Spring brings wind to placid Santa Monica Bay. It's like a powder day on a mountain, and an opportunity to refine gear and techniques.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVJYDWkJg_w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVJYDWkJg_w
Sure. If you jibe the boat sharply, carrying through upwind, the sail luffs almost before the main sheet stops it. Then bear off to chosen course.
Three-eights. That works best for my blocks and clutches. The size is a little small for the Barient 19 self-tailers on the cabin house, but I can make them self-tail by putting five or six turns on the drum.
I'd call the differences subtle. Overall the 38 is less like a dinghy than the 32-3, and its greater mass all around gives slower reactions. That does translate to comfort and stability. It takes away a little of the "feel".
The overwhelming impression is of exactly the same boat, since the cockpit and deck layout is similar. The interior space really gains only a larger galley and a shower stall. The increase in beam makes the most noticeable impression below, in terms of "bigger boat."
Impressions, though, are just that--although important in wondering whether to move up in size. ("The guy says his 38 isn;t much different from a 32-3? All he got was a shower stall and an extra burner on the stove?")
We had 26 people on board for cocktails (16 below, 10 in cockpit). When you step onto a 38 from the dock, it hardly moves. A 32-3 rocks under your foot. So yes, in reality, the boats are quite different.
But they're both Bruce King. Same drink in a bigger glass. Tastes the same.