From the prototype Blade F16 testing we learned that the Blade has a very sharp fall off point with respect to diving. But note that it actually has MORE dive resistance then say the Taipan.

The thing a Blade sailor might trip over is the sense that everything is just fine all the way up the threshold, so they implicetly feel that they have ample margin left when in reality they don't. My own boat for example will by that time have already gone to a nose down attitude that can not be considered a dive yet, but that does act as a warning ! So I back off a little when a Blade sailing might hold his position or load it up even more.

Blade sailors must develop a sense where they know they have neared the threshold and keep it there or back off a little.

From a racing point of few, that Blade behaviour is actually preferable as one can now push the boat in proper attitude all the way to the dive threshold (that any design will have somewhere), were guys like myself will have to back-off earlier because bow down attitude is slow. The pay back of course is that a Blade sailor needs to develop a more refined skill to tell when he is nearing that threshold.

I found the FX-one to have much the same behaviour, reports say the Capricorn does so too; I believe it comes with the new hullshapes that concentrates most of the volume on the keel line and thus have little additional bouyancy when you have pushed it far enough to overpower this keel line bouyancy. The nacra 17 hulls are based on an entirely different concept. They actually have alot of reserved bouyancy and relatively narrow keel lines. This is also the cause of other differences I believe; like the very accute steering on the F16's and the preference to be footed rather then pointed.

One trick for newbies is to actually go about it the other way around. Instead of getting out more (trapping to the rear) one can go in more and thus force the boat to heel before it passes the threshold. Then you steer to avoid heeling and at the same time avoid passing the dive threshold. It will be slower overall but you don't capsize too easily. Of course the first rule to winning a race is to not capsize.

Wouter