You know, I thought I'd miss the wet and wild downwind ride on the H20, but since I've graduated to the dry side of the boat I don't miss it all that much anymore. Oh sure, Dennis will still kick me to the leeward side if the conditions warrant it. I do like riding on the leeward side handling the spinnaker and flying a hull, but I rarely take buckets of water in the face anymore.

But to answer Mary's question. I prefer windward/leeward courses. I've only sailed in a race once that had a suitable reach mark set up and it was a blast. The other times the course was not set good and it wasn't a reach at all. It was just a mess.

I like sailing downwind on the wire handling the chute around the buoys.

I don't like sailing on a beam reach in 35 mph gusts 30 mph steady, in a whiteout out in the middle of a channel in the Chesapeake Bay like last Labor Day.