[veggie_burger]

Back in the early 70's I was crew on a commercial dive boat 80' with 9' draft, raised pilot house. We were racing a coldfront across the stream from West End. The seas got huge and the wind picked up to a steady 60 knots. Waves were slamming into the pilot house and breaking over the top. The 13' whaler on deck washed away and the 23' Formula we were towing was long gone. I was on watch with the search light on. Then a huge vertical wall of beautiful blue water. Then we were underwater and the water pressure hurt your ears. Next every window in the pilot and the aft doors house were blown out from the wave. Water in the boat up to our bellies. I thought we were going to the bottom. The boat shuddered as it surfaced. It felt like trying to hold a basket ball underwater with one hand. It was a good boat I guess. The captain had lots of glass sticking out of his face and head. Blood everywhere. Then in the distance we saw an SOS from a searchlight. We headed over but found nothing and all of our electronics were ruined. So we could not call on the radio. Waves 30ft and breaking white everywhere. North Winds vs. North Current=big steep waves.
Engine driven bilge pump saved the day. It got cold, in the 30's and every wave was breaking into the pilot house. No compass. I could see a planet every once in a while then saw Ft. Pierce the next afternoon. A very long cold night. A yacht would have not done as well. I think the wave must have been over 50 feet high. It broke over the entire boat. Like most sea stories "I swear this is true"