How To Alpha Male A Force Nine Gale!

Picture the scene…

Near enough the entire staff of Cruise.co.uk all geared up to set off on our annual Christmas Conference. An event that all the attendees look forward to each year. In my experience no other company does Christmas quite like us.

This year we boarded one of the most famous ships in history, ‘Marco Polo’, now under the ownership of Cruise & Maritime Voyage, or CMV for short.

The legendary ship set off from Avonmouth, near Bristol for a 3 night voyage to Dublin, as previously mentioned in my past blog, one of my favourite places on earth.

Everyone brimming with excitement, and chuffed to see each other, some for the first time in a year, some for the first time ever!

It all points to a belting conference cruise, and in fairness for some, myself included, it was, more on that shortly.

For some however, they weren’t expecting the ultimate leveler that is….Sea Sickness!

Oops.

Yes believe it or not there were those who not only had not been on a ship before, but also has never endured sea sickness either.

Force Nine gales out and force nine gales back made for some thoroughly upset stomachs, and many of the staff in sales, admin, management, IT etc all headed back to their cabins to empty their stomachs over multiple hours each way, their only respite coming in Dublin when the ship was moored.

Who’d have thought it. Force nine gales in the Irish Sea on a small ship in December? Total shocker…..I think the acronym is ROFL (that means Roll On Floor Laughing for those on the slightly older side)

Anyway the point of this blog was essentially my guide to surviving rough seas and continue to show folks how to become, like myself, ‘The Ultimate Cruiser’.

So here are my top tips for keeping the seasickness away and embracing those rough seas!

1. Tablets – never used them but tried and tested by many
2. Wristbands – some evidence they work, but I think more of a placebo than anything else.
3. Fresh Air – a lot of folks say that seeing the horizon bobbing up and down is what makes them sick. Incorrect, the seasickness comes the same way as travel sickness, when your brain can’t process 3 or 4 different motions. Get yourself on the deck and drink in the sea air. Face the horizon and force your mind to cope. It works trust me. Just don’t fall overboard!
4. Bare Feet – odd one this but I’ve done it for years. Something about taking the shoes and socks off and gripping the carpet with your toes. I tend to do this in the cabin, but it seems to sooth and relax, which massively helps with any nausia.
5. The Bar – OK so a lot of people cannot stomach food or drink when the seasickness hits them, and this can be the case, so go for strength not volume. If you have a spirit that you can drink neat, order a double. I find brandy and whisky work equally well. The inebriation of the alcohol well relax your brain, and after a couple of strong measures, you’ll no longer be seasick, you’ll be at one with it.
6. Showering – Again a relaxation technique to pre-occupy your mind, a blast through a hot or cold shower should just about do enough to give you an hours respite while you try one of the above!
7. Distraction – Ultimately travel sickness and by proxy, seasickness, is not a disease or a condition, it’s what I like to call, a nuro-flaw. A trick of the mind. If you keep your mind and body busy during the rough seas, you stand a far greater chance of avoiding it. Dancing, games/arcades, the gym, etc all things available to do on a cruise ship that will flick the seasick switch off.

Of course, for some my tips will not help, they suffer so badly that it’s unavoidable. To those folks I say, fair play for cruising, knowing you’re going to struggle, you have my upmost respect for not letting it stop you.

But for many I reckon two or three of my tips above could genuinely make a difference.

Anyway I’ve rambled on long enough and it’s Christmas Eve!

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my blog and perhaps it will help in the future!

A Very Merry Christmas from me, and as always, thanks for reading, until next time…..