There is a world of difference between sailing in a 30 mph breeze on a small shallow inland lake and sailing in the same breeze on the ocean or the Great Lakes. The difference is the fetch and the size of the waves.
On eastern Lake Ontario (where I sail) when the wind is a sustained 20+ knots from the west or NW the waves will build to 8+ feet, by the time the wind is at 30+ knots (~35 mph) the waves have built to 10 to 12 feet. I got caught once in a 40+knot breeze as a front blew through. The forecast was for 20-25 knots. The seas built to 12+ feet with some waves in the 14+ foot range. This in a Tanzer 22, a substantially heavier boat than a Venture 224.
We were sailing downwind and surfing the waves at 10+ Knots. At one point the bow of the boat came out of the water past the knot meter impeller. In these conditions, broaching, pitchpoling, or an accidental crash gybe were possibilities. It would have been nearly impossible to go to weather. Once in the trough of the wave the mainsail would have been blanketed by the wave and there would be no power to sail up over the wave. Even downwind our boat speed would drop from 10+ (the knot meter was pegged) to 3 or 4 knots in the troughs until the next wave lifted the boat and put it back into the wind.
If you do take this boat to big waters, it is important to be able to reduce sail to be safe if you get caught out in bad weather, however, the wind conditions that are fun on Lake Petenwell can be very dangerous on big water.
The photo below shows a wave hitting the break wall at Oswego, NY. the wind was in the 30 knot range for a few hours before this photo was shot. The tower is 57' above the average lake level.
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