Here is my personal experience, and it is from my journal, not from my fading and likely boasting memory. My first M15 "Joy" #264 was, like Jerry's, well-ballasted. She had two 27 group deep cycle batteries in the bilge to power the Minn-Kota trolling motor that I mounted through the bilge, just aft of the keel. In mid-November of 1989--I was a very young 60 way back then--I trailed to Stockton Lake in Southwest Missouri, a Corps of Engineers impoundment noted for very low surrounding hills and plenty of wind. My wind speed and boat speed were as read from the Dwyer hand-held wind meter, and a hand- held Knotstick. Not electronic and high tech, but neither were the patent logs of the old Master Mariners. With a reefed main and full jib, I sailed out of my anchorage, and "Dwyer said winds were rarely below 20 miles per hour, usually 20 to 30 plus, with gusts to over 40! Knotstick reads 5 1/4 knots at times when on a close to beam reach." "Joy's change heavy weather capability, with the second battery in the bilge, is remarkable. Now I'd say she is good for fifteen to twenty miles per hour, unreefed, thirty to thirty five reefed." Now that I am a hundred years older, my "Rejoyce!" M15 #361 may never see such fine sailing, but she loves to sail. And yes, experience helps, too, as well as a lot of ballast. I have been sailing for over 65 years, first with my "Snipe," and a procession of sailboats from a Sun Fish, 13' canoe with a sail designed for an 18 footer, Philippine dugout canoe ("Banca"), Pearson Triton, many others, and aboard a 103' three stick schooner in winds over 70 knots bucking a strong current, with waves over 50', in Australia's Tasman Sea, complete with a couple knock downs and a pooping while I was at the helm. Much fun! Yes, our wonderful little M15 can take a lot, if you are prepared, properly rigged, and have some previous experience in heavy weather. John R. Butler theoldcat@cox.net .--.-. | ( ( )__ \ _ / (_, \ ) ,_) | -== (_) ==- -'--`--' /|\ / \ / | \ | ^^ / | \ / | \ ^^ /361| \ / | \ / | \ ^^ / | \ ___/____| \ ______|_ \ ___ _______/ ==== \___\___/ | “MONTGOMERY 15” / ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~^~~^=~^~~-=~^~^~=~^~=~~^~= ~^~=~~^=~^~~^~^=~^~-~^~~^~= ^~=~^~=~~^~~=~~=~^~=~~^~~^~^^ John Butler - Sailing again. Praise the Lord!