"Properly"
I suppose it depends on what your definition of "properly" is. As apparent beginners, I would say "properly" means what you can handle. In heavy winds, I would stick with the main only if you're asking about one or the other. If you find the boat is over-canvassed you can easily reef (well, it's easier than muscling down a jib & raising the main, etc). That said, I would make an additional recommendation: If it seems to be blowing pretty good, start out with a reefed main cuz it is about a jillion times easier to shake out a reef than to tuck one in! As far as the tiller responsiveness, unless there is NO wind, you should be able to have plenty of way on to be able to steer the boat.LaDonna