Yet there was such a payoff there was no shortage of those willing to try. Well, most of crews were slaves so they didn’t have much choice but the life was probably no worse than what they’d experience on shore.

One of the first questions landsmen always ask me is about big waves. The sheer power of a storm at sea is incomprehensible unless you have been there at its mercy. Throw in a mechanical failure or two limping home on baling wire and duct tape repairs and you have the makings of some serious PTSD.

Our sailboat is a Pacific Seacraft Dana, 27-feet LOA. Parts of our voyage were in the open ocean and the rest was in the ICW.

The most frightening storm I’ve experienced in a lifetime of sailing was in NC’s Currituck Sound. An unexpected squall erupted with 45-50 knot winds and 4-5 foot following seas. These weren’t the worst conditions I’d been in, of course, but because I had to keep us in a fairly narrow channel, it was hellacious! The wind and waves were constantly trying to broach the boat and the depth disappeared just outside the channel. After a couple of hours, the weather subsided and we made our way to an anchorage.

Once we were secure, I did my engine check and discovered that the belt for the engine cooling water pump was hanging on by a thread! If it had failed during the squall, we would have had a real problem. PTSD, indeed.

The oceans and the weather are powerful forces. One doesn’t want to FAFO.

What ifs are always the most "oh holy shit" of moments. I never thought I'd make it out of my twenties, much less live this long.

are from a "captain" and a "cod fisherman."

Other than that simple observation, I'm not qualified to offer anything of value here!

It's 1849 record of 73 days (carrying cargo) wasn't broken until 2003 by a c atamaran dual-hulled ship using up-to-date technology and modern weather reports...with no cargo.

The "Sea Witch" was the model for the clipper fast ships that followed.

The rum ration, or "tot", from 1866 to 1970 consisted of one-eighth of an imperial pint (71 ml) of rum at 95.5 proof (54.6% ABV), given out at midday.[1] Senior ratings (petty officers and above) received their rum neat, whilst for junior ratings it was diluted with two parts of water to make three-eighths of an imperial pint (213 ml) of grog.[2] Rum, due to its highly flammable nature, was stored in large barrels in a special rum store in the bowels of the ship. The rum ration was served from one particular barrel, known as the "Rum Tub".[3]

Not all sailors necessarily drew their rum: each had the option to be marked in the ship's books as "G" (for Grog) or "T" (for Temperance). Sailors who opted to be "T" were given threepence (3d) a day instead of the rum ration, although most preferred the rum.[4] Sailors under 20 were not permitted a rum ration, and were marked on the ship's books as "UA" (Under Age).[5]
...
The abolition of the rum ration had been discussed in Parliament in 1850 and again in 1881 however nothing came of it.[13] In 1970, Admiral Peter Hill-Norton abolished the rum ration as he felt it could have led to sailors failing a breathalyser test and being less capable to manage complex machinery.[14] This decision to end the rum ration was made after the Secretary of State for Defence had taken opinions from several ranks of the Navy. Ratings were instead allowed to purchase beer, and the amount allowed was determined, according to the MP David Owen, by the amount of space available for stowing the extra beer in ships.[15] The last rum ration was on 31 July 1970 and became known as Black Tot Day as sailors were unhappy about the loss of the rum ration. There were reports that the day involved sailors throwing tots into the sea and the staging of a mock funeral in a training camp.[2] In place of the rum ration, sailors were allowed to buy three one-half imperial pint (280 ml) cans of beer a day and improved recreational facilities.[16] While the rum ration was abolished, the order to "splice the mainbrace", awarding sailors an extra tot of rum for good service, remained as a command which could only be given by the Monarch and is still used to recognise good service.[17] Rum rations are also given on special occasions: in recent years, examples included the 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Navy in 2010 and after the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rum_ration

And some of them were not too sober on those wooden ships!

The owner liked to move his 52-foot yawl up and down the east coast from Maine to the Carolinas. I was his primary crew, after his wife, and we had some terrific adventures.

The Captain had a drinking habit called the Noon Balloon. It consisted of a dry vodka martini at exactly high noon. If you finished it before the “window of opportunity” closed at 13:00, you were permitted one refill. The liquor locker would be closed until 18:00 when all hell would break loose!

Behavior for a younger man!

Also hanging out and drinking while docked without even setting sail! Oh, and drinking beer at the tavern closest to the marina! Oh, I've done a little boating myself.

Just sayin’!

was designed to keep the sailors slightly light-headed and euphoric in order to get them through the grueling daily work schedule of keeping a sailing ship in fighting trim.

Too much more, and they would be too impaired to work.

The loss or withholding of the rum ration was no doubt responsible for a lot of mutinies.

A successful old fisherman was asked how it was that he could be so poor. He pondered the question for a minute and replied "Well, I spent some on whiskey, some I spent gambling, and then a fair bit on the ladies, and then I just wasted the rest of it."

As opposed to today, when greed forces everyone to rush out in any weather or condition, regardless of risk to life and limb.