Avoiding seasickness on your Mentawai boat trip

If you get seasick sometimes but really want to do the Mentawais or Northern Sumatra the right way - a.k.a. on a boat, then you're in the right place. If you always get seasick and you really dread it, then you should probably stay at a camp, specifically one you can fly to on Sipora, Nias, or Simeulue. Anyway, if you feel like taking your chances, here's how to plan your trip:

1) Pick your boat

2) Pick your destination

3) Choose your medications

4) Choose your sleeping arrangement

5) All else fails: Puke with a buddy

1) Picking your boat:

Generally the boat solution is a catamaran, but there are definitely cost or space tradeoffs. Wide catamarans roll even less. Catamarans are also faster than monohulls of similar size and power (sail or motor). Sailboat catamarans are the most reasonably priced catamarans, but can be quite tight on space. So if you expect to be able to sit and edit video or have the loud TV-watching beer drinkers not disrupt your afternoon nap, then you may want to pay up for a power catamaran. The Freedom 2 and 3 boats and Addiction seem to be the nicest large power cats right now. A smaller but quite nice choice is Tengirri. An older but still fast power cat is Nusantara. Remember that going fast costs the captain money - just because the boat can go fast doesn't mean it will.

On the list of boats to avoid, I'd put Indies Trader 2 near the top. That boat pitches, bobs, and rolls like a cork. I sat on the back deck of Budyadahri one afternoon at Lance's Left and watched the Indies Trader 2 at anchor roll around like crazy. There's a head-on shot of the boat on the Indies Trader website that shows these frame buoy hangers off the side of the boat. If you hadn't seen them in action you would think they are for fishing or something, but the truth is they are an attempt at dampening the boat's roll with buoys. The Indies 3 and 4 didn't exhibit much roll when I saw them, but they are considerably more money.

2) Pick your Destination

You will be most exposed to seasickness during the long crossings from Sumatra to the islands because you are spending the longest time in potentially the roughest water with no place to hide and no time to stop.  Consider a boat trip that lets you fly to Nias/Sipora/Telos and pick up the boat there to eliminate the crossing.  Indo airlines are sketch and this may cause more wasted time in Padang, but the options are out there.  Trips that take the longest crossings such as Padang-Telos are probably the riskiest for seasickness.

3) Choose your medications

I like Bonine or it's generic, chewable equivalent.  Get the pills stored in punch-out sheets so you can keep them in your pocket for the crossing or squall and they will stay dry even if you get rained on while puking over the rail.  That way if you fumble and drop one you haven't spilled a whole bottle.  If you don't need them by the end of the trip then leave them on the boat for some poor sap who didn't read this.

4) Choose your sleeping arrangement

Avoid the far front of the boat.  Avoid the top bunk.   The exact middle of the boat is the part that pitches least.  If you weren't smart enough to be first down the steps to throw your bags on the optimal bunk, then explain your condition to those in place with more flexibility.  Promising bribes of duty free booze, GU, powerbars, or beef jerky couldn't hurt as those things can be pretty useful in the islands.

5) Puke with a buddy

The single worst thing that could happen to you on a boat trip is to fall overboard at night, alone, while the boat is underway.  You will be gone, nobody will know, and when they realize you are gone they will not be able to find you, and that will be end for you.  So if you are going to puke over the rail and the boat is underway and pitching all over the place, then brace yourself, hold on tight, and make sure someone always knows you are out there.  Even if you have to keep one of the crew up all night, give him an extra $20 tip when it's over just DON'T FALL OVERBOARD AT NIGHT WHILE UNDERWAY.