Chris,
Actually it was a cross wind of around 15-18knots! It was a funny spot to fish on the day.
Just a good ole stubborn streak at the time and certainly, I was in much better shape too!
The Kevlar just seemed to make it load easy for a "heavy" rod and it slung a popper without the tendon-snap that the SP 78UHL and other heavy popping sticks I have owned needed to get distance.
I might add, the earlier attempts to get this sort of distance occured on Terra Firrma.
It's a whole lot easier than in a rocking boat, though I found out not impossible!
Cheers,
Aaron.