Thanks. 

  I think it's one of those things that might not make one's mental radar unless the event has been experienced.  It's easy to intellectualize why we should or shouldn't address a risk, particularly if that risk has always been present in a sport. 

  It's an entirely different thing to feel the risk.  It was unpleasant to watch that deck slowly rise towards vertical, realizing I had one more chance to release the sheet that was jammed before going over, with the best case being that I'd be upside down in cold water, under the boat, with no boats around to help out, and a minimum of $5k to $10k of damage. 

  Plus, feeling the power of the wind like that is very different thank talking about it.  I know that the weather was extremely mild that day compared to things I've experienced on larger boats, but the absolute wind speed doesn't matter if the boat is going over or the sails are bouncing you around the deck while the boat veers the wrong way and there's no autopilot to help out.

  More importantly, I couldn't imagine how I'd feel if I were out in the open water with my family and the boat actually went over.  Would my wife and daughter make it?  What if they didn't?

  I'd have a hard time processing that situation if I knew there were a way to gracefully handle that scenario with a different design.

  I get that fear can be fun.  Heck, I used to ride a Honda scooter around in Philadelphia traffic, in the rain, at night, strangely happy to have to be completely alert and on top of everything, ready for potholes, oil slicks, and drivers who didn't see me (or who did, but didn't care).  Sometimes I wonder what I was thinking.

  But I can also tell you that, had I the option to purchase a scooter that could safely handle a crash with another vehicle, I would have taken it.

       - Mike

 

Wonderful story and conclusions, Mike. How come so few "get it".?