That is a WOODEN sailing ship,it doesnt matter if it was built yesterday,a 180 foot wooden ship gets tossed about the sea like a rubber ducky.History is replete with hundreds,if not thousands of ships THAT SIZE and/or type sunk in Atlantic Storms.

A 180 foot wood boat has NO BUSINESS being sailed INTO a hurricane,PERIOD.Yet this one was. That was NOT a wise decision.How do I KNOW this? It was SUNK and people were KILLED.

This is the first ever statement I have encountered suggesting that wooden ships are inherently unsafe vis--a-vis ships of other construction, like presumably plastic laminates and metal -steel, iron, and/or aluminum. Now really! A lot of wooden ships have sunk - true enough - but the fact that even more of them have been built over the years may have something to do with that.

During the years I was an archaeologist at Channel Islands National Park, a good bit of my work involved the study of the vessels that wrecked in and around the islands over the years. They were of all types - wood (mostly west coast lumber schooners), metal (iron, steel, and aluminum) typically of later vintage. They were also of all sizes - smallish fishing vessels and large commercial vessels. I have never seen or heard of anyone proposing or providing any data that would support the notion that any type of construction was inherently more or less "safe" than any other. Like aircraft, automobiles, and many other conveyances, the principal cause of wrecks and accidents can be attributed to operator error.

Others are posting some interesting information that does not square with your conclusions. Some of your assertions are questionable. Florida suffered negligible to minor impact from this storm, and, indeed, might have offered shelter from Sandy.

Aim, then fire...Your considerable energy would be better spent in careful and thorough investigation of the situations, rather than in emotional rants.

It is doubtless gratifying to point out the failing of others, but when you do so without adequate investigation and research, you come to erroneous, flawed conclusions. This perpetuates myth and stereotype, and does no one any good.