Pin the Tail on the PY Donkey

Originally posted by iiitick This year three of the races have been won by a very enthusiastic, quick learning chap whose handicap is based on the figures calculated from his first years sailing. .

Interesting. At our club that's exactly what we want the personal handicap to do: identify the sailors who are improving most year on year. It also provides milestones for young sailors in club racing. See the grin on a young ladswhen he gets in a faster band than his father...

At our club we all have personal handicaps based on previous results. We use these in four pursuit races each year. I hate them! I am perfectly aware that I am total crap and I don't need to be told officially. If I ever won I would feel patronised. I don't need trophies that much! The 'former boy' no longer bothers with them because he kept on winning and is now handicapped out of it completely. Not someones prejudiced, just what the figures throw up. This year three of the races have been won by a very enthusiastic, quick learning chap whose handicap is based on the figures calculated from his first years sailing. At the agm I will vote for removal.

This discussion just serves to underline the total stupidity upon which it is based.

You simply cannot compare boat and sailor combinations, even taking averages of the given class.

The skill level of the sailor by virtue of the particular class is so very wide.

Moth Sailors, Skiff Sailors, v Miracle and Mirror Sailors? The very idea these days is absurd it might have worked back in the day when sailing skills were not to disimilar.

There should be a class called 'yardstick' sailors, those who never sail class racing, they should re-define this and quite honestly arguing the point here is like getting Turkeys to vote for Christmas, I think I'm done trying to explain the stupidity of it all. Enough data? Big enough sample? You've had thirty years data and not gotten anywhere and all that's happening quite clearly is the dumbed down classes are getting dumber whilst the hot shot classes are getting faster, how does that help any individual in his boat sailing against his regular comrades to race on even terms.

Which was the very mission statement of the original system, something you all seem to have lost sight of.

Originally posted by JimC To bring right back to the start, what the Py sytem actually gives us at the moment is a D response, with the actual point located between A and B, but rather nearer B.

Edited by Chris 249 - 15 Nov 14 at 8:23pm

Whilst I agree with point B being the preferred option, to draw any conclusions from the poll highlights the main issue with PY, if the sample is too small you will have dodgy PY numbers.