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I had the pleasure of spending a few nights on the pocket cruiser at Summersville lake last week.I love staying in it on the water .Well worth every hour spent building it .Everyone was surprised at how much room was in the cabin.
  One of my friends had his power boat up to pull the kids around but every chance he got he jumped in the sailboat for a few hours of gas free fun .he was spending $106 a day in fuel.Everyone wanted me to leave the boat and come back at the end of the week to pick it up .
  She handles well in winds up to 10-12 mph but after that i get a bit nervous ,remember this is my first boat let alone sailboat .I added reef points and was pleasantly surprised at how much different she handled.The only problem i have so far is finding a constant wind in WV ,with the hills and trees its always changing.And the Wind gusts are bad as well.
  I have fun with it but would like for it to be a bit faster ?  I'm already thinking about the weekender    

Nice photo, Jason. I have similar shots from the cabin of my Pocket Cruiser in Pennsylvania. Lake winds are unpredictable and can cause stress for novice sailors (myself included). I find that confidence grows the more I spend time on the water. I'm getting to know my boat, and I'm also getting familiar with the local waters.

I am still nervous sailing downwind in a strong breeze. I  plan on adding reef points, as well.

I'm not the fastest sailboat on the lake. In fact, I'm one of the slowest. But, boy, do I get comments. Boats go out of their way to sail next to me and ask about the design: "Nice gaff!" "Great boat!" And so on. So I don't mind my relatively slow progress. I don't have any place I need to go.

Thanks for the reply Paul .
  I tend to stay close to the wind(think that's right ) in the strong breezes as well .Its paid off more than once .
It kinda makes it all worth while getting out and enjoying your build Most people ask how old mine is and where i came across it .They usually are surprised that its self built and a 2011 model .

(08-02-2011, 05:00 PM)jasonwicker link Wrote: [ -> ]Thanks for the reply Paul .
  I tend to stay close to the wind(think that's right ) in the strong breezes as well .Its paid off more than once .
It kinda makes it all worth while getting out and enjoying your build Most people ask how old mine is and where i came across it .They usually are surprised that its self built and a 2011 model .

Ease the main and jib - you'll gain speed, control and comfort.  Over sheeting is a very common thing for new sailors.

Sailing a boat you built and having others show their appreciation is really rewarding - makes all the hours in the moaning chair worth it.

"When in doubt, let it out!"

This applies to pointing reasonably into the wind, and comments on how beginning sailors (And those of us who should know better but who are out of practice!) try to point too high, and pinch in too much. This just shoves everything sideways...No good. You want the boat pulling forward, not sideways.

Of course, off the wind is usually not too hard to figure out.

Mike