Date: 1/14/25 9:14 am From: Edmund LeGrand (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Per seasickness (on cruise ships)
I am especially susceptible to motion sickness, but had no problems on the
Princess cruise around Cape Horn. Rather than getting a more expensive and
higher up cabin with a view, I selected one closest to the rotation center
of the ship (below deck and toward the middle), because I wondered about
the motion. Yes, there’s a bit of motion in very rough weather (even in the
enclosed cabin as well as on deck), but never enough for me to use my
trusty wonder drug: promethazine (Phenergan) at 25 mg once per day. If you
already have a solution of seasickness or never have experienced it (lucky
other members of my family, including Harry), that’s great. I learned about
it and got the required prescription before a catamaran tour of the
Galapagos. Wow!!! The only effect from this antihistamine that I noticed
was that, despite the boat getting tossed around one night (and a cable
supporting the mast snapping and banging all around), I wasn’t seasick!
It’s worked perfectly on subsequent pelagic trips. I store the extra pills
in the freezer and bring them out as need might arise.
Postscript: I’m still trying to figure out motion sickness. My parents and
brother (Harry) could always read newspapers while riding—I’d be sick
within two minutes. When I ask people: “Can you read a newspaper while
riding without getting sick?” it seems that the answer is either “yes” or
“no”, but rarely in between. I keeping wondering if there’s any adaptive
advantage to having this trait (subtly better balance???) since the
disadvantages are so clear that it’s easy to see how it could have been
selected out of the population. I sympathize with Charles Darwin, who
somehow managed to be productive while never getting over his four years of
seasickness on the Beagle (with way too much time near Tierra del Fuego).
