DSK wrote:
BTW if you want to place a limit on your challenge of winds 10 knots,
you might also be aware that other specialized craft have a right to
name their favorite conditions too. Try racing against a Thistle in
winds of less than 3 knots.

jeff feehan wrote:
and, if you wanted to give a prize for the "least comfortable" boat around
the course, the thistle would probably win that too.

Agreed but then the Thistles have a large & enthusiastic fan club. The
issue here is that light winds are very common on inland lakes and in some
coastal areas, so if for some reason one finds oneself living in such an area,
the Thistle is a good choice.



well, of course, for different windspeeds, different boats would win.

but, i would bet that if you set a windward/leeward course somewhere
with generally breezy conditions, and ran a contest that lasted, say,
several months - a formula windsurfer would win the overall prize for
fastest time around the course. i doubt that any skiffs, cats, a.c. boats,
or anything else would be as fast.

Well after looking around a bit more, it looks like windsurfer performance has
improved but as I said, so has monohulls. IACC boats VMG is pretty impressive,
so is the F40 cats and the C-cats. It would be an interesting trial.

One thing is for sure, to get a monohull with anything approaching this
performance, you have to spend a LOT more money.

I saw an open race last year where an 18-footer skiff, a canting keel Schock
40, and S&S '87 (the America's Cup cat) were in the same race. At different
times any of the three above were ahead and showing better speed than the
others, but overall the big cat won.



somehow, the prize for fastest time seems more desireable than one
for a particular wind range - to me at least.

But what you're saying is 'fastest time within a particular wind range.' Why
not give the other guy a chance to pick his favorite conditions, it's only
fair.





Personally, I haven't done any windsurfing for a few years, if the gear
has improved that much maybe I should give it another try.


with respect to windward/leeward performance in moderate windspeeds, the
gear has improved quite considerably in the last few years - i would say
the new gear is revolutionary. i also race dinghys and keelboats, and i
so i would say my opinion is an informed one. in light winds, say under
8kts, the performance gain isn't so big - 10 year old boards still win
in these conditions.

Personally, I'd like to see some new boat classes that incorporate some of the
same advances. Most popular classes are ~40 year old designs.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King