: When I say a ship is better at sea I say it meaning it's better to
: go to sea AWAY from the storm than to keep it in dock or at
: anchor IN the storm, especially in regards to a heavy
: displacement vessel like the Bounty. I don't say it meaning go
: to sea into the storm. I say again that they could very easily
: have made it to Bermuda and from there gone further if
: nescessary and avoided the storm . . .

Agree that would have been a better course. The captain must have known that, so why did he sail down the coast instead of the open sea?

He's not here to tell us so we have to guess, unless he shared his thoughts with a crew member. Teasons could have been financial, a wish to stay within reach of coastal refuge or within USCG helo range, condition of the ship such as needed repairs, owed money in Bermuda and didn't want a lien on her, the ship was put up for sail a couple of weeks before and they may have wanted to keep her in the US because of that. She was headed for her winter port in St. Petersburg.