Hi Steve,
"While I agree with you on it being amazing that you can "go wild" in light wind & work the apparent wind, I`m amazed that you can hold it all together in "25kts plus". In those conditions we are looking at not sailing at all, even sloop, it just becomes boat-breaking weather. The conditions you describe are when we have a very nasty 3ft chop with water being blown off the top, it`s windsurfing time with 4,5sqm sails, not cat weather. Perhaps where you sail it`s a bit calmer (sea conditions) but in anything over 22 knots it gets a bit wild here."

I have now sailed in a variety of sea states cat rigged, luckily starting with fairly flat water in strong winds but in some parts of the lakes where I live it sounds very similar to the sea state you describe.The biggest sea state I have sailed in with spinnaker was at Torquay on the south west coast of Vic. you may have heard of it as a surfing (Bells beach) or sailboard venue.At the end of Jan.04 they held a reggatta mostly Hobie cats but we got 5 mossies there 2 with spinnakers 1 cat 1 sloop. During the 3 days, winds got up to 25 kts. with seas up to 2m. with breaking waves around the course with larger faces. On the first day (lightest wind) I capsized under spinnaker as soon as it filled.With caution I survived the rest of the reggatta without capsize and passed Hobie Tigers under spinnaker as they capsized or sailed the wrong angles. I dont want to give the wrong impression here it was suvival conditions one run I buried the boat to the mast twice and let the kite flog half a dozen times but it was exhilerating.A couple of Hobies dropped their rigs but as far as I can recall all the mossies survived without major breakage.

Cheers Gary.