Kev,
Many vessels handle 8m waves, but the point is that, if you have read the many posts requesting big waves, typhoons, waterspouts, giant beanstalks, etc., along with people scurrying about, it is obvious that the demands for those vital improvements cannot be met without a complete remake of SS.
Even if they were to be accomplished within SS08, you would still need a more powerful machine to run it.
It is so easy for people to demand things without the slightest clue about what is involved. My personal desire is for SS to continually evolve as primarily a realistic ship handling simulator and forget the irrelevant features like people. I realize that this will inevitably require further investment in hardware. Kiddies can always stick to SS08 for its arcade features.
Marty