Handicap Racing or Class Racing

Windsurf racing has had that problem for many years, the only youth sailing is T15 and that is nothing more than a feeder for the holy grail of Olympic sailing. T15 sailors who do not achieve 'Olympic hopeful' status are abandoned as soon as the reach 16 years old and left to fend for themselves. There is a great Raceboard circuit in the UK, and a slalom series (and even a few diehards still racing Formula) but the ex T15 kids don't seem to know it exists.

Originally posted by JimC Originally posted by boatshed Finally, I think is great to see and Opi hand a 49er its ass on a plate! An interesting point actually. Now you say it it strikes me that its probably rather more healthy for younger sailors to be mixed in with all ages than confined to their own ghetto, at least once they develop a reasonable level of confidence.

Good to see a robust discussion on a subject, shows passion in the sport we all enjoy in all the differing forms we sail it in.

If a class allows sail size options and still counts them as 'one fleet' what exactly is the problem ?   Equally if they opt to count them as seperate species ditto ....   Let them get on with it and police it internally.

For handicap racing with other classes a different approach may be needed.  Either they are treated as differnt sub-species with different handcap numbers (ie as seperate classes) or they could be accorded the most handicapped number of any of the sails used at an event or in a series.

Personally I'm not that bothered and enjoy both handicap and OD - but if a flexible approach gets more people on the water that is great.  If it gets more people off the shore and racing when conditions might otherwise keep them away - also great.

I'm sure the old (and young !) crusties  will view much of the above as totally heretical - but then again they often see handicap racing generally as 'not for the purist'  anyway !    OK rather than carp at the growth of handicap racing in all its forms, handicap numbers, and so on do something about it.  Get your clubs to just run 'approved' fleet racing (a la 1970's etc) and restrict membership along the same lines ....  and see what happens then .... (and please will the last one to leave please lock the gate ...  ;-) 

I would agree I dont really have an issue with people using the fastest PY and then swapping to a smaller rig, but when it works the other way using say the radial py and the full rig thats unfair as was the case I referred to. In fact I dont even think the sailor was attempting to it was more a case of not being noticed by the race officer/ results coordinator who I think assumed he was using the same rig for the whole series.