You're right, that's a bad story. But, a legitimate sea-story still.
As much as I hate being cold, I just can't imagine being in a place like that on the water.
There's stuff up there that even having seen it doesnt' help trying to imagine it. The Gulf of Alaska, at times, has waves that are of biblical proportions. Sometimes they just appear out of nowwhere for no good reason.
I had one crossing of the Gulf of AK in the Resolute... and for the whole crossing it was just like glass. The whole thing. Not a ripple. It was creepy, and everybody on board thought the same thing. It was like walking up the back of a giant sleeping snake.