Tom, Scooby and all others,

Well, the GOOD thing is we all have options,...

so, long board -ok

and, short board - ok

As for me, in 15-25 mph wind range, I am going to cut the board and save the weight,...it just does not make sense for me to carry an unused d-board dimension around the course.....even though I have some pretty cool stickers I have put on the 'up' part of the board, so I will miss those

I was in Tampa/USF for 2 weeks in July, when it wasn't raining ( about 75% of the time), the clear days were beautiful,..but definately light airs (5-6 mph),..so I can see you wanting more sail area.

I was then in Erie, Pa, on Lake Erie for 1 week,( raining about 50% of the time, but we still went fishing ), again, winds under 10mph,...so I can see why that region wants more sail area too..

Then we went to Toronto for a week,( no rain, perfect days), but alas, winds under 5mph, 90% of the time,however, the sailboats were out...so I can see alot more sail area there too.

Point being, in my opionion, it is an ok idea for regions to 'tweak' their boats for what they need,...why not.

However, do not be fooled, over 15 mph, approaching 20 with a little gust action to 25 ( as Scooby will agree), you 'R' folks have your hands full,......the 'normal' mast size with small sail, just screams full throttle,...and beats most boats ( I-20, H-18, P-19mx, N-5.8 for sure), ON REAL TIME upwind.

...in fact, it would be interesting to have a race, "R" versus "Euro" in 18-20 mph ,...I have a bias,...but it would be interesting...

ok,...enough writing,...everyone go sailing!

regards,

Bruce
St. Croix