Full rig Vrs Radial

Out last night in about 7- 12 knts of wind.I had a full rig and weigh 160 lbs.I was racing (practicing) against a very accomplished Radial sailor that weights about 110 lbs.Pretty much just boat speed testing as it was very steady wind with not much shifts so we stayed on the same tack for a long time.
I was very suprised to see very little boatspeed difference.I was a little higher and faster upwind,the Radial sailor was about equal speed on a close reach back to shore.
Both of us have lots of racing experience and equipment was pretty equal.
Not sure if she was sailing that much better or was I expecting a bigger advantage?

I'm a lighter sailor (120 lbs) and I'm also a master sailor. I sail a full rig but should be sailing a radial as the wind picks up. But, that means being banished to sail with the juniors. Why, oh why, can't I just sail a radial with the full rigs and sail with my own age group and be scored with them.

So, lets say, I sail with kids and I'm get the pants beat off me (likely). It just makes me feel old. That's crap!
So, lets say, I sail with the kids and I beat the pants off them. How many kids will want to continue sail if they get beat by an old lady. Not cool!
So, lets say, I sail a radial with the full rigs, and I'm middle to back of the fleet. That okay with me. I'm learning!
So, lets say, I sail a radial with the full rigs, and I'm actually quite competitive. Awesome! Maybe those old guys I beat need some incentive to hid the gym.

the biggest difference is downwind, the radials start 3 mins before us and sometimes we catch up to them depending on the conditions,

we have some really excellent radial sailors in our fleet, and some switch between full and radial, so I'd say the larger sail area is a speed advantage for sure,

in 7-12kts you should be faster than a radial around the course, those are prime conditions for your weight and the full rig

any more than 12- 15 the radial is just as fast or faster and ALOT easier to manage upwind but downwind it is just as unstable but the radial is alot slower...

I sailed in a full rig against a good female Radial sailor in about 15 knots in a practice session a few weeks ago. (I weigh about 190 lbs.) Upwind we were very similar in speed. I had to work hard to stay ahead of her but it was close. Downwind there was no contest. The full rig was much faster, even with all my dead weight.

My experience as well. As a light weight, I sometimes race a Radial in a mixed fleet. But on the downwind legs, I can't keep up with the full-rigs in light to medium winds. When it gets really windy, I might have a chance because some of the full rigs might capsize.
Unfortunately, I could be swimming as well...

I find a full rig is faster than a radial until you get to survival conditions then the radial is faster because it is much easier to handle (for the average club level sailor). In the UK the PY difference equates to around 1 minute over an hour of racing.

In light airs that is very hard to achieve, the full rig is just so much faster. Medium airs it is about right, heavy airs the radial is likely to be faster on the water.

When it is really howling watch our for a 4.7 as well........