If I can interpret what I think Marcus was trying to say:

It is not really about trying to just stay upright in a given situation solely to win a race by attrition, it is about trying to trim your boat correctly and continue to improve.

What was potentially survival conditions for me 3 years ago, now is something I feel very comfortable in. Gina gets extremely upset with me when I send her swimming, but my learning curve was greatly shortened by concetrating on doing things correctly rather than becoming depedant on trimming slow to keep it up. Down wind is very much a feel thing and no amount of reading will get you over that speed hump.

You will likely get a different view from Gina on this and I could have a voided many an argument, but that is my story and I'm sticking with it.

M