Lessons from our practice

From Scott and Nathan (summarized)

Twing position: Twingers need to be higher in heavier winds - and have them run under the lifelines

Driving downwind: We obviously need to keep the boat going downwind without wiping out, and that is mostly a coordination issue between the driver and the trimmers which takes time and experience.  And at least the second time we didn't lose the chute completely :)

Pole Position: Driver and trimmers have to feel the boat and the wind and the effect of the waves on the boat attitude and anticipate when an ease is needed.  And in heavy wind the pole should be a foot or so forward of optimal (90 deg to wind angle), but no more. 

Use the vang more: actively trim it just like a sheet, powering and depowering the main as the wind changes and puffs hit.

Gybes: the clew being a bit more forward helps me get the gybe done faster.  And we need that extra line as the foredeck person attaches the pole to what is now the new guy.  Otherwise that person has to fight the pressure.  (assuming of course that the downhaul is released). We got closer toward the end of the day.

Pole position on exit from gybe - not usually very far aft.  In heavy breeze, a little bit forward keeps some tucked under the main and makes the exit from the gybe a little more stable.  In lighter breeze, you're not going to be steering really deep so it needs to be forward anyway.

Trim during the gybe - a few times early on in the practice one or
both clews wound up trimmed very tight after the start of the gybe in an
effort to keep the shoulders from collapsing.  After a certain point, that
causes more problems than it solves because a tight foot makes it hard for
bow to get the pole on and exiting a gybe overtrimmed in heavy breeze can
lead to drama. The good news is that the heavier the wind the easier it is to float the spinnaker.

Driving out of a gybe: Gotta do the full "S" turn to come back down when the boom starts to go across to make the sails refilling more graceful.