One of the basic safety principles for cruisers is not to head out in a gale. It stands to reason. Below is one of a series of photos that reinforce the point. This sailor set out in 9-10 meter seas! It was a less than successful outing. You can see the full series here.
Thanks to Brian from A Movable Bridge for sending them.
You do have to wonder, “What was that skipper thinking?”
Or maybe, “What was he ON?” (No, I can’t see the cockpit clearly in these photos, but I’ll bet dollars to donuts the skipper is “he” and not “she.” Listen to Alice.)
I’m sure this series of photos will go down in the Internet annals as a classic.
Sail World’s follow up wasn’t bad either:
http://tinyurl.com/o4zloh
Amazing that both yachts survived.
I’m particularly impressed by the close spacing of the breakers. Getting through that on a windsurfer would require a great deal of air time. I would also think that returning would pose some…um…challenges.
As for the 9 meter seas, Yowza!