Yesterday I was out sailing my BRS 17 in 10-20 mph winds by myself. I had intended to go for a relaxing sail, have a drink, etc. Shortly after I left the dock I turned from a run to a broad reach and woosh, I was off! I jibed and tacked around for a while and decided to head back to the dock for a respite and maybe to take one mast out. I ended up going out again with a friend and the wind had picked up a bit more.
The boat was difficult to for to sail, particularly the second go. I had so much weather helm and when I would tack, I would inevitably stall before picking up speed again. I would have to ease the main and then sheet it in. It was gusty too. I had the board only 2/3 down to reduce heeling.
Anyway, I found the boat unwieldly during the second sail. Should I have reefed before going back out? Is that what the boat was telling me? It was not much fun fighting the boat constantly. It is good to see that I can manage the boat in these winds, knowing to ease the main, hike, and turn up into the wind.
I can't emphasize enough how superior I find the aluminum masts over my old solid spruce ones. Also, my new rigging set up with swivel cam cleats. My mizzen setup still needs tweaking as the sheet does not run very freely as it is.