Are conditions at sea a factor? (13)
I believe the answer is:
consideration
'a factor?' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'are conditions at sea' is the wordplay.
'at sea' is an anagram indicator.
'are'+'conditions'='areconditions'
'areconditions' with letters rearranged gives 'CONSIDERATION'.
(Other definitions for consideration that I've seen before include "A motive" , "Reward; careful thought" , "Thoughtfulness - relevant factor" , "examination" , "Kindness" .)