Well all, and to Mike of Sea Glass: I did not follow your advice on reefing and that was clearly a mistake. My Wife and I have been out with the kids on pretty mellow days but last Sunday was different. The hurricane had passed up the coast 2 days earlier and we had always been out in 5-10 kt days in the past. The forecast said 10 for the day, but it was more like 15 and stronger once we got out 2-3 miles into the Chesapeake, it was also unsettled and would come from all over. The boat of course loved it, but I needed a reef and my Genoa was probably too big. I managed to scare my wife pretty good with 25 degree healing. I was feathering into the wind and trying to dump gusts with the main sheet, but I wasn't exactly smooth. With 2 little kids on board, it was a bit much to manage in a relaxed manner. Tomorrow, I put in reefs at the dock.... My wife repeating the f bomb, was a clue that the healing was not her cup of tea while watching 2 little ones, we also made "nervous mistakes" like wrapping the jib sheet backwards on the winch while tacking...ugh. Hey, its all part of the tour, but I wish i didn't scare my wife - - she was really getting into it, I'll need to get them back to the 5-8 knot days for a while and save the other days for me and my mates...