Another update from down under

Margie writes us again from down under:

Hope you are well and finishing off your sailing season on a good note.Our spring- summer season has just started and we are working out what events we can go in. Our boat was weighed the other weekend (see photo) 3907 kg .We have received our rating (Australian Measurement Certificate) which has usnearly the same as an A31 and 1 ton race boats.Is this similar to your ratings?On the local performance handicap we have to beat the SF 3200 and Elan 340'sOur winter series was sailed in winds below 10 knots ,where we did quite well.We are still learning how to sail the boat in winds over 20 knots.Number 3 head sail,1 reef , lots of back stay and lots of vang.Have you any suggestions?
thanksMargie

Here's a picture she sent us from the weighing.

Here Silverminken is also finishing the season - this weekend we are emptying out the boat and preparing for winter. Brrr...

We have not weighed Silverminken this year, but I am positively surprised by your numbers. We figured the boat would most likely tip over 4000, and with a couple hundred more kilograms for the regular kit. Nice. We might weigh Silverminken next spring because we are considering getting a measurement for endorsed IRC.

Our Norwegian "LYS" (like PHRF) rating rates us a bit slower than the A31 (2/100) and the 340 (4/100). The SF3200 here is rated as the fastest. Based on rough estimates I would say the A31 is a bit faster in lighter winds, but it is quite a load to handle in rougher weather, where it needs lots of weight on the rail to live up to its rating.

The SF3200 has about 5/100 higher rating than the 310 here in Norway. In Sweden it has 8/100 higher(!).

In winds over 15-16 knots we use the number 3 jib, and if the winds are stronger we flatten everything. The backstay we use to avoid being over-powered, but are very careful as to not lose speed. I am considering a smarter arrangement of the backstay to have it more accessible to the helmsman. 18 knots usually means considering a reef in the mainsail, and we might also open up the sheeting angle a bit on the jib so as to have a bit wider "track" to steer up and down in puffs without losing speed. Backstay is everything, and it is very important that you have enough to tighten. Doublecheck that when the backstay is completely loose that it is not "flapping". I needed to adjust my backstay quite a bit so that I am certain that each centimeter actually does something to the mast rake and forestay tension. This I did just by untying the knot  which attaches the backstay to the boat and tightening it until it was just about to begin "biting". Really, if you are sailing in heavy weather, the backstay shouldn't be able to flap too much when completely loose, since that just means the available space for the under-deck purchase isn't optimal.