Anything less than class max on sail area is indeed legal. You can always go less, at least on the Aclass.

The question is would you want to? I dont think I would want to risk a 4k mast on a 25-30knt day, when it gets that windy, its usually choppy and gusty, and the risk of a crash is high. I wouldnt risk my boat.

Now, I have taken the HT out when its blowing 30knts sustained, off shore wind and we were ripping upwind. I have a Kevlar main for that boat the Peter Cogan made and I can flatten that thing like a board. You can pull on every string and the sail gets to a certain point and wont move, its flat. We go upwind like a rocket, and its a good time for a reaching run.

Randy made an HT main that was reefable, with a wire that attached to the top of the mast, so it could be downhauled. It was a Worrell experiment, he used it once during Midwinters at Rick and Mary's. I dont think it was especially fast, but I cant remember exactly how it sailed.

Bill