Wednesday - December 5 2007 - 1449 PST - After sailing with a new wing mast at the A-Cat Worlds in Florida, all I can say is that it was awesome. It was a fun week and I learned a lot about sailing with a wing.

Dave Hubbard, the wing's designer, visited the regatta site and advised me on sail trim and offered moral support before the racing began. Dave has a long history of wing mast designs, including C-Class winners Patient Lady and Cogito as well as the 1988 America's Cup winner (Dennis Conners' 60-foot cat). His help was invaluable and saved me from learning everything the hard way.

How did I finish using the wing mast? I finished in the same place I normally finish at the Worlds. [Ben finished 30th out of 100.] Of course I was hoping for better results, but I'm happy that I was getting more out of the wing every day. My past performance is the only reference I have to measure the success of the wing, and based on this week of sailing I know it hasn't reached its full potential.

I do know that my boat was the fastest boat downwind in heavy air. In one race I passed 35 boats after rounding the weather mark back in 80th. I passed some boats to leeward, some to weather. It felt like an Indy Race, passing right and left on the track.

Then there were times when the wing proved slower. We sailed the first day in big chop. On port tack, sailing directly into the waves, the wing's higher center of gravity meant the boat was pitching more than usual. I didn't figure out the sail trim that day, so I know what I have to work on for the future. Also, I found that the wing could stall in bad air off the starting line but would quickly gain speed once I found free air.

I need more sailing time to learn trim in all conditions; only then can I truly evaluate the design. The construction of the wing was spot on - it held up perfectly throughout the week and even survived a hard capsize during a practice session. I have a feeling that 2008 will be the year of the wing.