RS aero

Originally posted by SimonW99 JimC  Not sure I get that one. If they are lighter and change down earlier than I have to I would expect the advantage up to the point when I have to blade or pull the board up as I am still efficient. Peaky, I can't say whether a 5 would get much more out of a 9 than they would a 7 in a drifter as they would be sailing with the worst possible handicap. They would be better off sticking to the 7 and its handicap IMHO.  I personally think one sail is enough for most. If you want to get two, its probably the most difficult call at 75 KG. If on the sea you might go 5 -7 whereas inland you might go for 7-9. However it is all a bit academic as if I was say 80kg, I would get a 7 only and it would do me fine. Interestingly, out of 24 boats here, I think only 4 people have additional rigs.  I personally wouldn't have include the PY's or the 'reef' down suggestions in the rules, but I assume its trying to be helpful as EN exists and the option we use seems to work fine.

What JimC was saying that when you are underpowered, the lightweights can change up to a 9 and be fully powered up. Certainly in a Phantom I would say that I'm not fully powered up in at least 50% of club races, probably more. That is why rig swapping always reduces the optimum weight range.

Given the dearth of boats for heavier gentlemen it undermines the value of the 9 imho.

jeffers, I don't think its moving anywhere. Any open meeting will be three classes. Any series not run by the CA will do whatever the series says and I would expect that to reflect three classes, so if you sail two rigs you get two entries.

Originally posted by Null At GGP this year, there was a big guy (guessing 90kg ish) using a 5 rig, he had used the 9 at virtually every other winter event.  Think he is one of the Chelmarsh boys.  I had a good chat with him at the BM he seemed like a really nice guy...Anyway I digress, he was really, really quick at the GGP.  But even then i think he would of been much quicker in the 7  That was in conditions getting on towards survival in the last race.  I took my Zero out this Sunday in frankly balmy conditions and I now think even if we had multiple rig choices I wouldn't swap down.  I just don't think it would get 'That' windy!

At GGP this year, there was a big guy (guessing 90kg ish) using a 5 rig, he had used the 9 at virtually every other winter event.  Think he is one of the Chelmarsh boys.  I had a good chat with him at the BM he seemed like a really nice guy...Anyway I digress, he was really, really quick at the GGP.  But even then i think he would of been much quicker in the 7  That was in conditions getting on towards survival in the last race.  I took my Zero out this Sunday in frankly balmy conditions and I now think even if we had multiple rig choices I wouldn't swap down.  I just don't think it would get 'That' windy!

It seems highly likely to me that a 7 sailor would benefit from 5 and 9 rigs. Even a 5 sailor would be faster with a 9 in a drifter.

Simon, the class rules seem very clearly to say it is one class with three rigs. And therefore should have one RYA PY number. The handicaps referred to in the class rules can only be for CA events because a. The CA obviously has no right to state a PY for events outside its organisation and b. Such rig swapping appears to break the RRS, which is fine if you've all signed up for it (in a CA event) but isn't fine when others haven't. Aeros can swap the port/stbd rule for all I care at their own events, but you can't do that in a club race!