Fine Day For a Boat Test

Those of you who regularly read PMY boat tests are familiar with a caveat that appears all too often regarding test conditions. It goes something like this: "I was unable to evaluate the boat's rough-water handling because conditions on test day were flat calm." It's a shame that we have to say that but we only get these boats for a day or, at the most two, and so we can't choose our weather. But every once in a while the stars align and we get one of those honkin' days that really tests the boat and us. I had one on Friday, January 4, off St. Lucie, Florida. It had been blowing 30 for the last 24 hours, and although the wind had died a bit, the seas were still up—fours and sixes—and it was still squally. I was aboard a 70-foot Davis sportfish, and as we headed out the inlet, I could see the waves breaking and I knew we were in for it. I shot this picture through the enclosure just as we cleared the inlet. To find out how the Davis fared, look for the test in the March issue.