Do you usually tie down your boat when it is at the club?
I also think waves can be blown flat if the wind is strong enough. The largest waves usually comes when the wind have lessened a bit, or at least that was what we tought when going windsurfing.

35 to 40 deg.. Something to try one day. Would probably be painful and mind numbing..

Winter her on the west coast of Norway has been very mild compared to regular winters. Wales is right in the path of the lows crossing the atlantic so you should be used to there being "lots of weather" <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />