I was sailing on my lake this past weekend when I was outsailed by an Edel 540. Now I know that as a small keelboat, he has a bit longer waterline than I do hence his hull speed was more, but his biggest advantage was his genoa. He was flying at least a 150.
My question to you DS sailers is this. Have you ever put on a larger headsail such as a genny, and if so id the size (130, 150 etc) as well as a comment about the performance of your boat? Did it improve speed, or just heel you over more, and make the boat a bear to handle? Did it decrease weather helm or did the boat stay relatively balanced.
Now I know that the measurements prevent the use of a larger sail while raceing but, I'm talking about light air cruising, where the standard jib was sadly lacking.