Streaker PY number

Endo, I think you've missed the point of this thread. No one's debating how
good the streaker is and I can assure you I very much love sailing mine.
You'll see I've posted an identical thread on the streaker forums. My
curiosity is purely to get a gauge of what people might think a fair py for the
streaker is, so I'm in a better position to present my club with a new
provisional number as they aren't happy with the 1162 I'm racing off of.

As you're a streaker sailor, what would be your thoughts on the py rating so
far as one of the new streakers go?

There it seems (if I've got this right) is the problem that Doug is experiencing.

When there is only one of a type, handicap racing at a club; How do you know that the club is proposing a realistic adjustment based on prevailing local conditions, rather than introducing a 'personal' handicap?

The idea to give other helms the chance to sail it and compare results, would give a more reliable indication whether it is the boat py or the helms ability.

Its been a while since I've sailed a Streaker, so my comments are really based on sailing against 3 or 4 Streakers in handicap racing on a small pond. I'd agree that on small waters the newer Streakers have a generous handicap. It does seem to be boat specific though, as a couple of guys at the club were mid-back fleet sailors in old kit built Streakers but after buying new-ish boats (Butler I think but I could be wrong) they both went from mid-fleet to top 2 or 3. Now this could be down to practice, getting better etc, but my take is that it's more likely that new and old spec boats, as per the Phantom say, need different PY's in an ideal world. What should that be, well based on gut feel rather than science I'd guestimate 20-30 points. Its the classic new v old boat PY dilemma, but I'd be very nervous about using club PY's just on the basis of one guy's results as that's too close to personal handicaps.

20 or 30 points might be peanuts over the whole range of helms, but they are a lot when people of similar ability are racing against each other. I certainly wouldn't want 30 points taken from my Firefly handicap because I sometimes manage to win. I hear people in the changing rooms moaning about the Albacore handicap, too. That the boat suits the lake and the helms are some of the best in the club doesn't seem to register. Why they don't even consider sailing one too, or another of the many boats that suit inland sailing, I just don't know.

There have regularly been 3 wooden boats finishing in the top 10 at the Nationals giving Steve Cockerill and Ian Jones (Battle of Classes winners & Streaker National Champions) a run for their money; the fastest of these being home built and without a false floor. This does cannot support the assertion that the current FRP boats are a leap forward in performance.

Doug, it would seem that the Solo is slightly faster than the Streaker - look at the results from the Nicholson Trophy - Jim Hunt just beat Tom Gillard - 2 top sailors. This would tend to confirm the 1155 PY of a Solo in relation the 1162 of the Streaker. I agree that the Streaker can give a Laser radial a good race but I suggest that serious consideration should be given to reclassifying the Laser PY at your club because knocking off 30 from the Streaker PY because it "Seems right" is going to thoughtlessly screw up the relative performances of at least the Solo and Streaker.