Bound for Iceland on the North
Atlantic Ocean : Here we go. The North Atlantic has a
reputation as being some of the roughest water on the planet, maybe as bad as
the Drake Passage around Cape Horn , a passage
which we’ve done twice.
The Drake is a snake, no question. Now we’ll experience the
fabled North Atlantic . The captain has already
announced he expects rough seas tonight and tomorrow morning, calming some by
tomorrow afternoon.
If it gets really bad the survival plan is to stay in my
bunk and eat little. Crawl to the head every few hours and just tough it out.
That worked for the Drake crossing in a small ship, it will work here if
necessary. Taking meclizine hydrochloride (trade name Bonine) helps too.
Later…so far, so good. Extra Bonine makes one extra sleepy,
which plus a bunk that is rocking gently equals naps. I’ve had two today and
may have another.
The North Atlantic in this
big ship isn’t too bad. The Emerald Princess has stabilizers and likely is
using them. I say “likely” because captains don’t like using stabilizers; they
increase drag, slow the ship and increase the fuel usage.
It’s a rare first-time cruiser who sets out on a 16 day
cruise. I expect the pax (industry slang for passengers) on this trip are
experienced cruisers.
People who have motion sickness problems decide not to
cruise and those who can adapt keep cruising. At lunch today in the dining room
we found most tables filled with folks happily ignoring the rocking deck.
