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Insurance and a quality liferaft is a good option.

Long ago my slip was at the end of a long dock. More than one Sunday I never made it all the way out to my slip. That is the social power of adult beverages.

And airplanes tend to receive inspection and maintenance prior to component failure. Imagine checking a marine engine for visible faults, draining sumps, inspecting the steering systems, sails for broken threads. etc. before each daysail.

I think it is more often overly conservative designers being pushed hard by clients that moves the development. I recall (some magazine glitz piece) that Lapworth had to be pushed by hard by Jensen to "lighten" the Cal 40 as much as they did. And then after making that significant contribution...

Knuth? You have wandered into the weeds. Yeah, read Knuth to tweak your 8085 qsort routine. He is not wrong, just irrelevant in 2021. As irrelevant as yesteryear designer’s now quaint ideas of offshore yacht characteristics. Studying history can be interesting. Restorations can be celebrated...

You confirmed everything I wrote...inadvertently perhaps. Yes, the successful techniques persist in 2021 designs: NACA foil sections, bowsprits, the maths, etc. The magic of evolution. No advantage in consulting any designers from the early 1900's. An astute designer in 2021 would extensively...

That is no way to proceed. You think any recent successful design team, say at Tesla or Toyota, tore down a 1962 Ford Galaxie 500 to see what made it tick? Laughable. Absolutely zero to be learned there. Unless re-creating some bygone era, no smart yacht designer would bother reading any dusty...

With heavy cruisers following seas always travel faster than the boat. As he hull on these boats gets sucked downwards at speed the boat tends to wallow at the mercy of the speeding lumps. Often with dramatic pitching. With a light plane-able cruiser the waves usually travel faster than the boat...

Yes, I wrote "boring." And then some sailor worried about breaking stuff. Pathetic in my book. When we leave California, when COVID releases us, I'm hoping a gale for a day or so. Get outta here! Make some latitudes. Leave the miserable fog and cold far behind, and quickly.

Is it prudent seamanship to head offshore, even coastal cruising in North America, if one doubts their own or their yacht's ability to safely endure a gale (>28 knots?) without damage? Tropical day-sailors should expect such conditions at any time. Sure, reasonable to avoid a gale if...

You are going to make a mess using that plastic glass, @Jud - s/v Sputnik. Better just drink that most excellent internet opinion fluid from the bottle. As Borracho would.

I'd add that everyones definition of unseaworthy is different. The scientist would need to nail that down first. Looks like sailing in a gale without damage is no longer on the list of necessary attributes for boats, equipment or crew. I suppose with routing, waiting and rescue technology being...

I draw the line at sailors who wax romantically about the fine points of being hove-to and the comparative qualities of anchors.

I would suggest that LWL is better than LOA. As for circumnavigating without ever encountering a gale. How boring is that? Optimal cruiser routing, weather windows, waiting. Some friends did that. Seems more akin to tourism than sailing. Nothing wrong with that, but consider that airlines and...

I didn't diminish the validity of anyone's choices. You colored it with negativity. Only pointing out differing opinions of each quality. If a sailor seeks not turning, moving slowly and avoiding the thrill of lively sailing so be it.

The full keel aficionados boast about how they can hold a course like on rails. I call that "doesn't turn well." The displacement aficionados boast about calm motion in rough seas. I call that "not moving." They wax romantically about restful tradewind cruising. I say "boredom."

The sailors from the 18th and 19th century called. Those sailors sailed a million times more sea miles than these self-appointed pundits. They think the book is a dangerous attempt to legitimize foolish yacht designs. Those authors did make some worthwhile contributions, for the time, but would...