Personal Handicaps

Originally posted by iGRF If it were a perfect world and we had somehow managed to allot craft an actual performance figure which works, I could see the benefit of a personal handicap you try to better, in my pathetic way I try to visualise myself doing it down the lake, my boats handicap is 1024, I can now sail it to 1060 which means I'm 36 points off being capable in my opinion of myself. Then I go on the sea and can sail it to it's handicap, so what does that mean, the boats on the sea are not as good as the boats on the lake? No, not at all. It means the boats on the lake have too generous a handicap against my boat. At least I think it does... Then again it could be because my boat's handicap is wrong or I'm a crap sailor on the lake. Not at all confusing.

Having done a lot of my early sailing on inland ponds, and most of my recent sailing at salt water venues, I would say that you probably struggle inland due to applying techniques more suited to larger sea based venues. The techniques are hugely different, and when I now sail inland I have to really work at ignoring the impulse to do what I normally do when sailing at my home club. Inland sailors tend to be masters of playing the shifts while open water sailors tend to be better at wringing boat speed out of their chosen craft. The open sea sailor won't have time to get setup properly on the confines of a lake, but the inland sailor will probably make best use of shifts still and if the tide is not too strong will probably get enough boat speed to give you a good race on the salty stuff.

As a result I think the PY between inland and sea venues should be the same, as I imagine the effects of it are small compared to the speed differences resulting from sailors applying incorrect technique.

At Frensham the lasers have a PH race as the minor class race in the summer. Generally it is a mass start, so those not interested can just treat it as another class race and pay attention to who winds on the water. Once a month it is a pursuit, which gives the novices the experience of being in front and being passed through the race, so they tend to sail better trying to hold people off for longer.

Originally posted by Bootscooter Originally posted by Blue One ..... it involved a formula which used a marker boat in the middle of the fleet which all the times were worked off..... *Starts Clock* *sits and waits for the inevitable....*

I know, I know. I did think long and hard before answering ruperts question. Luckily I am well stocked up with tea and biscuits.

There's more than one way to use personal handicaps.

One is the golf handicap, in which numbers are updated regularly and the prize goes to the sailor who puts in an exceptional performance on the day.

Another is the improvers, where the handicap is based on a snapshot in the past and isn't altered during the season.

I think these two are both valid, but IMHO its bit odd to use the golf handicap for a series, better that it should be individual events with their own prizes. Conversely I think the improvers is very well adapted for a series.


Edited by JimC - 16 Nov 14 at 9:05pm

Originally posted by craiggo Originally posted by iGRF If it were a perfect world and we had somehow managed to allot craft an actual performance figure which works, I could see the benefit of a personal handicap you try to better, in my pathetic way I try to visualise myself doing it down the lake, my boats handicap is 1024, I can now sail it to 1060 which means I'm 36 points off being capable in my opinion of myself. Then I go on the sea and can sail it to it's handicap, so what does that mean, the boats on the sea are not as good as the boats on the lake? No, not at all. It means the boats on the lake have too generous a handicap against my boat. At least I think it does... Then again it could be because my boat's handicap is wrong or I'm a crap sailor on the lake. Not at all confusing. Having done a lot of my early sailing on inland ponds, and most of my recent sailing at salt water venues, I would say that you probably struggle inland due to applying techniques more suited to larger sea based venues. The techniques are hugely different, and when I now sail inland I have to really work at ignoring the impulse to do what I normally do when sailing at my home club. Inland sailors tend to be masters of playing the shifts while open water sailors tend to be better at wringing boat speed out of their chosen craft. The open sea sailor won't have time to get setup properly on the confines of a lake, but the inland sailor will probably make best use of shifts still and if the tide is not too strong will probably get enough boat speed to give you a good race on the salty stuff. As a result I think the PY between inland and sea venues should be the same, as I imagine the effects of it are small compared to the speed differences resulting from sailors applying incorrect technique.

Nope it's more to do with the confines, to win, I have to lap the lead boat twice and three or four times if it's a Miracle, and it's basically not possible even on a good day, I do also get a bit bored after a while, the EPS is better suited to water where it can stretch it's legs for more than 60 secs before having to tack or turn. It's the point that everyone makes tat it's not possible to have one number fits all, that I kind of accept, but it would be nice to know that the number that is allocated, is allocated in exactly the same way for everyone, as it would be on a personal handicap. If you want to win on a small lake, buy a boat more suited to it, which I thought I had, then they went and shifted the goal posts again and it ended up with a faster handicap than the EPS.

So try and buck the system as you might, in the end if you want to join in you have really no choice but to accept the bollox of sailing old junk, unless you're lucky enough to sail at Grafham.

I'm not even going to bother this winter I don't think, give it a miss for a bit.