Speed changes should be slower, and the course longer.
In a real boat you can't just sheet in and immediately be going full speed. It takes time to get the boat up to speed, which makes a big difference in tactics. I've noticed that a common tactic when starting in this game is to just hang by the start with sails sheeted out and then sheet in a couple seconds before the race. In reality a good start requires building speed heading towards the line and timing it properly. This is an issue rounding marks, changing tacks, trimming sails, etc. I would love to see more realistic reactions from the boat.
I agree this would be nice but it should be a race mode, i.e. realistic races. The reason being that short arcady races are good for some more casual players , or players who just want to jump in a 10mins race.
I very much agree with that. The dinghy reacts quite realistically. Somewhere between a Laser and a 420. But the yacht is actually much too light. This acceleration is never realistic. Together with the DNF rule, I also think that the courses for the yacht should be longer and more complex, otherwise it's far too much of a gamble whether you get the right side by chance at the start.