The Big E has been funny in the past with the original owner. That big boat should only stay at home during hurricanes. If seas are 8 feet or more, it used to cancel. Party boats out of Port Aransas will go out when the Big E sits at the dock. I was on one last year when a cold front arrived. It was 85 degrees at 2 AM. The seas were only 3 feet. By 6AM, the winds were 45MPH and the seas had built to 14 feet and the temperature dropped to 45 degrees. That was a hard 135 mile run to the dock. The GOM can be very rough. Totally different seas from the Pacific. The waves are very close together until you get in deep water.
One reason they stay at home is not just a safety factor but it's very hard to bring in a tuna from a drifting boat in 25MPH winds. You need heavy tackle to pull that fish to the boat. People will spend up to 2 or 3 hours on a little 70 pound tuna. It's not common practice to just cut the guys line. I think there ought to be a 30 minute limit then cut the line.
