about two people being dead here. That was a fools trip from the get go. Wrong boat, wrong time of year and wrong just about everything else. I wouldn't worry about setting out in a small boat either. My last trip was three years in a Cape Dory 30. Not exactly a huge boat for three people but one built for the challenge. It kept us safe enough for three years including Hurricane Hugo, some 25 foot stuff of the coast of Baja and the usual run of the mill crap. It's not "just about the weather". It's about the weather, the boat, the seamanship, the planing and the execution of it (plus a bit of luck). You just don't bumble out onto the ocean and expect to be guaranteed a successful outcome. This "go small, go with what you've got, go now" stuff is crap. As always, IMHO