Ten outings and a year or so on a cat doesn't sound like a lot of experience to me. Work your way up slowly and trust your instincts. Things are radically different at, say, 15 knots as compared to five.

If you're lake sailing around Dallas, I'm guessing you get similar weather to that here in central MS. When they call for 10 to 15 mph winds, it's more like 3 to 23, and it's the shifts and gusts that'll flip your stick. Learn to read the water and anticipate these. Further, I prefer an "offshore" breeze while sailing in heavier air on our local reservoir. It's lined with rip-rap in most areas, so I wanna' be as far from the lee shore as possible in order to have plenty of righting time if I flip.

Finally, beware of those daily afternoon thunderstorms this summer. You cannot outrun them, and there's usually no wind 'til that cold downdraft hits. Typically its hot/dead calm/95% humidity, then cold/rain/lightning/40 kts. of swirling hell, then back to hot/dead calm/100% humidity....all in a 30 minute span. I don't lake sail much in the summer.

Jerome Vaughan
Hobie 16
Clinton, Mississippi