Well it hasn't been suggested I'm a coward for quite a while
I've done some stuff that is quite extraordinarily dangerous before now.
Nowadays though I have a young family to think about, so it's not just about me even if I'm in the cockpit alone. My kids would quite like their daddy to come home. So although I'm still prepared to do things outside a lot of people's risk appetite, I like to do it knowing and understanding the risk, being able to mitigate it where possible and having a decent plan for when it all goes 'tilt'.
Interesting thread this - I actually have no dramas with a trip to the Scillies - I've sailed it in a small boat enough times, but for some reason the IoM bothers me. My experience of sailing in the Irish Sea has not always been pleasant.