Jaunted

To repeat, you need the correct anti-barf strategy. There are numerous newfangled remedies, from wrist bands designed to hit the right pressure point to patches you wear behind your ear. Some people swear by ginger beer. Kinky types rub Vicks Vaporub into their belly button. Me, I’m a traditionalist. I don’t want to wear medication, and I don’t want something with a picture of a herb on the box. I want pills: preferably big, colourful ones produced by a large, faceless and, most likely, evil global conglomerate; and which contain at least five entirely synthetic active ingredients.

So I plumped for Dramamine, as endorsed by the US coastguard. I started taking it two days before we sailed, beginning with the maximum recommended dose and working up from there.

Like all medicines, your Dramamine (or whatever else you decide to take) will come with a stern admonition not to mix it with alchohol. But if you’ve dropped six grand on an all-inclusive cruise, do you really want to be drinking mineral water for two days? I found that the rum cocktails mixed by Hugo, the Antarctic Dream’s barman and a legend in his own happy hour, slipped down very nicely with the anti-emetics. All in all, I felt less nauseous during the Drake crossing than I do usually in 'civilian' life.

Here’s some more ham-fisted footage from the outward journey. The conditions shown are relatively mild: when the waves got high, I didn’t dare get the camera out. (The date at the beginning should read 2008. Even captions are beyond me.)

Birds, boffins and booze

For those not reduced to staying in their cabins and staring down the barrel of a paper bag, there was plenty to do during the Drake crossing. When it was safe to go up on deck we could get up close to the seabirds following the boat –- wandering albatrosses, giant petrels, skuas, and many other species. These enormous avians loop through space in graceful parabolas, swooping down on the waves and using the energy generated to soar upwards again without so much as twitching a wing. I’ve always found birdwatching to be better in theory than in practice; but watching these serene seafarers was hypnotic -- nature’s screensaver.

The man-made entertainment on the cruise was laudable for being nothing like the kind of entertainment you expect on a cruise. No bingo, no karaoke, no limbo dancing nights, no deck skittles. There were three or four lectures each day, with topics ranging from digital photography and sound recording -- these courtesy of two visiting experts from Southern Illinois University -- to the life-cycle of penguins.

I must say something in praise of the kitchen. The food was sensational. Despite waves twice the height of LeBron James, the chef and his staff managed to turn out a full cooked breakfast, a three-course lunch, afternoon tea, and a four-course supper every day. Not only that, but the food was fresh, flavourful and highly creative. Typical menu: smoked salmon with a timbale of cous-cous followed by home-made shepherd’s pie followed by dark chocolate tart and fresh tropical fruits. Crockery was flying in all directions in the galley; it sounded like a Greek wedding during an earthquake. But the staff never stopped smiling and never stopped serving. Kudos to them.

We went to bed on the third night within sight of the South Shetland Islands, the archipelago that marks the beginning of Antarctica. In the morning the sea was placid, the wind no more than a stiff breeze, and the breakfast queue three times as long as it had been the day before. Bummer.

Tomorrow: cute wildlife, and how Antarctica smells really bad.

Insider Tip: Don't rely on the ship's doctor to give you anti-seasickness pills. On our trip the doc a) ran out of medication fairly quickly, b) didn't offer a wide range of remedies, and c) was almost as sick as everyone else. Stock up in advance. If you suffer badly from motion sickness, and you haven't responded well to medication in the past, think twice before taking this trip

Related Stories:
· Storm in the Drake Passage [YouTube]
· Guy vomiting on live TV news [YouTube]
· Jaunted in Antarctica [Jaunted]
· Luxury Ice Capades: Cruising in Antarctica, Day One [Jaunted]