Multi-rig racing

Originally posted by SimonW99 We now have 22 aero's on order with, I believe , 15 already arrived as of this lunchtime, so we have had an ongoing dialogue with the race committee and have made the current club racing rules clearer, but a continuation of what was in place. In short, you can sail what you want for an individual race and you get handicapped accordingly. However, if you want a series result, you have to always enter with the lowest handicap of the rigs you will use. Its not perfect, but it means that the big guy changing down in a blow doesn't gain an advantage as he still has to sail to his 'big rig' handicap. You can enter with a smaller rig, but you end up with two series entries. Its simple and doesn't give the RO a headache....

Yep.

The principle would be the same as switching the hull under a common rig. You know, using a nicely rounded hull with loads of rocker on the light days and a low rocker, chined hull when it's windier. I can't imagine many people arguing that is the same class that should be sailed off a common handicap relating to one class or the other.

Edited by Peaky - 06 Mar 15 at 1:29pm

Its hard:

On the one hand allowing multiple rigs, even different classes under a single entry allows more people on the water and makes it more likely that people can sail every weekend they can. Sailing a two hander when you have crew, single hander when you haven't. And that's surely a good thing.

On the other hand if we have the perception that you have to have multiple rigs to sail competitively, then the cost of sailing and, maybe even more important the hassle factor has gone up. And equally surely that's a bad thing.

Personally I'm completely torn. Both options seem to me to present excellent arguments.

What I have wondered is if whether we should have a qualification type thing, and if you haven't sailed, what, 80% of the races that count in one particular class/rig configuration then you aren't eligible for series prizes. That way you can use different rig combinations to help you sail every week, but not to help you win series. Its also something that's relatively easy to work out at the end of the series.



Edited by JimC - 06 Mar 15 at 1:48pm

It's simple.  Changing down is for Wusses!  (Not sure how to deal with changing up - that would be for heroes!)

Yep, chap at our club who has a phantom, which he sails up to about 8 knots..