Al K wrote:

we ww paddlers tend to think ww is tougher than sea, but wind does make sea
conditions as tough as any ww. i've been brought to a halt in my 19'
racing sea kayak by winds and surfed unexpected, large waves on "fla****er".
infact, that why I think "fla****er" is a misnomer and "sea" is a better
term for non-ww.

Don't worry Al, I've encountered some pretty big waves at sea during
bofors 8 winds (gale force?), one of which rose in front of me and a
friend for maybe 15ft, both of us looked at each other with disbelief...
Then it collapsed on us, and it felt like being run over by a big truck.
Good thing we tucked in just before it came down. Managing to get
through the break only three times during a ninety minute interval was
pretty tough as well. So I've got a healthy respect for the power of the
sea!

Doesn't mean that I am not more worried about big holes and strainers...
Because I tend to chose to be on the sea when conditions aren't that
bad, I don't encounter the big waves that often any more. I don't really
feel any need to do so.

--
Wilko van den Bergh wilkoa t)dse(d o tnl
Eindhoven The Netherlands Europe
---Look at the possibilities, don't worry about the limitations.---
http://kayaker.nl/