Fast and Slow Boats

One of the problems we have at BBSC is the huge range of performances of modern boats.  We sometimes have Oppies and a 49er in the same race.  When I started sailing a 5o5 was about as fast as they got and has a yardstick of about 902.  Some single handers are faster then a 5o.  Boats like the Scorpion were considered high performance and now have a yardstick of 1056.  The 49er has a PY of 747 and my modest machine is sailing on 908.  Its actually worse than it looks because boats like the 49er and my machine are only a little faster upwind than the older boats, but downwind the modern boats are very much faster.

This causes all sorts of problems with organising races - especially pursuit races.

I shall water pushers (Radials) and flyers (49ers) and strongly feel the only racing worth doing is fleet racing, otherwise I practice on my own. The winner of pursuit races (although always good sailors) is dictated by the conditions. For example NO wind 2.4 , MODERATE wind 49er or I14 STRONG wind 420.

 

Jon 

I agree class racing is best.  We have about 450 dinghies in our boat park and we only get about 25 out racing and rarely are 3 of these from the same class.  There's no point in having class racing in those circumstances.