My background in racing is strictly in dinghies. The boat feels sluggish
compared with, say, a Snipe or MC Scow.

That's hard to believe. It has far more horsepower per pound than the
MC, which is in turn a lot more powerful than the Snipe. OTOH because
it's a keelboat, it won't feel as jumpy and certainly will not be as
responsive when you move your feet as the small boats.


"Maxprop" wrote:
It's absolutely more powerful than *anything* I've ever sailed on before.
It was actually shocking the first time we planed in roughly a 20 kt. wind

It should plane in less than that... might take a bit of meat on the
rail though.


..... As to your other comments, the Snipe was more weight and
balance sensitive than the MC, which probably has something to do with the
hull planforms. The flat scow tends to be very stable when on its bottom or
on plane, and it really isn't that squirrelly when up on an edge. The
Snipe, OTOH, is sensitive in any condition.

Sensitive yes, but not anywhere near as much power.
The 1D35 should be just about as sensitive, but not as jumpy because
there is so much more mass involved. For example, it should respond
just as readily as the Snipe to 1/2 degree increments on the helm...
or 1/100th degree increments... but will not turn as snappily because
of the rotational momentum.

..... But one learns to adapt, and
neither boat gave us any problem, beyond the beginner stages. The 1D35 is
quite stable on all points of sail. It's cockpit is large, and while I've
been trying to keep movement by the crew to a minimum, they do move around a
bit with almost no consequences. On windward legs they sit on the weather
rail as railmeat, of course, but off wind they find their places and tend to
stay there, with the obvious exception of the bow man who moves back when
not in a sail change or spinnaker jibe. I've discovered I can move back and
forth between the weather and lee cockpit sides when steering, even in light
air, and the boat really doesn't get bent outta shape at all.

I can see that.... but I bet there's a difference in VMG



IIRC, I based most of my dinghy racing on his book. My placings improved
about three or four boats after reading and digesting the book. You just
aren't going to beat the best sailors in your fleet, no matter what, but it
was nice to see their transoms regularly and close-up.


Heh, coming from a family of very tough minded racers, my expectation
is 'yes, you *can* beat the best; in fact you dam well better.'
However it takes a lot of homework and a lot of practice.


While it's true that a good sailor can step into any boat and do well,
boats with very different characteristics need to be handled
differently.... very differently sometimes. For example, catamaran
racing is almost a different sport.

Agreed. I find them a bit boring, but that's coming from someone who
enjoyed Finns and Lasers, so I'm prejudiced. The Thistle was the most
challenging boat for me--keeping the rail out of the water when tacking in
heavy weather wasn't my strong suit, and it ships about 100 gallons
instantly if the rail buries.


I find Thistles to be not much fun to sail. Responsive yes but very
crowded with elbows & knees and painful corners. Plus there is no
reason to have diamond stays on a boat, other than that you like
shredding spinnakers a couple times a season. They're awesome boats in
drifting conditions though.


Can't resist Mondy morning q-b'ing.... did you think about running
deep to take some pressure off the 'chute while you get set up for a
change, then shifting to either reacher or heavier chute?

Nope. Never cross my mind, which was my mistake. That's precisely what one
of the other skippers asked me after the race. Not sure you saw it in
another post, but that same skipper sold me one of his spare 3/4 oz.
asymmetrical in order to keep us "competitive." These are great folks, all.


A lot of one-design racers are like that. Good close racing is the
best fun. A lot of the top guys, including the pros, will help with
tuning, give tips on trim & balance, and strategy at specific places
(knowing local quirks in weather or current, for example)... right up
to the point where you're beating them most of the time. Then, you're
supposed to be the one helping *them*

Fresh Breezes- Doug King