Sailing ships have a tendency to capsize in very strong winds. The normal remedy is to 'send down' the topgallant and topmasts to reduce the top hamper but this might not be possible on the replica Bounty with the small crew available. With the engine out it would be very difficult to keep end on to the wind and Bounty would have have gone beam on to the sea and consequently gone over. Many sailing ships were lost in this way, as indeed were several of our local trawlers in Arctic waterps when the upperworks became iced over.

The original Bounty was built about half a mile from me here in Hull.