Dynamic: (of a process or system) characterized by constant change, activity, or progress
Dr., my alden caravelle fully loaded for a race or a cruise is prolly about 23,000 lbs with a 28' waterline. i think that is more than a little bit heavy, it's very heavy. full keel with a huge attached rudder.
my Ascow is 1,800 lbs with prolly a 37' waterline and up to 1,8oo sq ft of sail makes a laser seem heavy
my trinka 12 , another bruce kirby design, is fun but i'm 6'5" so i can't play like a kid might
we operate each vessel very differently and we push them all
with well over 1,000,000 miles at sea (i've been sailing 59 yrs and drove lake ships for my only job) combined with aeolus being in the family for 45 seasons my driving is pretty much instinctual. driving the old cca boat has it's own characteristics. so yes to all your options.
but it's way more than that. i'm a bethwaite student. i'm playing the puffs and lulls, i'm watching the the wind patterns, i'm guessing the gradient changes. i know where to find the extra wind under the clouds. i'm watching for funneling, i'm watching the waves and their patterns. we pay attention to the changes for halyards and sheets. we fly spinnakers and stay sails. we turn down big swells to catch the ride.
no dodger, no bimini, no barbecues, no roller reefing, no windlass, no radar dome, no lights on deck to blind the helm. never use the autopilot while sailing. auto pilots are always too late and can't anticapate.
when i go cruising it's about getting great sailboat rides. i plan my ports of call so to play the winds from day to day. and yes, we go site seeing too. i love the wild places.
it's ALL about the ride. this alden is so seakindly. subarus are practical but they will never give the ride of a duesenberg.
we love to push the boat hard and it loves being pushed. i believe you have to push back at mother nature to grab the best ride. this model alden is one of the strongest boats ever built by any man. 1" thick solid glass hull with glass ribs through out with a full wood interior attached to it. aeolus is a tank. aeolus easily sails to her phrf rating with the condition it's kept in. but it's all about the wind is it not. bethwaite teaches us this. if i'm in a 14 kt breeze and a more modern vessel is in a 8 kt breeze they will never keep up. if your a guest on board that means your crew, not some ride along type.
thanks for asking Dr.