It is possible I'll be starting with some F18's at JPOR. What is the best way to handle them, tactically?
The two boats should be pretty close on speed but the 18 has a taller mast, so try not to get trapped under them right at the gun or you will have no air. If they also start the I20's with you, get as far away from them as you can! They have a much taller mast and will block your wind. You could try for a spot up at the comitee boat if you can find a hole, that way you can tack away into clear air if there are a bunch of 18's and 20's blocking your wind. If you get 5 or more F16's maybe they will give you your own start?
You can engage the F18's on accelleration but not on much else. My advice when relatively new to the boat is to avoid the committee boat end at all cost. UNLESS you make a starboard start AT the committee boat. This means you start by sailing over starboard directly into clean air once the port start fleet has passed. This trick works only with relatively small start fleets. Otherwise try to start between 1/3 and 1/2 down the start line and go for speed. Don't get into a fight at the start or right after it with the other boat. You are better off sailing a little away (even when lower) and sailing your own race on speed.
If the fleet is large and crowded then you can also seriously consider start on port on the port end of the start line. You often have clain air there and you can really accurately time your start so you hit the line at full speed. The F16's point best a little lower then the F18's and so you'll move away from the fleet anyway. You'll also sail longer on a tack so by the time you have to tack teh F18's will have tacked already staying clear of you. When doing really right you'll lead them on the the first tack (because of you having clean air and they hindering eachother)
On the F16's don't try to outpoint the F18's. On your Blade F16 you can match their pointing if you do it right but that takes experience. In my opinion the F16's don't suffer very much when you point lower and maximize VMG. On the F16's you must make sure that you always keep your speed up, the F16's seem to be sensitive to that. So give yourself a little margin in this respect by pointing just slightly lower then what you are able to in extreme.
When passing boats I found that an F16 doesn't have much trouble passing boats through their lee sides (windshadows). Just threaten to pass them to windward and when the other boat starts to pinch to defend their position then just bear off by 10 to 15 degrees and just blast through their windshadow. Some careful sheeting out and in of the mainsail helpd you accellerate and punch through the windshadow. I've done this a few times with even I-20's, it just works, for some reason the F16's don't have much trouble with this. But of course passing the windward is always best.