W P Dixon wrote:
Yep that one was silly I've never been in the Great Lakes but I sure have
been across the ocean. I have seen waves coming over the flight deck of a
carrier and destroyers spending more time under the water than on the
surface. The outside of a hurricane is a very interesting experience at sea.
I think you under estimate the power of the open sea and definitely under
estimate the ability of a professional sailor.

There is a great book out there called "Fatal Storm" about the 1998
Sydney-Hobart yacht race, which was hit by a massive storm in a similar
fashion to the 1979 Fastnet race. There are a few great stories in it
of rescues made by other sailboats and one account of an oceangoing
tramp steamer pulling alongside a stricken 40' sailboat and winching
the crew right off the deck--in Beaufort 11 conditions. Puts the
Perfect Storm to shame, largely because there were survivors to tell
what really happened. Definitely not a book to take on your next
cruise.

-cwk.