AMSTERDAM -- According to scientists at the Onzin Institute, the message on the old bumper sticker is absolutely true: Boaters DO make better lovers.

In its four-year study, “Environmental Effects on the Virility Index,” the Onzin Institute
measured human sexual drive, ability and potency on a standardized scale called the Virility Index. A total of 2,000 Dutch couples participated in research through a variety of sensors and heat-sensing video cameras, measuring reactions when they were presented with stimuli and during sex.

The result? Participants who listed “boating/sailing” among their top three leisure activities scored nearly double the average on the Virility Index. And those listing their occupation as “maritime” scored higher than participants who worked on shore.

“We think that it may have something to do with the inner ear, or it may be due to the strengthening of core muscles as the body compensates for the rocking motion found at sea,” Onzin Institute director Dr. Hijgen Krachtig told the Web site yachtpals.com. “Although one of my colleagues has suggested that maybe sailors are just better used to making love in uncomfortable environments.”

A follow-up questionnaire did not find any significant difference in Virility Index results between owners of different types of boats or different sizes of vessels, “indicating that it is not the size of the boat which makes the difference, but rather the motion of the ocean,” yachtpals.com reported.