Bart Senior wrote:
These are people who probably don't know how to sail. If they
learned on small boats they would understand how powerful the
wind really is.

I think that's a BIG issue. Most of these people don't know how to sail
a small boat (ie *really* sail) and don't want to learn; but I also
think there is the issue of not spending very much time on their boat
and not spending much money on their boat. OTOH I feel that if one
cannot afford to spend fifty or a hundred bucks on new dock lines, or
unwilling to, then one probably can't (or should not attempt to) afford
the boat.

But you could be too harsh in applying this kind of thinking... I spent
a few hours before the hurricane helping one of my wife's friends, who
is trying valiantly to keep her father's boat while on a very tight budget.

Then there's the guy with a lavishly equipped Colin Archer type of forty
feet or so, who sent his daughter and son-in-law who know nothing about
seamanship and care less, to secure the boat for the hurricane. Spent
some time helping them too, the son-in-law said that the old boy would
be better off watching Popeye cartoons. His boat was lavish but
dishevelled & disorganized, an accident waiting to happen (but for
different reasons).

Fresh Breezes- Doug King