Wouter....thanks for your input. To clarify though, first of all I currently race a N20, and occasionally race F18 as well, so I am well aware of the added dimension the spinaker brings to the picture. In fact, that has been one of the reasons I have up to now steered away from A-class. However, as I stated when I started this thread, I frequently tire of finding good crew, and therefor am considering a singlehander as my "second" cat. I have honed in on the A specifically due to the growing and very competitive nature of the A-class fleet, which is to say that I would likely travel to a handful of A-class events every year. Secondly I am attracted to the A-cat due to the platform's extreme level of feedback in the hopes that it would help to make me a better sailor over time with practice.

Thanks again for your input.