Hah, so this subject is still going (str)on(g)?
Like said before, these kind of big things could better be released in add-on-packs, i think.
So the player can deside for him-/herself, how realistic and wide-spanned the sim must be.
Just my 2 cents.
Oh, and on inland-ships we don't have that kind of alarms and stuff. Okay, we don't have that big waves on inland-waters, however, the IJselmeer, Oosterschelde and Westerschelde can get real spooky sometimes.
I've been on the Westerschelde with Westwind, force 11 Bft, and that ain't a treat for inland-ships. The propeller did hit air, and the engine did over-rev a few times, but since there where no electronics on that engine, it kept on running. Just hold your hand near the engine-controll and all is well.