"Joe" wrote
http://lifesjestbook.typepad.com/men..._storm_001.jpg

That picture shows how far the Andrea Gail has to fall and tumble. You just
can't punch through a wave with a little boat. (unless your driving a submarine)
You can't make a whole boat sink under a wave with power. It will stay on the
surface. If it's long, really long, longer than the wave length then maybe the bow
will go under for a few seconds as the wave sweeps along the hull but the whole
boat isn't punching under the surface.
Back to the small boat.... The minute water from the wave gets inside the diesel air
intake there goes the engine. Then the boat's dead in the water. Under water if
the crest falls on it. So what happens you get rolled and slammed off the top of
the wave all the way to the bottom.
http://www.indiana.edu/%7Eg131/waves4.gif
If the Andrea Gail would've tried to surf the wave to get out of the way
of the breaking crest they would've had a chance at least. The way they tried
to do it was a death sentence. I don't think real ships captains would try to power
straight up a wave like that. Where's Otn when we need him? I bet he wouldn't power
his pilot boat with it's two powerful diesels straight up a rogue wave face.
That reminds me something I was gonna ask him..... Who drives the pilot boat out
to the ship and who drives it back? Do pilots ever drive the pilot boat or do they just
go along for the ride and pilot the ships they're put on.

Cheers,
Ellen