Boat Performance Index

Originally posted by Woodburner I also think it would probably be better to market them as 'Groups' Group 1 Group 2 etc, Nice boat what's it like? Oh not bad it races in group 4.... Then as a club you could run open meetings for say Group 12 Or on the sea maybe run a group 6 meeting, the results are what they come out on the day, no bollox. Nothing to stop the Yardstick thing carrying on exactly as is, but its for the nerds and bandits, proper sailors race groups if there is no class racing available to them so you get to keep your snobbery in a declining field...

Hammered the Miracle!!!

Rupert have you ever seen a properly built well sailed Miracle go?

The Miracle at our club is regularly dicing with the RS200s. With the in-board sheeting that they have had for the last couple of years they can point upwind, and with the kite up on anything shy of a fetch they are gone. Historically Graduates, Miracles and Fireflys all sailed off scratch and I think that's probably still fair.

Edited by craiggo - 17 Mar 15 at 11:16pm

Rupert, it's the principle I'm trying to get across, the detail of what should go where to start with would have to be a consensus, one person with experience of two very different waters and very few different boats can't do it, I've never seen a Graduate in action, wouldn't know one even if it rammed me.

Edited by Woodburner - 18 Mar 15 at 9:06am

Originally posted by gordon1277 Hi Grf If you want to see your system in action come along to the Hillhead Triangulation which groups boats roughly together as per your index and then they sail a course where the differences between the groups are handicapped by distance. A row of buoys are laid along the shore quickest group sail furthest away. Fun Race, mass start Sunday August 2nd. Note it always pays to have the quickest PY in each group.

Originally posted by Woodburner So other than your detail issues, could you see yourself say at your venue hosting an event for boats of say Group 11 & 12, have two separate starts and the results would be scratch, whatever happened on the water on the day?

No. You'd not get the classes involved, so who would come?

You have it all ass about face. If 2 classes know they are of similar speed, then they could run joint meetings where they become one class for the day. But what most do to make numbers viable is involve clubs in putting on a meeting for 2 or  classes that are a little different, running separate starts but sharing rescue cover an lunches.

Last year, the Lightnings and British Moths shared a venue at Whitefriars. Now, because of a twist of fate the handicap for the boats this year is the same. Perfect for your group open, right? Not from what I saw. In anything but a drifter, the best BM helm would have been 1/2 way down the fleet. In very light winds, or at a small river location in light winds, the top Lightning would have been 1/2 way down the fleet. How is this a workable solution? Bad enough that it happens in a club handicap race, but why would anyone travel for an Open like that?

I'm sure there are classes with similar profiles where it would work, and I'm sure it has been done before. Signets used to race with another class, from what I remember. But you'd have to be in the situation where you'd not know which class is likely to win, over a broad range of conditions. If even the MPS and 700 struggle with that, despite being so close on handicap and so much of the boat speed based on helming skill, what chance of other classes matching up?

This year for timing reasons the BMs are sharing with the 2000 class. I think we will keep them separate...