For an abort, a water landing definitely makes sense. Perhaps there is no way to avoid the tough weather requirements for the downrange abort. The lengthy recovery time still seems due to the water landing, however. I wonder if it will be a 2 hour recovery time during normal water landing?
I still wonder how much more difficult it is to get proper weather conditions over open sea vs. land when preparing to land during a normal flight. I'd imagine strong winds become stronger over sea than over land, and of course, the ability for ships to reach you in choppy seas becomes much more difficult.
