Hello everyone! I'm new to this forum and looking forward to exchange some interesting discussions about the 23.5 I live in Malta(central mediterranean),I use my boat during the summer months when I leave it on a swing mooring. There are no similar boats around, actually there are only a handful of sailboats under 28 feet. Well, I know its a fair weather boat but I would like to use it to the full without exceeding its potential. Overall its a good boat and very forgiving, but since it is a bit tender, does anyone has any tips and suggestions to improve the sail carrying ability in a blow? That is, without big modifications. Here we tend to have steep choppy waves and since this is a tiny island, once you are out of a bay, you are in a deep open sea. Well, when I bought this boat I considered modifying the jib from hanks to furling but since marine hardware over here is prohibitively expensive, I opted to spend the money on a second(smaller) jib. I ordered it from Doyle, and they did a great job. It pulls well becouse up to wind force 4, I don't need to reef. Close hauled, it may be a couple of points more off the wind but very consistent. I also tune the mast with maximum bend sice the mainsail has a generous camber. (A flatter main may be better for heavy air regions but that's another story) Since the jib turning blocks are fixed, I added a second pair more outwards and backwards which I use for the original jib. I found it better becouse it can allow a slight twist on a reach and opens a bit the slot so reducing backwinding the main. Up to now I only used it as a daysailer with an occasional overnight but would it be totally crazy or ok to sail to Sicily on this particular type of boat with the nearest port being 70 miles away.(that is considering a good weather forecast) Kindest regards Nicky