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The problem with small boats offshore is that IF you get a wave of afternoon Tstorms coming at you, you will regret ever leaving the dock. If the day stays fair...it is very doable. "picking" the day becomes the issue. Some say, the small boats can outrun the storms...but in general you will find it gets bumpy in the PM and you can't run fast. So be careful.
Day before yesterday while on a 35' downeaster (13' beam)we got caught in an Tstorm off the cape coming back from an offshore trip. At first I thought no problem, this is a tank, just keep on tr#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&g. We entered what looked like a fog bank...it was a squall and the wind hit 60 in seconds, like someone hit a light switch, it spun the ass end of the boat around and the sea spray was hard to describe. The boat nose-dived into a few waves sending green water over the bow and water was spilling off the roof into the cockpit like a waterfall. All 3 experienced captains on board, in unison said WTF ! then we got out the PFDs and held on as we pointed her into the sea and idled slowly forward. The Howl of the wind sounded like an intense blizzard. I was thinking we are going into a tornado but the wind was only in one direction. For 10 minutes it was hell, then it passed and the conditions settled down somewhat within 10 more minutes.
If you get nailed with something like that in deep water offshore in a 21' boat, you would be toast.
So pick you days carefully. I did it fairly often in a 23' seacraft but I was pretty cautious and cancelled plans if it questionable. My advice is look for "light and variable" days with good days ahead with winds <15 and no chance of thunderstorms whatsoever.
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