On Tue, 28 Dec 2004 19:20:29 GMT, "Roger Long"
wrote:

With the benefit of some professional involvement in sailing vessel safety
and accident investigation, I found his account quite convincing. I would
fault him only for failure to control the use of the radio.

Yes, that's what I got from it. He was good on sailing the boat and
keeping his OWN nerve, but for whatever reason (bad judgment in taking
newbie crew aboard in the first place?) he could neither convey this
to the crew nor control them by example.

Whatever the dynamics were (and I can't blame anyone inexperienced for
losing it in appalling conditions), it's a tribute to the Westsail 32
that it rode out the storm and was salvaged by its owner (dumb luck!)
to continue to have a good life as a famous little tank of a sailboat.

R.