I spoke with Carla's husband at the Tornado Nationals this weekend and asked him about the Snail - he said it was working very well for them and they loved the reduction in windage vs. a hoop and bag.

My only other data point was a comment from a leading F18 sailor who had raced in a portsmouth class against an A-Cat with the snail - he said the only reason he caught the A-Cat was that about half the sets or take downs seemed to screw up.

Perhaps it takes some learning but once mastered is a viable alternative to more conventional snuffer systems.

Chris.