D-Zero

It's the Royal Corinthian YC would you believe! Not sure how much hands on dinghy handicapping experience they have.

Simon, which club is that please?

Hi Chris,

Originally posted by chrisg Can I please state that as current chairman of the PYAG, to my knowledge that document has not come from us and I doubt the RYA Technical Dept would publish a list deviating from the national numbers without at least advising us of what was happening. I intend to find out why the document has the RYA logo on it and were it has come from, because obviously as has happened here people will jump to conclusions. I was however party to a discussion earlier in the week between the Great Lakes committee asking about setting handicaps for D-zero and RS Aero at the forthcoming winter series. There was a rush as it was stated Sailracer wanted to use the numbers for the Battle of the Classes. So as far as I understand it the Battle of the Classes was to use Great Lakes numbers (no idea why when not sailing on a lake). If these are the Great Lakes numbers (I haven't checked them all yet) I can say once again there are no manufacturers representatives or anyone with an agenda against either class on that committee. The PYAG won't be rushing to publish any numbers that we have no confidence in and therefore as others have said it will take a little while for the zero and aero to filter through the system. Please do not blur the lines of PYAG and Great Lakes.

Hi Chris,
The zero number is the Great Lakes number, the aero number is higher than any of the sail sizes as per the Great Lakes.
I think it doesn't stop there - there are other classes that are on numbers that aren't Great Lakes or PY. Just a bit odd really - it's all a bit of fun but some consistency would be nice!

Originally posted by iGRF I'm going to investigate the possibility of a restrictive practises action against the RYA. In the meanwhile I've cancelled my D Zero order, I've been away a few days and missed all this, only this afternoon Rodney rang to say it's ready as I was driving back from the Southampton show. I ordered the boat in good faith on the fair assumption with similar stats but a way smaller rig than the EPS I'd get a slower handicap with which to take on the Streakers and Solo's down the lake, 1010 isn't going to cut that. So it's a pretty simple decision really, bloody shame, it's an otherwise excellent boat. Personally I'd have refused to accept that and withdrawn, but then all the time manufacturers let this obvious corruption continue, then as customers what choice do we have?

Anyone reading this type of post will laugh at some dinghy sailors - "I want a really fast dinghy but its got to have a handicap that says its slow so I can sometimes beat some slower boats on a little lake in something called a handicap race" - beyond belief.

If I was buying a Zero and saw this suggested PY I'd think that I'd ordered a really quick boat and stuff the handicap worries. It will all work out eventually.

These posts are starting to remind me of why some people have become bored of some big boat handicap racing - when the skill actually became about fiddling the handicap ?