with a bevy of sultry sirens while sipping cocktails. But if your face is turning the colour of the gin bottle and you feel like vomiting over the side, you might as well be in a dinghy for all the enjoyment you’ll get out of it.

Now there’s a high-tech solution to the old-fashioned problem of seasickness. The Ferretti 630, which will make its UK debut at the Southampton Boat Show on Friday, boasts a patented system called Anti Rolling Gyro (ARG) that stops the boat from rocking from side to side, the primary cause of nausea at sea.

Created by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, it was intended originally for use in satellites to prevent them flying off course in the event of an impact. Now licensed to Ferretti, an Italian builder of luxury powerboats, it uses a 154lb steel and aluminium gyroscope located in the bottom of the hull and powered by an electric motor.

When the boat starts to tilt, the spinning gyroscope compensates for the angle of lean and helps pull it back up straight (see graphic). Even in choppy seas it helps maintain the boat on an even keel. It can be used when the boat is at anchor or on the move, although it takes 45 minutes to get up to optimum speed.

“It is the side roll that usually makes people seasick, because of the changes in the inner ear as the body adjusts its balance to the constantly shifting horizon,” says Michael Newton-Woof of Ferretti. “Not only that, if you’re sipping champagne on deck and some idiot shoots past in a high-speed powerboat and creates a wash, your glass of bubbles is going to suddenly shoot across the table. But with ARG the gyroscope will stop the roll and you can just relax.

“We had one English millionaire who wasn’t entirely convinced. He put a glass of champagne on the table, we turned on the ARG and he watched it for five minutes. The champagne didn’t move at all and he decided there and then he wanted it.”

To ensure passengers can enjoy the serene luxury of the rock-steady craft and get their full £1.57m money’s worth the boat also features a massage lounger that vibrates at three different intensities, a sun deck and wet bar with room for eight, and a galley that is conveniently placed between the dining area and cockpit rather than buried deep in the hull.

The Ferretti 630 will be on display for the 10-day run of the Southampton show, which is expected to attract 130,000 visitors. Now in its 39th year, it has grown to include the largest purpose-built marina in Europe with some 1.6 miles of pontoons and more than 1,000 boats on display, of which 360 are afloat. It costs £3.6m to stage, but that’s a drop in the ocean compared with the costs of the boats on show. The largest and most expensive attraction will be the £11m Sunseeker 37M, a 121ft “trideck” motor yacht unveiled at the London Boat Show earlier this year.

Southampton also promises its fair share of firsts. Chief among them will be the announcement of the sailors and designers set to lead the America’s Cup challenge by Team Origin, only the second British team to enter the race since 1987 and hoping to be the first British team to win it.

Launched in January by Sir Keith Mills, a British businessman who also headed the UK’s successful bid for the 2012 Olympics, Team Origin will compete in the 2009 cup and the show will also feature the team’s training boat, GBR 75, which it will use to compete in preliminary regattas in 2008.

“We have already recruited more than 20 team members, including some very high-profile sailors and some household names,” said Tim Kelly, a spokesman for the team, last week.

The fastest monohull boat on show in Southampton is the Fountain 42 Lightning. Recently used as the start boat for the P1 powerboat racing series, it is now available to buy in the UK from www.1st4boats.com. This version comes with twin 700bhp engines, a top speed of 115mph and prices that start from £250,000.

“The 42 Lightning is the same boat, bar the engine, that holds the world speed record of 177mph for a monohull powerboat,” says Ben Matley, director of 1st4boats. “In theory you could buy that exact boat, with twin 1075bhp engines. At the moment European emissions regulations won’t allow it, but there’s a review under way and that could change.”

Sealine, a British company based in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, will unveil its latest convertible, the SC35, with a hull designed in collaboration with Ocke Mannerfelt, a Swedish racer turned yacht designer. The £175,700 powerboat features a fully water and salt-proof canvas hood that can convert the boat from open topped to closed in seconds.

“You push a lever and it takes 10 seconds to open or close the roof, which is very useful considering the changeable weather we’ve been having at the moment,” says Sue Hardwick, a spokeswoman for the company. “It’s a bit like convertible cars; they have become more easy to use and are now set to become more popular.”

But while some companies are experimenting with new designs others are still championing traditional wooden boat building. Spirit Yachts of Ipswich, Suffolk, will show its 100ft Gaia, the largest single-masted wooden boat built in the UK since before the second world war.

Even older is the 200-year-old HMS Bounty, scene of Fletcher Christian’s infamous mutiny – although the one on show is only a replica. It was used in the 1962 film Mutiny on the Bounty, and was one of the boats featured in the latest instalment of Pirates of the Caribbean.

Top sea aids

What?
Sat nav for boats

How much?
£3,895-£8,760

What does it do?
The G-Series is the latest in marine navigation, using GPS to tell you exactly where you are to within a few metres, and allowing you to plot a course on screen, then alerting you when you veer off it. Most importantly, it superimposes data from your radar so you can see obstacles, including shipping, in your path. Screen sizes range from 12-19in, all offering aerial views of harbours, 3-D landscapes, a depth finder, a sonar fish finder and automatic identification system (AIS) for monitoring other boats

Where can I get one?
Call 023 9269 3611 or go to www.raymarine.com

What?
Digital night vision monocular

How much?
£300

What does it do?
The latest in digital night vision, the Ranger 5x42 uses an image enhancer or infrared light (what looks like a second lens emits the beam) to enable you to spot a person-sized object up to 250 metres away in the dark. It has 5x magnification and, unlike nondigital systems, isn’t damaged by bright light

Where can I get one?
Call 01789 264 100 or visit www.thomasjacks.co.uk

What?
Waterproof iPod holder

How much?
£49.98

What does it do?
Made by H20 Audio this clear plastic case will protect your iPod Nano (second generation only) from salt, dirt, sand and sea up to a depth of 10ft while still allowing you to operate the controls. Waterproof earphones are extra, though

Where can I get one?
www.sailgb.com or call 0870 748 5700

COMPETITION WINNERS
The winners of the InGear competition for free tickets to the Southamption Boat Show were: Elliot Harrison from Northumberland, Roger Grice from Norwich, Ian Smith from Wokingham, Rachel Bailey from Brighton, John Yates from Southampton, John Trist from Dorset, Adrian Brodkin from London, Clive Parkes from Worcestershire, Helen Signorelli from Godalming, Roderick Sawtell from Yeovil, Chris Britten from Barry, Mark and Kathryn Flintham from Suffolk