<< I think everything you've proposed in terms of sail area, boat size, beam, etc., is a good compromise.>>

Thanks, I really appreciate that.

<<  The compromise is really how much you want to push things to the edge.  Another six feet would be even better upwind, but at the cost of having to sail with a reef most of the time.  In a really high-aspect sail, the top reef or two would only be used in very light wind; that section of the sail would be the equivalent of the reacher that only gets pulled out in five knots or under.>>

I would like to put myself in the situation where I am reefed most of the time, just because of the inability to conveniently add sail to the unstayed rig (I'll get to the kite idea in a bit). Despite the impression that I may give of wanting to sail really fast, my primary issue with the sail area is that I mostly sail on the Chesapeake Bay during the summer where the winds usually less than 10 kts and often less than 5. I want to be able to sail in those conditions, at a couple knots at least. I really hate running the engine. If I end up with a rig that I need to put in the first reef at 10kts, I am fine with that. I don't push stuff to the edge.

In terms of the kite, I am very hesitant for 2 reasons. I have not had good experiences with spinnakers. I have flown one maybe half a dozen times, keelhauled it once and had the mast hit the water (on a 37' monhull) another. Since I only sail shorthanded, or singlehanded, I don't like sails that you have to tend. The other, is that storage space is pretty low on this boat, and I expect a kite and the required accessories would be a pain to store and deploy and still maintain the ability to put the boat into a 12' wide slip.

So, as you say, I end up with compromises. I am pretty happy (actually very happy) with the design so far. With the addition of the mast extensions, I now have 660sq ft of sail on a boat that should usually be sailing at under 4000 lbs.

All the comments people have made have been really helpful and every time I incorporate some more, the design gets better. I am going to let it sit and "age" a bit and see if any other issues surface. Then I may look into a 3D model (on the computer or in balsa) and possibly hire Rob for a "real" design. I have even contemplated running down to the local hardware and buying a bunch of 1" foam panels and building a full size mockup in my barn to see what it really "feels" like.

Thanks again,

- Gardner

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