Mary,
The Waves ability in high winds is probably not just a function of its small sail area. In general shorter hulls are faster (have less drag) than longer hulls at high speeds (high winds). I have a boat that has four very short (7ft) hulls. It too is relativly slow in light winds, but as the wind picks up it feels like its coming up onto the plane (which it isn't). There is a marked difference in performance.
The other good thing about the wave hulls is that they have lots of bouyancy for their length and so can handle the power produced by the higher winds.
All the best
Gareth Roberts
www.fourhulls.comwww.runfortheboat.co.uk 
