• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Roamancing Travel Magazine

... travelling in search of those most elusive of creatures ~ love and romance

  • Home
  • Roamancing
  • Our Travellers
  • Article Library
  • Digital Nomad & Travelling Pet Gear Guide
  • Naturally Ours, Web Series
  • Podcasts
  • Contact Us
  • Show Search
Hide Search
Riding in a vintage speedboat!

Fear of Waves

On the 20 minute ferry ride between the paradisiacal island of Anguilla and St. Maarten,  the small ferry boat rocked every time a wave hit.  The waves seemed angry to me, and in no hurry to subside. “Wheeeeeee!”, the other passengers exclaimed. They were giddily having fun, while I was panicking.  My friend looked at me, concerned. “You’re green,” she said, and got me a bottle of water. “Are we there yet, are we almost there,” I asked the Captain.  “The Caribbean can be like this,” he said, calmly. After all the sun was shining – it wasn’t a storm, just a bit of rough seas. And I was coming from stress-free days on the most serene of all beaches – pure sand, clear glittering waters.  How could I be the only one freaking out?

 

Fighting a fear of waves in Anguilla.
The aforementioned wild waters off of Anguilla.

 

I always thought of myself as a sea-loving person. Indeed, if some people are drawn to the mountains and others to the water, I’m in the latter category. So why in my travels did boat excursions become something to fear? (I’m not talking about daredevil trips on the high seas, or what one blogger has dubbed “whale retching”, where the ocean feels like a car wash and people are bent over bags.)

For a few years, I fooled myself, rationalizing that I had a mild sensitivity to motion – after all, I had never thrown up on a boat or a plane. I could deal with turbulence on a 747; although on a once-in-a-lifetime trip on a private plane in Botswana, where you could see the elephants below chomping on trees, the motion made me want desperately to land. “Hold the aerobatics please”, I now joke to pilots of small planes, and it’s usually OK.  As a precaution I have taken ginger pills –  the last thing I want on a trip is to be groggy, the main side effect of industrial strength motion sickness pills.

Ginger is no help in boats, though. There was that time in New Zealand, when a boat was taking a group of us to swim with wild dolphins (not a good idea, I later learned)  and I had to be deposited on a nearby island – the high waves scared me so much that I couldn’t stay on the boat long enough to find the angelic mammals. I felt ashamed for wimping out.

On the island of Andros, fresh from a short, resort course in SCUBA diving, fear of my first dive was countered by panic over the patch of rough seas.  I couldn’t wait to dive down to where the water was calm, and I was entranced by the magic underwater realm where strange plants swayed and gorgeous orange and yellow fish moved gracefully

But above water the problem remained. Gradually, I found myself declining even brief boat trips if there was any chance of troubled waters.   Then, on a sunny August trip to the Thousand Islands, which are scattered around Canada and the US,  I found myself on Lake Ontario in a fishing boat, complete with sonar. Slosh went the waves. I was ready to beg to be taken back to shore when a woman offered me a Dramamine, the US version of Gravol. I swallowed the tiny pill, and soon started to relax. Whoosh, the water rocked the boat. And yet – no problem. Mentally, I knew the waves were scary, but physically I felt no fear, none of that old nauseating panic. It was like being in the dentist’s chair when your gums have been frozen. You, hear the menacing buzz of the drill, but feel no pain. Being drowsy but awake really helped – I experienced it as a kind of high that allowed me to sit back and observe. And it wore off in a few hours, just as we were close to shore.

 

Boating amoung the Thousand Islands
Boating in the Thousand Islands

 

The next boat ride on the trip was on a vintage speedboat docked at the Antique Boat Museum  in Clayton, New York, another stop on the Thousand Islands route. First, as a kind of pre-water desensitization, I viewed the boats displayed in the high-ceiling rooms. What beauties – small boats with shiny mahogany, speedboats, canoes, sleek Chris Craft … One in blue and red, had the look of a l960 Chevy.

 

Jazzy Chris Craft at the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, New York.
This jazzy Chris Craft at the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, New York. reminds me of the l960 Chevy.

 

The speedboat was a beautiful vintage l930’s number, with seats for four. The bay was calm and glittering, and it felt exhilarating to skim over the water, no medication needed.

 

Riding in a vintage speedboat!
Not too shabby a ride!

 

Back in Toronto, I bravely signed up for the Centre Island canoe/food trip, part of  the  Culinary Adventures Company repertoire. Eight people paddled a traditional work canoe to Toronto’s Centre Island, where Chef Savoie served us a brilliant dinner that included smoked trout, lamb and peaches flambee.  The hard part for me was getting back. It was dark, difficult to see, and there were waves. But at least when you’re rowing you’re doing something.

Which, as I learned, was a big part of dealing with any fear. First I had to acknowledge the fear, then realize that even a friend – or a ginger pill – was not going to fix things. And then, whether it climbing aboard a boat or finding a job, you have to take action. Which sometimes means saying “no”. For instance, there’s a ferry from the island of St. Maarten to St. Barts that has earned the nickname of “the vomitorium”. Even if you paid me ….

Written by:
Jacqueline Swartz
Published on:
September 30, 2013
Thoughts:
5 Comments

Categories: Africa, All Aboard!, Anguilla, Around the World, Boats, Botswana, Canada, Caribbean, Jacqueline Swartz, New Zealand, Ontario, Our Travelers, Planes, Trains ..., Specialty, St. Barts, St. Maarten, Wellness TravelsTags: Anguilla, Botswana, New Zealand, overcoming fears, St. Maarten, Toronto

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jess and Brandon

    February 11, 2015 at 5:29 am

    Water is like my second home. I love the waves, to swim and see all that the ocean has to offer us.

    Reply
  2. Mary Susan

    April 25, 2015 at 6:33 pm

    The fear of waves is the beginning of wisdom. The photos is nice and wonderful. No doubt you enjoyed yourself maximally.
    Thanks for sharing

    Reply
  3. Fishing Guy

    September 10, 2015 at 2:59 pm

    That Chris Craft is a thing of beauty!

    Reply
  4. Susan Mary Malone

    September 21, 2015 at 11:22 am

    I love this, Jacqueline! I felt myself floating along with you, and feeling the panic.
    But how perfect: Acknowledge the fear and then DO something. That’s the ticket!
    Thank you for this.

    Reply
    • Jacqueline Swartz

      December 21, 2017 at 1:26 pm

      Thank you, Mary for “getting it”.

      Jacqueline

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Search Our Site

Roamancing Travel

Travelling the globe uncovering the love & beauty all around us!

We're not your average jet-set crew; we're just as happy to hunker around a campfire as we are to be finely wined & dined, as we roamance travel.

Join the Adventure On …

RSS Feed Directory

Lollygag Over Adventures to Be




Recent Adventures

Harbour View on the Island country of Grenada in the Caribbean Sea.

Pure Grenada Wellness

April 8, 2025 by Diana Ballon

Lycia, Türkiye – Where the Dead are Always with Us

March 29, 2025 by Liz Campbell

Fishermen hunting at sea with a spear.

The Last Kereks: A Story of Tradition and Survival in the Far North Russia

March 5, 2025 by Katerina Mukhina

Cape Forchu Lighthouse, near Yarmouth, Nova Scotia on the Acadian Shores

Where to Stay in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia and the Acadian Shores

January 14, 2025 by Erica Hargreave

A young aviation lover poises into front of a Canadian Armed Forces Jet at the Canadian Museum of Flight

Canadian Museum of Flight : a hidden gem in Aviation

January 7, 2025 by Anne Webster

BCIT Media Storytelling Courses

Our Post-Secondary Accredited Courses with BCIT's Media Storytelling Department:

Building Your Digital Media Presence (online)
Social Media Storytelling (online)

Feedspot Top Canada Travel Blog

Explore more

Pitch Us Partner With Us Contact Us

Footer

Produced By …

This is another tale brought to you by the creatively whacky minds at Ahimsa Media.

Copyright 2011 © 2025 · Genesis Framework by StudioPress · · Log in