Hi Sam, thanks for setting me straight there.

It is you who made several false or strange assumptions.

"A spin boat DOES NOT always sail deeper than a non-spin boat."
I never said they ALWAYS sail deeper.

"Modern spins are designed to be sailed very high."
Yes, relative to their apparent wind.
In strong wind a spin. boat hoists the kite, sheets everything in tight, and BEATS to the bottom mark against his APPARENT WIND. He is actually sailing dead downwind, relative to the TRUE WIND. If you`ve ever done this you will know that sometimes a gust hits you and you find that you are "pinching" to lay the mark. The only non-spin boat that is sailing "deeper" than this boat is, in fact, running by the lee.

When a spin. boat is hit by a gust, they NEED to bear off. Show me one who doesn`t, and you`re showing me someone about to swim. (Not 2knots, gusting to 5, but 15 gusting to 20.)

"You are going to keep beating this blind spot "dead horse" ad infinitum aren't you?
LET IT GO!! It is not, and never will be a legitimate excuse for hitting another boat.
Everyone else has also explained this to you, when are you going to get it?"

Sam, thanks for your insightful, intelligent and non-confrontational response.
When are you "going to get" the fact that I never said it was a "legitimate excuse for hitting another boat" ?

Just thought I`d share my thoughts with others and see what they think. I KNOW that when sailing with the kite in a mixed fleet I have to be wide awake on the downwind, epecially if it`s gusty and I have to bear off radically from time to time. I also know that if I bear off on top of another boat & force him to change direction, I have to take a penalty. Maybe my point was actually that in such a situation, there are too many skippers out there that will enforce his rights and cause a collision, when the right thing to do is avoid contact and sort it out in a protest if necessary.

Sam, I never knew it was compulsory for you to read my posts if you think I`m "beating a dead horse".