Well, that’s odd of Google then. I’m not sure I can think of a case where “suit” would be a valid translation of “complot”.
Complot can usually be translated as “conspiracy” or “plot”. Really, etymologically “complot” means “plot by multiple people”, since the “com” suffix means “with others”, like in company, community, communication, and so on and so forth.
Dumb American with a question. My definition of “ferry” is a boat that you drive onto to cross a body of water, such as Lake Michigan. The trip is maybe two-and-a-half hours, and then you drive off. I can’t conceive of a ferry where there is a bar, restaurants, and night-time activities. What body of water is this ferry crossing?
They have ones like this all over the Mediterranean. I think they have quite a few in Japan too. I think the best way to think about these types of ferries (not as common in the US or Canada) is if cruise ships are luxury resort hotels these are more like a Holiday Inn or Motel 6; modest accommodations for overnight passengers.
That used to be called The Oslo Boat but has now been rebranded Go Nordic Cruiselines.
The old name was good and clearly communicated what it was (a boat) and where it went (Oslo*).
New name? What is it? It sounds somewhat maritime so probably still a boat? Where does it go? All over the Nordic region? No! Just between Copenhagen and Oslo!
*Unless, admittedly, you were already in Oslo in which case it went to Copenhagen.
I appreciate a person with the moral fortitude to close their parentheses even if it takes a second comment. You, sir, are an inspiration in these troubled times.
The ferry I took from Algeciras, Spain to Tangier in Morocco a couple years back didn’t have sleeping cabins (just a 2-3 hour trip across the Straits of Gibraltar) but it did have a big room reserved for Islamic prayer and there was a big bingo parlor/karaoke bar on the other side.
The North Sea. The Hull crossings to Rotterdam (NL) and Zeebrugge (Belgium) are/have been overnight, about 11 hours, departing at 8 pm. They’re not quite this well appointed, but they’re certainly set up to cater to those who’d rather stay up all night as well as those who just want a cabin to sleep in.
There are short ferry routes from Britain to the continent (the 90 minute or so crossings of the straits of Dover) but pretty much all of the other routes are long enough to have overnight crossings with beds and bars and a captive audience for anything they think they can make money out of.
Thank you for asking, because I was still trying to wrap my head around these ferries as well. Very kind of everyone pointing out the context clues, I just do so much research in my day job that choosing to just take everything at face value with a bit of mystery is my version of living on the edge.
The European definition of a ferry is similar, except that a two hour trip wouldn’t enough to enable the main feature: entering international waters, thus allowing for tax-free shopping and cheap drinking.
Various Scandinavian/Baltic bodies of water offer a lot of the same lifestyle. Used to be Esbjerg (DK) to Harwich (UK) was an infamous example but unfortunately they closed that route some years ago what with the competition from cheap Irish flights and whatnot
The story’s called “Hull or High Water” and they’re on the Rotterdam ferry (https://badmachinery.com/comic/2026-03-11/), so by a process of deduction it’s the Hull to Rotterdam ferry; in these benighted Sealink-less times the entertainment options are presumably less expansive but I will note the P&O website is coy about what exactly the “live shows” it touts on that crossing are… https://www.poferries.com/en/onboard#route
(Reading that site and discovering there are meeting spaces for corporate hire on the Hull to Rotterdam ferry has changed my life in a small but measurable way; in what direction is less certain.)
I know that Go-Kart Conspiracy is a reference to an old comic, but the only cite I can find is in the comments to We didn’t vote for it! from last year, and that as a reference to an even older comic. If anyone remembers where there was an original mention of Go-Kart Conspiracy, please add it here.
There was also a beautiful large drawing of the whole band performing at one point. Like a splash page og something. I don’t know where to find it now, unfortunately
If my memory is working correctly, “Go-Kart Conspiracy” was at one point going to be its own story, but John never completed it. I think they may have also appeared in one of the short Desmond Fishman stories at some point, maybe when Des ran for office?
Lottie also refers to “my old band” while pulling a binder labelled “GO-KART CONSPIRACY” out of hammer space in the Boys Like Fun arc.
Speaking of hammers, “So many hammers, so many homes!” I think that was from a G-KC song (it was definitely Shauna). I don’t have time right now to find where that one came up.
Didn’t the band appear in its entirety (Little Claire, Shauna, Lottie, and Blossom) perform “Homes Under The Hammer” at Shelley’s baby shower for Peggy during the conclusion of “Hard Yards”, whereupon Mildred remarked to Linton that she found their music “inferior to silence”?
The Lynch allusion here only hit me on a subconscious level when I read this on Pateron, but that stage is very Mulholland Drive. And on a ridiculous pun level, perhaps it is appropriate that it appears at a time when Glerm is MULLing over HOLLAND as a future abode. I don’t suppose that pun was on purpose, but future literary scholars may mine its depths.
Seems there are a few Lynchian characters onboard in Panel 3.
I loved the pacing here, as between panels 2 and 3, Glung’s internal monologue takes a turn into hard-boiled, terribly-calibrated self-talk unbecoming of a careers counselor, and he is instantly beckoned into a hypnotically seedy ferry nightlight to rival any Amsterdam fever dream.
I was thinking Blue Velvet in the top of the page and then it was the big red curtain, capped by the Silencio! Plus the tractors. That is easily 3 films.
Your cross-channel ferries have come a long way since I rode in one.
Then again, that was in 1966.
And I was a 9-year-old travelling with my parents.
I did make friends with a Dutch boy my age who was also with his family.
“Complot de Karting” looks a lot like “Freedom of Movement”. Will they sing “Plonky Plonk”? I love that song.
Crud. “Ponky Ponk”. I should like it enough to get the darn name right.
Plonky Plonk was good too – was that The Cheeky Girls?
“Go-Kart Conspiracy”
Google Translate renders it “Karting Suit”.
Well, that’s odd of Google then. I’m not sure I can think of a case where “suit” would be a valid translation of “complot”.
Complot can usually be translated as “conspiracy” or “plot”. Really, etymologically “complot” means “plot by multiple people”, since the “com” suffix means “with others”, like in company, community, communication, and so on and so forth.
GT confuses complot with complet (as a noun: a men’s suit).
Probably refers to a lawsuit, which, in some instances, could constitute a… plot?
For me, it translated to “Go-Kart Plot.”
¡No! ¡Hay! ¡Banda!
There is no band!
Il n’y a pas d’orchestra!
(It’s a ferry, they just don’t have the budget for one)
<3
X
Are you angling for a Mackesons endorsement, perchance, John?
Glerm is just a little old lady at heart.
Looked up Mackesons and… milk stout? Mind boggled. Can’t even imagine.
Milk stout is made with lactose as the main sugar — not fermented milk. A common offering from U.S. microbrewers, but the style originated in the U.K.
What boggles my mind is the session-level ABV.
..aka, moldy bread has more alcohol..
Looks like some adult-themed entertainment is available here. Most of the ferries I’ve ever been on did not serve that kind of audience!
I’ve bin on a few ferries where there might have been some available, strictly unofficial though and, i hasten to add, strictly not for me.
The seedy underbelly of the ferry lifestyle!
I would pay to see Go-Kart Conspiracy!
Not sure Glermm feels the same way…
I had to remind myself of the lyrics to Ponky Ponk…
https://badmachinery.com/comic/ponky-ponk/
Just as awesome the second time around!
Dumb American with a question. My definition of “ferry” is a boat that you drive onto to cross a body of water, such as Lake Michigan. The trip is maybe two-and-a-half hours, and then you drive off. I can’t conceive of a ferry where there is a bar, restaurants, and night-time activities. What body of water is this ferry crossing?
Look up “Cruiseferry” in Wikipedia for a reasonable introduction.
They have ones like this all over the Mediterranean. I think they have quite a few in Japan too. I think the best way to think about these types of ferries (not as common in the US or Canada) is if cruise ships are luxury resort hotels these are more like a Holiday Inn or Motel 6; modest accommodations for overnight passengers.
With live music, cinema, and Girls, Girls, GIRLS!
I took an over-nighter from Oslo to Copenhagen…everything but bowling allies and indoor skiing.
That used to be called The Oslo Boat but has now been rebranded Go Nordic Cruiselines.
The old name was good and clearly communicated what it was (a boat) and where it went (Oslo*).
New name? What is it? It sounds somewhat maritime so probably still a boat? Where does it go? All over the Nordic region? No! Just between Copenhagen and Oslo!
*Unless, admittedly, you were already in Oslo in which case it went to Copenhagen.
Per the website (in our world) the Hull to Rotterdam ferry takes about 11 hours, overnight. Sleeping cabins available.
(And to directly answer the question, it was previously stated in-comic the ferry was from Hull to Rotterdam. So the body of water is the North Sea.
)
I appreciate a person with the moral fortitude to close their parentheses even if it takes a second comment. You, sir, are an inspiration in these troubled times.
… punctual
The ferry I took from Algeciras, Spain to Tangier in Morocco a couple years back didn’t have sleeping cabins (just a 2-3 hour trip across the Straits of Gibraltar) but it did have a big room reserved for Islamic prayer and there was a big bingo parlor/karaoke bar on the other side.
You really don’t want to get those mixed up. Scuffling might ensue.
The North Sea. The Hull crossings to Rotterdam (NL) and Zeebrugge (Belgium) are/have been overnight, about 11 hours, departing at 8 pm. They’re not quite this well appointed, but they’re certainly set up to cater to those who’d rather stay up all night as well as those who just want a cabin to sleep in.
There are short ferry routes from Britain to the continent (the 90 minute or so crossings of the straits of Dover) but pretty much all of the other routes are long enough to have overnight crossings with beds and bars and a captive audience for anything they think they can make money out of.
Thank you for asking, because I was still trying to wrap my head around these ferries as well. Very kind of everyone pointing out the context clues, I just do so much research in my day job that choosing to just take everything at face value with a bit of mystery is my version of living on the edge.
The European definition of a ferry is similar, except that a two hour trip wouldn’t enough to enable the main feature: entering international waters, thus allowing for tax-free shopping and cheap drinking.
Various Scandinavian/Baltic bodies of water offer a lot of the same lifestyle. Used to be Esbjerg (DK) to Harwich (UK) was an infamous example but unfortunately they closed that route some years ago what with the competition from cheap Irish flights and whatnot
You don’t know the life of a showgirl.
The story’s called “Hull or High Water” and they’re on the Rotterdam ferry (https://badmachinery.com/comic/2026-03-11/), so by a process of deduction it’s the Hull to Rotterdam ferry; in these benighted Sealink-less times the entertainment options are presumably less expansive but I will note the P&O website is coy about what exactly the “live shows” it touts on that crossing are… https://www.poferries.com/en/onboard#route
(Reading that site and discovering there are meeting spaces for corporate hire on the Hull to Rotterdam ferry has changed my life in a small but measurable way; in what direction is less certain.)
This was supposed to be a reply to Greg, sorry!
GO-KART CONSPIRACY!
I know that Go-Kart Conspiracy is a reference to an old comic, but the only cite I can find is in the comments to We didn’t vote for it! from last year, and that as a reference to an even older comic. If anyone remembers where there was an original mention of Go-Kart Conspiracy, please add it here.
Right here, panel 3…
Oop, forgont the link…
https://scarygoround.com/badmachinery/?pg=1265#showComic
Oh, Go-Kart Conthpiracy!
Now we remember…
I’m so steeped in the Tackleverse that I though they were an actual band in the non-Tackleverse.
There was also a beautiful large drawing of the whole band performing at one point. Like a splash page og something. I don’t know where to find it now, unfortunately
If my memory is working correctly, “Go-Kart Conspiracy” was at one point going to be its own story, but John never completed it. I think they may have also appeared in one of the short Desmond Fishman stories at some point, maybe when Des ran for office?
Lottie also refers to “my old band” while pulling a binder labelled “GO-KART CONSPIRACY” out of hammer space in the Boys Like Fun arc.
Speaking of hammers, “So many hammers, so many homes!” I think that was from a G-KC song (it was definitely Shauna). I don’t have time right now to find where that one came up.
Didn’t the band appear in its entirety (Little Claire, Shauna, Lottie, and Blossom) perform “Homes Under The Hammer” at Shelley’s baby shower for Peggy during the conclusion of “Hard Yards”, whereupon Mildred remarked to Linton that she found their music “inferior to silence”?
The Lynch allusion here only hit me on a subconscious level when I read this on Pateron, but that stage is very Mulholland Drive. And on a ridiculous pun level, perhaps it is appropriate that it appears at a time when Glerm is MULLing over HOLLAND as a future abode. I don’t suppose that pun was on purpose, but future literary scholars may mine its depths.
Seems there are a few Lynchian characters onboard in Panel 3.
I loved the pacing here, as between panels 2 and 3, Glung’s internal monologue takes a turn into hard-boiled, terribly-calibrated self-talk unbecoming of a careers counselor, and he is instantly beckoned into a hypnotically seedy ferry nightlight to rival any Amsterdam fever dream.
I was thinking Blue Velvet in the top of the page and then it was the big red curtain, capped by the Silencio! Plus the tractors. That is easily 3 films.
Glen is in for a weird one.
Sealink-cio
Way!
I really, truly wonder what I’d be feeling here if I was Glurn. Heart-warming moment but steeped with intense fear.
Nothing is impossible for Lottie and Claire, but I would love to know how they did that. They look fabulous!
The sign on the far left of panel 2 reads, in full, ‘TABLETS (Stugeron)’.
*Panel 3, soz
My first beer. Little tins of Mackies on Caernarfon promenade with my mum. Gwerm has regressed to childhood as a trauma response.
Your cross-channel ferries have come a long way since I rode in one.
Then again, that was in 1966.
And I was a 9-year-old travelling with my parents.
I did make friends with a Dutch boy my age who was also with his family.
Complot de Karting, ce n’est pas l’ancien groupe de musique de Xhauna ?
Oui, mon ami.
C’est formidable!
Ou est la plume de ma tante?
La plume est sur la table
(3 years of High School not wasted…)
Ou est la bibliotheque?
Le singe est dans l’arbre
Mon aéroglisseur est plein d’anguilles
Panel 3 is a real feast for the 👁️
Steve Marsh has been on several overnight ferries
Huh, when I take Stugeron I just go to sleep, I feel like I’ve been missing out on ferry-based drug-infused mysterious times.
How does Stugeron go with alcohol? Is Glenn in for trouble?
God as my witness, I thought Stugeron was a fish.
(Chico Marx voice:) Hey you crazy! Stugeron, he’s a doctor cuts you open when-a you sick.
Is that the Sesh Gremlin in panel 3? it certainly looks like him.
I thought Lottie said she’s not operating any heavy machinery, but those gams are doing some industrial lifting.
You might even call it some…. Bad Machinery.
“We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold.”
I see no one remembers the heady hedonism of Triangle! Those were the days
I have developed a pressing need for some Complot de Karting band merch. Please make it happen