Yes this is a pretty good example of “it is better to be on the ground wishing you on the air, than be in the air wishing you were on the ground”. Waiting for CAVOK conditions would have meant at least a weeks delay and more likely 2 weeks given the prevailing and forecast weather. In fact the flight had already been pushed a day as the weather was even worse then. For commercial reasons
a delay was not desirable and the aircraft had no significant defects prior to takeoff.
I will also note that I was a lot younger then and there is no doubt I am much more risk averse now, partly as a result of this incident !