We had weather forecast for force 5-6 beaufort, which increased to 7-8 as we moved out to North Sea. We were having the seas from our aft starboard quarters and some of waves were around 5+ meters. We have seen wind speeds up to 47 knots during gusts, but the wind was blowing around 34-38 knots all the time. I know that most of the sailors has the tendency to exagrate the conditions, but I had the chance to make some photos of a passing ship as we approached the Dutch waters. The conditions have slightly improved, and we were capable of taking the seas from our beam. Still this is a good proof to show the sea conditions. The ship is m/t "Trans Sud" of Seatrans Norway. Her loa is 96 meters. More details are in the link.
http://adm.seatrans.no/bilder_fleet/Trans_Sund.pdf