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James Moorhouse
A man who attended the UK's only naked cruise has revealed all, including one key rule all passengers on board abide by.
While some folks head on 'spicy' cruises where signs such as upside-down pineapples suggest you're up for sexual shenanigans, this naked cruise is actually far more PG, if you can believe it.
The naked cruise, which travels alongside the River Exe estuary in Devon, is simply a three-hour trip where naturism is celebrated, and it's been going on for the past 13 years now.
While there naturally might be an assumption that nakedness leads to sex, there's certainly no hotwifing or cuckolding or any other strange sex trends going on during the boat trip, at least.
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Rachel Wick, 50, a local authority administrator who has organised the annual boat trip alongside her partner Nigel since 2012, told the Sun: “It’s really sad that a large percentage of the population equate being naked only with sex - it’s not.
“If they came to our event, they would see it’s clearly not what it’s about."
Sun journalist Ben Endley was on board the naked cruise, and said it was 'remarkably normal' and 'could have been any other boat trip organised by a local village church group'.
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Upstairs, passengers mingled while buying raffle tickets, while downstairs there was a naked disco. Some people had 'special pouches to carry their bank notes and phones' so they could pay at the bar.
They also sailed past pubs and restaurants in Topsham, where the cruise was enthusiastically greeted by people on the shore, some of whom had turned up in fancy dress.
For those of you interested, the trip costs just £22 and also includes a free hot pasty.
Rachel said: "One of the things I love about it is you can’t tell from looking at all of us whether we are rich or poor, working or retired. When you can’t judge people’s status, we’re all on a level.
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“People think you have to be beautiful, but we're all normal people of different shapes and sizes.”
However, with passengers baring all, stricter rules have to be in place so everyone feels safe.
Rachel said: “If somebody misbehaves, they will be on our banned list. Not that it’s ever happened, but we’re always mindful that this has to be a safe environment because you can feel quite vulnerable when you haven’t got your clothes on."
While people might meet their soulmate during their three-hour trip, they'll have to save any of the fun stuff until after the cruise has finished, as it's something of a golden rule that it remains a safe space for everyone on board.
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Research from Goldsmiths, University of London surveying 850 Brits found that people who engaged in naturism tended to be happier.
They were more comfortable in their bodies, thought better of themselves and were more satisfied with their lives.
The longer they'd been practising naturism, and the more frequently they did it, the more positive effects they seemed to experience.
Nigel said: "The nudist world is a real mix of people, from prison officers to barristers and doctors.
“It is the sense of freedom and being relaxed in your own body that draws people in. It’s a very friendly environment.
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“If we go to a hotel, people generally don’t go out, they stay all day.
“We have never had any trouble at any event. It’s an older group, and if anybody started a fight, they’re likely going to break a hip.”