This weekend was the annual Scotch Bonnet Light Race from Rochester, NY to S.B.I. off the coast of Canada, and back. This is a 78nm round trip, and the first time with my new to me 1990 H33.5. The winds were out of the west from 15 to 28 knots. I fly a full batten main and a 150 Genny, both brand new from Doyle. It was a dark evening sail with no moon, so reading the waves were impossible. It rained on the return leg with steady winds 20 knots or higher. The helm was very difficult trying to keep a straight course. The boat seemed to have a mind of its own, with the waves knocking you off course, with difficulty resetting the course and frequent over-correction. I found that small corrections with anticipation of waves to be the best method, but very difficult to master. A Catalina 34 behind us had to reef his main on the return leg because his boat kept going to windward, almost going in circles. Otherwise we were very well matched, making the trip to the island at about the same pace. I finished 15 minutes ahead of him to Rochester. My question is do other 33.5 owners have difficulty steering in medium to high winds? My previous boat was a 1981 Hunter 33, and that was very reactive to high winds making it necessary to reef at about 15 knots. The 33.5 just seemed to steer differently, possibly because the broader and flatter bottom. Any ideas or comments?