When we cruised to Canada, the sea was like glass. The only problem that we had was fog. Very thick fog. Strange, but very interesting.
I wear a patch, but have never had a problem drinking alcohol with it. I actually think that I don't need it any more, but it is my safety net. On the Connie, I put one on the first day, and left it on about 6 or 7 days, then took it off and never put another one on.