"Capt. Rob" wrote in message
oups.com...
All that doesn't mean squat if it can't win the regatta.


Doesn't mean squat? You mean you can't learn anything from a 35s5
beating or even close behind a C&C 99? That's too bad. Here's what it
tells me...you go right ahead and let me know if this is wrong: The
35s5 will be a fun and quick boat for cruising and day sailing the LIS
areas, be faster than most cruisers and keep pace with a lot of fast
boats to boot.

That may very well be true, but it is impossible to extrapolate that from
the race results you cite as an example, for reasons given in another post
(ie--skipper, rather than boat, being the major factor in such racing). I
have no doubt that you'll thoroughly enjoy your new boat, but be prepared to
see purportedly slower boats passing you in addition to passing supposedly
faster boats. Boat speed is only one factor--the ability of the nut on the
helm has far more to do with how fast you go. Sail trim, condition of
sails, condition of your bottom, current, wave conditions, wind--all are
factors which will dictate who goes faster at any given time. Theoretical
boat speed ain't the alpha and omega of going fast. You'd know that if
you'd ever spent any time on a race course. Which brings me to my next
point: racers make tremendously better sailors than non-racers. See it
every day on the water.

You only have to talk to owners...and you're welcome
to...to see how many races the 35s5 wins. You're all welcome to ask
owners via the Sailnet or google Beneteau lists.
But something tells me you won't want to do that. You sure won't like
hearing how well the 35s5 does. Everyone got REAL quiet when I posted
the following:

Don't be ridiculous. Odds are I'll never meet you vis-a-vis, ever see you
or your boat sailing, and couldn't care less how your boat performs in real
time. I am happy, however, to debunk your silly claims of the superiority
of your boat when you really have nothing to support it beyond the
potentially equally silly claims of others. You don't very often hear
someone say, "Well, I've got this new J109, but it's a real dog, slower than
my grandmother on her walker, built like ****, and ugly to boot." Everyone
prefers to think of their boat in positive terms.

"The Charleston Ocean Racing Association's annual Witches' Brew regatta

was raced in the harbor Oct. 30. As with its Femme Fatale race in the
spring, CORA requires a female skipper for each boat in the Witches'
Brew. Though Charleston has produced many outstanding female sailors,
as noted often in this column, the big boats seem to almost always have

men at the helm. These two races do a lot to promote women's
participation and demonstrate their skills. Deb Campeau skippered
Hoodoo, a J/109, to first place in the A fleet. Caroline Byrd was at
the helm of the J/24 Footloose and won the B fleet. Kristy Kowert
skippered Andiamo, a Beneteau 35s5, to first place in C, and Judy
Fair-child was at the helm of Absolu, another 35s5 Beneteau, and took
the honors in D fleet."

Good skippers, Bubbles. The boat played a role, but not the major one. As
I said before and probably will say again, you'd know this if you'd ever
spent time on a race course. Don't bother to lie about your extensive
racing career--you've already given ample evidence that it never happened.

Max