PY changes for 2014

Originally posted by KevH Thought I'd try and wrap this thread up with a salient lesson that I keep forgetting and then get reminded of too often. I sail a vision with my sons, a great boat to teach them trapezing and kite handling. They are now quite competent and I have the luxury of choosing a light or heavy weather crew. We do very well at club level and having found a +20 point increase in our handicap I was amazed and rather smug at the prospect of this season's sailing. Saturday saw the first race of the season and, having endured the storms on the south coast all winter, was a little dismayed with 3 knots of wind. A beautiful sunny day in which we beat all fast handicap but had to endure the ignominy of watching helplessly as the solos drifted past to clear up. A handicap nearer a drascombe dabber wouldn't have helped as, when it comes down to it, a fat lump of plastic is just never going to perform all of the time. The remembered lesson...I spent 90 excellent minutes chatting with my 12 year old, saw sunshine for the first time in months, had a beer and a laugh with friends from the club, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Handicaps are a means to an end and we all end up frustrated at some stage. Don't ever forget why we go sailing in the first place!

Thought I'd try and wrap this thread up with a salient lesson that I keep forgetting and then get reminded of too often. I sail a vision with my sons, a great boat to teach them trapezing and kite handling. They are now quite competent and I have the luxury of choosing a light or heavy weather crew. We do very well at club level and having found a +20 point increase in our handicap I was amazed and rather smug at the prospect of this season's sailing. Saturday saw the first race of the season and, having endured the storms on the south coast all winter, was a little dismayed with 3 knots of wind. A beautiful sunny day in which we beat all fast handicap but had to endure the ignominy of watching helplessly as the solos drifted past to clear up. A handicap nearer a drascombe dabber wouldn't have helped as, when it comes down to it, a fat lump of plastic is just never going to perform all of the time. The remembered lesson...I spent 90 excellent minutes chatting with my 12 year old, saw sunshine for the first time in months, had a beer and a laugh with friends from the club, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Handicaps are a means to an end and we all end up frustrated at some stage. Don't ever forget why we go sailing in the first place!

Originally posted by Rupert I'm puzzled. How can the PY system be designed around Olympic courses if hardly anyone uses them.

Well exactly. A VPP based rule, of course gets into the whole business of what course was it setup for and all the rest, but PY has no idea what courses are involved.

For my own club's racing I've come to the conclusion that we get the fairest series racing by mixing courses up so there are shy reaches some weeks, broader ones others, courses with lots of beating and running, courses with lots of reaching, everything... try and make sure *every* dog has its day!

The thing about W/L courses is that on seriously quick boats the hot angles are the fastest way to the leeward mark, and all you do by taking gybe marks out is remove the challenge of making the gybe mark when its a bit shy. In these boats you sail as fast as you can (whilst staying upright) whilst making best use of the gusts and shifts. You are sailing as fast on the runs as you would be on any other leg.

With slow asymmetric boats like 200s and 400s its another story of course.

I'm puzzled. How can the PY system be designed around Olympic courses if hardly anyone uses them. The majority of courses used would probably be all over the place club mark courses. Hopefully, with all the results, every point of sailing has been covered.

And no, a boat that can't sail down wind won't beat one which can. W/L courses for asys are deliberately designed to be tactical, not fast, and mixing the 2 types of boat in handicap racing doesn't work that well, really.

Originally posted by Medway Maniac Very few, I'd suggest; ours almost never.

Quite obviously, judging by your earlier comments regarding the Alto & 505, tell me, do you ever sail upwind to the point you have to tack?