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Wayne.B

On Tue, 06 May 2008 11:09:45 -0400, wrote:

it's a rare DAILY weather prediction in the
LIS in summer that doesn't include a warning about, "chance of
lightning storms". These are generally very localized, powerful and
usually short duration. In addition to the sudden strong gusts and
cloud to water lightning strikes all around you (hopefully not cloud
to you!), visibility can go from 2 miles to 2 inches incredibly fast.

Been there, done that, and yes it can be awesome for a short time.

It's a whole different thing however to be offshore in or near a
hurricane, or in a full gale. The highest waves I've ever seen in 30+
years of sailing LIS were in the 10 to 12 foot range. On the open
ocean 10 to 12 footers are routine windy day conditions. Gale force
conditions on the ocean frequently last for 2 or 3 days. That's when
the boats and people start breaking.