Jonathan,

Good question, but the answer can get pretty complex. Certainly there are a lot of folks who sail without the company of other boats, as well as the many singlehanded racers who take on challenging waters such as the Southern Ocean. Whether it be Open 60's or Waves, I think that safety boils down to a hierarchy of four basic factors:

1) [color:"blue"]Judgement[/color]
This is the most important. Based on experience, good judgement allows us weigh factors such as the body of water we'll be sailing, current conditions, predicted conditions, boat capabilities, sailing skills, etc. and determine if they all compute to a level of acceptable risk.

2) [color:"blue"]Skills[/color]
This is a measure of our ability to sail the boat in a variety of conditions.

3) [color:"blue"]Recovery[/color]
How well can the boat/sailor recover from a capsize?

4) [color:"blue"]Signalling[/color]
When all else fails, what means do we have to bring in outside assistance?

I usually refer to these factors as our "Rings of Defense". First and foremost is good judgement. It is what keeps us from getting out into water/wind that exceed our skills and equipment. If judgement fails, however, we have to rely on a solid skills base to try and keep the stick pointing toward the sky. If skills fail, we rely on our capsize recovery techniques to get the boat back on its feet. Finally, if all else fails, we turn to signalling devices (EPIRB, VHF, flares, etc.) to try and bring outside assistance.

I'm sure that this thread will stimulate a lot of discussion, so I will keep my comments to these basic thoughts (for now).

Cheers,