Classic Boat PY's

[QUOTE=Garry]Bruce, what basis would you base your handicap system on and how would you demonstrate it was fair? QUOTE]

It would be based on the current returns system PLUS the opinions of half a dozen selected dinghy sailors sitting in a smokey room with a big pot of coffee on the table. The next year's sailing would demonstrate if it was fair or not.

The current returns-based system is a good start, but it has severe limitations with regard to the ability of the sailors. What we have is not a representation of the relative performances of boats, but of boats and the sailors who sail them. As you can't quantify sailor ability, then I'm forced to think that human opinion should be used to try and take it out of the equation. Normally I'm the last person to advocate more committees, but I can't see any other way to start moving handicaps around a bit more energetically.

I think also that the system needs to revolve around one fixed boat in the centre of the performance spectrum. The laser would be the logical choice because it is universally available and popular, isn't going to die out and has virtually no development. All the other classes should have a rating which is worked out relative to that.

Because the biggest variable we are dealing with, the ability of the sailors, will be more transparent at a big event with lots of good sailors in it. The sailors taking part in a club evening series could be any standard whatsoever, indeed, this is not even disclosed or taken into account. This means any attempt to lift a purely statistically-based return from the club races is totally meaningless if we are trying to represent the relative performances of the boats only, and not the sailors in them.

At the big winter events, the relative standards of the sailors is there to see and can be taken into account too, and the differences between the top sailors in each class will be smaller. You can assume that Chips Howarth is approximately the same standard as Nick Craig, who is approximately the same standard as Geoff Carveth, who is approximately the same standard as Richard Whitworth, who is approximately the same standard as Jim Hunt etc. They are all very good sailors, who would be capable of winning a nationals in a number of classes.

I think it's a fundamentally flawed approach to have a purely statistically-based handicap system.

No system will be faultless, and it's not the intention of handicap racing to provide perfect racing. I think any system though, should strive towards a situation where every class is capable of winning a big handicap event in the right hands, in one certain set of conditions.

At present, there isn't a sailor or a set of conditions or circumstances which would ever result in a Laser winning the Bloody Mary or the Grafham GP. Not in a million years would this happen, so obviously there is something wrong here. I think this is an example of where a committee needs to be involved to say "enough's enough." and put a few handicaps right.