Monday morning quarterbacking is easy, there's no risk to it, and we all do it. But a real situation can only be judged and decided about by the people involved in it and their decisions will be based on factors some of which we have no idea about.
An entire neighborhood in Queens burned to the ground. People were killed or injured by falling trees and flying debris. Being on shore could be every bit as life-threatening as being on a boat. It all depends on the who, what, where, how, and why.
People are usually at their best in situations in which they have the most confidence in themselves, their equipment, and their environment. Daddyo's decision may have been the best one for him. The same decision with the same boat in the same location under the same circumstances may not have been the best one for someone else.
Whatever the reasons for Daddyo's decision, and no matter how logical or convincing an argument could be made by someone else about what THEY would have done, I think the only thing that's relevant here is that Daddyo and his family made a decision to take a particular course of action in the face of the storm and their decision and actions proved to be the right one for them. Their boat's in one piece and on top of the water and they are all in one piece and uninjured on top of the boat. How that outcome could be improved upon is beyond me.