One time I rode on a dive boat out to Catalina. We had some intense Santa Ana's blowing. By the time it was time to return to San Pedro, the seas had really picked up quite a bit. We had to tack in order to avoid having scuba tanks come loose from their hold downs (and, um, other problems ;). Even so, it was pretty hairy. That time if not 20 footers it was darn close to it.
Of course that was a 100 foot boat. It gets a lot more hairy in something like a 30 foot sloop or a fishing boat of that size or smaller ... then you are literally surfing. Better hope whoever is at the tiller has a feel for that sort of thing! :-)
I couldn't agree more. Having been out there numerous times, I have developed a great respect for the waters out there. I remember when some guy did the surfboard thing from LB to Catalina. Crazy!