Thanks for your great reply Ken,

> Are you new to sailing?
I've never owned a boat, until now, but have spent many summers on
Sabots, windsurfers and the corsair I now own... so I am familiar
with some of the concepts, but very little of the lingo.

> Did you have the centreboard down?
yes

> Did the boat appear to drift sideways in the water?
no

> Was there a strong current and little wind?
there was a fairly strong current... the water tends to race out just
off Sorrento in Port Phillip Bay.

> Were there large wind shifts?
I guess there were.

> Did you have the sheets pulled in tight?
yes

> Were main and jib both on the same side of the boat?
yes

> Were you pointing as close to the wind as possible ,
> luffing occasionally?
yes

> Does the main and jib both luff at the same instant?
no, the jib was doing most of the luffing

> Does the boat swing upwind or down wind or load the helm
> in gusts?
upwind

> Balancing the helm best achieved by raking the mast fore and aft
What does one do to rake the mast?

As for the rest of the post... very interesting. I'll need to sit
down with a glossary of boating terms and go to school.

Regards,

Sam Coates