Today we visit both the youngest (Fernandina) and the biggest (Isabela) Islands in the Galapagos Archipelago. But first we have to get there . . .
With a 12 – 13 hour cruise ahead of us on somewhat choppy waters, the thought of motion sickness skips across my mind. It shouldn’t be a problem, I reason. After all, before leaving on my small-ship cruise, I had the foresight to check in with my travel doc who recommended wearing a Transderm Scopolamine patch as a preventative measure.
I’ve worn one throughout our cruise ever since our first night aboard the MV Evolution when our crew welcomed us with a Grasshopper cocktail toast, followed by dinner with a first course of pea soup. Something about the green theme made me decide to wear the patch – just in case. Why flirt with the outside possibility of seasickness?
Besides, imagine how different our world would be today had Charles Darwin given in to his dread of motion sickness. If he could handle his trip on the small-ship H.M.S. Beagle, I can cope with my apprehension. At least I have the patch and dramamine.
As I head into the dining room for dinner, I feel fine but my intuition is on high alert. One look at the set tables is enough for me to decide that I’m not that hungry. Instead, I decide to call it an early night.
For the next several hours, I’m one with our ship as it rocks back and forth, back and forth. I feel my body pulling the boat back to center with each rising crest. It seems the confluence of warm and cold ocean currents that contribute to the diverse marine life in the Galapagos, can also play havoc with sensitive stomachs. While mine feels at risk throughout the night, the good news is that’s as bad as it gets. The patch does the trick. Crisis averted.
In the morning when I make my apologies for missing out on dinner, I’m greeted with knowing nods and smiles. Not to worry. As it turns out, only a handful of passengers had shown up for our gourmet meal. Ah. . . When I express my regret that our chef had worked hard to prepare dinner for so few of us, the response I got was: “He’s used to it.”
Have you had any close encounters with motion sickness at sea, Wanderboomers? Share your story here ~
My family used to visit the Isle of Man, the little island between England and Ireland every Summer. One year going over on the ferry my mother got extremely seasick (the North Atlantic is very choppy). I was just a little girl but I still remember being very concerned about how ill she was and saying to a lady in the washroom: “My mummy’s ill.” My parents never got over it, as particularly back then English people did not show their emotions, and definately not to a stranger. That’s my experience with seasickness. If it’s anything like morning sickness, it is horrendous!
Though not a sea traveler, I do tend to feel icky on the road when reading in the car. My spouse suggested slow desensitization-meaning, read little bits at a time. It actually worked this past week. I suggest for you lots more travel. Dermal anesthesia is a scary thought! I thought Scopalamine went out with twilight births. Happy sailing!
Your poor mum, Elizabeth! Doesn’t sound like the choppy water bothered you, at least. I haven’t experienced morning sickness, but I’ll take your word for it :-).
Hi, Theresa ~ Guess not! My travel doc considers Scopolamine a viable option for those prone to seasickness. It’s by prescription only for travelers over 12 yrs. of age. I never once lost my lunch and had no side effects, apart from a little (barely noticeable) dry mouth. I put one patch behind my ear and didn’t give it another thought for three days until it was time to change to a new one. Of course, the patch was a short-term solution and may not work for everyone. Thanks for stopping by ~
Nice post– didn’t know about the patch. I’ve been on ferries simply to travel to small escort boats bouncing on choppy waters to film water events. Looking through a video finder window intensifies seasickness. I’ve been using Dramamine and ginger candies. So far the dramamine is pretty solid.
Thanks, Christine! Yes, I also brought ginger candies with me on my trip as well as seasick wrist bands, or acupressure bracelets. My travel doc doesn’t think much of the wrist bands because in clinical trials they were about as successful in preventing motion sickness as placebos – but since placebos work for some people, I brought them along anyway! A girl can’t be too careful ~
How sad that you couldn’t enjoy the dinner. I never had motion sickness, been on boats and always travelled fine in a car BUT I id find out the hard way I get sympathetic motion sickness. My best friend was in distress and suddenly I got it too! I couldnt believe it! Otherwise I am fine on land and sea! Good pics as always!
Great post, Nancy, and so glad that you didn’t feel any worse! Nothing more miserable than seasickness, and the absolute worst is a seasick cat! Just like her humans, Bear the Boat Cat has to regain her sea legs when we do our annual move back onto the boat, and it’s not pretty. Glazed green eyes, lying limp under the table, long strings of foam dangling from her whiskers…Cap’n J and I feel like pretty abusive parents right about then!
Not to worry, Samantha – I ate more than enough at every other meal, and in-between! I’ve never heard of sympathetic motion sickness, though I have heard of fathers-to-be experiencing morning sickness. Must be similar to that! Thanks for commenting ~
Hi, Tele! Good to hear from you. I knew you would understand this post, considering how much time you spend trolling the Alaskan waters! Poor little kitty. . . But somehow I think she’s (he’s?) in very good hands with you & Cap’n J.
I’ve never had motion sickness on a boat, but once some of my students came back from a weekend company outing and told me how their ferry got caught in a storm and around 50 people got violently sick. Judging from how they told the story, I would never want to be in that situation.
Yikes! Sounds like it was a terrible experience for your students, Christopher. Fortunately for me, I had just one night of choppy seas in the Galapagos, and I came well-prepared. It was never scary – not that bad, thank goodness. The good news is that tropical storms and hurricanes are few and far between – if at all – in the Galapagos from what I understand.
Oh I feel for you. I had the same thing happen on a big cruise ship. I wore one of those wrist bands to stop motion sickness. Silly me took it off while on the boat. I laid down on our bed which had an awesome window view and got sick. LOL. Hubby went to the ship doctor and brought me back some meds and I was fine a bit after that. Once I got my sea legs I didn’t need to take anymore.
Hugs!!
Glad it only lasted a few for you also.
So sorry you had that experience, Cat . . . I know people who swear by the wrist bands, but of course you have to wear them :-). Whatever works!
Hi Nancy,
When I went on my very first cruise of the Caribbean, we had 17 – 20 foot swells and the pool deck looked like an emergency ward. I feld so bad for all these people curled up on the deck chairs, their hoodies pulled up over their heads, and towels wrapped around them. I was on a seminar at sea and was told by one of the officers that green apples helps to regulate the stomach acid causing the seasickness. When I went back to my cabin, there’s my daughter looking pretty green, so I took her up to get air, gave her some chicken soup, so she could eat the broth, gingerale, and then a green apple. It took a few hrs., but she finally felt better. I’m very lucky I’ve never experienced seasickness. I love rollercoasters!! Now I tell my clients to try the green apple theory if this happens to them.
Green apples is a new one on me, Lynn! But I’m taking your word for it and adding it to my growing arsenal of remedies for seasickness. Thanks for sharing it with us ~
I also heard the green apple trick from a cruise-ship officer. In fact, on that particular sailing, there were bowls of them placed in common areas (it tended to be a very rocky itinerary).
Okay, that’s two recommendations for green apples to steady the stomach. I’ll try that remedy for sure on my next cruise! Thanks, Becky ~
Fresh air helps for me. I get sick in buses and minivans that have closed windows, but less so if the windows are open and I can breathe. Same on boats: I get sick when I’m inside the boat if the weather is rough, but outside on the deck I’m fine! I think the worst seasickness I’ve had was on a ferry from Zanzibar to Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania. Most passengers were throwing up for the whole 4 hours the ferry ride took!
Ooo . . . I think I’m glad I missed that ferry trip! Fresh air helps me with motion sickness, too, Satu. Thanks for commenting!
My personal experience (as the wife of a well-traveled Captain with merchant Marine!) for countering a queasy stomach at sea is to get out on deck and get some fresh air in your face. It can be a good short-term remedy, at least until the meds/ginger or whatever kick in. Bon voyage!
Well, you certainly come with high-credibility, Gil. I’d say your husband would know a thing or two about handling a queasy stomach on the high seas! Thanks for your advice. Fresh air is good – as long as I don’t have to watch the wave action ~
I did a Conference at Sea which happened to be my first cruise and it was the first time I’ve ever turned green. “Mind over matter” didn’t help as much as I was trying to tell myself I’ve been on smaller boats that were more rocky than the cruise ship. We were in the theatre most of the time so the swaying of the ship combined with the swaying of the presenters, curtains, lights, etc made the seasickness worse. Green apples saved the day! My cabin steward said to take a green apple and put salt on it. The combination was gross but it made a difference. I was someone curled up in a lounge chair with a blanket, gingerale and green apples. I’ve tried them on car rides as well. Green apples (and salt once in awhile) are trusty travelling companions!
Getting fresh air is really important too.
Hi, Sarah ~ Another vote for green apples as remedy for seasickness! Looks like I’m going to have to stock my own supply on my next small-ship cruise. The addition of salt is intriguing . . . Thanks for your recommendation!