I've raced in 35knots on a Hobie 16 as read on the course. This was barely manageable(survival sailing). My wife and I,who are one of the heavier teams(through no fault of hers)were double trapped and very depowered and were blown out of the water by a gust that was probably just above 40knots. At this years worlds when they measured 48knots just before a race the boats were being blown over everywhere including the World Champion. I don't know the math but every knot at that level makes a big differance. For anyone to say they are out sailing in anything over 40 knots tells me they just don't have the right numbers.