Handicap racing now pointless?

How significant is class racing if a class in a club

You can draw the line wherever it suits you...

At my club we run a race every summer with an age related handicap for the over 55 (sailors) for instance.
We also run a personal handicap alongside the main club ones for a couple of series.
We use boat age related handicaps on some development classes...
At their series the CVRDA, in conjunction with the hosting clubs, give adjustments for wooden spars or cotton sails
whatever suits your club is fine...

The system is, as the RYA say, run for the clubs, and the clubs are free to use it anyway it suits the individual club...

Edited by JimC - 12 Jan 12 at 6:28pm

Originally posted by Thunder Road How significant is class racing if a class in a club  a large proportion of numbers are made up of boats that are uncompetative (clapped out) and badly maintained, do they need a handicap to compete on equal terms? Should crew weight be handicaped, lightweights are favoured in sailing so let's give them a leg up if it blows? Where should the line be drawn?

We have fleet racing of RS400's. Well, it's a PY race with a lot of 400's in it usually.
Not a big club, 7 RS400's in total.
I think that through the season last year every 400 beat every other 400 on at least one occassion, apart from one team who are in their first year of 400 ownership.
On average we know who is going to win, but it's close enough that we can keep the best of our sailors on their toes.
We are talking about boats ranging from this year's facelift back to 3 -figure numbers, with a range of sailors from 2 bloke teams, couples random press-ganged crews etc. A fair range of crew weight too.
I suspect the fact that we are tidal helps keep things a little random. My boat is not quite the oldest, but I've never managed to convince myself I'd gain much by buying a new one.
So long as you have a fairly good jib, you have few excuses.
We are light compared to the top helm, but don't feel disadvantaged in F5, it's a bit of a slog upwind sometimes, but we plane first and/or run deeper downwind.
Also, some of the most enjoyable races are not the ones you win!

Regarding the PY element, I'm happy to accept the RYA list as is, I would not want local changes, too personal, too little data, too many variables. Unless you are lucky enough to have a very good statistician in your club, it's better left alone in my view. We don't happen to have anyone detached enough, sufficiently skilled in maths, or with nothing better to do.
In a small PY fleet, fiddling with the numbers comes down to a personal judgement that 'Kevin' is beating 'Jerry' too often. You can hide that behind distributions and opaque formulae, but that's what it is.

At the end of the year, the prizes are not all on the same table, that helps keep people happy.

I get 'whooped' by all the so called bandits, phantoms, Blaze, N12 ...i'm sure it has nothing to do with me sailing an inappropriate boat for the venue - oh no!

Originally posted by blaze720 Neptune It would help quite a lot if your hull got to stay under that mast for more of the time !! ;-)  Mike L. PS  ... the 600 we know is a really tough challenge at BSC .. and would be for anyone.