Ferry Travellers Guide
Our resident ferry experts have put together a list of tips to make sure you’re holiday or day trip gets off to a good start and you can start to enjoy you’re break as soon as you set sail!
Sea Sickness
The French call this common ailment ‘Mal De Mer’ which being a French phrase actually makes it sound quite pleasant! However, anyone who has been unfortunate enough to witness or experienced it will tell you it can be pretty debilitating and there’s no worse start to your holiday. Some people seem predisposed to suffer from it and are more or less guaranteed to feel that familiar creeping feeling as soon as they climb aboard. Others are more commonly affected only on rough seas or when the swell is particularly high. In fact over 90% of us will have suffered from ‘motion sickness’’ to give it its proper name at some point in our lives. Luckily there are simple ways to prevent it from occurring which will allow you to make the most of your ferry journey without the fear of spending it staring in to a paper bag.
Precautions :
- Keep focused and try not to worry or think about being sick – scientists believe that a key psychological trigger for seasickness could be the emotional stress involved when you’re anticipating an attack.
- Try and stay above deck in the fresh air if possible. You are more likely to suffer an attack if you spend the entire ferry crossing down below.
- Don’t read a book or keep your eyes fixed on one object for too long.
- On a large ship such as a ferry you should aim to keep the horizon visible to your peripheral vision but not stare at it. This sounds harder than it is – keep your eyes active and try not to ‘lock-on’.
- Face in the direction that the ferry is travelling
- If you have a history of motion sicknesses don’t book a cabin inside as this is the worst place for you to be. If it’s a long crossing and is unavoidable then lying flat can sometimes help although if it becomes an issue grab a deck chair and get some sea air (weather permitting!).
- Eat a light meal and avoid alcohol. The same principles apply to ferry travel as air travel so don’t eat a heavy or spicy meal before you travel and keep active throughout the journey.
- Herbal remedies like Ginger are said to alleviate some of the symptoms.
- Failing that – speak to your doctor or pharmacist as if you are really concerned they will be able to advise you as to any prescription medication that may be taken.
Finally, try not to worry too much and stay relaxed! The good news is that modern cruise ships and ferries are equipped with special stabilizers that pretty much eradicate most of the motion that acts a trigger for sea sickness. As a general rule the larger the vessel the less likely you are to experience ‘roll’ on a bigger vessel such as a ferry.
Please Note - All Prices Quoted Are Correct at Time of Posting
The English Channel or La Manche!
Whether known as the channel, le manche, the sleeve or the sliver sea this strip of water is intrinsically linked to the history of both England and France. It is a natural barrier which serves to separate us from the rest of Europe, not only physically but also culturally as summed up by the bard himself.
“This precious stone set in the silver sea,
Which serves it in the office of a wall
Or as a moat defensive to a house,
Against the envy of less happier lands.”
- William Shakespeare, Richard II (Act II, Scene 2)
We’ve compiled some amazing facts and figures about this often underappreciated strip of water which you can amaze your friends with at the pub or simply use on your next ferry crossing to impress fellow passengers.
- It is actually part of the Atlantic Ocean.
- It is 560km long and 240km wide at the widest point.
- The narrowest part is from Dover to Cap Gris Nez which is known as the straight of Dover. This part is 34km.
- In Roman times it was known as ‘Oceanus Britannicus’ and later known as the ‘British Sea’.
- The stretch from Dover to Calais is the shallowest at an average of 45 metres.
- The average depth is 120 metres.
- Brighton is the largest city / town on the channel with 461,181 inhabitants.
- The French town of Berck is the smallest with 20,113 inhabitants.
- Matthew Webb was the first known person to swim the channel on 25th August 1975.
- The fastest ever verified swim was in 2005 by Christof Wandratsch who completed it in 7 hours, 3 minutes and 52 seconds.
- Alison Streeter MBE is the swimming ‘Queen of The Channel’ with 43 crossings to date.
- Recent celebrities to successfully swim the channel include David Walliams and Doon Mackichan.
- The channel is the busiest seaway in the world.
Please Note - All Prices Quoted Are Correct at Time of Posting
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