You're right, I think it was pure luck. Although sea-sickness is the source of much humour I think we all know that when you see somebody suffering from it, sometimes severely, it isn't funny.
I'm sure we've all been through those days of rough weather when you're not so much sea sick, but sick of the sea as you jam yourself into your bunk while the ship does a passable impression of a roller coaster combined with the waltzers on a fairground.
And then there's that
'whiplash' business when the ship takes a big greenie and the aft end goes into a mad jumping up and down spree. I've seen a game of
'Risk' in the bar turn into a real battle as all the pieces get scattered about the board. (No thought that the ship might be breaking up, just that the current invasion of Europe with little wooden blocks has been interrupted.
)