If the purpose of the journey does not include racing, or if there is any kind of damage or minor emergency on-board, or if the boat is old or if the crew is ill, or tired or short-handed, then the meaning of 'excessive' may be reduced in any of these cases.
[5] There are many stories of gear breakage from a parted shackle leaving a sail to flap wildly to shrouds giving way to bring a mast down.
A wildly heaving deck that is heeled, rolling or broaching beyond what is normally expected, can pitch a crew member overboard into the sea, or lead to a fall and subsequent injury.
A single- or short-handed crew must conserve energy and take even more care of personal safety when the boat is unlikely to be handled, or brought back for a rescue, in their absence or incapacitation.
Friends out for a sail or a cruise, rather than a race, will be more impressed by a comfortable, stable voyage than one in which the eager skipper's personal best for angle of heel is exceeded several times.