"Wayne.B" wrote

This is not a good time of year for heroic offshore passages.

Excellent advice. My first experience offshore was in early October. We
blew the mainsail out below the first reef three hours out of Newport. We
blew out a sail every night and I sewed for hours. I saw the 100 foot North
Sea pilot schooner completely underwater at one point with just two masts
sticking above the sea. The steel foremast was found cracked half way
around from the impact shortly after she docked in Bermuda.

--
Roger Long