I am not a good sailor, and gave up ferries in 1994 (with one exception, see below), and two stand out:
1) returning from Spain on my first (and last) foreign summer holiday with my parents on 30/8/87. Arrived Calais around sunset after a day and a half’s drive up the N20 to see the flags out like boards and a large queue of cars for the ferries - all the hovercraft had been cancelled. Out the breakwater into mountainous seas. Pretty much everyone was seasick - I saw a number of the crew throwing up, and some of the toilets were closed because their floor were literally awash with, err, “carrots”. Two hours into the 90 minute crossing my Dad - fresh from the vomitory - noticed some lights off the Starboard beam disappearing to the stern, and enquired of the crew where we were. Dover was full, and we were doing circles between Dover and Folkestone awaiting a free berth. A further 2 hours later we docked at Dover 1, being pushed in by two tugs. We were then turned over by customs (on a work to rule IIRC) and when we finally got to the A20 my Dad pulled over in the first layby and promptly went to sleep for half an hour.
2) Wellington to Picton across the Cook Strait. My first and last sea ferry crossing since the Channel Tunnel opened. I’d been warned. It was, apparently, an average crossing. I flew back.
No!
You win!
1) returning from Spain on my first (and last) foreign summer holiday with my parents on 30/8/87. Arrived Calais around sunset after a day and a half’s drive up the N20 to see the flags out like boards and a large queue of cars for the ferries - all the hovercraft had been cancelled. Out the breakwater into mountainous seas. Pretty much everyone was seasick - I saw a number of the crew throwing up, and some of the toilets were closed because their floor were literally awash with, err, “carrots”. Two hours into the 90 minute crossing my Dad - fresh from the vomitory - noticed some lights off the Starboard beam disappearing to the stern, and enquired of the crew where we were. Dover was full, and we were doing circles between Dover and Folkestone awaiting a free berth. A further 2 hours later we docked at Dover 1, being pushed in by two tugs. We were then turned over by customs (on a work to rule IIRC) and when we finally got to the A20 my Dad pulled over in the first layby and promptly went to sleep for half an hour.
2) Wellington to Picton across the Cook Strait. My first and last sea ferry crossing since the Channel Tunnel opened. I’d been warned. It was, apparently, an average crossing. I flew back.
I have many more good than bad memories of sea travel, do others agree?
No!
Not a personal experience, but one of a former girlfriend.
She was traveling Heysham-Douglas on the Manx Viking (Sealink Manx Line), late 70's early 80's.
They left Heysham on time, heading into a gale, by the time they got to Douglas the weather made entrance to the harbour impossible, so they returned to Heysham. By the time they got back, Heysham was also impossible, but Douglas was open again - so they turned round once again and headed for Douglas - only for it to be closed again when they got there. So back to Heysham in hope of better weather......but the better weather never came so the ship headed for the protection of the Clyde and weathered the storm.
Eventually as casualties grew desperation kicked in and the ship was taken to the west side of the Island and tied up alongside at Peel, to be met by a cavalcade of ambulances. Thirty six hours after departure.
No linkspan at Peel, so the smashed cars couldn't be offloaded until the weather abated enough to take the ship to Douglas two days later. Allegedly many of the vehicles were simply dragged / scraped off the cardeck by a bulldozer
You win!