Monster Ledge NJ

[Capt. Debbie]

Agreed.

It's a comfort zone. Stretch out your adventures and get a good at it. Then add some. Until you experience a full blown squall ( 50k winds, lightning, 100foot vis and sheets of rain) you're not ready.

A squall is usually ONLY 20-30 minutes. You need experience aka sea time or sea days to become better. Everyone does. And don't bite off more than you can chew too soon.

You are Moses out there- the passengers lives are depending on you. Tough guy is only half of it and will doom you unless you know what to do and adapt running the boat to what sea conditions you're looking at AND AROUND you. All b*lls and no "heavy weather" brains gets people hurt or worse.

Sooner or later you will experience it. Know what you want to do before hand facing 30 mph winds and 12 footers. Hint: your boat's fast moving times are over then. LOL

I teach the techniques. The theory of what you must do... Step 1 SURVIVAL... how? After that's worked out. STEP 2 how to make PROGRESS home. But it must be applied to what's around that boat your day. Like wave direction, wave height and most importantly wave angle(steep or round). And believe me! Sometimes going from 5 knots conditions to 7 or 8 knots is a godsent (cut return time almost in half)

Yes it will suck but DEAL WITH IT MOSES!!

There's an old saying... you know what the best and worst thing about STORM EXPERIENCE is?
The BEST THING is you know what to expect. The WORST THING is you know what to expect. Funny but true

When you're ready you will know. Collect experiences and don't count on weather forecasts to end every trip in sunshine and butterflies. Looking around at horizons is the most reliable forecast of change. Like bigger waves than before. A darker horizon. A chill in the air. Change in winds. Remember rising winds and building waves ALWAYS go together.

Now gradually ramp up experiences and learn GRASSHOPPER,

Originally Posted by Capt Sal

It isn't only you it will be the novice friends you take with you. They will panic if anything at all goes wrong. When you buy a boat for inshore family fishing you don't go off shore and stretch it to the limit.