Bob,

I think you would like the "Round the Island" race on your A boat, but you may want to rig a small spinnaker. Last year about the only up wind we had was from Ft. Walton to Destin. The rest was downwind with some broad reaching depending where you were on the course and the time. This year, I am planning on running all three sails again. Last year, I was still worrying about my mast which I have broken before in a high wind gust with loose main sheet. This year, I will allow a lot more twist in my main sail on the downwind if the winds are as reasonable as last year.

As for the cracks on the I17R speed, I believe we have a high level of competition here in the Pensacola/Ft. Walton beach area. To compare my I17R's speed to one other fellow that happens to sail an I-17 normal probably isn't the best way to go about it. The I17R is much more powerful (and lighter)than the I17 normal, plus here in Pensacola we routinely have anywhere from 20 to 30 boats on the starting line..

The start can make or break you. I know since I only had 2 decent starts in Mid-Winters. Actually, 3 but I blew the lead I had on the other two I17R's in the last race and almost flipped the boat 2X.

I certainly wish we lived closer together!

Tom