"Stephen Trapani" wrote in message
...
KLC Lewis wrote:
"John Reimer" wrote in message
...
Is there a general rule of thumb on what size of seas become inherently
unsafe for a particular size of boat?

I know there's no firm answer to this, water is unsafe period, and you
can be enjoying the trqnquility of 1 foot swells and have Mr. Whale
decide to knock on your keel to say hello

But is there a general traditional guideline or at least in terms of
what size seas vs boat size that starts making YOU uncomfortable and
more concerned beyond the vigilance water should always be respected
with?

Thanks,
John

If breaking waves are equal in height to the beam of your boat, you are
in danger of capsize. From wave heights at half your beam to full beam,
you are likely to be uncomfortable, and handling your boat will be
increasingly difficult and strenuous. As for vigilance, whatever wave
height strikes you as uncomfortable and unsafe below that point is
correct for you. But wave *shape* and interval has more to do with it, in
my opinion, than just height. Pacific rollers of 6-8 feet can be quite
safe and comfortable, while Green Bay short sharp waves of 5-6 feet are
just plain dangerous.

I think this is a bit deceptive. "Waves" are almost never encountered in
the open ocean except in shallows. "Swells" are what the sea is filled
with and other than comfort, there is no minimum size of boat making
swells safer. It's the construction and design of the boat that matters,
not size.

Stephen

But you are concentrating on the open ocean, while most sailing is done in
coastal waters and lakes. And even on the ocean, you have a combination of
waves and swells. At river mouths, you also have conflicting waves caused by
river current meeting ocean swell and waves. Even in Green Bay, such as is
the case at the Memominee River Channel, the chop caused by the river
flowing out into waves from any eastern-component wind can make for very
messy -- even very dangerous -- conditions.