Sick of it

So with so many people cruising these day, it still surprises how many of them still worry about sea sickness, the most popular topic when discussing sea sickness is the Bay Of Biscay, I’m often asked “Ooh I’m a little worried about the Bay Of Biscay, what will it be like and why is it always so rocky in that area”

Well for all those nervous cruisers, the answer to your question is below

Some of the fiercest weather conditions of the Atlantic Ocean can be witnessed in the Biscay Bay. The area is home to large storms during the winter months and there have been countless ship wrecks reported from the area as a result of the gruesome weather. The late spring and the early summer in the area are cool and cloudy and large fog triangles fill the south-western part of the inlet.

The weather in the Bay of Biscay is the most vital thing to be worried and talked about. As winters begin, the weather turns harsh and severe. Depressions are formed and enter the bay from the west. They eventually dry out and are born again in form of thunderstorms. They also bring in constant rain in the region often bringing thunderstorm that look like hurricane and crash at the bay. One such example can be the Klaus Strom.

The Bay of Biscay has always been feared by the seamen. There have been several incidents reported of merchant vessels loosing direction in Biscay storms. At few instances lives have been lost as a result. However, with improved ships and other amenities, the accidents have been reduced to considerable amounts.

Ships going to the Mediterranean chose options like the French river rather than taking the route from Biscay Bay due to the legendary reputation of the bay. Many times, the Atlantic swells form near the coasts and often make many ports inaccessible.

There have been quite a few incidents in the recent years of ships facing difficulties, sometimes resulting in grave consequences. In May 2000 two yachts faced disastrous journey even when they left with no signs of bad weather in the Bay of Biscay.

It’s not now that the Bay is feared. It has been an age old story dating back to the beginning of the Second World War. Located between France and Spain, the bay has been dangerous and often feared. The German U boats ruled the Bay and many British and American ships were reported sunk that entered her waters. There were as many as 15,000 casualties and another 5,000 ships that sunk. Despite the danger faced by the ships, they had no choice but to take the route so as to reach with supplies as well as troops to France.

Bay of Biscay, Spanish Golfo De Vizcaya, French Golfe De Gascogne,  wide inlet of the North Atlantic Ocean indenting the coast of western Europe. Forming a roughly triangular body with an area of about 86,000 square miles (223,000 square km), it is bounded on the east by the west coast of France and on the south by the north coast of Spain. Its maximum depth, a little south of its centre, is 15,525 feet (4,735 m). The principal rivers flowing into the bay are the Loire, the Adour, and the Dordogne and Garonne, which form the Gironde Estuary.

The Continental shelf is up to about 100 miles (160 km) wide off the coast of Brittany but narrows to less than 40 miles (65 km) off the Spanish shore. The edge of the shelf and the continental slope are dissected by numerous submarine canyons of which that of Cape Breton, in the south eastern corner of the bay, is one of the largest. Beyond the continental slope lies the Biscay Abyssal Plain, with depths of about 15,000 feet (4,550 m), which occupies about half the area of the bay. Much of it has a very flat topography.

The surface currents of the Bay of Biscay are influenced by the clockwise circulation in the North Atlantic that produces a clockwise circulation in the bay. The range of mean spring tides is about 20 feet (6 m) on the French coast at the northern end of the bay near Quessant Island, decreasing southward to about 12 feet (3.5 m) in the southeastern angle near Biarritz. The Bay of Biscay is noted among sailors for its rough seas. Gales can be severe and may exceed 70 miles (113 km) per hour. Squalls are also a hazard to navigation and may occur at any time of year. The climate on shore is maritime, with mild winters and cool summers.

and in simple terms take a look below

However no need to worry as all modern cruise ships have stabilizers and I’m very sure they are overworked when passing through the Bay Of Biscay.