A Better Kind of Patch Pirate
I’ve been on oceangoing boats dozens of times over the years, and I’ve been seasick once, which was enough to know that I never want to experience that again. On a later trip I was out in rougher conditions and did not get sick, so I don’t know what triggered that one bad episode.
When Keith Combs and I went to Alaska last summer, we chartered a 24 hour, overnight halibut trip, which promised an 80 to 90 mile run across big water if conditions allowed. Fearing that seasickness would ruin that voyage and leave one or both of us ill for an extended period, I asked my doctor to prescribe the Transderm Scop (scopolamine) patch. Keith and I both wore them on the trip, and while it didn’t get rough, we were in large rollers most of the time and we kept our balance steady and our innards intact.
As we prepared for our trip to Guatemala this year, I asked for a refill and encouraged Hanna and my parents to wear them, too. While my dad balked at the idea, all eventually agreed to use the patch. The first two days were again just big rollers, no roughness, but day three greeted us with strong wind and big seas. In fact, the Captain elected not to go to our most prolific area because others who’d headed that way found 10 to 12 foot waves and decided to turn back.
Fortunately, he had another closer area that had some fish, and ours was the second most productive boat of the day (out of six). More importantly, despite the still-heavy waves, none of us got sick. It was rough enough that we had to carefully escort my elderly parents down to the head, and dad couldn’t read his books, but we soldiered on.
We may have looked like the dorkiest sort of white-socked-cruise-ship-buffet-stragglers, but we didn’t have to go in, and we didn’t have to call for the bucket. I’d do it exactly the same way again. I know that there are other ways of preventing motion sickness, including Dramamine, Bonine and various types of wristbands, but going forward I think I’ll stick with this one. You might think you’re tougher than me, or less susceptible to seasickness than me, so take whatever chances you want, but with no side effects I’m happy to look goofy if it means that I can reel fish in all day.
