Fear of sailing

Following on from the fear of flying thread. As someone who fears flying, I love being on ships. Planes have a far way to come down so its the fear for me of the time inbetween knowing and then dying. Takeoffs, don't even go there since there's the danger of engine failure seconds in and I might be awake while mangled on the runway. Valium rules.

I'm not a proper swimmer, but love being on water rather than in it. I've had a whale of a time on some really choppy boat trips around the world while those around me were physically green around the gills. I always thought that was just a saying, but the first time I saw the almost luminous green face of this one poor guy on a ropey trip to Calais I could not stop staring (think HD green vision), it was fascinating. In the end I felt so sorry for him and his constant dry retching (while his own family were taking the mick) I went and found some dry toast for him with water and coaxed him into chewing little bits and taking on water. He was grateful for having something proper to bring up although most of it did stay down.

I have so many boat trip memories. A speed boat ride through and then around the edge of Sydney Harbour; Sailing into the Barrier Reef; A party of 10 boat trip hired by a good mate living in Spain down the south bit where you can see Africa on a clear day who invited her closest friends over for her 50th and we got to see dancing dolphins but better yet the school of pilot whales that swam along side us (engine off) and sprayed us with their water spouts, for their own amusement I like to think; Sailing up the Nile on a private faluka for my 50th birthday courtesy of Mohammed. Plenty more but those are the closest to mind.