Mark, you and I have talked about this on the beach a couple of times and being an F16 Uni racer, I'm not sure that I agree with you. I certainly thought I was playing the same game as the double handed racers. Granted, it's a bit more work to do and if a line gets fouled during a spin hoist or douse, it's a bigger deal, but when it's done right, I can beat double handed teams in those maneuvers. I also don't just put the tiller down and hope for the best while I'm setting or taking down the spinnaker. I've got it locked behind my knee set and just the angle I need to get around the mark quickly. With the spinnaker up I've found that I can sail faster and deeper then the 2 up boats which helps to make up some of the distance that I might loose without crew on board to help. I also don't have to "get in sink" with a crew when driving and working the spin, which I think helps me to stay in the groove longer than if I was racing on a 2 man boat.

Up wind I really haven't seen a difference in speed or pointing ability between the two, but I've found it a little easier to stay in the groove upwind when I have the jib on. Also weighing in at 220#, the extra sail area of the jib is nice.

The ability to race the F16 uni is what has kept me in the sport the last couple of years. I had found myself getting burned out on the sailing scene, but the feeling of flying a hull with the spin up single handed on the F16, is the kick in the pants I needed to keep coming out and playing.

I like competing straight up with the 2up F16s partially because of the challenge. Can I have a better Spin set then the other boats? Can I douse and make it around the mark better and faster then the 2up boats? Those are all little challenges I enjoy around the race course. Like Hans, I would like to see one of the top sailors compete at a Global or National F16 event single handed so that we can put some of this discussion to rest.

Respectfully,

Alec