On Sun, 24 Apr 2005 05:12:59 GMT, Rosalie B.
wrote:


Well a trawler is quite a bit different from a sailboat. Not much
faster, and quite a bit more uncomfortable in a seaway. I'm assuming
that he was there in the winter, and I have seen quite a bit of bad
weather pretty close together with really small weather windows. It
also might be that when a weather windows did arrive, the boat wasn't
provisioned (it's hard to stay 'ready' for 4 months) or they were
having some problem with the dinghy motor or any one of a number of
other things..

Of course he may really be chicken-little. In that case, it's just as
well that he didn't go. Wouldn't it be worse for him to go if he's
not capable of handling it just because of the scorn of people like
you?

If you've never done it before, it can be scary. That's why people
try to band into groups - as if that would really help much.

I have to say that the first time we went down the ICW (and we did not
travel with anyone) and over to the Bahamas, I was always a little
nauseated especially in the morning, but it wasn't seasickness - it
was tension. And after Bob's heart attack, getting back on the boat
and bringing it back home was also difficult for me.


grandma Rosalie

The ICW makes me nervous too! Between running aground in the center of
the channel, tides, currents, obstructions, confusing marks, bridge
schedules, nutty powerboats, and commercial shipping there are FAR
more things to worry about than in the open ocean.
I felt sorry for the guy with the trawler. He spent a lot of money on
a very seaworthy boat and really wanted to see the Bahamas. I think if
he had a hired a skipper for the crossing he would have discovered
"Hey, this isn't THAT bad - I could do this too with some experience
gained"