Drake Passage - best seasickness remedies?

[BORDER REIVER]

We really want to visit Antarctica within the next few years and want to visit on an expedition ship like MV Fram. My problem is that I do tend to suffer a bit from seasickness on small ships and I've heard the Drake Passage can be the roughest stretch of water in the world. Has anyone crossed the Drake Passage and how did you cope? I've found ginger works well and I've got, but never needed, Stugeron - anything better?

[Keith1010]

We have sailed this area multiple times. The odds say the seas will be rough although on our last sailing they were calm.

 

We do bring Bonine with us and we take it before we don't feel well. If you wait until you are sea sick it is far less effective and will make you drowsy.

 

We also book a cabin as mid ship as possible.

 

There are other remedies to consider including a prescription from a physician for the patch.

 

Keith

[BORDER REIVER]

We have sailed this area multiple times. The odds say the seas will be rough although on our last sailing they were calm.

 

We do bring Bonine with us and we take it before we don't feel well. If you wait until you are sea sick it is far less effective and will make you drowsy.

 

We also book a cabin as mid ship as possible.

 

There are other remedies to consider including a prescription from a physician for the patch.

 

Keith

 

Thanks for that, it's all useful information. What do you find most effective, the patch or medication, or a combination of the two?

[bbwex]

It does have a well deserved reputation for being some of the nastiest seas in the world, but can be calm just like anywhere else, but don't count on that.

 

As for the seasickness, this is a large topic, and some background information will really help you before we get to remedies.

 

First of all, most people don't get seasick, and if you do, it almost always passes in a day, once you get your sea legs. Yes, I know, there are some people (a very small number) who seem to take several days to get over it. Then too, if you suddenly get into very heavy seas, it can catch up with people who were all right up until then.

 

Seasickness is primarily caused by a conflict between the eyes (if they are not seeing the motion) and the inner ear which detect the motion. So, prevention is somewhat easy -- stay someplace where you can see the motion until you get your sea legs. Staying out on deck and watching the horizon is often the cure, and the fresh air will help as well. If you are inside, stay near a window so you can see the horizon. If you are not feeling well, do not go inside and lose sight of the seas. The other thing is to eat normally. While this seems counter-intuitive, an empty stomach is not the answer. Keep away from greasy foods and don't overeat, but eat normal meals at normal times.

 

A ship's motion is a complicated matter. The size of the seas (height of the waves), frequency of the waves, and distance between the waves are all factors, and they interact with the size of the ship as well as the direction of the ship as opposed to the direction of the waves. Stabilizers do help, but do not and cannot stop all motion. What seems odd is that you will notice motion, but notice very small seas, and sometimes get little motion in seemingly heavy seas. The ships to Antarctica are smaller, and can be tossed around by heavy seas, but do not think that the new, super large cruise ships won’t move in the ocean. The ocean is much bigger and more powerful than any ship no matter how big!

 

Where to stay, where to stay? If the ship is pitching (bow and stern going up and down) you should stay amidships to minimize motion -- stay in the middle measuring from bow to stern. If the ship is rolling (side-to-side motion) being amidships won't do any good at all. In theory, if the ship is rolling, you want to be in the middle measuring from side-to-side, but I have already mentioned that being inside (so that you are in the middle) is a drastic mistake. As for the old saying of staying in a low cabin, that is not so true any longer. With the very large superstructures on modern cruising ships, the center of motion is significantly higher than it used to be, so the ideal place is often somewhere above the main deck. Again, the smaller ships in the Antarctic region would mean staying closer to the main deck for rolling motion.

 

As for the remedies:

 

Ginger is clinically proven to dramatically reduce or prevent all motion sickness. You can eat ginger snaps, drink real ginger ale (though you might need a lot), eat candied ginger, or take ginger pills (available in any drug store). This is a natural remedy obviously, but proven to work. Start taking or eating it before you get on the ship, but you do not need more than a few hours' time for it to get into your system -- you do not need to take it days in advance.

 

Some people, swear by the seabands which apply accupressure to the wrists, others notice no effect whatsoever. Again, no medications, but not always effective.

 

Bonine and dramamine are OTC medications available everywhere. They will work for most people who get seasick. They should be started before getting on the ship. Ships also dispense generic forms of these pills.

 

For cases of severe seasickness where nothing else has worked, there is the scopolamine patch. The most common side-effect is dry mouth, but there can be some serious side-effects as mentioned and including hallucinations. If you know you are going to get seasick, and you have tried other medications without success, and your doctor recommends it, get the prescription filled in advance and try it for a week on dry land first -- you don't want to start hallucinating as you walk along the rail while you are at sea.

 

Perhaps most of all, don't worry yourself into it.

[mygreyhound66]

Hi, we have been down that way of the world a couple of times, it is truly the trip of a lifetime and the Drake Passage is the 'tax' you pay to reach paradise!!! We have experienced both calm seas and some rough seas, my dh doesn't suffer at all - lucky him! I recently became susceptible so i took meclazine (sp) which was purchased at Costco and found it to be terrific, no side effects. Just be very careful moving around the ship, it is true - one hand for you, one hand for the ship!!!

Actually the rough seas can be viewed as an adventure, and you get to come home and tell the proverbial tales!! Enjoy it, you won't regret it!!

[BORDER REIVER]

Many thanks to those who replied, your advice will no doubt prove invaluable when we head south. Last time we sailed we endured force 10 conditions off Greenland and I never noticed much, but it was in an 80,000 tonne ship. I used ginger snaps and chews for the first couple of days of sailing. I'm also fine on a very small boat being thrown around off the coast of Scotland, but we have never been on vessels of 12,000 tonnes in really rough seas. All your information has been noted and will be used to enable us to get to the Antarctic Circle.

Thanks again

[PennyAgain]

I have been on very small ships in very rough seas and my Viking blood tells as I don't get seasick.

 

My poor husband can get seasick when all else are fine. He is that sensitive to motion.

 

The above folks have given you good advice.

 

However, there is another factor that many folks do not consider. That is the risk of falling and getting injured in rough conditions. Now that I'm an older person who wishes to enjoy and long, healthy and happy retirement; I am much more careful where I go and on which sort and size of ship.

 

Something to think about.

[7713granada]

We crossed the Drake Passage in November 2007 and about 1/3 of the passengers were badly affected by seasickness. Interestingly, the younger people (20-30s) were hit the worst. My mom (70) and I did great and I'm not sure what of these things worked but here goes:

 

1. Typically you have a long calm cruise out of the Beagle Passage. Get your stuff stowed and go to bed early before the rocking and rolling starts. It gives your body a chance to adjust without the eye/brain conflict described above.

2. Avoid alcohol and acidic foods or drinks. Big no-no- citrus juices and coffee.

3. Take BONINE starting 12 hours before you get on the ship and keep taking it.

4. Combination of ginger snaps and club soda avoids acid in the stomach. Our ship also set out crystallized ginger and crackers.

5. Scapolomine patch.

6. Sea bands.

7. If you get nauseous it is hard to eat, but an empty stomach will keep you nauseous so you need to eat something. The ships should have crackers and bland items that can be eaten.

8. Cabin location- our cabin was located mid-ship vertically and horizontally. Probably the location of least movement on the ship.

 

My mom and I had no problems on both crossings and I had been afraid of what might happen for us. The return crossing was so bad that one of the passengers sustained a compound fracture of his forearm and a very experienced staff member who had traveled to Antarctica and sailed frequently announced that our November 2007 return crossing was his first experience with seasickness. Many of the passengers had to get Phenergan shots to decrease their symptoms.

 

Here's what I think might have happened for those who took ill:

1. Took no preventive medication. They waited until they had symptoms and then it is too late. (Start taking bonine 12 hours before you get on the ship.)

2. Stayed up to celebrate the passage into the Ocean. The captain had already let us know that the conditions were going to be similar to a hurricane. I really think getting to bed and sleeping through that helped our brains adjust. (One of the sick passengers described his experience as his brain fighting the movement of the ship).

3. Drank too much.

 

Everyone did get over it, but for most of them it was 48+ hours and some had to get shots from the ER physician who traveled as part of the ship's staff.

 

Consider the size of your ship if you want to get the most out of landings. Operators are required to limit the number of individuals who are on shore to 100. If you go in a large ship, you will make few landings and have less time ashore when you do get to land. Quark operated a ship that held 82 passengers and that size was ideal.