Ozone- competitive sailing for the 21st Century

racing scratch · Originally posted by Medway Maniac

Here's an idea, it's very rough around the edges and hopefully this thread can be used to positively crowdsource some flesh to the bones, and if there's enough interest, then I might just implement it.
a couple of house guidelines,

1) this thread isn't designed for PY bashing, feel free to whinge away on every other thread about specific class numbers and changes.

2) Without PY racing this concept is flawed, certainly in the earlier stages

3) the primary aim of this idea is inclusion, not exclusion, for popular singlehanded sailing dinghies.  The concept could, imho, be transferred to other categories of dinghies, however this is not the focus of this specific thread.

The Proposal - Ozone Sailing

Ozone Sailing... it's not a class association, it's more like a club.  A club or community rather, promoting racing on a first across the line basis- racing scratch for a selection of unarig hiking singlehanded dinghies.

The idea was formed initially by seeing the developments of the Devoti Zero and RS Aero.  They both look like great new boats, more or less similar in top line spec and will probably be of similar performance characteristics.  The person who sails either boat best will probably be the person who cross the line first. 

So why not race them together, free from biases and debates of a PY system?  And while we think about it, why can't the Rooster 8.1 Laser derivative join in, and the OK, and why not the Supernova?  More the merrier - racing scratch.

Well that's unlikely to happen- firstly both classes will rightly try to develop a programme of class racing for their new customers, and the Supernova and OK already have established programmes.  This is good, class racing is good and I welcome both developing successful circuit events for class racing.  Ozone Sailing would NOT want to compete with these class programmes forming an 'alternative circuit' of new events.  There's not enough resource, time and desire to go around as it is.

So this leaves us with various handicap regattas- great, but their handicap regattas aren't they?

Handicap Racing - a positive contribution to dinghy sailing

So let's deal with this, I don't believe I am alone in finding the handicap debates in club bars, dinghy parks and in magazines and social media tiresome.  Buying newer designs you are susceptible to it even more.  I bought a Solo to avoid it.  I see others year on year, frustrated that their handicap drops because those with 10 grand to spend buy an essentially different boat to them, albeit under the auspices of a class association.    While there are others who struggle with the concepts around PY- and it's understandable at the human level, how can the boat suddenly be faster than it was last year?  Does it mean that those good race memories from last season were formed under false pretences?    No, it's just statistics, but statistics are devoid of emotion, we are not.

However handicap PY racing is still the backstay to a lot of competitive dinghy sailing in the UK, certainly at club level.  It is without question fairer than it has ever been in my living memory, and those who really make it happen do so voluntarily, providing a system that in my opinion, is far superior than something derived via boat design variables and complex algorithms.  I do not believe there is any ill-intent or commercial bias or influence on the PY process, it services the majority of sailors well.  If they didn't like it, they'd buy a Laser or Solo instead, or take up golf.

But some, me included, find it unsatisfactory, somehow devaluing the process of the competitive sailing that has just happened on the water - racing scratch, devalued by an artificial set of results that have no real-time bearing on the race we thought we'd just enjoyed.

So why not respect the spreadsheet for what it is, but derive the competitive value elsewhere- based on the Elapsed Time, rather than the Corrected Time.  In other words, extract the results - racing scratch.

And that's where Ozone Sailing comes in.  

It's an online repository and community for AerO, ZerO, OK, RoOster 8.1 and SupernOva sailors which has a several events selected from the existing dinghy racing calendar and the results are re-calculated monday morning from the elapsed time.    

- we do not set about creating a new (and likely to flop) series of separate events.  With respect, I cite TASA.

- we do not risk flushing the baby out with the bathwater, PY racing provides one framework to value your racing by statistical analysis, Ozone provides another based on what happens on the water boat-on-boat.  All running on the same infrastructure and events programme with mutual respect for each other- hopefully adding boats to the start line, which is what really matters most.   

- we are wholly independent and inclusive.  Personally I would like to welcome some expertise to create a bOx rule for independent builders and homebuilders to join in.  I would personally have no problem someone joining in with a Laser either, they could even use a replica sail... but let's be fair, a Laser should be slower shouldn't it?  I'm sure I've missed other classes who could slot in too... fire away, down the line a technical team would assess the merits of entry to Ozone Sailing- not something I'm skilled enough to do myself.

- we could notionally even run a National & Inland Championship, and whilst I have some ideas around that there are some people I need to speak with first before I could venture that idea in the public domain.  But even so, Sailfest would do as an alternative and many of you guys may well prefer that anyway once I announce my idea of something totally 'alternative'.

So that's the bones of the idea- fundamentally the Ozone is to encourage lighthearted competitive sailing between new friends and old.  It is not trying to 'breakdown' any established classes or handicap racing structure, rather it is aimed at providing an informal and complementary harmonising layer to the current racing we all enjoy- based on racing scratch first across the line.

So what are your thoughts?  Positive critique welcome.  Identify barriers or just say it sucks.  It won't cost much other than time and a bit of web dev.  The whole thing could be run from Facebook... but that would be selling it short imho.  Let's hear it..

Edited by yellowwelly - 28 Feb 14 at 10:55am