Bad press for Sprays

[Sprayman]

It's very disheartening to read some of the rubbish about the poor
sailing abilities of the Spray in forums (fora?) written by ignorant
people who, almost without exception, have never sailed on a Spray, or
at best crewed breifly on one not sailed properly. Their "opinion" is
invariably second, or third hand - or just pure speculation - "Looking
at the hull design it can't be a good boat".
Most comments come from arm-chair sailors, or racing types who think
anything which can't go to windward at less than 30 degrees off is
just not worthy of the title "sailing boat".
We Spray owners know different. We know how well these old girls
handle themselves at sea, how forgiving they are to short-handed, not
so experienced crew, how manouvreable they really are despite their
long keel, and of course, how roomy and comfortable they are.
We also know that they can carry sail longer in strong winds without
all hell breaking loose.
My previous Spray 36 "Spray Dancer" could ghost along in smooth waters
with only the mere hint of a breeze, overtaking more recent designs -
to their astonishment, and our delight.
I'd like to hear your stories about your Sprays -