Boat Performance Index

As there were no official Halo numbers until the Great Lakes (and more recently EN) numbers were published clubs DID develop and use their own numbers over the last 3+ seasons.  This is no different to all other new classes really and the numbers obviously evolved with use.  If they were percieved as wildly out around these clubs then as sure as night follows day they would presumably have adjusted them. 

Our enquiry on behalf of Halo owners to the RYA is to establish 1) how many races were considered in developing an current EN  2) Which clubs and at what events was this sample derived.  We have been told that a threshold of as little as 50-70 races has been used and considered recently for some classes by the RYA for EN purposes.  This seems a remarkably low figure to Halo owners and us alike. 

Some clubs have raced Halos for several seasons now, they have also been raced at events like Fed Week, at major handicaps and so on as well as within regular racing around the clubs.  At my own club there is one individual Haloist who must have competed personally in approaching something like 200+ club and external races over the part few years in all manner of conditons and at multiple locations.   There would appear to be a fair bit of 'data' available.

I undertand the comment about possibility of different data handling at club and theoretically later at RYA level.    There appears to be a very substancial difference hence the enquiry being made.

Anyway enough for now - this will start going round in circles soon !   If /when we and they get a formal responce I don't see any reason why this cannot be shared if the RYA has no objection either.  

Mike L.

PS - As an aside I pulled up a predictive spreadsheet today that Dan kindly sent me a while back when he was working on the 'Punk' programme.  You put in such factors as weight, leverage, crew weight, length, sail area etc and it spits out a prediction.   It suggests that with an 80kg crew and a minimum hull weight Blaze the predicted PN should be '1038' and for the boat in Halo mode with a more typical 90 kg Halo crew '1026'  .... makes you think    

Of course no one l know would regularly DNF themselves 10 yards from the finish line when they are way ahead or 'forget to sign on' so as their performance cannot be added to data for submission?

That would just be unsporting or trying to influence the system wouldn't it?


Edited by Jeremyc - 19 Mar 15 at 10:55pm

Mike has my sympathies! As those of you who have been following the single handed 'form' may remember, there were some mixed reactions to the original version of the Halo. Mike then got a chance to have the Halo tested alongside the RS 100 (both rig sizes). I loved it! Sailing the 100 was good - but I thought the Halo was something else and - shock horror, better. Having sailed a Contender just 48 hours earlier and sailing the native version of the Blaze at around the same time, it was easy to make a meaningful comparison. In maybe 8 to 10 kts of breeze, the boat felt as fast through the water as a Contender, but then these conditions are not the strong point of the trapeze boat. You'd be hunched up on the gunwale, with the boat still 'sticking'. The Halo on the other hand just flew - you could sit on the tramps and just feel the power in the rig. But does that make the boat faster than a Contender..... no way. Another 5 kts of breeze and the Contender would be comfortably in another gear. So, the point of the above is, as I said, to express some sympathy with the situation. Who calculated the figures now being quoted (and how) is something of a mystery to me. If ever there was a number that just doesn't seem to make sense - then this is it!
(well, actually - it does, it helps reinforce some other views....another day)
D

Dan you may have done this in the past and i missed it but would it be possible for you to post or pm a list of the single handers (assuming it only applies to single handers) and their handicaps using your measurement system please, very interested to know how it compares to our adjusted numbers as an exercise in seeing where our river pushes and pulls handicaps around in relation to the national list.  if you can thanks in advance.

So let's apply some logic here, it is a single hander without a kite, now being claimed to be as fast as a modern 3 sail boat which is equally overpowered, the RS500.

Edited by Mark Jardine - 21 Mar 15 at 7:17am