Kevin- I DO know the P 18 as I have one, also a P 15 as well as a Taipan and Flyer. There are a couple of issues specific to the P 18 (especially when compared to centerboard cats!)- It has fairly deep hulls and VERY small rudders (for that boat- they are fine on the 15 and 16 but not for the 18, they even tried these same rudders on the original P 19 and even with the boards on that boat they were too small so they upgraded to larger rudders). Perhaps you have experienced the wild downwind ride when a gust hits and the bows go down, the stern rises lifting all but about 3 inches of the rudder out of the water and the boat goes where it wants - Straight ahead! So beware tryig to jibe in big winds for this reason. When tacking all the tips given are good but you really need to get your weight aft (the rocker is pretty far back on this boat) and try to "roll tack" the boat as much as possible. The mast is pretty heavy and quite tall so make sure your crew weight is capable of righting the boat before you go over while sailing. Oh, also REALLY sheet out the mainsheet as you cross the wind, have the crew get the jib in fast and wait until the boat is moving to sheet back in tight or you will round up or stall the rudders. If you really love the boat I would recommend updating the rudders to the P 19 ones - you will have much more control.
