PY Numbers (again)

We are still assesing the HALO derivative of the Blaze - Current opinion is that it will be about 20 below the Blaze 1047 with target larger helms - so maybe 1027

Everything is regular Blaze except mast which is 40cm taller and is less raked and a sail that is 12% larger at 11.55m   Current configuration for the UK is with a 'stretched' Superspars alloy M7 (carbon available overseas) and a highly developed sail by North or Hyde (in final trials).  

Mike L.

The Blaze was launched in 96 on a figure of 1040 - club returns moved this first to 1045 and later to 1047.  There are by now enough returns for it to have 'secondary status' under the scheme ie lots of returns from many clubs over a long time. This is surely significant.

If you are saying it can be raced below its handicap then how could we disagree ! - 30%ish of virtually any class should be able to do that (its a weighted average across helm ability, locations and wind levels !)

And as you say it was F4-5 .... well that really is Blaze happy country.  Flatish water helps even further.   No apologies there  - it flies in decent breezes and will easily plane upwind and blast along offwind.   If it blew F4-5 all the time the number would reflect exactly what you witnessed - it does not sadly (the wind that is) .   The FF does rather well in many conditions itself but maybe not in a F4-5 on handicap against a well sailed Blaze.  But to suggest it is not right that a particuar Blaze should not be able to pull an FF's trousers down in F4-5 sounds just a teeny weeny bit sour ! 

Mike L.

Provacatively I'm just tempted to answer your initial question by saying the handicap was calculated in the same way they calculate the xxxxxxx's handicap (fill in the missing class - everyone has a 'favorite' !)  

  

Sorry. On re-reading it my post does sound a wee bit "sour grapes" which absolutely was not how it was meant. It was a more an open question as to how the handicap for a boat could appear to be so definitively wrong. In those conditions a FF is usually starting to come into it's own on handicap, especially over a long course, but what we found exasperating on this occasion was that the Blaze seemed to be able to out pace us on every point of sailing.

On the occasion in question, there was an extremely well sailed OK that fought his way upwind and stayed with the Fifteen fleet, then kept in touch enough on the run back to be able to beat several of us on handicap. I thought that was an exceptional piece of sailing, but the way the Blazes had such an enormous lead on corrected time just smacked of an incorrect handicap. At least for those conditions...

The point I was tring to make in the original post was whether they are perhaps predominantly sailed in conditions that don't suit them, and that is why they have such an apparently advantageous PY, and can give us such a kicking in the very conditions where we normally excel!

Moreover, what I'm really wondering is how we could ever beat them on this event if they turn up next time. If the wind's light the race gets shortened anyway, so perhaps we need an absolute snorter next year, so's we're the only things that can stay right side up!

The Blaze does have a good handicap.  But it's not as good as the phantom, merlin rocket, L2000, Comet Trio!, In a FF you need a long dead run to beat a Blaze. On the beat they are exatly the same speed, Fetch the Blaze is much quicker. And on a Spinni run the FF will be overhaul the balze quite quickly (if sailed well.)  It all depends on the course.  If there is a broard reach in the course, the blazes don't get close to me in my Vareo.  However I would class the Blaze and Vareo as exactly the same speed over a veriety of courses and wind strengths.

BTW, re the Waterhead on Windermere, maybe worthwhile noting that the guy who 'blazed' away from the rest of trhe fleet (including me sailing an RS300) to win by miles, has also been in the top 3 at the Blaze Nationals for the last 3 yrs and recently won the Blaze Scottish Nationals - he's not exactly your Mr Average...

Wonder where you came in your FF15 Nationals ?