Mike K,

Please come back down and we will get you on one that is properly set up. The event guys purposely altered the recommended settings as I was a competitor. Unfortunately, this defeated the advantages of the wing mast and sail combination. When the mast is set to the sail cut, you can still have a very full sail, but with downhaul and rotation it can be flattened out to fit a very wide range of conditions. The masts as they were set up did very little to depower the boat with either rotation or downhaul and as a result people were running with some extreme settings that made for some pretty ugly mast and sail shapes.

Gina and I were the lightest weight team in the competition by a fair bit. We were really fighting the boat as we managed to keep drawing afternoon race slots after the wind picked up. The conditions even then were not very extreme as we have been out in quite a bit more wind and had no problem keeping the boat fast and flat. This does not mean that if I had a choice between a 20 and an F16 for an offshore distance race like the Tybee I would want a 16 as there is no substitute for bows, but the platform is a little more versitile than you saw.

Now before I get bashed by all you forum freaks not out there, I am merely trying to state that the rig has a lot more versatility than was shown in this event. Some of the people who have run the boat before like the Kids and Hess's commented on how these boats felt mushy and not as responsive.

This event was a long time in the making and I was a nervous wreck. By about Friday I was able to relax enough to really appreciate what an amazing event these guys had put on. This was my first Alter Cup experience and Jake, Kevin, the US sailing guys, and Melbourne yacht club put on a great event. Also, I want to thank everyone who took the time to help with this event set up the boats (Dave, Terry, Robi, Noodle, The Chuck, JC, JW, etc. etc.)and those who came to sail. Kevin, Jake and everyone did and excellent job in making all the boats the same and keepng them running. JC, John, John Lovell, Katie, John Tomko and Tiffany all sailed extremely well and got on the boat and had it figured out in no time. Set up or not their team work and skill determined their placing and was very fun to watch. It was especially cool for me to see these guys on the water and for the first time actually see the boats I make sailed.