Here's a quote from the gCaptain Forum discussion to ponder:

"Sarah, when you take an old wooden boat to sea in a storm the size of Sandy the ship is beat up by the waves and the seams will be stressed and begin to leak. It's a disaster waiting to happen. When you couple that with mechanical failure there is no more waiting, the disaster happens. My heart aches for the harrowing experience the crew suffered and the death of of Claudene Christian. But I don't think that explains the decision to take Bounty to sea and sail her in the direction of a monster hurricane, nor does the crew's willingness to go excuse the death of one sailor and the other 14 having to be rescued in the midst of a perfect storm. For the record, I am a tall ship sailor and I am married to a captain with almost 30 years experience. I have loved Barkentine Gazela since the day I first laid eyes on her in 1985, but I would not give my life for her. My heart is broken over the loss of Bounty and her crew."

Charley Noble