PYS Online

Using the cycling analogy as earlier, I guess its like a time trial compared to a stage race in Le Tour.... Still racing, just slightly different disciplines. Nobody looked to take away Wiggins' 2012 gold medal in the time trial because he wasn't actually physically racing anyone on the road shoulder to shoulder did they? 

Originally posted by JimC One of the more damaging things about WB and TTs constant hijacking of every thread in sight to push their theorising is that it means that there's little point in discussing anything vaguely related to the topics of race management results and handicapping to share experiences and learn from each other because it will just get submerged in their personal obsessions, so the rest of us are all losers.

Edited by Presuming Ed - 08 May 15 at 7:45pm

Since I've been dinghy racing (1988) PY and handicap racing has always raised the same old questions:

Is it fair?
Could it be better?
Does it undermine class racing?
Is it frankly, 'racing' in a conventional sense?
If it's all that's on offer, is it worth bothering with?

It's not a surprise to me that these enduring questions still pervade the bars, changing rooms and Internet discussion groups... Even when nearly everything else that could have been discussed on here, probably has been, several times over, this is still the one active topic and theme that generates opinion.

It's easy to blame individuals when technology moves on and discussions head to other platforms, or simply the novelty factor of even discussing things online in this manner wears thin for most. This is far from the only internet forum which seems a shadow of its former self, with less posting and topics narrower than pre-Facebook / twitter etc. That's a shame, but unlike dinghy sailing itself, it's pretty difficult to fight progress and innovation.

Was it anyone poster's fault that sailing discussion groups on yahoo or compuserve moved to this format or sailing anachy? No... So perhaps rather than blame individuals for their active content, why not create something new yourself- or simply get involved more as posting here is only opinion, not fact. It's pretty hard to get it wrong in a black and white sense imho.

Anyway, hope everyone had a good sail this weekend, I' typing this from th sofa choking my guts up thanks to picking up a bug last Wednesday. More layers next week... It's not summer yet.

Edited by turnturtle - 10 May 15 at 11:43am

Those are question I hear, and certainly at times in the past I would have answered less positively than you did, BUT actually if any reads what I write, then they'd see I'm not knocking it, I think it has (and continues to) improve and it suits me right now... Given I'm in the frame of mind to sail what I want, rather than follow the herd.

That said, I'm curious as the the Hythe experiment- could be interesting to see the participation levels after a year or two.

Originally posted by Woodburner Well we had eighteen boats out today, our laser fleet has grown to six with another due soon which will make 8 in total when they all show up. The sun shone and the breeze blew so all in all not a bad day, marred only if you look at the handicap results.

So according to your post a few days back you said you were racing scratch. Is that just you or are all Hythe members adopting this approach?