Joe wrote:

I've had RedCloud for almost 10 years now and have sail her more than
3000 miles, but I feel I still have things to learn about sailing her.

It's likely that you'll *always* have more to learn. One of the things
that I love about sailing is that it is limitless.


Thats been the best thing about having a sailboat is learning how to
get 110% out of her.

That's a joke. Relatively few sailors know how to get even 90% out of
their vessel, in terms of performance. World class racing skippers can get
95% +, but it takes a lot of work. And even Buddy Melges or Paul Elvstrom
can have an off day.

Until you have raced one-design, you don't know as much as you think you
do about how to get a vessel to perform. That's why so many 'cruising
sailors' profess to hate racing... they like to cling to the self delusion
that they are good sailors, and getting left in the dust shatters the
illusion.

Of course, there's more to sailing than just speed. Learning how to sail
the boat comfortably in a seaway, for example, or how to make ground to
windward under unfavorable conditions, or maneuvering in tight spaces, etc
etc. The list is practically endless.


Ol thom has given many tips that helped me learn
how to get more out of the sails. When I bought Redcloud I had no
ideal what half the rigging was for.

I consider it pretty basic to know what *all* the rigging does.


How long did it take you to really understand everything your boat
can do?

Usually a season or two.

How seriously do you appraoch learning about your boat & it's
characteristics? Ever studied a naval architecture textbook? This can be a
great way to learn the background of why boats behave the way they do, and
where your particular boat fits into the huge array of variables affecting
performance. Another thing that people rarely do is to deliberately
practice uncommon maneuvers (or for that matter, even the common ones).
This is a way to take big steps up the learning curve.



I still get a new suprise every now and then.

That's part of what keeps it fun.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King