I'm here, sailing a Hobie 16 on an inland lake in Virginia.

Raced it in an open regatta this past Sunday. I have been really focusing on upwind performance. It worked.

We were able to go upwind with the Flying Scots and Thistles. Even blasted past a few upwind, and in their wind shadows. This boat does go upwind!

Soon we found ourselves way out in front, even ahead of a Hobie 18. It was looking like victory until .......... we chose to assist a Laser with their mast stuck in the mud. Our lead evaporated!

All in all, the day was a success, confirming that all my upwind tweaking and adjustments worked. I did not expect a Hobie 16 to outperform a Flying Scot, let alone a Thistle upwind. This is a very interesting boat indeed.

Time to work on downwind............