On Wed, 15 Oct 2008 14:13:18 -0400, "Wilbur Hubbard"
wrote:

Instead, you have large,
long period waves with crests that are not breaking or anything close to
breaking

That's on a good day, and then there are the others.

It does not take a wave to throw a boat into a broach if it is dead
down wind with the main sheeted in hard. Any strong gust will do.