Weird3 min(s) read
Published 12:46 15 Jul 2026 GMT
A cruise ship that set off from the English south coast had just one hair-raising rule - clothes are not allowed. All 120 passengers were stark naked, but anyone who tried any funny business was threatened with being thrown off.
One outsider joined the naturists for Bare West’s 13th annual “Nude Cruise” along the River Exe estuary in Devon, and was shocked by how laid-back and friendly the boaters in the buff were.
According to Ben Endley, other boats that sailed past the double-decker day cruise ship laughed, waved, and some passengers also stripped off in solidarity.
Despite the generous amount of genitalia on display, organisers were very vocal about the fact that the community is not for swingers, and anybody caught trying to act inappropriately would be banned from their events for life.
One of the group’s organisers, Rachel Wick, 50, 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.
“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.
“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.
“People think you have to be beautiful, but we're all normal people of different shapes and sizes.”
Although the group was mainly made up of pensioners, drinks were flowing, and a disco took place downstairs. Some of the undressed guests wore just a money belt to carry cash for their drinks. While other guests stood around chatting in the buff, Endley noted that, nudity aside, “this could have been any other boat trip organised by a local village church group.”
The three-hour cruise was also a bargain in the buff, for just £22 ($30); the ticket also included a hot pasty.
The afternoon’s attendees collectively agree that events like this are becoming more popular as people become more open-minded and accepting of nudity outside the bedroom.
However, some passengers in their purest form claimed they do not speak openly about their penchant for having their private parts out in their day-to-day life for fear of judgement.
A man, from Plymouth, said: “My employer and child would be shocked if they knew I was doing this.
“For some reason, a lot of people for some reason associate what we do with swinging, but it doesn’t mean that.
“It’s just people wanting to take their clothes off and enjoying the freedom, nothing else.”
