Anyone considering crossing Bass Strait in a bugsmasher should use the BOM Marine forecast for offshore conditions. Swell direction is useful to know, because without experience it’s hard to judge from the air.
If the wave height is over 2 metres, in a ditching having a life raft and a nice warm immersion suit and all the other goodies could be moot.
I’ve done the crossing several times in a Sonex sitting behind one of those questionable Jabiru engines, and to quote Pauline “I don’t like it”, even with favourable conditions. On the last occasion I got forced down to below 500 feet by weather, and promised myself to never do it again in a single engine aircraft.
Boats are definitely less stress.