Upwind/ downwind - a bit dull sometimes?

Agree with your view of the Spitfire, Dave. - 'nuff said.

Don't agree with the 'boring' up/down wind comment though. For 'older' cats designed pre-assymmetrics, I can see where you're coming from. The older boats were designed for all points of sail and reaches were invariably the thrill ride that we all remember. However, the modern generation of cats just don't go that well on a reach due to a combination of design factors. They're optimised for up/downwind work and it's the only way that they stand an earthly on h'cap.

The SX is an oddity though, because it's now not optimised for either style of course - and yet it still does really well round the cans or on an assy course. Maybe we're missing a trick or two here?

Club racing round the cans with the F16, I have a very tough time holding my time, but get a fluke of a wind direction that gives a decent up/downwind blast and it's horizon time! And you gotta love that! Having to think about downwind shifts, looking for pressure and getting the gybing angles right gives me a real buzz. Boring it most certainly is not!

you can have your reach on the way out to the course

but a reach during the race, maybe a bit of a procession? and in light winds thats even worse.

nahhh afraid I like windward leeward too.

Maybe my Spitfire has it about right! not as heavy as your SX and not too light like your F16

Have to say that after a weekend open of windward-leeward, or indeed sausage-triangle, I'm lusting after some real-world sailing on club courses.

Those open meeting courses just seem so artificial to me - feel I might just as well do them on Virtual Skipper, and I enjoy just being able to focus on boatspeed sometimes, not always having to look for shifts to tack/gybe on every leg.

Also, trying to weather a mark on a tight reach with the kite up is a significant skill totally untested by w-w/l-w courses.

Medway, I'm with you. Also, my total crew weight is around the 29 stone mark which makes the reaching with spinnaker a little more acheivable, even if both me and crew are trapesing aft of rear beam.

It need not be processional, Gary. The boat able to go highest will probably go fastest and then blanket the boats to leeward.  Loads of luffing! In fact I had exactly that experience against a 2-sail Hurricane a few weeks ago. I had bags more speed but not enough power to go below him and not a chance of going above him. Fortunately he was so preoccupied with me that he didn't spot a gust and flipped.

Last Sunday was club racing round the cans and two of the three legs were reaches one broad, the other close. The Toppers had a general recall, the Lasers started 6 minutes ahead of multis and so, by the time we got to the close reach all the boats were fighting on the same patch of water for the same clear air. Rock and Roll!

Trapezoid courses can be fun.

And Jalani, if your boat T-boned mine, mine would barely be scratched while yours would be a write-off. (I'd still put in an insurance claim though).

seem to recall a discussion followed by a forum discussion (not here oops) that the spitfires had the better of the conditions and punched through the waves better than the f16 coz they were a bit heavier!.

point taken i like light too