limp - don't you think you're flogging a dead horse here?
You seem to use the words 'experts' in a disparaging manner. These are the people that do the business at the pointy end. They're highly skilled. Listen to them.
Fullwings wrote -
If your takeoff performance was worked out for a clear shipping channel you could easily end up overweight or in the wrong configuration for the appropriate clearance if a tall ship was in your takeoff path.
There is one explanation for what happened (remember that ships move. It may not have been there when the pilot did the original math).
But at the end of the day this is all speculation. The important thing is that the plane arrived at its destination and the pax and crew got home safely.
Result.
