Bruce,
<br>1. Thanks for the compliment on my boat's appearance! I am VERY pleased with how it came out!
<br>2. I am always glad to lend a helping hand when I can.
<br>3. I weigh 200 lbs. Anytime you get wet, you add more weight. 230 lbs dry plus gear plus everything being wet will result in being somewhat heavier.
<br>4. I sailed the I-17 before my "R" rig was delivered and the I-17 has plenty of power without the taller mast and added sail area. In your winds, I don't think the "R" is required, however, a carbon mast is a big plus! It is easier to right and suffers less performance degradation from the pitching in waves. I will never go back to aluminum after sailing with a carbon mast.
<br>5. The spinnaker will add significantly to the pleasure of this boat! You won't believe how fast it goes downwind!
<br>6. I am glad to help.
<br>7. I would not call your actions "chickening out". It is one way to deal with the issue of preventing being blow over. The books say that the fast way to deal with this situation is to sheet out and bear off to drive through the blast to take advantage of the increased power. I have tried this and the speed is maintained. I seem to revert to feathering up and getting closer to the weather mark but am not sure that I wouldn't be better off to bear off through the blast using the mainsheet to keep the boat flying a hull just above the water.
<br>8. I dream of having such winds. Here in Michigan, we don't see 15+mph winds during our weekend races more than once or twice a summer. Some of us change boats (to ice boats) in the winter! I ski instead of ice boat.
<br>9. You are doing better than your Portsmouth number indicates. The I-17R number with spinnaker is about the same as the N5.8.
<br>10. The I-20 has alot more power than the I-17 and it has a skipper and crew to continually make adjustments. The most powerful tool to keep that hull skimming is the downhaul that the crew plays as the the boat goes upwind. I did this with a friend on his I-20 and I could keep the hull just skimming the tops of the waves. Really cool! Unfortunately, with only two hands, I prioritize the steering (#1) and mainsheet when I am on the wire on the I-17R. That means I leave the downhaul on the boat.
<br>11. I am sure you know better than I do about going up and over the waves...about powering up to drive up a wave and then taking advantage of the downhill ride going down them. Even in the little waves I see on the Great Lakes, this makes a significant difference in keeping the boat driving hard and fast. For us, catching waves and driving over them going downwind makes the difference between winning and being an "also ran" in our races.
<br>
<br>Sounds like you are doing great on your I-17! Keep having fun!
<br>
<br>Les Gallagher
<br>Inter 17R USA 104
<br>"little yellow boat"<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small"><EM>Edited by sparky on 07/23/01 09:00 AM.</EM></FONT></P>