extreme waves (size and wavelength)

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Hitman

And also it isn't very recommendable to show your stern to the incoming huge waves, at least not in a sailing ship! You have a large tendency to lose control of the ship when a big wave is pushing behind your a**s and the bow has an enormous tendency to dive under the water, even if you are not on a submarine!

Bow against the wind/sea is the safest practice

Yes, the dreaded 'following sea'. Part of the control loss is due to the fact that the sea pushing against the stern negates the rudder, which needs water moving over it to function.

Originally Posted by rosentorf

Imagine if that was possible to model, it would add a whole new dimension to convoy attacks. You'd have to tack/beat/run the course you actually want to go to intercept (Can I use these terms like this? I meant zig-zagging in case the mean course you want to go is perpendicular to the wind/parallel to the waves).

This would make you much slower and you had to really spend a lot of time on the bridge navigating - or an autopilot like your Navigator

I never thought of that! It would also make convoys harder to intercept if they were changing course to keep the wind ahead of them.