On Sat, 18 Nov 2006 08:30:22 -0500, Gogarty
wrote:

At least one like this turns up every single year. A friend of ours set
off from New York for Bermuda in an Amel 40 with one crew in
mid-November. They made it but not before being knocked down several
times. And this fellow was no amateur. Came to New York from Venezuela,
continued on to Europe andf is now back in Venezuela. Winter North
Atlantic is tough.

It certainly is, even without a storm or major frontal system. 20 to
25 kt winds and 10 to 15 ft seas are average conditions, and then it
starts to *really* blow every 4 or 5 days. At least they were in a 40
ft boat that was well shaken down instead of a recently purchased 35.

It has been my experience that virtually all used boats have some sort
of deferred maintenance issue not discovered in the survey or sea
trial. The surveyor just does not have time to poke into everything
and take the boat apart.