In a much larger vessel, I stay at the slip when the wind is expected at around 20 to 25 knots... sheez, what were they thinking? Checking the weather would be the first line of defense...even for a dummie like me.
These are football players we're talking about..
Forecast for >20 knot winds, >10' seas, 21' boat, >30+ miles from shore, treacherous Gulf........ nope, that certainly isn't a Rhodes Scholar equation...
As one who has survived seas equal in height to the length of our boat --- one can NEVER underestimate the danger of high winds and seas.....
I’m a Great Lakes boater and I sure as h3LL wouldn’t be anchored 35 miles out with 20 knot winds in my 25 foot single screw. What on earth were they thinking taking a small craft like that so far out in the ocean when they knew heavier seas were in the forecast?
No fish is worth that! Up here we have to worry about the silly fishermen on the ice floes.
I used to rush to the slip in order to take advantage of winds greater than 25 knots! A real blast in a sail boat designed for heavy weather.