OK, I finally had a chance to try my new hooter rig yesterday. I was wanting to take it out for the first time on a calmer day, but my day off coincided with hurricane Noel being off the other coast of Florida with resulting winds on our side, and I thought, "Why not?" (Hey, these days are where the best stories are born, right?) At any rate, it was a great shake-down of the hooter, and I'm glad to say that, in 20 knot winds with considerably stronger gusts, my mast didn't snap off and my bows didn't explode. The hulls didn't bury at all and, if anything, lifted a little. I almost flipped gybing a couple of times, but managed to finally make it back in one piece. The result is that I'm thrilled with the setup and now have confidence that I can sail it in any weather that I normally encounter. Can't wait to try it on a more moderate day now and also try a second, larger sail that I've got. One thing is certain, that kind of acceleration from a headsail is definitely addicting! Thanks to everyone for their input on the topic.