On 2008-10-14 20:46:00 -0400, "Wilbur Hubbard"
said:

Dead downwind sailing under spinnaker and sheeted flat main causes
little or no rolling in a properly designed sailboat such as the one I
sail. Sailing with quartering wind and seas makes for a VERY rolly ride
as the vessel yaws and slews as every wave overtakes her.

You really don't know chutes, either. I regularly pass those going dead
down wind. The absolute easiest ones to pass are the yahoos who flatten
the main, making it nothing more than drag and disturbance in the
airflow. They over-sheet the chute so it can't collapse.... might as
well have a bedsheet up for all the good it does. [The luff of a chute
should be curling, but not curled, at all times to get speed.]

Cracking off 15-20 degrees, the ride improves greatly as both sails are
on the same side, limiting the roll considerably. In addition, it's
faster; the distance increases by 5%, but VMG improves with the
increased apparent wind. The autopilot (hey, I'm cruising) more easily
handles waves on a single quarter rather than both, so I can leave the
steering to Otto and have fun playing the sheets.

--
Jere Lull
Xan-à-Deux -- Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD
Xan's pages: http://web.mac.com/jerelull/iWeb/Xan/
Our BVI trips & tips: http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/