Thanks ncik. This is the kind of information I was looking for and will help put my mind to rest the next time an 'A' flies past. However, am I correct in thinking that a slightly narrower F16 could point higher? my last Stealth was 7'6" wide and on occasions did feel to be pointing higher than the 8'2" models although this was probably jeopardising my downwind performance.
Also, what are your thoughts about the F16 upwind performance against the F18. Here in the UK there are some extremely fast 18 sailors who just vanish into the distance but even at Club level I would have thought the F16 has enough in it to make more of an impact. In the light stuff the 18's momentum seems to carry them through the lulls and shifts and as expected when they're twin wiring I haven't much of a hope being single handed. The only saving grace is that at Mumbles Y.C we use Texel so the 'A', F18 and Solo F16 all sail off 1.01 and in the medium wind range the 16 is competitive.