Veteran Bermudian sailor Warren Brown has called for ocean races to be be postponed if severe weather is forecast, in the aftermath of the world's worst yachting disaster for nearly 20 years.

Six sailors died in the Sydney-to-Hobart race and more than 50 others had to be rescued after hurricane-strength winds whipped up waves of up to 40 feet.

Brown, a survivor of the 1979 Fastnet race off Ireland which cost 15 sailors their lives, acknowledged that the severity of the approaching weather had not become apparent until hours after the race off Australia had started.

But the 69-year-old, who has come to be regarded as an expert on surviving extreme conditions at sea, believed lessons could be learned from the disaster.

"I think attitudes will harden now. If you know beforehand that conditions are going to be severe, you should postpone the race and give the storm a chance to pass through,'' said Brown, who has seen plenty of wild weather in his 49 years of ocean racing.

"But however cautious you are about the weather and about safety equipment on boats, you are still going to lose lives -- it's inevitable. Over the years I've lost 51 friends at sea.'' Brown has sailed to some of the world's most inhospitable seas in his yacht War Baby , the same boat which won the tragic 1979 Fastnet race for Ted Turner.

After sailing through a hurricane off New Zealand four years ago, which took three lives and sank ten yachts, Brown had a list of safety tips for surviving extreme weather at sea published by Cruising magazine. And he has given talks around the world on the same subject at venues such as the Annapolis Naval Academy.

He believed his own 61-foot sloop was the ideally sized boat for riding the roughest seas.

"In the '79 Fastnet, none of the big boats got themselves in trouble, it was the small boats, 43-foot and under, which had problems. The small boats are just not big enough to overcome 30 to 40-foot waves. They get panned around more easily,'' said Brown.

But he felt there were also problems with 80-feet-plus yachts, as the heavier gear would be tougher for the crew to handle in treacherous weather.

Brown was also familiar with the particular challenges of the seas encountered by sailors in the Sydney-to-Hobaret race and in particular the Bass Straits, between Tasmania and the Australian mainland.

"In straits, there tends to be a funnelling effect when winds blow up, and where the water is shallower it can lead to higher seas.'' But Brown's in-depth, first-hand knowledge of the perils of his sport has not put him off. He is already looking forward to sailing in Antigua Race Week in April.

He added: "The sailing fraternity has obviously been upset by this, but it's not going to stop people sailing. People know they take a chance whenever they go to sea and that's not going to change.''