Boat Performance Index

So what if you don't want a personal handicap (as in all probability prior to getting 'into' all this I wouldn't have) then I guess you just sail scratch or the club adds a figure for everyone given in order for it to work the Boats would have to be adjusted to their most optimum (severe)performance. Which is kind of what happens to new boats anyway.

Edited by Woodburner - 26 Mar 15 at 4:14pm

5% increments are a fairly blunt instrument - roughly 50 points of PY of course, and its not too hard to put new sailors in the right band. A couple of races is often enough, and new regular sailors will have done a couple of races by the time we have a PH series start. There are a few of us who take a guess for new sailors when we've seen them in action. Because its basically an improvers trophy new members aren't usually going to be in the running for the series prize because we won't have seen them improve...

And because its quite a wide range PY changes are rarely very significant. Needs saying yet again, the odd 5 or 10 points of PY rarely makes much difference. Last season a beginner Solo sailor in band 5 was sailing off 1433 at our club in the PH series.

Edited by JimC - 26 Mar 15 at 5:03pm

Originally posted by JimC Originally posted by gordon1277 with the change in py that would still put me worse of than last year against other classes. An interesting thought, he said provocatively and in no way seriously, is that as the PY issued in the each year's list reflects what the actual performance of the classes was in the previous year, one could make a logical case that all prizegivings for the previous year ought to be delayed until after the new numbers have been released, and all the series rescored for what are now known to have been the correct handicap numbers for that season. [ducks, runs for cover]

Originally posted by sargesail   That is no less reasonable than any of the other suggestions in this crazy thread!

Edited by Woodburner - 27 Mar 15 at 9:46am

I think we can all be guilty of thinking we're 'pushing the envelope' from time to time... after all lurking around a dinghy development forum might just suggest a proclivity in that direction.  In reality though you've absolutely nailed it.... it's just a sociable form of sailing different boats against different folks.