If anyone is interested in todays events... I attempted to sail my 18HT up to keysailing (~12 muiles) from where i keep her. the winds were 10-15 kts when i took off and they quickly increased to 20+. I had a new crew that had only been out with me on 2 other occasions but he was fit and up to the task. He has rock climbing experience so the trap was easy stuff for him. Unfortunately thats where the similarities end. To his credit he hung in there like a champ. He got blasted off the hull by a 4 ft roller and knocked me off the back. Both of us were in the drink still connected to the wires but swimming. The boat rounded up into the wind and somehow we made it back on board without capsizing (yet). When we recovered, the boat was being manhandled by the rollers and we took off on a hellbent reach. As i was attempting to point higher and yelling for more on the mainsheet he got blasted off the hull by another 4 footer. this time he went behind me and swung around to the leeward hull and it was over. I went tumbing into the boom and bent it into a C and snapped the connecter at the mast. She doesn't sail too well with no boom and 20+ kts of blow. We righted her onto a starboard tack and made for land on the island. Mark Murray and PTP were kind enough to come police us up. I stranded the boat behind a dune and we all went back to Marks and built a new boom. Hopefully i can get out there tomorrow and sail her on to keysailing but the winds look just as viscous tomorrow. All in all it was a great day of sailing. Some broken parts but no injuries and my new crew loved it. What a great sport this is!!! Anyway, i thought i would share a story for all you snowed in sailors. Oh, when I got back to our home port i stood out on the shore and the kestral read 25 kts. its customarily about 5 kts higher out in the sound. HEll of a day!!!