"Veridican" wrote in message

I sail on the ocean, and I've sailed in 25 knot winds. Anyone who acts like
that is a walk in the park doesn't sail; they only talk about it.


Its more like a jog in the park, Ed. I'll admit that 35+ starts feeling more
like survival than pleasure boating, but I enjoy it, probably because its the
only "survival sport" I feel qualified to participate in.

However, 25 knots is not that big of a deal. I've sailed in those conditions
many, many times. Frankly, there was a period when I didn't bother to go out
unless it was blowing over 20 knots. Nowadays, we might not go out for a day
sail in 25 knots, especially if we have lubberly guests, but a forecast of 25
wouldn't affect our travel plans unless it was dead on the nose and we were
looking for an excuse to stay put. In fact, our last trip home was in those
conditions.

I'll admit that there's a lot fewer boats out when its blowing a bit, but that's
as it should be, since most smaller boats aren't really built to handle it and
certainly aren't comfortable. But there are lot of boats that are quite
capable of handling 25 knots in comfort. Frankly, the wind really isn't the
issue at all, its the seas. Here in New England a brisk NW breeze is offshore
and 25 knots is not that big an issue. A Nor'easter, however, might be another
story.