Another breezy one - another spanking.

It wasn't that windy and as a matter of fact as thing eventually turned out, quite pleasant to race in, but it started of moderate then turned quite gusty as a squall came through so I managed again to turn a lead into last place in an irons fest and sailing so bloody slow up wind. Off wind I'm a rocket ship, but I can't seem to make it go to weather over powered, all my normal tricks of stuffing it, fall apart in the transitions and it got so bad, I'm being mullered by a topper.

Worse still, it's a young lady in a topper, and she is all over me like a bad rash. I swear she even winked as she went by and she might as well have said 'try and catch me big boy!' as she casually leaned into it and her perfectly set sail creamed up wind whilst mine is backing like a biatch, with leech shot away and we're going nowhere fast.

But rather than quit, which was on my mind after the third spell in irons, I followed her, and like the time when i followed fraggle I got inspired to better effort and eventually pulled back, over took her and a couple of solos that had also gotten ahead and finished, without a capsize which a few others managed to pile in, yet still beat me, i'm sailing that slow upwind, I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, for sure weight or lack of it is probably an issue, the boat just stalls in the turns and won't get going again, almost like the flow won't re-attach to the sail.

It's got a very aft control so in survival mode you're too far back down the boat and I'm sure that's something to do with it, not getting far enough forward once I've tacked, but it ended up quite enjoyable, it's the windiest race I've finished and not stacked and the sun came out towards the end, so how was your day?

Don't believe you should be stuffing it. Will pay better to keep it driving. Got to keep the speed on all the time.

Only just started with my EPS (and wasn't on it today) so not really qualified to comment, but can't you depower with the cunningham ?

I got stuffed upwind by the EPS again today! Looked pretty damn good to me. With lots of fetches (the first race, believe it or not only had 5 manouvers per lap. 1 gybe, one tack, 2 bear aways and a luff up. No beat, just 3 fetches, a run and a broad reach. Nearly gave up through boredom, but had a boat close behind to get away from. Phantom, then EPS - fast boat course.

Mind, last week when it was windier, the EPS was blown off the water while the Phantom was loving it, so I know where you are coming from with the upwind problems.

iGRF sounds to me like you're just not strong enough to pull on enough cunningham as well as being far too small for such a manly boat

Sail a couple of inches freer and pull your board up. If you are de-powering above the water then you probably need to be de-powering below it as well.