How I learned to forget bandits & enjoy fair play

Originally posted by Null

   Thanks to Bas Edmonds and a most informative explanation of the Portsmouth Yardstick system and its workings, we now have a handicap officer and she will attempt to drag H&SSC into the twenty-first century.

I may not still agree with the system for issuing EN's but the rest of it has given me a bit more confidence that our future could be more entertaining shall we say.

We had a great evening, with key sailors from both the Redoubt and Hythe in attendance there was a lively Q & A session and I think everyone left with something from the talk, it was a good night I'd thoroughly recommend it if you can persuade Bas & Debbie to come to your club.

As to the system I do now understand some of the discrepancies, should actually formerly apologise to those PYAG group who I must have offended on many occasion due to ignorance as to their remit. (They are strictly told to ignore anything other than the data and that and that alone is relied on to defend their decisions.) Having said that a degree more transparency might better explain that and other than the fact they are kept in a dark smoke filled room and fed figures, we know nothing officially about them. A thankless task just the same, would I do it under those conditions? Absolutely not. So my sincere apologies to you Gentlemen whoever you are.

As to the rest of it, used properly I can see it could be a great system, we have a few issues as a small club where it could be viewed as personal, but the the flip side of that is the purchase of known Bandit craft could also be seen as personal and for those who accuse poor old Bas of ruining their class when their class was only built precisely because it had allegedly Bandit advantage you could say hard luck to.

My personal grievance however in the purchase and acquisition of new craft remains unsuccessfully explained, a new craft should be measured given there is no data and it is chicken and egg you can't get data unless it is allowed to race it can't race without a number. The simple answer if a measurement based system is not likely to be employed is to give every new craft 1000 for its first 3 months or 12 races then re-adjust and do that four times in its first year, this system could do it, it has the capability.

Anyway we're better equipped going forward than we were yesterday at this time so I'm glad of that, it won't help the Icon and the jury is still out regarding the D0 and other anomalies, but the key fact is you don't worry about them, really you use the system to declare UDI and it takes the blame and that is what we'll strive to use.

Thanks again Bas and sorry again to PYAG bods.

Edited by iGRF - 28 Nov 14 at 10:19am