Thanks for the useful report from the Hull-Rotterdam route Tony. That doesn't sound a sensible arrangement at all. Best to take your own strap I think.

....... not if you've got sea-legs as wobbly as mine.....!
Had some pretty bad crossings but never a problem with the bike or any neighbour's. There'll alway be help if you're unsure.

Anyone remember the Isle of Man cattle steamers of the 60s? King Orry, Ben-my-Chree, Mona’s Isle?
All the bikes were parked 5 or 6 abreast in the gangways, leaning up against stout timber doors along the in-board side of the gangway. For each brace of bikes the crew would tie a rope to the outside footrest of the outer-most bike, stretch it over the seats of the other bikes and tie it to a huge handle on the door.
On the doors was proudly stencilled, in large letters, the word 'Lifejackets'......

What used to worry me was not so much the state of the sea, but the shaking of the engines. On one crossing, sunny and warm, we sat on large bench seats which were up-turned life-rafts, out in the open on an upper deck. The vibration was so bad it was impossible to sit stationary on the bench. However much you held on you were propelled along the bench until one-by-one we all fell off the end, pushed there by the vibration. (Definitely not by the )
But at least we were free to wander along the gangways to check our bikes weren't heading towards the railings.

IIRC there were a fair number of bikes damaged on the crossings each year.

__________________
TTR250 - London to Cape Town